When Dreams Come True

In 1999, my greatest childhood dream came true…A NEW Star Wars movie was released. The beginning of a new trilogy. Not just any trilogy. These are the 3 greatest films ever to see the big screen. From BRILLIANT acting, to astounding CGI, the Star Wars prequel trilogy is a literal masterpiece.  

Growing up, I was a true “Star Wars” fan. I literally watched “A New Hope”,”Empire Strikes Back,” or “Return of the Jedi” every single day until about the time I was 13.  I grew up on this. All my young life, one of the things I wanted most was to see NEW Star Wars movies. For years, we heard about sequels, or prequels that could possibly come out. Finally, in the late 90’s I got my wish. 

Through 3 unbelievable movies, and thus, 3 unbelievable journeys, every wish I had in new Star Wars flicks came true.  Beginning with “The Phantom Menace,” George Lucas presented to us the first REAL look at what the Jedi were capable of.  Realizing that these superhuman beings were not capable of saving the galaxy alone, Lucas boldly and BRILLIANTLY introduced us to the greatest character in Science Fiction history…Jar Jar Binks. Lucas has received serious heat over this character. People say that he was “too goofy” or made just for marketing to children. The simple fact, however, is that Jar Jar became an integral part of the trilogy, becoming more and more involved the 2nd and 3rd installments. His quick thinking, and witty comments create a fun environment for any movie-goer to forever remember. Without him in the trilogy there would have been way too many gaps in the plot. For instance, how would Palpatine have received permission to create the “army of the republic” in “Attack of the Clones?” Who would walked behind Padme’s casket at the end of “Revenge of the Sith?” Who would provide comedic relief at just the right time? These things simply could not have been done without him. Jar Jar single-handedly makes these movies GREAT.

Speaking of great characters, I’d like to take a moment to praise a few of the great acting performances and point out the flaws of a few.  First off, it’s obvious that one of the most emotional plot lines of the entire prequel trilogy is the chemistry between Hayden Christiensens “Anakin Skywalker,” and Natalie Portmans “Padme Amidala.” Literal power exudes from the screen when they appear together. In “Clones” their courtship begins. It’s quite exciting how their love grows through the movies. You can see it evolve over the course of “Clones,” with a powerful performance by Anakin pouring his heart out to Padme. How can we forget, “I am haunted by the kiss you never should have given me.” Words fail me. I cry every time I watch the heart and soul these 2 actors put into this performance. If I didn’t know any better, I would think they were in love in real life.  ”Revenge of the Sith” carries on these emotions, and brings this riveting performance to the next level.  Anakin and Padme say “I promise you” 23 times throughout the movie, and what better way to show how much you care about the one you love than to promise them…constantly. THATS LOVE FOLKS. Again…tears every time.

The only performances that really let me down were Ewan McGregor’s “Obi Wan Kenobi” and Ian McDarmids “Palpatine/Sidious.” I found McGregor dry, dull and without energy. He tries to be the “hero” of the story but really just comes across extremely arrogant. I put more effort into taking a crap than McDarmid did, attempting to potray the most evil villian in movie history.  Every time he comes on screen, I just think, “What the crap is this washed up old man going to say next?” He has no acting skills, and Lucas clearly should have cast someone with more experience for this role. I truly hope that when Lucas remakes the prequels (fingers crossed) that he replaces McDarmid with a CGI version. Then we’ll have some real acting!

As far as special effects, it was clearly necessary to make most of the movie in CGI. I mean, it’s available, so why not capitalize on it? Long gone are the days that we want real actors anyway. Why have it real, when we can the same effect fake?  Real sets and real people pale in comparison to blue screen and cgi perfection. Lucas made the right move here.

 Of all of the great things Lucas did with this triology, my  favorite is the angle he took with Christopher Lees “Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus.” Introduced in the last, crucial 3 minutes of “Attack of the Clones,” Christopher Lee engages the legendary “Yoda” in a lightsaber battle. Dooku escapes, goes off screen between Episodes 2 and 3, and comes back for the first crucial 7 minutes of “Revenge of the Sith.” What’s so BRILLIANT about this, is that the character of Count Dooku carries about 3/4 of the entire story!! He doesn’t even need to be in the movie to do this!! Becaue he’s OFF SCREEN! BRILLIANT! Lucas mezmerizes as always.

To sum up…Thanks Lucas for making the prequel trilogy everything I wanted. From the unforgettable comedy of farting eeopies and Jar Jar reciting the hilarious “Full House” lines, to the character development that culminated in one of the most BRILLIANT love stories of all time, to the suprise ending in “Sith” where Padme Amidala has nothing physically wrong with her but loses the will to live.

To Lucas’ BRILLIANCE I give a resounding, and appropriate “Roger Roger” to these timeless classics.