150W: Cassandra's Dream

Short reviews for clear and concise verdicts on a broad range of films...

Cassandra's Dream (Dir. Woody Allen/2007)

Social-status is rarely explicit in Allen’s films. Upper-class New Yorkers philosophising about life is more down his street, and placing characters in the top rungs of society mean relationships and death are the only things worth thinking about. Set within the cloudy and rain-sodden streets of London, Cassandra’s Dream bucks the trend as brothers Ian (McGregor) - a restaurant-owner - and Terry (Farrell) - a content car-mechanic - turn to their mysterious Uncle Howard (Wilkinson) for money. Ian and Terry just need to kill someone for Uncle Howard and the money is theirs.  Allen’s trademark cynicism and insight gives food for thought but it doesn’t make up for the lack of urgency in such a steady-paced film. The family dynamics toys with relationships between fathers and sons – and envy and expectation. Underrated, Cassandra’s Dream may not be his best – but it introduces a class attitude we have rarely seen before.

Rating: 6/10

Jack The Giant Slayer (Bryan Singer, 2013)

"Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum"

As we step ever-nearer to X-Men: Days of Future Past, we need to establish where Bryan Singer is. His previous feature-film Valkyrie received mixed reviews, while Superman Returns ended the franchise completely - giving way to this years Man of Steel. In that regard, it has been a neat ten years since he has directed a film that has been championed by fans - X2. Indeed, X-Men, unto itself, opened the door to the multi-billion dollar industry of "Comic Book Movies" - and, specifically, the "darker" comic book films. Prior to X-Men, Comic-book films were little more than strange, quirky films for nerds - but now, because of Bryan Singer, they are so much more. The question lingers awkwardly over Jack the Giant Slayer: Does Singer work his magic and reinvent the fairy-tale genre?

Jack and the Beanstalk

We know the story: Jack sells his cow for beans, he plants the beans and it turns into a beanstalk. Jack climbs the beanstalk to find a giant. Jack The Giant Slayer combines the popular fairytale with the "older and darker" Jack the Giant Killer. Jack the Giant Slayer is released following the success of previous fairytale instalments Snow White and the Huntsman and Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland - both Jack and the latter film released in 3D. This fairytale trend seems to capitalise on a known property (we all know the story...) and, I assume, the parents who seek to take their children  to watch a story they may have told to them before bed.

This particular version includes an opening that involves a monk riding a horse and Warwick Davies amongst a group of actors re-enacting the story of Giants. Our hero, Jack (Nicholas Hoult) joins a group of Knights - dubbed "The Guardians" - including Ewan McGregor and Eddie Marsan (a far cry from the brutal roles he has played in Tyrannosaur and This is England '86) to save a damsel in distress, Princess Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson), from the world of Giants that Jack unwittingly creates a link between. It emerges (in the opening moments of the film) that these Giants were banished to the world above by humans after we took hold of a crown - created by the heart of Giants - that controls them. In Gantua, the Giants have been angry and stewed for hundreds of years ... ready to re-emerge when the opportunity arises. With Jack's help, it does - and Royal figures are ready to take advantage of this opportunity as controlling Giants means that they could control earth itself.

Imagination

But it is an unwieldy story that struggles to comfortably make the jump from book to screen. I could even argue that the beauty of these stories is within the childhood wonder you have when first hearing them; you imagine the world and beasts that are described. The simple story of Jack and the Beanstalk is equally clear in its moral tale - as it is in the ambiguity of the fantasy-locations. What do the giants look like? Some children imagine them as tall as skyscrapers - some may imagine them as merely tall people. The beanstalk - is it slimy and slippery like the vines that creep out of a lake? or are they dry and dusty? Singer decides to define these details in a mixed hot-pot of styles and fashions. Characters wear hats from the 1920's and Jack dons a leather jacket ... but, of course, the medieval Lord of the Rings action sequences hark back to the Middle-Ages.

Because of this eclectic mix, the film simply doesn't ring true and, though children may thoroughly enjoy the amalgamation of time-periods and fashions, as an adult it has a strange unbalanced tone. Tim Burton, despite his narrative inconsistencies, always seems to balance the tone - creating Gothic worlds that naturally and organically connect to each other; Bryan Singer's town of Cloister and land of Gantua fail to convince. Technically, he nods towards Jurassic Park as plodding footsteps are heard in a lush rainforest as it rains heavily - and akin to the T-Rex in The Lost World, we inevitably see a limp body stuck to the base of a scaly foot as a Giant tramples on a human. Even the half-Gollum, half-"Ed" (the crazy Hyena from The Lion King) additional head on Giant (Bill-Nighy-voiced) Fallon goes against the horrific character deaths - silly characters and gore-filled deaths - younger children may dislike the gore; older children may dislike the silliness.

For the Kids

Despite these uneven elements, assuming the gore isn't taken to heart, younger children will like the film. Fantasy, simplicity in story-telling, an epic finale and quirky characters. Children, for better of worse, love a good fart-joke and they love a gooey, slimey bogey pulled from a giants nose - so an adult-criticism seems void when the audience this film is made for will clearly enjoy it. It's not as profound as a Pixar film, and it lacks the modernism of a Marvel superhero film - but it is a tale children understand. Bryan Singer has not created a masterpiece and nor has he reinvented the genre - he has simply made a film that exploits all the trends that, in fairness, children seem to be interested in. Singer hasn't dropped the ball on this; he just lacks passion. Little more than a footnote in a biography, Jack the Giant Slayer is merely a manufactured children's film that will be forgotten within a year. In the hands of Bryan Singer, it is an acceptable children's film - but he needs to be more selective when he chooses projects in future.

Written/Originally published for Flickering Myth on 21 March 2013

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005)

"So this is how liberty dies - to thunderous applause"

Introduction

Star Wars Episode III is what everyone was waiting for. The title "Revenge of the Sith" already had the Star Wars fans excited for the final prequel. Hopes were dashed in Phantom Menace and they were further corrupted by the love-story of Attack of the Clones ... now we were to see Anakin truly become Darth Vader. The teasing of Anakins "medochlorians" through to the arrogant Anakin we saw in Attack of the Clones was now to come full circle as he turned to the Dark Side. Apprently, many things were changed during the production of this film as Lucas had planned this film even before Attack of the Clones. The focus had to be fully upon Anakin - nothing else could distract us from his fall from grace. Plot-points that involved understanding the deletion of the galaxy Kamino and showing Han Solo at the age of 10 were scrapped so that we would be fully immersed in Anakin. There is a side to me which would have had a kick out of seeing Han Solo as a child ... but, considering how much I enjoyed Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith I don't think I would want to change anything at all. Who knows - maybe in ten years time, Lucas will add the Han Solo scene in anyway. And he will scream "No-o-o-o-o!" as little Han see's Anakin for the first time.

At the End of the Clone Wars...

Revenge of the Sith begins three years into the Clone Wars as Jedi's defend the Republic in the face of the separatists that continue to rebel against them. We see the Jedi meetings whereby multiple Jedi's are not physically present as they defend their own planets. But at least, unlike Attack of the Clones, we see Obi-Wan and Anakin on a mission together. They are more confident and know exactly how to use their strengths. This is what Attack of the Clones should've shown more of - our two lead characters "kicking ass". What is strange is how we already know that the leader of the Republic - Supreme Chancellor Palpatine is a bad guy - we know he is Darth Sidious. The entire farce about Palpatine being "taken prisoner" is even more interesting - as an audience, we virtually know more than every character on screen. Grievious doesn't realise who Palpatine truly is, Anakin doesn't realise how he is being used, Dooku doesn't realise how expendable he is ... as we know Anakin is who Palpatine really wants as an apprentice.

This first action sequence sets in stone the downfall of Anakin - Dooku, the anatgonist in Attack of the Clones is murdered, by Anakin, in the first action sequence. Anakin is challenged by the direction to kill him, but comfortably does so - especially as Palpatine reveals how he knows about the sand people. It reminds me of Scar in The Lion King telling Simba - "It's our little secret".

Anakin and Palpatine truly come out of their shell in this film - the best scene in the prequels, possibly in the entire franchise, portrays Palpatine discuss the 'power' of the Dark Side during an opera. "It's a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith who lived many years ago. He was so powerful and so wise that he could use the Force to influence the midichlorians to create life... He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying".

Hayden Christensen is widely considered the major flaw in these films - but the dialogue between Christensen and McDiarmid is incredible - you can see the cogs turning in Anakin's head. He is desperate to save Padme, he believes he is stronger and superior to all the Jedi's. It is Palpatine's flattery and obsession that creates such ignorance and arrogance in Anakin. The two are a force to be reckoned with and you can see how the two complement each other so well.

Righting the Wrongs

In The Phantom Menace we discussed the 'duality' of life, whilst in Attack of the Clones we are presented with confusion and corruption. Revenge of the Sith categorically fights the definition of good and bad. Despite all the corruption in the senate, the ignorance of a the majority is what gives Palpatine strength. As Padme stated: "So this is how liberty dies - to thunderous applause". On a galactic level, it is unclear who is good and who is bad - the separatists fight against a corrupt Republic, the Jedi's fight to represent the corrupt Republic ... the Jedi hold back information and skills from others whilst the very nature of democracy appears to be what is continuing the Clone Wars.

We know from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope that the Jedi lose their power and respect - and become outsiders to the galaxy. I think the parrallel's to Fascism and the rise of power that Hitler had, feeds well into the saga. It is difficult to comprehend such corruption managing to slither its way into a position of authority - but Lucas manages to not only show how true evil manages to creep in, but also how that same evil distorts and damages others. Moreso, how Luke is then born into this world and knows no other truth. Through these prequels, we have seen the glory days of the senate and galaxy - whereby Jedi's protected the universe. Not only is the growth of power to Palpatine fascinating to watch - but it is incredibly believable.

In Attack of the Clones, Anakin killed the Mothers and children of the sand people through his hatred for them - in Revenge of the Sith he murders all the Jedi. The "younglings" are murdered by the character we have sympathised and understood since The Phantom Menace. Lucas is not attempting to cater to an audience who just want action - he is trying to show us something we haven't seen before and explain how anyone can be corrupted.

Corrupted Motives

One thing which I believe is very difficult to clarify is the motives Anakin has for turning to the Dark Side. He becomes obsessed with saving Padme - this obsession makes him ripe for blackmail, which Sidious exploits. Add to this Anakin's distrust in the Jedi - rooted in his own arrogance and desperation to be accepted as a Master. The changes we see in this film are heart-breaking - though we follow Anakin and concern ourselves deeply with his struggle to protect his family, follow his feelings and desperately do what he believes is right (which, unfortunately, is wrong), we realise that on a larger scale Anakin is single-handedly what ensures the defeat of the Jedi.

By far, the most memorable sequence is when in Sith Lord guise, Palpatine orders the storm-troopers to kill all the Jedi. We see characters who are protecting one-minute, and the next murdered by an Army they assisted. The devastating affect Anakin's decision has had on the fate of thousands is truly epic - almost on a par with the destruction of Alderraan in A New Hope. One thing Star Wars does not shy away from is epic-scale tragedy - genocide and murder. Considering we are watching something primarily for "kids", it is facinating to see how Lucas manages to squeeze in allegories of historical events potentially as diverse as the holocaust, communism and the cold war. We even see the terminal end of the Democratic Republic becomeing the Galactic Empire. This is equally facsinating as we know A New Hope provides that hint of a line whereby a general states the success of destroying the last remnants of "the republic". It is about complete power and destruction.

Who Are We Really?

Lucas stated in an interview that he was interested in "the deeper psychological movements of the way we conduct our lives" and these deeper psychological movements are clearly the focus in Revenge of the Sith. This film depicts the deep hatred Anakin has for Obi-Wan - and by the end of the film it is too much. He burns on the lava and, in agony, calls out "I hate you", you truly feel the pain he feels - his anger towards the choice he has been had to make and anger he believes Obi-Wan is responsible for. Both Sidious and Anakin, as their faces are scarred deep by the evil within them, hark back to The Exorcist, even as Palpatine continues to sell himself to the senate - and people seem to still support him.

Connection to Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

But it doesn't end there - we see the birth of Luke and Leia and how her "broken heart" is the reason she died. I cannot help but think that, narratively, we would gain much more insight if we clearly saw how Anakin was directly responsible for her death. At any rate, a nice reference to Millais' Ophelia is a nice touch as Padme's funeral begins in Naboo.

Totop it off, we see an incredible final shot as we know that the next trilogy is where this leads - Anakin and Padme's love has disrupted the galaxy, but it is their children who bring balance to the system. An incredible film that ensures that this prequel will not be forgotten ...

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (George Lucas, 2002)

"I'm a Jedi - I Know I'm Better Than This"

Introduction

Attack of the Clones is renowned for being the worst Star Wars film. Combine the love-story between Anakin and Padme, with busy action-sequences that show a lack of clarity and ultimately too many special effects and you can see why people fall out about this film. It would always be difficult for Lucas to present the middle-episode to the two bookends of the prequels - The Phantom Menace introduces us to the world again whilst Revenge of the Sith is the destruction of the Republic and the Sith taking over the Senate. Attack of the Clones is firmly establishing what pieces of the chess-set are placed in the appropriate positions before Anakin truly turns to the Dark Side. The themes are consistent in this film - indeed they build upon the themes of duality in Episode 1 - but you can see that the problems lie in what films-of-the-time adjusted what may have been a very different story...

Influenced by Others

Wikipedia explains how, due to the mixed critical-reaction to Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, Lucas was hesitant about writing the script for the sequel. In fact, the first and second draft by Lucas only emerged three months before filming, only to be followed by a rewrite by Jonathan Hales (who had worked previously with Lucas on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles) leading to a completion of the working-script only one-week prior to production. Rather than establishing something new, I believe Lucas turned to cinema of the previous few years to inspire him. As an example, Attack of the Clones features a stunning sequence through Coruscant - the Blade Runner urban-planet - that, through the yellow-spaceship and chase-sequence, seems to vividly recall Besson's The Fifth Element. Unfortunately, the Blu-Ray seems to exclusively focus on the production, rather than pre-production of the films so I could not gain any concrete source as to whether this was indeed the case.

Even the plot itself, regarding clones and "machines-creating-machines" (as C3PO would say) seems to attach itself to the zeitgeist of the moment. Dating back to 1999, the Wachowski's produced, wrote and directed The Matrix. The filming of both sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions must have been regular discourse amongst the Hollywood elite - and the script must have been easily accessible for someone like Lucas. So it is no surprise that when we reach the planet of Kamino, our ipod-aliens reveal the clones creation: Morpheus told Neo - "endless fields where human beings are no longer born. We are grown". We see this same process on the planet Kamino.

Then as a third example, following Anakin's capture on Geonosis, we suddenly change set from hidden-caves and red-planet imagery to a huge Colosseum of Sebulba-creatures - as if Lucas watched Gladiator and recalled how much we liked Sebulba in Phantom Menace, simply squeezing the two together. Not only does the sequence visually resonate with the Roman-Epic-genre, but also the very nature of their 'extermination' (using creatures to kill our heroes) recalls a deleted sequence in Gladiator whereby Christians were fed to Lion's.

If I think back to The Phantom Menace, I do not remember such obvious connections to blockbusters of the time. In fact, I think it was refreshing to see a new type of blockbuster - no natural disasters feature in The Phantom Menace (as the blockbusters Armageddon, Deep Impact, Dantes Peak and Volcano had proved in the few years prior to The Phantom Menace's release) whilst Attack of the Clones seems to be reliant on these obvious inspirations... unfortunately, the films it imitates are more successful in their themes and styles.

The Crucial Love-Story

The heart of this story is the relationship between Padme and Anakin. This one film, even from its poster, understands how their love is the one thing this film needs to communicate to the audience in preparation of Revenge of the Sith. Ironically, it begins as Padme tells Anakin - as if to stop his advances - "Well, you'll always be the boy from Tatooine", adding another pointless conflict as it becomes a will-they-won't-they situation. Why not shave the twenty-minutes over the two-hour mark and just start the story with the two characters clearly besotted with each other? This focuses the conflict primarily in hiding their love from others. Instead, we see Anakin (in a very creepy way) try and seduce Padme and over many drawn-out sequences, she gives the impression she is not interested (but it is clear she is) before the fateful kiss. This long, drawn-out love story is simply uneccessary when so many other (much more interesting) situations are happening all over the galaxy.

Talking about more-interesting events, we have Obi-Wan's storyline that becomes increasingly less-Star-Wars and more James-Bond in it's nature. Obi-Wan, as a detective, is hunting down the man who is responsible for the creation of an Army - a man who is a Jedi and attempted to kill Padme. This journey, not only seems at odds with the Sci-Fi nature of Star Wars but it crucially separates our two characters. Rather than seeing the clear divide between Anakin and Obi-Wan through passionate and personal arguments that rely on well-written scripts, instead we see Anakin relay his frustrations to Padme and Obi-Wan engage in undercover-agent tactics as he claims he is working for the Jedi that ordered the creation of the Army. Obi-Wan seems lonely and rather than establish the Anakin and Padme love from the outset, we are forced to sit through a pointless excercise in flirtatious behaviour, whilst it could be Anakin and Obi-Wan on a mission.

But it is the rebellious nature of Anakin that leads to providing the foundations of his 'dark-side'. The murder of his Mother by the sand-people place Anakin in a position whereby he needs to confront his demons - the power of a Jedi, the anger of revenge and the justice of capital punishment. We know people who decided to deliver their own justice - an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. But you can see that the excessive force that Anakin uses to gain justice - through killing Mothers and children - hints at a much deeper issue and a darker side that we have not witnessed before.

Indeed, we are never expected to truly adore Anakin - he is sullen, grouchy, selfish and arrogant. He holds very little respect for Obi-Wan but this does not make us despise him. This makes him a teenager. Furthermore, he has been told that he is powerful and the teachings of his Jedi Master to "trust and follow your feelings" is a dangerous path if your feelings are, as Yoda says, steeped in anger. "Anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering". We see how Anakin's anger begins at this point and his hatred for the sand-people inevitably leads to suffering.

It is Simply too Confusing

One thing that I believe crucially turns people off this film is the confusion that resides within it. The entire film, we question what Count Dooku's motives are. We are told by both Jedi and Palpatine that Dooku needs to be stopped as he is the leader of the separatist movement. At this point, we accept the Republic is good, despite the corrupt leadership of Palpatine. But we are confused further when Dooku speaks to Obi-Wan and explains how deep the Dark Side resides within the Senate - and how Qui-Gon Jin would agree as Dooku trained Qui-Gon and Qui-Gon trained Obi-Wan. This begs the question as to whose side Dooku is on - because he is arguing that the senate is corrupt. This lack of clarity and difficulty in what is good and what is bad, though a theme that leads nicely into Revenge of the Sith, distances us from the story as we don't know who we should trust. It does all make sense at the end - as the war begins - but it does not change the fact that for at least thirty-minutes, you are a little lost. Its easy to say Dooku is bad - but the fact that his separatist movement is due to a corrupt senate (which we know is true) blurs this narrative thread.

This is one of those films that could argue the case that you are suppsed to be confused as the conflict and anger clouds the judgement in a wide range of characters - Padme is equally conflicted and rebellious as she forces Anakin to save Obi-Wan, despite the dangers that the Jedi Council fear. There is confusion in Jar-Jar Binks as he attempts to help by supporting the non-democratic support of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine only to lead to his first decisive action to create a clone army. When seen in this light, I think we can all appreciate the purpose of this film as an exploration of making the wrong decision for the right reasons. Consider how much Anakin wants to save Padme when she falls out of the spaceship and yet Obi-Wan has to argue his case to justify the greater concern of Count Dooku escaping them. Difficult decisions and confusion as to what is right and wrong.

Mechanical Ethics

What is clear and decisive - unlike humans - are machines. They are programmed to complete tasks. You instruct, they follow. No emotions, no attachments. Machines are the perfect creation. This is what contrasts against the confusing challenge of emotions. As soon as people decide to elect Palpatine as Supreme Chancellor, he decides to create an Army - an army that will follow orders and complete tasks. Much like a machine. It is no suprise that we then cut to a chase sequence within a factory. Padme, Anakin, C3PO and R2D2 are all escaping the grasp and pressure of the controlled, regimented and 'perfected' nature of machines. As Palpatine begins to destroy the freedom of the galaxy - we see the systematic and definitive nature of mechanical power. Palpatine has systematically gained power and his partnership with Dooku proves how the Jedi played into his hands. The Clone War begins, as planned, and Palpatine knows that it is only a matter of time before his power extends. Only the Jedi Council stand in his way ... the Revenge of the Sith is imminent.

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999)

"You can't stop change any more than you can stop the suns from setting."

Introduction

The Star Wars franchise has always fascinated me. Not in a dress-up-like-a-Jedi kind of way, but more in a creation-of-a-Universe kind of way. Lucas has developed - across many, many years - a universe with its own languages, races, ethics, politics and characters. Akin to The Lord of the Rings and cult-cinema and cult-TV like Blade Runner and Star Trek, a very simple idea has expanded and expanded and it truly is fascinating to mine the depths of research and art required to create such a monster of a franchise. With this in mind, I held back for the Blu-Ray release of Star Wars as I believed that there would always be a better version. I did not buy any of the DVD versions, but the completist in me decided 'it was time' with the Blu-Ray release and over the next six weeks, each week, I will be writing features on each film on this blog.

As unlikely as it is, I have seen Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace more than any other Star Wars film. I did not grow up between 1977 and 1983. I was born in 1984, so I was never really part of the craze until the craze was born again in 1999. By this point, I was 14 or 15 and the last thing I was going to be is a Star Wars fan. I was a man - I watched Tomb Raider and The Matrix. But I thought, in all my wisdom, that as they were prequels, I would watch Episode 1-3 and then, only then, would I watch the classic trilogy from '77, '81 and '83. So as I categorically did not watch the later trilogy, the prequel trilogy, if it was on, I would watch comfortably. And I won't lie, The Phantom Menace does not deserve all the hatred it recieves.

The Fatal Flaws

But, rather than end with a downer, let's finish on a high and get the bad stuff out of the way. Jar-Jar Binks is annoying. I doubt anyone would disagree - and the argument that Chewbacca in the original trilogy was 'annoying' in the 70's is frankly ridiculous. Chewie had so much going for him - whilst Jar-Jar is a clutz. But what is important is how everyone else is embarressed by him - whether they are grabbing his tongue in exasperation (Qui-Gon Jin) or staring out into space, deep in thought about their own destiny (Queen Amidala), whilst Binks rambles on - it is clear that your opinion of Jar Jar Binks is shared by the characters. And that makes a difference. Janice in The Soprano's is annoying and frustrating - but that's what is so much fun about her - Tony loves winding her up in the process. At any rate, apart from a short cameo in Attack of the Clones, Jar-Jar Binks is in only this film and, once its done, it is out of the way. At the time, it was a very special thing that Jar-Jar Binks was the only fully-CGI character in Star Wars, but the blu-ray changes this as the puppet of Yoda has been replaced by a fully CGI version, which, is much better.

Secondly - Jake Lloyd. He ain't great, but c'mon! He's a kid! It's a tough gig - to have the weight of Darth Vader on your shoulder's is a big ask and he could only try. But if we are honest - really honest ... Mark Hamill ain't no Brando either. Rather than pick on the kid, let's put things in perspective - the wee lad is playing the infamous role of Darth Vader alongside Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor - and only now we can say - Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman. Even Kiera Knightley is hidden away in the background and, without recognising her, its fair to say she out-acts him.

Then there is the politics. It is clear that with 'the prequels' there is an intention not just to create three films but also create a huge amount of scope for tie-ins - The Clone Wars, and the live-action TV-series that will inevitably hit in a few years. They are setting up a huge amount of back-story and, it does come across as pretty dull. The discussion of 'blockades', the 'republic' and 'the federation' bore the hell out of me. "I was not elected to watch my people suffer and die while you discuss this invasion in a committee!" ... this is frickin' Star-Wars! Let's not get all dramatic!

The Unique, Only-In-This-Film, Major Plus Points

But what puts Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace high up on the scale are the few factors which feature in no other Star Wars film. In no other film do we see the Satan character himself, personified for Star Wars, in Darth Maul. It''s strange to say that the definition in his colours appear a little out-of-date, but the adaptation of the Christian-image of Satan himself - horns and all - into a fantasy universe bring a new level to representing pure-evil. But, more importantly, it is established from the outset how Darth Maul is merely an apprentice and the true evil is the Master that commands him. Is Lucas presenting a less-than-Christian attitude towards where evil stems from? Is he arguing that evil is not from the depths of hell, but in fact a creation of ours as The Emperor has created this demon to follow his orders. 

On the opposite side of the spectrum, we have Qui-Gon Jin. The Japanese influences stem right back to A New Hope as C3PO and R2D2 clearly represent the two characters than feature in Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress. But this is established further as Qui-Gon Jin maintains a buddhist-belief system. See as he falls to his knee's and peacefuly waits for the shield to simply stop - to allow him to continue his fight with Darth Maul. These samurai themes continue throughout the franchise, but even the small ponytail of Obi-Wan Kenobi ensures that the Jedi's adhere to Eastern philosophy and conduct.

Then there is the final lightsaber fight - I will not describe it, but it is the best lightsaber battle in the entire franchise. A double-ended lightsaber VS two Jedi Knight's. The music, John Williams 'Duel of the Fates' is flawless, alongside the stunning leaps and manouveres of Ray Park (who went on to become 'Toad' in X-Men and 'Snake Eyes' in G.I. Joe).

The lightsabers have brightened a little on the blu-ray version, and the fight does look so much better for it, but the bonus-points do not end there. In high-definition, the architecture of Naboo looks simply incredible - tall classical buildings, built into cliffs with some Giacometti-inspired sculptures thrown in for a little artistic credability. Then there is the pod-race, as completely unneccessary as it may be, it does look flawless in HD. Though the spaceship Qui-Gon Jin and Co fly around within seems to recall the ship from Flight of the Navigator moreso than the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird that remains the official word on it's influence.

The Balanced Ending

The final act is crammed full of confrontations as we see (1) Qui-Gon Jin and Obi-Wan duel against Darth Maul, (2) Queen Amidala and her army storm the castle, (3) the Gungans face-off against "roger-roger" robots and then, in the final instance, (4) little Anakin saves the day as he inadvertandtly flies off in a military spaceship, destroying the Trade Federation's powerful spaceship that controls the armies and harnesses the power that hold Naboo captive. The childish fun Anakin seems to be having as he changes the future forever seems a little too playful, considering how much-of-a big-deal this is. The very idea of duality is played throughout - in Amidala's dual role as Queen and as Padme, Naboo even inhabits dual-lifeforms on land and under the sea - and yet we are led to believe that this young child will bring 'balance' to the Universe? In fact, by the end, it appears he has brought balance. 

We see a party. Not just any party - a Naboo and Gungan party. The music is awful and the lead Gungan spits all over himself - a real mess. It seems the after-party with Qui-Gon Jin lighting up the place was where it was at as we are told about the duality of the role of the Sith - One Master, One Apprentice... the balance is coming to the Universe, but not yet...

A-Z #24: Black Hawk Down

You can pick up hundreds of DVD's for a buck each - it doesn't matter. Its never about quantity, its about quality. A-Z is my way of going through my collection, from A-Z, and justifying why I own the films...

#24 - Black Hawk Down 

Why did I buy it?

I did not watch this at the cinema - one of those films which was under my radar at a time in my life whereby my radar for film and cinema was not as wide as it is now. I only watched it on a whim as a recommendation - if I recall correctly, it was Rhys at Uni. Upon that first watch I was hooked and had intended to buy it early on - in retrospect, I should have bought whichever version was cheapest and available. Instead I waited for the sweet triple-disc package was released and prided myself on the sweet version of Black Hawk Down.

Why do I still own it?

This is Ridley Scott at his best - I think it is right up there with Alien and Blade Runner. Every shot is a work of art - as the troops storm into Mogadishu and the helicopter crashes down. Personally I adore the birds-eye-view shots on the streets as the troops walk down one street ... and the terrorists plough down a parrallel street. The cast is flawless - Orlando Bloom in his best role (whoa! and he's gone...), Ewan Mcgregor, Eric Bana, William Fichter, the security-guard from 24, amongst many, many others. I am deliberately leaving out Josh Hartnett. His teen heartthrob credentials make him a loser in this film.

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The Simon and Jo Film Show: 25/04/2010

This week we begin at the Tate Modern Art Gallery, near Blackfriars. The film of the week is ‘The Ghost’ or ‘The Ghost Writer’ in America. The usual banter on the Top 5 London Box-Office and obviously lots of news on the delayed Bond franchise and ongoing and continuous release of Avatar and, the plonker that is, Sam Worthington.

The second chunk is an Art-related/Brosnan-related caper that is, effectively, a guilty pleasure.

For Bournes Brain Baffler:
4 - Fletch from Blog Cabins - 3/10

4 - Simon from Screen Insight – 3/10

3 - Jo from Screen Insight– 5/10
3 - Rachel from Rachels Reel Reviews – 5/10
2 - Mad Hatter from The Dark of the Matinee – 6/10
1 - Emlyn – 8/10

[If you have your own results, do email me them or comment on the appropriate post and I’ll put your link up… of course, anyone could lie but the assumption is, you don’t.]

All music is by Alexandre Desplat from ‘The Ghost’ soundtrack.