Tonight, I saw Anakin Skywalker become Darth Vader. I laughed, I cried, and felt my heart constrict in pain. It had its faults but it didn’t matter, because for 2 and half hours it felt like I was 9 again. And nothing mattered, except for the life of a man who became the scarred-old-man wanting to look at his son with his own eyes for one final time. Thank you George Lucas, you don’t know me and probably never will, but I just wanted to say thank you. You changed the way a little girl viewed the world 13 years ago, and tonight you reminded her why she wanted to know the story of that scarred old man. Thank you.
Yoda, my heart breaks for you. To watch all that you care about destroyed, brought to its knees. I cry for you. I wanted to scream when you said you failed. It was hard to watch because it was true, and you should have known better.
Padme. Oh poor Padme. Truly sad that the last memory you have of Anakin is of him choking you to death. I understood why you chose to die. There is no blame. You left two beautiful children who became wonderful human beings.
Obi-Wan. Fuck. Watching you shouting at Anakin, telling him you loved him, telling him he was like a brother to you. Then walking away from a screaming Anakin. Gods, that must have hurt. But I wonder just how much of it was blame and anger at Anakin, wanting him to suffer for the betrayal, and how much of it was love, not being able to deal the final blow. You must have been so fucked up.
Anakin. This was your film. You shined. So much opposing forces pulling at you. You were both wonderful and terrible, and watching you try and try and fail so horribly was painful. When you shouted at Obi-Wan that you hated him, oh, that hurt. Watching you burn, scream, and pull yourself up, limbless. Gods, so much hate. Watching you don the helmet, Darth Vader born. Oh, what a moment.
Leia is her father’s daughter.
Luke is his mother’s son.
Take that how you will.
I wish Bail had lived, what a man.
Alderaan. I see why Leia loved you so.
It ended on Tatooine, where the tale began. The two suns in the distant sky, Luke in the arms of his uncle.
Thank you Mr. Lucas.
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chasethestars
chasethestars
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There are so many painful things in this movie. Yoda who has watched over the Jedi order for over 500 years at least seeing it fall and crumble; Padme watching the man she loves turn into the antithesis of everything she believed and fought for; Anakin and Obi-Wan OMG the emotion in that last duel, especially the end of it with Obi-Wan in anguish, standing by and watching as the amazing, proud and handsome hero who had been his best friend turn into a monster not only psychologically but physically too. And the completion of Anakin's transformation into Darth Vader. TELL ME that shivers went up your spine when Darth Vader took his first breath. And how the very first thing he spoke was to ask about Padme? That jars, it really does, because it's VADER whom before this we always thought of as the Imperial Dark Lord, and with that one question it hammers home that underneath the black mask and helmet it's Anakin, Anakin who had a mother and wife and best friend and dreams and hopes was willing to fight for them.
I agree about wanting Bail to live. Before this, all we knew about him was that he was Leia's adopted father and died on Alderaan. Now we've actually seen the man, and god I love him -- he's a fantastic leader. If I could live anywhere in the Star Wars universe, it would be Alderaan under Bail Organa's rule.
As for the ending shot, it defines the concept of 'perfect', because really, it was perfect. Tatooine, where everything began, and the twin sunset that is just ICONIC of Star Wars.
(BTW, read the novelisation of the movie. It's done very well, and furthermore, expands on the movie and its scenes -- Padme, for example, you learn is very busy in the movie off-screen, meeting with who will become the leaders of the Rebellion. Furthermore, the script and dialogue is extended and fleshed out (Obi-Wan and Anakin get some GREAT banter; Palpatine's teachings and insinuations are given more clarity and you can't help but be amazed by his manipulation), and the author delves into these thumbnail sketches of how characters are at certain points in the book which I thought at first could break up the pace but actually work really well -- especially the very last one when Anakin when he has finally become Vader and realises the sad, sad truth of the Dark Side.)
Revenge of the Sith = incredible
That first breathe. Oh gods, I didn’t know what to feel. Excitement, hell yeah, fear, anger, resolution and so much damn pain. Symbolically, death of a character, except as you said, first thing he ask is for Padme (and omfg! That had got to hurt.) Watching them put that mask on him was chilling. Hayden Christensen can so act! That expression on his face; fear and then acceptance. Let’s back track, when he screamed out, “I hate you,” at Obi-Wan.That WAS Anakin Skywalker. That was DARTH VADER. And there are no word for what I felt at that moment. None.
Padme was so damn tragic; watching the man she love change into something she could not stand, watching the Republic she fought and bled for die (that delivery of, ‘The death of liberty. Met by the sound of applause.” That delivery. Damn. Damn. She nailed it.
And Obi-Wan. There’s a million and one things I want to say but I can’t seem to think of the words to say it. He left the man that was like a son, like a brother to him, to die a horrible painful death, he watched all he lived for destroyed, he set Luke on the path to kill his own father. What is there to say? The anger, the betrayal, the confusion, the damn pain he must feel (and I’m pretty damn sure he felt a pretty large dose of hatred.)
I wonder if Yoda ever regretted the way he dealt with Anakin. It is hard to say. Hard to say. To watch him crawl through the duct… I felt this ache. Yoda should never crawl through anything. And there he was, fleeing. Fuck.
To see Bail in action; honourable, a man who lives by his words. He was risking himself, his family, his damn planet. That takes courage. And to love Leia as if she was his own. Oh, the kindness.
Alderann. To finally see it. Wow.
Final scene. Perfect.
Revenge of the Sith = Need to see again.
I don't know why people say Hayden can't act -- they say he acted like a bratty adolescent in AOTC but that's what Anakin's supposed to BE in AOTC; a cocky, arrogant, sometimes bratty adolescent. (Plus from the reviews I've heard of his other movies, he /can/ act pretty well). IMOH I think he nailed this one pretty well, especially the final third of the movie as the Dark Lord. The way he ran up to Padme, so happy after decimating the Temple and the Separatists, expecting her to be happy and telling her all the power he's got and 'WE CAN RULE THE GALAXY TOGETHER AND MAKE IT A BETTER PLACE', and then his fury when Padme (understandably) backs away -- that was GREAT. Topped only by screaming "I HATE YOU!" at Obi-Wan.
As for Obi-wan, I can't imagine the amount of pain and angst and resignation he must have gone through since that duel, watching the complete and utter demise of his best friend (we will never be able to watch the Obi-Wan vs. Vader duel in Episode IV the same way again), watching over Luke as he grew up knowing that he would have to get this innocent farm boy to do something so terrible because there was no other way. Even though he said nothing in the final scene where he furtively gives the baby to Beru, his FACE said it all, when he's watching the Lars hold Luke you can SEE it on his face the knowledge of what he has to do in future.
I think Yoda probably did regret the way he dealt with Anakin -- like whn Luke has the vision of Han and Leia being tortured in Cloud City at least he doesn't deliver the bullshit "let go be glad the ones you care for are with the Force" he just gives the harsh truth that if you help them you could destroy what they fight for. And yes, Yoda, the greatest Jedi Master, reduced to /crawling/ through service ducts to escape, OUCH.
Revenge of the Sith = already seen twice, must see it a third time sometime in the next fortnight.
Hayden. I believed him. He was Anakin Skywalker to me, and that's all I can really say.
Obi-Wan Kenobi. The angst. See, this is why I stayed up at ridiculous hours trying to find good Obi-Wan fics. Alas it was an endeavour doomed for failure.
Yoda, I just don't know how to verbalise what I feel for him, his actions, his beliefs, or his character. But you're right, the Yoda we meet in Empire seemed to be filled with regret and hard earned wisdom. EXACTLY! To see someone like Yoda. Crawling through the vents was just wrong.
Will see it soon.