Seeing the Star Wars Saga again.....from start to finish - thescoop's Blog

thescoop's Blog

Seeing the Star Wars Saga again.....from start to finish

Posted on November 29, 2008 at 12:29 PM.

(8)

With the start of the Clone Wars cartoon, I've gotten back into Star Wars. I know some people have their own harsh opinions of the the new series, but I've been enjoying it so far.

It has renewed my childhood love for Star Wars and got me to start watching the movies again. I started last night With Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. I remember the joy of going to see new Star Wars for the first time since I was a little kid almost ten years ago now.

After seeing it in the theater, I left happy with new Star Wars, but a little disappointed with the story and missing characters like Han Solo and Luke. I had waited a long time and this was new Star Wars, but wasn't really all I had hoped for. Anakin being a little boy wasn't what I wanted nor finding out he created C3PO, but overall I just was happy with new Star Wars.

Well, after watching it again last night I see much more than I did that first time. Sure I knew who then Senator Palpatine and that he would become Emperor one day too. But what I didn't see that first viewing was how cunning he was. He is a puppet master and pulled all the strings.

In the first viewing, the whole Naboo/Trade Federation invasion didn't seem to make as much sense to a lot of people. Now it is clear. Since Papatine was the senator for Naboo, he needed a way to grab that power he wanted. He, as Darth Sidious, tricked the Trade Federation into the invasion. This created the sympathy he needed to grab power. This created the situation to move up that ladder.

Obi-Wan Kenobi seeing his master killed by Darth Maul almost leads him to the darkside himself. If you watch his reactions, you see it. Luckily he regains focus before cutting Maul down.

Another thing we see is that through his master, Qui-Gon Jinn, he is taught a less conservative approach to the force. Qui-Gon values living in the moment as the most effective and rewarding way to embrace the force. I believe this leads to him being more reckless. We see him throw cation to the wind a few times in future installments.

Sure, there are still things I don't like about the Phantom Menace, but it is an all around better movie once viewed as the whole of the trilogy. Watching it again last night I picked up a lot more that made it an already better movie. I look forward to watching the other five films as well as all the Clone Wars has to offer and reporting more things I'm picking up again that I might have over looked or just didn't pay attention to the first time.

Being a Star Wars fan, I've always loved the saga and always will. I'm happy the Clone Wars got me go back and revisit these films I love.

Comments

# 1 K_GUN @ Nov 29

"impressive....most impressive"

# 2 rudyjuly2 @ Nov 29

"All too easy". - one of my favourite lines by Darth.

The new trilogy sucked compared to the original trilogy. The characters simply were lousy and you didn't care for them. The only movie that had good characters in the new trilogy was the Phantom Menace. Both Annakin and Qui Gon Jin were great in that respect. Even though it lacked some action, it was the closest to Episodes 4-6 in that respect. The acting by Hayden Christenson in the Clone Wars has made that movie unwatchable for me.

I guess knowing how the new trilogy would end kind of spoiled it for me. A little too much CGI and not enough story also hurt.

# 3 thescoop @ Nov 29

I disagree with TPM being the best of the new trilogy. It was my least favorite, but to each his own. I do find more respect for TPM after the others have come out and you've seen what Lucas was setting up, which is the point of the blog. What Attack of the Clones now. Expect another blog real soon on it.

# 4 JAYMO76 @ Nov 29

Hey... it's all about THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. What a great flick!

# 5 rudyjuly2 @ Nov 30

I didn't mean to say TPM was the best of the new movies. My main point was it had the best character development of the new trilogy. I will say that Episode 2 was the worst and episode 3 probably the best.

# 6 thescoop @ Nov 30

coolbeans, rudy. I don't dislike Episode 2 at all. I'm about to post my blog on it, but I got you.

# 7 JohnnytheSkin @ Dec 3

I recently watched the Saga with my five year old son, and just watching them without the critical analysis and trying to see them through his eyes was great.

Sure I can nitpick about the CG characters (the oaf cafe owner that helps Obi-Wan in Ep. II for example) and the bad acting, but each movie was campy in it's own way and frankly, they are good, mindless, diversions that do their job...sell toys and merchandise to kids, who continue to buy it through adulthood.

# 8 SportsTop @ Dec 3

The movies are great in the respect that they span generations. It always amazed me that I saw A New Hope when I was six or seven years old and wanting all the toys that Christmas then seeing the almost same scenario play out with my son over 20 years later.

Sure the story and acting aren't along the lines of the greatest movies ever, but there is an intangible the Star Wars saga brings to the table that is nearly unmatched in the history of film.