Is it that hard to accept?

Darth Splinter · Is it that hard to accept?

Now, when I say this, it's not directed to all of you, but any of you who disagree with my thoughts.

It just ticks me off so much that some people just can't accept that the acting in TPM, AOTC, and ROTS was terrible. Don't get me wrong. I...well I don't love...TPM...or AOTC...but ROTS, I love ROTS. Anywho, the acting just isn't good. Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, and all other major actors participating are terrific actors, but it seems the directors just got lazy and let all that talent go to waste.

The anger expressed from Anakin as portrayed by Hayden seemed so generic. His reaction just didn't seem realistic when he thought Padme brought Obi-Wan with her in ROTS.

I couldn't help but laugh so hard when Obi-Wan, as portrayed by Ewan McGregor, said so mono toned and emotionless "I can't watch anymore." when he saw Anakin killing Jedi on the security recordings.

I could go on...

In my opinion, the best actor in those movies was Sam Jackson. Frank Oz even. Like I said earlier, this is only directed to those who are extreme fan boys and girls and can't accept that the acting in the PT just wasn't really good.

P.S. The acting in the OT was far better...IMO.

Dakoth

I liked Ewan's performance in the PT a lot, I don't know what you're talking about in that respect. If you're talking about the scene in the temple where he says "I can't watch anymore" I think that was exactly how he should have done it. He was a highly trained Jedi Master who had been trained his entire life not to let emotions interfere with his judgement, or interfere at all for that matter. He wasn't about to break down in the midst of a sith uprising that threatened to drive the Jedi to extinction. Notice that only after he has completed his duties and done away with Anakin does he lower his emotional barriers and get all wishy washy.

That fills the part perfectly to me.

As for everyones favorite actor, Hayden, lets just say Mr. Lucas can't write a love scene. And Hayden can't act one either.

My 2 cents.

Lord Embeion

/agree with Dakoth

Rive Caedo

I'm not sure if we really have that extreme fanboy/girlism here these days.

It's actually funny that in some of the off-screen moments in behind the scenes footage - Natalie and Hayden seem to be having a lot of fun together. It's a shame some of that chemistry didn't transfer to the actual filmed scenes.

I didn't love Ewan in Phantom Menace. He was upstaged by Liam and seemed too far separated from the aged Obi-Wan portrayed by Alec Guinness (is it ironic that one of my favorite performances in the entire saga hated hated hated the films?) we knew from the Original Trilogy.

I think he came into his own by Revenge of the Sith though.
Despite the complaints about that scene with the security hologram (and sometimes the subsequent scene where he talks to Padme). I think it's roughly comparable to the scene in Return of the Jedi where Luke tells Leia that she's his sister and that he's going to face Vader. They're both sort of odd scenes because there's no precedent for that. They're not standard scenes.

I do feel that the Original Trilogy is immensely superior to the Prequels in terms of acting - but that's largely due to them having the likes of Alec Guinness and Harrison Ford to play off of. Without them - we'd have two hours of Mark Hamill whining about power convertors Wink

It really comes down to Harrison Ford being able to carry a romance plot and Hayden --- not.

Rive Caedo

*replies to self*

I didn't want to edit this in, since it's sort of a separate point.

I've mentioned it in another thread in the past, but my favorite behind the scenes footage of all time from the Prequels was one where they've just finished filming one of the rather ah... abysmal scenes with Anakin and Padme in Padme's apartment.

Hayden: "Hey... ah... can we do that again?"

George Lucas: "Again?"

Hayden: "Yeah, I just think we can do that better."

George Lucas: "Well... ah... okay. That was very good though!"

So maybe we can blame the directing. It's too bad that Irvin Kershner retired in the early 90's - he did a fantastic job with Empire Strikes Back.

Dakoth

Are you perhaps insinuating that our hate is.. how do you say.. Misplaced?

Xander Vos

Rive Caedo

I don't think even Alec Guinness could have pulled off making a sentence starting with "Let us not forget, Anakin, that you rescued me from the buzz droids" sound any good Smile

But, that's a good point. With the exception of the end of Attack of the Clones ("We relayed your message just as you requested, master... Then we decided to come and rescue you." - "...... Good job." (that scene felt like original trilogy humor to me)), most of the Anakin/Obi-Wan scenes come off feeling a bit... forced. I usually focus on Anakin/Padme problems.

Compare that to... I don't know... Lando and Han? Imagine anyone else in the world trying to pull off Lando's opening scenes besides Billy Dee Williams.

LANDO CALRISSIAN!

I've said it before and I'll say it again. What the Prequels were missing was the smuggler factor Very Happy

Xander Vos

Haha that's a great clip. Very Happy

But yeah, I agree with you, there were only brief moments in the PT where the humour didn't feel completely forced. 3PO and R2 had a bit though, though there's not much acting involved there.

Lord Vexen

Not all the acting was bad...I though Liam Neeson (sp) and Christopher Lee did a good job. As well as the only actor to return from the OT (who had a voice). And no, I'm not talking about the guy who played Boba Fett in ROTS.

Rive Caedo

Darth Splinter

Christopher Lee, I must agree with you, did a great job in ATOC and his brief spotlight in ROTS, which I wish would have been longer.

And yes, Xander, Hayden is a terrible actor.

Lord Vexen

Yes I meant Ian Mcdirmid...I likes him in Macbeth as well.

Christopher Lee is one of my favorite living actors...2nd in fact. Behind only the great Al Pacino.

Rive Caedo

I didn't like Lee in the scene where Obi-Wan's floating in the blue energy cuffs.

I think that's mostly due to the fact that they probably didn't film the scene together. Lee's not used to that experience of talking to a green wall Very Happy

However, there were two moments I can specifically recall seeing in Episode II that made me say "Okay - this was definitely worth coming out to the midnight showing for". One was Obi-Wan nonchalantly catching Anakin's lightsaber during the Coruscant Speeder chase. The other was Christopher Lee saying "It is clear that this contest cannot be decided by our knowledge of the Force... but by our skills with a lightsaber." (Followed, of course, by Yoda dropping his cane.)

I also really like that line because I like to imagine what would have happened if Sean Connery - another venerated actor - had played Dooku instead of Christopher Lee Very Happy

"It ish clear that thish contesht cannot be deshided by our knowledge of the Foresh... but by our shkillsh with a lightshaber."

Lord Invictus

Christopher Lee is actually my all time favorite actor. Ean McKlellan (cannot spell his name)... Mckellen.... Micland.... the Gandalf dude, is my 2nd, with Temuera Morrison- Jango- in 3rd.

In other news, I thought that the acting- apart from Attack of the Clones Anakin- was great for the prequels. Perhaps they had some rough spots, I won't mention any names..........

HAYDEN!!!!!

but I thought the overall performance was equal or, in some cases, better than the original trilogy.

Lord Vexen

Sir Ian Mkallen I believe.

Lord Invictus

Okay, I know I'm wrong, and I know he's knighted, but I said I couldn't spell. (duntt muak mi issuz, manz.) Very Happy

Rive Caedo

Darth Splinter

Xander Vos

Haha, I have to say I agree with you Splinter, though the OT does at times lack in acting, though I suspect that may be due to work with special effects that the actors may not have been used to.

Rive Caedo

The most common complaints about the original trilogy are:

What's up with Leia in A New Hope? Does she have an accent or doesn't she? She keeps switching!

Whiny Luke

There's also a special debate - that I'm not sure occurs with any other series of movies besides the constantly being altered Original Star Wars trilogy...

In the original cut, after Luke drops to the bottom of Cloud City, Vader says to a group of stormtroopers as he walks down a hall - rather distorted and very angry sounding, "Bring my shuttle!"

In the special edition cut, Vader says - very calm sounding "Inform my Star Destroyer to prepare for my arrival."

There's been a lot of debate whether Vader would be really really angry after Luke escaped, or if he'd be completely calm (like in the new version).

I suspect that in the 2012 "Super-Duper" Edition, that scene will be cut out entirely. The shot of Vader's fist dropping after Luke drops will be replaced by an all-digital Vader rearing back and screaming.