RE: Salinger turns to the Dark Side
Sean Draine (seandr@Exchange.Microsoft.com)
Mon, 28 Jun 1999 15:30:21 -0700
Jim wrote:
"The original [Star Wars] movies weren't all that great artistically to
begin with. They're melodrama and intended for fun."
Star Wars and Empire certainly weren't art films, but they were still
imaginative, fun movies. I love a good piece of schlock as much as anyone,
but The Phantom Menace fails even in that category.
Consider the characters from either film. Star Wars/Empire introduces an
abundance of interesting, rounded personae: Han Solo, Princess Leah, Darth
Vader, Ben Kanobi, R2D2, C3PO, Chewbacca, Yoda, Luke Skywalker. We know
these characters. They have recognizable, identifiable, and engaging
personalities.
Now consider The Phantom Menace: Anakan Skywalker, Young Ben Kanobi, Liam
Nielson's character, the Queen of Tatoine, Jar Jar Binks. These characters
all seem to have been lobotomized, or, in the case of Jar Jar Binks, they
should have been. The only interesting characters are those from the
originals: R2D2, C3PO, Yoda.
-Sean