Phantom Meanace DvD

[BiggusGeekus]

I got the DvD as a birthday gift. I have to say I have fewer questions about George Lucas' decision making for this movie after seeing the documentary and cut scenes.

Casting Jake Whats-his-name as Ani was still a bad choice, but after looking at the last three kids up for the part, I have to say that he landed dead in the middle. There was one guy who was worse and one guy who I personally thought did a better job, but it was clear he was "acting" and not doing things naturally. It could be argued that Lucas was gambling on the long term and thinking that it would be easier to have a kid who did things by nature of his temperment than someone who did it conciously and therefore might drop the ball late in the game. Yeah, still a bad call, but not one I'd describe as "stupid".

The scenes that were left on the cutting room floor were on the DvD too. Of them, the only one I'd keep is Ani getting into a fight with a young Greedo. Including Greedo is a little silly and I think it violates the Extended Universe (not that Lucas cares much about that) but it does establish Ani's violent tendencies and it underlined how Qui-Gon Jin was probably the only really good and patient teacher Ani ever had (however breifly).

The guy who played Jar-Jar was really good. No, I'm not kidding. Maybe the documentary was designed to defend the Jar-Jar bits, but it was not inheriently obvious how stupid Jar-Jar was going to turn out from what I saw of the "making of". Lucas said himself in the documentary that the movie would hinge on how good Jar-Jar was. Well, he was right about that.

The executive producer guy struck me as being a slimeball. Not a made-for-TV slimeball, but just one of those people who I wouldn't want to work for. Then again, executive producer doesn't mean your job is to be Mr. Senstitive.

Not enough Ray Park. More confirmation that he was seen as an add-on to my mind. Damn shame, because the lightsaber fights in Ep 1 were the best in the series. I would have personally liked to see Darth Maul survive Ep 1 and have him replace Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus. My respect for Christopher Lee knows no limit, but Darth Tyranus' execution in Ep 3 was a little trite. If we had seen Darth Maul vex the jedi for two movies, as well as him killing Qui-Gon and getting away, there would have been some emotional impact instead of the "sucks to be you, dude" feeling I was left with when Dooku bit it. Also, I personally prefer Ray Park's asian martial arts style to the French saber fighting that was used in all the other movies.

Anyway. That's just me.

 

[Welverin]

Casting Jake Whats-his-name as Ani was still a bad choice, but after looking at the last three kids up for the part, I have to say that he landed dead in the middle. >snip<

One of the things George mentioned about Jake was that while the other kid made have been more consistent, he felt Jake had the potential to give him more, he took a chance on that and it didn't work out so well.

The scenes that were left on the cutting room floor were on the DvD too. >snip again<

I would have liked to seen all of them put back in and the extended fly by over Coruscant cut, but the one I really wish had been put back was the one where Qui-Gon and Anakin were walking through town back to the ship and Qui-Gon destroyed the probe droid. Why were the two of them running when they got near the ship? After all they don't know they were being followed.

Damn shame, because the lightsaber fights in Ep 1 were the best in the series. I would have personally liked to see Darth Maul survive Ep 1 and have him replace Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus.

George explained this somewhere on the DVD (Commentary, maybe?), but one of the things he wanted to do was establish Sidious' continuing search for a new apprentice (this was why I was surprised Dooku survived Ep2, but he died early in Ep3, which is about the same).

So, Maul needed to die to support what George was going for.

 

[Taelorn76]

Lets say Maul survived the TPM, and played out the part of Dooku in the conspiracies, including dying by Anikan's hands. If he had that visual conection of Qui-Gon's killer working for the emperor, I think he might have been more resistent to going over to the dark side.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Lets say Maul survived the TPM, and played out the part of Dooku in the conspiracies, including dying by Anikan's hands. If he had that visual conection of Qui-Gon's killer working for the emperor, I think he might have been more resistent to going over to the dark side.

Oh yeah. Ooops.

Welverin, thanks for the insight on the revolving-door-o-sith.

OK, so now I'm Pro Death to Maul. But I still woulda preferred the asian martial arts style to continue into the other movies. Dangit!

 

[Michael Tree]

I got the DvD as a birthday gift. I have to say I have fewer questions about George Lucas' decision making for this movie after seeing the documentary and cut scenes.

Lucas's decision making wasn't the problem. It was his horrible writing and direction. Frankly, once they started using TPM's godawful script, very little could have saved the movie. The bad casting certainly didn't help, but the real fault with the movie was the cringe-worthy dialogue, the complete lack of humor (one of the greatest strengths of the original trilogy), the terrible character development, and the lack of meaningful dramatic conflict and resolution (such as the big battle being resolved by a slapstick accident. "oops").

 

[Rykion]

Lets say Maul survived the TPM, and played out the part of Dooku in the conspiracies, including dying by Anikan's hands. If he had that visual conection of Qui-Gon's killer working for the emperor, I think he might have been more resistent to going over to the dark side.

The fact that the Emperor was behind the faction that made multiple attempts to kill Padme didn't seem to change Anakin's decision. :\ I think Anakin killing Maul instead of Dooku would have made the movies stronger. You have to remember that Anakin didn't see Qui-Gon die, and many years had passed since the few days he ever knew Qui-Gon as a 10 year old child. I still think Qui-Gon's death was traumatic to him, but Padme was far more important to him than any jedi.

 

[Dragonfriend]

but the one I really wish had been put back was the one where Qui-Gon and Anakin were walking through town back to the ship and Qui-Gon destroyed the probe droid. Why were the two of them running when they got near the ship? After all they don't know they were being followed.

I tought there something wrong the first time i watched the movie. I agree with you. For me it's a great editing mistake

 

[Taelorn76]

The fact that the Emperor was behind the faction that made multiple attempts to kill Padme didn't seem to change Anakin's decision. :\ I think Anakin killing Maul instead of Dooku would have made the movies stronger. You have to remember that Anakin didn't see Qui-Gon die, and many years had passed since the few days he ever knew Qui-Gon as a 10 year old child. I still think Qui-Gon's death was traumatic to him, but Padme was far more important to him than any jedi.

I agree with you that it would have made the movies stronger. You do have a good point, I didn't think of it with Padme.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Oh, and just as a little note, the Greedo thing doesn't actually go against any Expanded Universe stuff. I, too, wish that had been in the movie.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Oh, and just as a little note, the Greedo thing doesn't actually go against any Expanded Universe stuff. I, too, wish that had been in the movie.

Sure?

There was a star wars collection of short stories that had the background of the patrons of the cantinia in the first movie. My memory isn't so hot on this, but I thought Greedo came to Tattooine as a youth?

OK ... just checked starwars.com

Greedo's short life was marked by violence at every turn, but such is often the case with Rodians. The Rodian culture is marked by a reverence for the hunt, and once the green-skinned humanoids had cleared the jungles of all sizable predators, they turned to hunting one another. Clan wars were the norm, and Greedo's clan, the Tetsus, had fled Rodia for the safety of an unnamed jungle world.

Greedo grew up in a jungle village with his mother Neela, his younger brother Pqweeduk, and his Uncle Nok. Greedo was never told of his Rodian heritage, but he felt the need to hunt in his veins. The young Greedo discovered the hidden ships in the hollow of a mountain, and learned of his people's past. Reality came rushing through the jungle in a hail of fire as vessels from the ruling Chattza clan discovered the Tetsus. Greedo and his family barely escaped in time.

The Rodian refugees relocated to Level 88 of the vertical cities of Nar Shaddaa. Here, Greedo became immersed in street life, learning the ropes from his friend Anky Fremp. All around, Greedo would see bounty hunters, and the young Rodian idolized them and longed to join their ranks.

Greedo had his multifaceted eye on a sweet Incom Corsair that mechanic Shug Ninx kept in his garage. Greedo longed to own the ship, and christen it the Manka Hunter, making it the vessel for his bounty hunting career. Greedo's ambition got the better of him as he tried to steal a pair of Dekk-6 power couplings for future use on his ship. Those power couplings were destined for a beat-up Corellian freighter in Ninx's garage, and the Wookiee co-owner of the ship didn't take too kindly to the theft. Chewbacca caught Greedo lurking around the Millennium Falcon and grabbed the young Rodian before he could get away. Han Solo saw that the Rodian was just a harmless kid, so he gave Greedo the Falcon's used power couplings in exchange for his jacket. Greedo, humiliated, vowed revenge.

<snip>

Well, one thing is clear at least. I have no life.