I'm still not entirely convinced there's any characters at all in the PT.
Phantom Menace is the best Prequel.
- Thread starter TheLobes
- Start date
True. I think it is interesting to compare the careers of the OT actors vs the PT actors.
The originals were such a phenomenon they both propelled one actor into stardom (Ford), they had the opposite impact on nearly everybody else involved who literally could not escape their SW personas.
With the prequels, nearly everybody (Christiansen, Neesen, Portman, McGregor) were already established actors when the prequels were made, and they had absolutely no discernible impact on their careers. I think Liam Neesen is probably the only one who got more roles afterwards than he would have otherwise.
Then there is Jake Lloyd, whose involvement with the prequels utterly destroyed his acting career. I believe if he had never done Star Wars that he would have continued as a child actor in movies, possibly getting better in time.
Did Jake Lloyd even have anything nearing a career before doing Episode 1? And I think as popular as his now it probably took Neeson a few years to shake his SW "stigma" to become the draw he is now, at least in America. Portman's career may have been blooming back then but she's probably the one harmed the "least" by being in the PT.
Mr. Jimmy Smits, Sr.? Is that you?Revenge of the Sith is my favorite Star Wars film.
(Now to sit back and watch heads explode ... or dive into a palm or two ....)
Hamill has a very sucessful voice acting career. Fisher, well she started doing coke and that stuff pretty much ruins your career whatever it is. Alec Guinness became extremely wealthy because of how much money he made from Star Wars.
The same thing could be said about the actors from LOTR. It has been ten years since the first movie that had Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom and Liv Tyler. The films were very popular but their careers really weren't changed that much.
I think the only actor that really benefied from the role was Ian McKellen with his iconic role that made him well known worldwide, but he was a really respected actor before LOTR. It was kind of the same with Alec Guinness and SW. They both got Academy Award nominations too.
The kid was terrible in TPM. But I really doubt he would have grown up to be another Leonardo DiCaprio if he never did TPM.
Jake Lloyd did several eps. of The Pretender as the young Angelo, but I think his acting career was a minor thing for him. Look at Carrie Henn in Aliens she happily moved on to other things as well.
Any actress could have played her character really. Most of the time she just stood there and looked pretty. Portman probally really regretted signing for the PT because at times she looked like she didn't even want to be there. In fact she hadn't even seen Star Wars before taking the role. At least the other actors seemed to be huge SW fans.
I liked TPM because it was more simple and straight forward. No overload on CGI and plot lines .
I'm ready for the franchise to go wayyy back and do a series on the rise Darth Bane. Or the other Sith.
I'm ready for the franchise to go wayyy back and do a series on the rise Darth Bane. Or the other Sith.
Agreed, but as in anything else she's in, she was SMOKIN' HAWT!
I agree with the originator of this thread 100%. TPM is the best PT film IMHO if for no other reason than NO Hayden Christiansen! God, was he horribly, comically wooden in AOTC and ROTS. Every time he opens his mouth I can't stop laughing!
Padame finds an unhinged psychopath irresistible. I don't get that at all.
As someone mentioned above, in TPM, you CARE about "Annie." He a sweet kid, despite a hard life. Understood that he had to change to show his potential for corruption by the Emperor, but at the start of AOTC, he's a whiny, miserable, spoiled jerk, not the "good friend" Obi-Wan mentions to Luke in ANH.
I think Ewan McGregor's career was "unharmed" by the prequels. Also, I don't think TPM harmed Neeson's career. He had steady jobs appearing in films, but he mostly did low-key movies. TPM, I think, contributed to him becoming popular and was the film that kicked it off.
Honestly, I don't think anyone's career was harmed by the prequels. The only weak link was Hayden Christensen. He isn't bad, but average. I don't mean that in a bad way. Most actors are average. However, the way his character was written in addition to whatever sort of non-direction he was given didn't play to his strengthens. In short, he was probably miscast.
But she sure is purty.
Umm. We did? I didn't give a rats ass about him. He was annoying, precocious and way to world-wise for someone who has lived in slavery his entire life. And, what, he's a great pilot, pod-racer and all of this at 8 frickin' years old? Most 8 year olds can still barely tie their own shoes.
TPM didnt just screw up Jake Lloyds acting career, it screwed up his life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtkM2JPcHPo&feature=related
As for the other actors, they're all good. Even Hayden Christensen is a good actor. Just as TPM had the problem of being the first prequel, Hayden had the problem of the prequels being his first big movies, and so they screwed up his career in a way that left the other unaffected.
Its worth remembering that every actor gave a pretty wooden performance, but this is just how Lucas directs actors. Natalie and Ewan had already established themselves as good actors, if they hadnt everyone would be on here bashing them too.
When you watch the behind the scenes things, you can really see just how much the actors dislike Lucas, and wish they were not part of the movie. Except Samuel L. Jackson, who seems none to smart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtkM2JPcHPo&feature=related
As for the other actors, they're all good. Even Hayden Christensen is a good actor. Just as TPM had the problem of being the first prequel, Hayden had the problem of the prequels being his first big movies, and so they screwed up his career in a way that left the other unaffected.
Its worth remembering that every actor gave a pretty wooden performance, but this is just how Lucas directs actors. Natalie and Ewan had already established themselves as good actors, if they hadnt everyone would be on here bashing them too.
When you watch the behind the scenes things, you can really see just how much the actors dislike Lucas, and wish they were not part of the movie. Except Samuel L. Jackson, who seems none to smart.
At 9 years old I knew what to do and wanted most women twice my age and/or height. (although these days, I don't think I would be up for a 12 foot tall 70 year old.)
Little orphan Annie was a softcock.
Phantom menace is shit compared to the Lego Starwars short Padawan Menace. C3po flipped Rtoo's head like he was a dust bin and vomited inside his little friend. That's like Asian porn. Not a simile. That is Asian porn.
Little orphan Annie was a softcock.
Phantom menace is shit compared to the Lego Starwars short Padawan Menace. C3po flipped Rtoo's head like he was a dust bin and vomited inside his little friend. That's like Asian porn. Not a simile. That is Asian porn.
Fisher did find success as a script doctor, the person they call in to fix up scripts. She's done pretty well with a writing career.
I don't think they dislike Lucas. From all accounts, he's a legitimately nice guy and decent person. Not much of an actor's director but that doesn't mean they dislike him.
I'm not suggesting that Hamill hasn't had a successful career - just not in movies. He simply couldn't appear on screen without people connecting him to Star Wars. This isn't a problem any of the PT actors have, probably because their characters were so forgettable. I mean, except for us nerds, when the average person sees Hamill they still think "it's the guy who played Luke Skywalker". When they see Mace Windu, they think "it's Samuel L. Jackson playing a Jedi".
Alec Guinness was probably extremely wealthy and famous before Star Wars. Plus his role was so minor in the originals that unless he had some sort of profit sharing deal worked out, I doubt they improve his lot much. I could be wrong, however.
I agree with all except Orlando Bloom. He wouldn't have had a huge career if it weren't for the LoTR films. However, he and Liv Tyler aren't nearly as popular as they once were.
No, but if I recall, he did have minor film roles prior to SW, after which he virtually disappeared from acting. Watching interviews with him now, he seems rather anal and bitter, and doesn't want to talk about his experience with the prequels. Not that I blame him, having grown up living in the shadow of one film.
So, let me guess, you were one of those late-bloomers, that didn't become a great Pilot until you were at least 12 years old, huh?
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Jake Lloyd never bothered me; he acted like a kid but with some stilited dialogue every once in a while. I've never understood the hatred that was thrown his way. Christensen was much worse in AotC than Lloyd was in TPM.
A major dramatic flaw of the prequels is that Lucas cast Anakin so young in the first one that he had to be recast in the second. That sort of decades-sweeping life story might work on paper, but onscreen it meant that we were essentially meeting a completely new character in the second film.
The problem I have with meeting Anakin so early in life is that it pretty much renders the entire "contnuity" of events... awkward and muddy. To say the least.
But let's touch on the big issue on why so many movies will cast a child character in a movie, it's because they think that such a character will better identify with the audience. They think kids will watch and think "Hey, cool! A kid just like me in Star Wars! (or Indiana Jones, or in the case of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles a "teenage human like me" in Kato (Secret of the Ooze.)
But kids don't want to be a kid in these universes they want to be the main characters! They want to be Han, Luke, Chewie, whoever. So make a kid in the movie for as a character for kids to identify with is silly because even kids know the difference between how kids interact with the world and adults. They know adults matter more and get to do more cool stuff.
All of that aside, there's the problem as mentioned with having to "re-cast" the character for the next movie. But then there's also the problem with the age between Anakin and Padme. In TPM Anakin is 8 years old and Padme is 17 years his senior. This means by the time the next movie rolls around Anakin is now 18 and Padme is 27, pretty much a grown woman about to enter her 30s who's already ran an entire world and is now an important senator (how one goes from Queen/ruler to a Legislative positon is beyond me.) So in terms of her maturity age she's probably still another decade beyind Anakin.
Isn't it just a little bit creepy she starts dating a guy she knew as a child and is 10 years her junior?
It also means we waste an entire movie of character development for Anakin because, really, he's not given much to do or grow in the first movie because a kid's not going to mature, learn, or grow much over the course of a few days at 8 years old.
In TPM Anakin should have been shown to be someone in his teens, the same age as Padme, and already in Jedi training. The opening crawl or conversation can reveal how he was rescued/found on Tatooine as being Force-Sensitive and taken to academy leaving his endentured mother behind and then over the course of the movie we can be shown how adept at The Force Anakin is -it's really easy for him to pick up and use it, excelling over all others- and how good of a pilot he is (rather than child Anakin "accidentally" flying the fighter ship, something he's never flown anything like). The story of the movie moreo-or-less staying the same with the diversion to Tattoine to investigate a lead on the dealings with the Trade Federation and while there Anakin becomes enamored with Padme and vice-versa.
The second movie dealing with Padme and Anakin developing their relationship, in hiding, and as I said elsewhere Anakin taking the death of his mother by the Tuskin Raiders in stride as the Force's Will, a test.
Anakin's strength amazes Padme and they mate. (Rather than, "It's okay, Ani, that you just murdered a bunch of women and children. I love you!" The movie takes place more in the clone-wars time where we get to see more of Anakin's great piloting skills.
Third movie starts and the Clone Wars are settling down, Anakin highly decorated as a fighter-pilot.
Padme having already given birth and raising a toddler-aged Luke and Leia. Tensions eventually eseclate between the Republic and the rising Empire and The Emperor/Palpatine manages to seduce Anakin with Dark Side powers like force-chokes and lightning. The Emperor convinces Anakin that The Jedi Council has taken away Luke and Leia and Padme is to be locked-up for her marriage to Anakin by the Council.
Anakin gets enraged by this and begins his mission to slaughter the entire council. The Council, in reality, has mostly came to terms with what Anakin has done and is intending to put Padme in protective custody since the rising Empire is getting too strong and they fear she is in danger, Obi-Wan is tasked with taking her to Alderan to be protected. It's at this moment Anakin takes on Obi-Wan, mistakingly giving Padme -in disguise- a critical injury which enrages Anakin even further leading to their battle which spans both ground battle, to ships through space, to Volcano planet where more ground battle occurs.
Anakin is mortally wounded in his battle with Obi-Won, combined with the injuries from the volcano planet, and Obi-Wan leaves Anakin for dead -much as happens in the actual movie.
Padme is on her death-bed on Alderan where she's allowed to see Leia one last time before dying, Luke is already in hiding on Tattoine with Obi-Wan.
The Emperor repairs Anakin's injuries making him into Darth Vader.
I know there's holes and un-fleshed out ideas in the way I'd like to have seen things happen but I think it'd be much more of a meaningful journey through all six films if Anakin starts out as a teenager through being an adult as someone who is pure in incorruptable with not a single flaw in his entire personality and it's the loss of Padme and possibly his kids that pushes him over the edge, led to this by Palpatine.
The way it is now Anakin's "fall" is hardly a surprise since through both ATOC and ROTS he's pretty much there already. I mean he gleefully slaughters an entire camp of Sand People including the women and children who had little to do with the capture and death of his mother. Is it really supposed to be a surpise that he falls to the dark side after that?
If we're genuinelly supposed to watch these movies from 1-6 and this is Anakin's journey in all of them then his fall to the Dark Side should be a hell of a lot more powerful and making his eventual redemption in ROTJ mean more.
But let's touch on the big issue on why so many movies will cast a child character in a movie, it's because they think that such a character will better identify with the audience. They think kids will watch and think "Hey, cool! A kid just like me in Star Wars! (or Indiana Jones, or in the case of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles a "teenage human like me" in Kato (Secret of the Ooze.)
But kids don't want to be a kid in these universes they want to be the main characters! They want to be Han, Luke, Chewie, whoever. So make a kid in the movie for as a character for kids to identify with is silly because even kids know the difference between how kids interact with the world and adults. They know adults matter more and get to do more cool stuff.
All of that aside, there's the problem as mentioned with having to "re-cast" the character for the next movie. But then there's also the problem with the age between Anakin and Padme. In TPM Anakin is 8 years old and Padme is 17 years his senior. This means by the time the next movie rolls around Anakin is now 18 and Padme is 27, pretty much a grown woman about to enter her 30s who's already ran an entire world and is now an important senator (how one goes from Queen/ruler to a Legislative positon is beyond me.) So in terms of her maturity age she's probably still another decade beyind Anakin.
Isn't it just a little bit creepy she starts dating a guy she knew as a child and is 10 years her junior?
It also means we waste an entire movie of character development for Anakin because, really, he's not given much to do or grow in the first movie because a kid's not going to mature, learn, or grow much over the course of a few days at 8 years old.
In TPM Anakin should have been shown to be someone in his teens, the same age as Padme, and already in Jedi training. The opening crawl or conversation can reveal how he was rescued/found on Tatooine as being Force-Sensitive and taken to academy leaving his endentured mother behind and then over the course of the movie we can be shown how adept at The Force Anakin is -it's really easy for him to pick up and use it, excelling over all others- and how good of a pilot he is (rather than child Anakin "accidentally" flying the fighter ship, something he's never flown anything like). The story of the movie moreo-or-less staying the same with the diversion to Tattoine to investigate a lead on the dealings with the Trade Federation and while there Anakin becomes enamored with Padme and vice-versa.
The second movie dealing with Padme and Anakin developing their relationship, in hiding, and as I said elsewhere Anakin taking the death of his mother by the Tuskin Raiders in stride as the Force's Will, a test.
Anakin's strength amazes Padme and they mate. (Rather than, "It's okay, Ani, that you just murdered a bunch of women and children. I love you!" The movie takes place more in the clone-wars time where we get to see more of Anakin's great piloting skills.
Third movie starts and the Clone Wars are settling down, Anakin highly decorated as a fighter-pilot.
Padme having already given birth and raising a toddler-aged Luke and Leia. Tensions eventually eseclate between the Republic and the rising Empire and The Emperor/Palpatine manages to seduce Anakin with Dark Side powers like force-chokes and lightning. The Emperor convinces Anakin that The Jedi Council has taken away Luke and Leia and Padme is to be locked-up for her marriage to Anakin by the Council.
Anakin gets enraged by this and begins his mission to slaughter the entire council. The Council, in reality, has mostly came to terms with what Anakin has done and is intending to put Padme in protective custody since the rising Empire is getting too strong and they fear she is in danger, Obi-Wan is tasked with taking her to Alderan to be protected. It's at this moment Anakin takes on Obi-Wan, mistakingly giving Padme -in disguise- a critical injury which enrages Anakin even further leading to their battle which spans both ground battle, to ships through space, to Volcano planet where more ground battle occurs.
Anakin is mortally wounded in his battle with Obi-Won, combined with the injuries from the volcano planet, and Obi-Wan leaves Anakin for dead -much as happens in the actual movie.
Padme is on her death-bed on Alderan where she's allowed to see Leia one last time before dying, Luke is already in hiding on Tattoine with Obi-Wan.
The Emperor repairs Anakin's injuries making him into Darth Vader.
I know there's holes and un-fleshed out ideas in the way I'd like to have seen things happen but I think it'd be much more of a meaningful journey through all six films if Anakin starts out as a teenager through being an adult as someone who is pure in incorruptable with not a single flaw in his entire personality and it's the loss of Padme and possibly his kids that pushes him over the edge, led to this by Palpatine.
The way it is now Anakin's "fall" is hardly a surprise since through both ATOC and ROTS he's pretty much there already. I mean he gleefully slaughters an entire camp of Sand People including the women and children who had little to do with the capture and death of his mother. Is it really supposed to be a surpise that he falls to the dark side after that?
If we're genuinelly supposed to watch these movies from 1-6 and this is Anakin's journey in all of them then his fall to the Dark Side should be a hell of a lot more powerful and making his eventual redemption in ROTJ mean more.
I always imagined young Vader as being like John Conner from T2. Someone a bit rough around the edges, but with a fine sense of honour, and an idealism which could be corrupted. I dont think the fact we first met him so young is a bad thing, it just was handled really badly.
It really annoys me when people say that the prequels are good because 'it shows how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader'. Whatever happened to screw Anakin up occured between TPM and AOTC; he went from kind, bright and self-sacrificing to slow witted, bitter and petty.
Anyone who says Anakin turned to the dark side because he feared losing Padme or whatever is totally delusional. It just seems like eventually someone would have brought him Aquafina instead of Evian or something, and them out comes the lightsaber.
It really annoys me when people say that the prequels are good because 'it shows how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader'. Whatever happened to screw Anakin up occured between TPM and AOTC; he went from kind, bright and self-sacrificing to slow witted, bitter and petty.
Anyone who says Anakin turned to the dark side because he feared losing Padme or whatever is totally delusional. It just seems like eventually someone would have brought him Aquafina instead of Evian or something, and them out comes the lightsaber.
