AotC ... mmm, you kung-fu IS strong...

[Plane Sailing]

I just saw Attack of the Clones last night, and thorougly enjoyed it. I especially liked to see Yoda strutting his stuff, but all through the final confrontation with Count Dooku I couldn't help thinking the subtext

"Your kung-fu is strong. But you have not seen my kung-fu yet".

It had so much of the feel of the traditional Hong Kong kung-fu movies at that point, and I loved it!

I can't help wondering if this was a deliberate move

 

[Fenros]

I think each director has his list of 'influences'. These 'influences' are like ingredients to a recipe that represents that director's particular style on a movie project. What ingredients go in depend on what effect the director wants for a particular scene, sequence, etc. I don't doubt that Lucas put in two cups of kung fu theatre into that fight.

Wochowski brothers own up to using ingredients such as Anime, Hong Kong cinematic martial arts, and comic book compositions to their film "The Matrix".

The few times I criticise a director is when its obvious who's his main influence comes from and he pretends that all that is originally all from his brain. Or doesn't admit it when someone points it out. That's just stupid. Thank goodness Lucas hasn't done that yet. Or at least not in any of the interviews I read or seen him in.

 

[JacktheRabbit]

I loved the part when Dooku throws the lightning and Yoda catches it and throws it back.

Then Yoda puts his hands a bit forward and apart into a combat stance. It took me a moment to recognise it but the whole pose by Yoda was so much like a Bruce Lee I'm about to kick your ass pose that I almost started laughing.

It was great.

 

[Jeremy Ackerman-Yost]

I loved the part when Dooku throws the lightning and Yoda catches it and throws it back.

I liked it even better after the second volley of lightning when he just absorbed it and told Dooku that he still had much to learn. Go Yoda!

btw- From what I've seen of Lucas, he's more than happy to tell people EXACTLY what genres, films, directors, books, and authors he tries to emulate.

Everybody likes to paint him as this commercial, arrogant guy, but if you watch or read the interviews instead of taking individual sentences out of context he always comes off as a really humble storyteller. And we KNOW he's not an actor

 

[JacktheRabbit]

If only they had not cut some of the Yoda fight with Doku out. Add back the two or three minutes of the fight and I would be a very happy man.

It would also lead a little more credance to Yoda's line about how good Dooku has gotten but.... with the implication that he was about to cut Dooku down.

 

[der_kluge]

Plane Sailing - good to see that I'm not the only one to see it late. My wife and I saw it last night, too. We'd moved into our house last weekend, so life was pretty hectic for us.

I really enjoyed the movie, despite my wife being "bored". I like the Yoda fight scene, but thought that Yoda should have kicked Dooku's ass.

I mean, we see (and know) Yoda as this ultra-powerful Jedi that has ultimate mastery of the force. Yet, he resorts to a light sabre battle. To me, the battle scene was cheapened with the sabre battle.

Oh, and the dialogue! The AWFUL, AWFUL dialogue. Egads!

I also thought it was funny how he picked up his cane and hobbled along after the fight.

But, all in all, a great flik. And a very nice addition to the SW family. Much better than Ep I.

 

[Jeremy Ackerman-Yost]

I mean, we see (and know) Yoda as this ultra-powerful Jedi that has ultimate mastery of the force. Yet, he resorts to a light sabre battle. To me, the battle scene was cheapened with the sabre battle.

I've said it before, but we mainly know Yoda from AFTER the Clone Wars. Would the Yoda in ESB have gotten into a lightsaber battle with someone? Probably not. But the younger Yoda of AOTC, if it was really the only way to end things and save his students, yes. At any rate, the Yoda we're familiar with from ESB has already seen the Clone War. He's an older, wiser, more battle-weary character than the one in AOTC.

 

[Skarp Hedin]

die_kluge typed thusly:

I like the Yoda fight scene, but thought that Yoda should have kicked Dooku's ass.

Actually, I much preferred a close fight. In fact, I would have been happier to see Dooku doing a little better than he was, to perhaps show them to be more evenly matched. Why must Yoda be so amazingly powerful? Even on Dagobah, what's he do that's so amazing aside of lift an X-wing, and discorporate? Maybe he lifts some rocks, I can't remember.

He's got great wisdom, definitely. Wisdom and force-strength don't seem like they should be interconnected -- Anakin is strong, but is Vader wise? Perhaps.. from a certain point of view.

My point here is that I think the scene would have been more powerful (if scenes involving big-eared quicklings can be "powerful") had Dooku and Yoda been quite evenly matched. That way, we would see that it is -definitely- more important what you -do- with the Force, rather than how powerful you are in its use.

When I saw the scene the first time, I had the distinct impression that Yoda was more powerful than Dooku -- but not enough more powerful to neutralize him quickly or easily. I felt that their duel would have been a war of attrition until Dooku finally faltered and died. Dooku, perhaps sensing that, or perhaps he just said to himself "Why am I still fighting Yoda? He's got some frigging soldiers en route. I have places to go, Dark Lords of the Sith to serve," decided to distract Yoda so he could split.

But hey, what do I know?

 

[Jeremy Ackerman-Yost]

He's got great wisdom, definitely. Wisdom and force-strength don't seem like they should be interconnected -- Anakin is strong, but is Vader wise? Perhaps.. from a certain point of view.

My point here is that I think the scene would have been more powerful (if scenes involving big-eared quicklings can be "powerful") had Dooku and Yoda been quite evenly matched. That way, we would see that it is -definitely- more important what you -do- with the Force, rather than how powerful you are in its use.

But knowledge and wisdom would unlock new ways of using your power. For example, Dooku seemed to be taken by surprise that Yoda could absorb his Force lightning. That's not an example of physical prowess or sheer power, but a technique Yoda discovered or developed. Perfect example of "what you -do- with the Force, rather than how powerful you are in its use."

Besides, I always took superior skill to be a sign of greater focus. Anakin may have the greatest POTENTIAL because of his midi-chlorian count, but the development of that potential depends on focus and work, which it's clear Yoda has and Anakin doesn't, which is why he lost, even though he's potentially more powerful than either Dooku or Yoda.

 

[Skarp Hedin]

Oh, I definitely think that Yoda is, was, and always shall be more powerful than Count Dooku. I just like the idea of Dooku being pretty close to Yoda. I've noted a lot of posts about this here place opining that Yoda should have handily defeated the Count, perhaps while knitting a sweater (okay, that's a bit, uh, hyperbolic there ), so I wanted to give my preferred view.

There's lots of those in Star Wars Land.. Preferred Views.
They're like opinions, everyone's got one