Saturday, May 21, 2005

May the (dark side of the) force be with you!

I saw the last Star Wars movie yesterday, and I think I may want to become a Sith Lord when I grow up. They're so much more fun than those tedious holier-than-thou Jedi knights. There's all sorts of philosophical crap one could say about this movie I suppose, but I just can't be bothered. Suffice it to say that this is by far the best of the three recent episodes, yet it doesn't come close to the old ones. The technology is simply fantastic and there are elements of suspense and drama, but this movie still lacks the soul and the spirit of adventure that made the initial movies so great. The dialogue is pompous and forced and most of the actors either don't fit or are not up to the job. Hayden Christensen in particular is a horrible choice for Anakin, and Natalie Portman, while a talented actress, doesn't really seem believable here. Ewan McGregor does a reasonably good job as Obi-Wan, but the best actor by far is Ian McDiarmid as Chancellor Palpatine. He's quite simply brilliant and very, very believable.

[On a side note: Sniper rifle shooting at running children in cinemas should become a new contest in the next Olympics. Also, kids that talk during a movie like this one should be forced to spend a night with Michael Jackson.]

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