Why Darth Vader ruined the prequels!
Or why casting is sooo important!!
A couple of nights ago I finally sat down and felt like watching a Star Wars film. I did not feel like watching any of the originals so I decided to go into the dreaded Prequel territory. Having not watched these films in a good 2 years I went on memory on what I liked the best and that was Revenge of the Sith.I sat through this film enjoying every minute that did not deal with Anakin. Then I realised how sad that was because the how damn prequel is about Anakin. This is why Anakin /Darth Vader ruined the prequels.
The first of the prequels starred Jake Lloyd as the little Anakin. Like Hayden he has the right looks but unfortunately that’s all he had. He was weak, had no depth and came across as annoying. There were even some arrogant traits to him as well but that just might be from my bias memory. The Phantom menace was once again only enjoyable when Anakin was not around to trash the standard of the other actors. Jake Lloyd was not a good choice for one of the greatest characters in film history. I know there are some of you screaming that he is only a child. To that response I say CRAP and point you to the works of Dakota Fanning, Freddie Highmore and Haley Joel Osment from The Sixth sense. Jake Lloyd’s lack of appeal made this glorious franchise’s comeback only average and not great.
But I remember leaving Phantom Menace just being happy to see the Jedi again in their glory but also I was happy that the next film would not have that annoying kid screaming It’s working. It’s working. Then we get to Attack of the clones and we see Hayden Christensen take the role of Annakin and that is where the films start to fall away. I am not a Hayden Hater. I like Jumper and I think he has some talent but the thing is he left it all at home when he was doing Star Wars. In Attack of the clones he was a petulant child who complained and moaned through the whole film. Whilst he was great in the action sequences he was just awful through most of the film. A better actor could have played the role with more empathy and not made you think of Annakin as a boy spoilt by his destiny. Whilst that was probably the point that Annakin was petulant he also had to be likeable sop we can believe why a beautiful princess could fall madly in love with him. Strike 2 for Anakin
Lucky last was the film I watched recently. The Revenge of the Sith is a top film without Hayden. Like is said before, the trailers and the look of Hayden is perfect. Christensen has that sleek ultimate Jedi pin up look. But this was the film he had to step up in. This was the film where he had to believably fall to the dark side. He had to do a performance that made us understand why he did what he did but Hayden failed. This is an actor that has been surrounded by talent with the likes of Ewan Magregor, Sam Jackson, Natalie Portman and Frank oz and he still does not learn or even worse he does not try.
Now we can’t blame Lucas’ dialogue because the first Star Wars films were written in the same soap opera style and they were brilliant. Even the actors of the new films made the dialogue fresh but whenever Hayden spoke it was like someone just pressed pause on a VCR. It snapped you out of the film and out of the scene. Any emotion invested into the film was disrespectfully thrown back at you like that fat kid barred from giving Megan Fox a rose.
I am sorry I am hating on Hayden so much but this was a series that we hold above most other films, it actually goes beyond film and is like an actual glimpse of another world. It is a mythology that we understand and some even aspire to.Like other I do not blame Jar Jar Binks, I do not accuse George Lucas of ruining my childhood as it was never going to match the films I saw through a child’s eye but I do blame I put on Lucas is for going for what looked best on a happy meal than actual talent.
Hayden Christensen was just plain awful as Anakin. The way he roared his lines on the space dock on the lava planet is not even funny but heartbreaking. I would usually laugh at such bad acting but watching this scene the other day made me feel genuinely sad that not enough respect was paid to my love of the trilogy. They were not fussy enough on who they chose to be the lynch pin to the prequels and that is why the series fails.
I love every scene that does not have Anakin/Darth Vader talking in it. Even the dreaded Darth Vader “NNNNOOOOOOOO” is acceptable to me when faced with the acting that Hayden dished up. I am sorry again for being negative and I do really hate slamming films but like I said before this is more than a film to me. My only solution is they should have made Anakin Skywalker a mute until the Emperor gives him a voice when he becomes Lord Vader or just coughed up the cash and got Dicaprio.
That is all my fellow movie lovers
Posted by Prester John - 6/3/2010 2:33:37 AM
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