While I wish I could have posted this earlier, unanticipated circumstances arose that prevented me from doing so. However, I’m here now, and there’s no time like the present.
As a Star Wars fan, I’m excited to finally be making my first post regarding the “galaxy far, far away.”
This wasn’t my first opportunity to write about Star Wars, given the recent announcement of the Episode VII cast, but I felt the anniversary of the original film’s release was the best time to introduce this blog to Star Wars commentary.
Despite the buzz surrounding the upcoming film, I won’t be discussing Episode VII. The future holds plenty of opportunities to discuss that subject, so I’ll be devoting this post to subjects regarding the other films, and Star Wars Day itself.
Star Wars Day
I reached a predicament concerning Star Wars Day in April as I prepared this piece for May 4—the date most refer to as Star Wars Day due to the phrase, “May the Fourth be with you.” The Star Wars Facebook page frequently posted images counting down the days to May 4, which is where I came across a complaint against the May 4 Star Wars Day celebration.
In the comments for one of the photos, someone mentioned the true origin of the phrase, “May the Fourth be with you,” which to my surprise, has more to do with politics than Star Wars itself.
The iconic phrase was first used May 4, 1979 after Margaret Thatcher was elected the first female prime minister of the U.K. Thatcher’s party bought an ad in the London Evening News reading, “May the Fourth be with you, Maggie. Congratulations,” after the election.
I know this fact isn’t news to most, but it was to me, and I must admit I was rather surprised the phrase wasn’t originally coined by Star Wars fans for a Star Wars-related reason.
The first organized celebration of the May 4 recognition of Star Wars Day wasn’t until 2011 in Toronto, Canada. I wasn’t surprised upon learning this fact considering the first time the unofficial holiday, or “May the Fourth be with you,” came to my attention was that same year when the cover designs for the Star Wars Bluray sets were officially released.
As a fan, I don’t find much significance pertaining to the celebration of May 4 since these discoveries. Sure, May 4 gives us a catchy phrase we can sputter all day long, but what does the day really mean for Star Wars?
There are others who recognize May 25 as the true Star Wars Day, and I have to say I agree with this view. The anniversary of the original film’s release is a much more significant basis for a day of recognition than a simple play on words.
Now, to get into the bulk of this post, I’m going to discuss Phantom Menace’s status as a Star Wars film.
I’ll probably be reamed by most who read this for what I’m about to say, but I figure since most people spend their time slamming this movie, I’ll spend mine defending it.
OK, first I’m going to just put it out there and say Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) isn’t as bad as everyone has made it out to be in the last 15 years, especially compared to the latter two films of the Prequel Trilogy. The consensus is Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) is the “best” prequel, but I respectfully disagree.
I’ll admit Phantom Menace’s plot is shakier compared to its sequels, but there are other elements that give all three films advantages and disadvantages in terms of quality.
Jar Jar
I’m going to start by getting this guy off the table.
It’s obvious no one likes Jar Jar Binks, and I’m not going to dispute that. While we would have liked to see Jar Jar get an exit more along these lines, cutting his screen time down to practically nothing by Revenge of the Sith wasn’t a bad alternative.
The character technically serves a purpose (inspiring Amidala to revolt against the Trade Federation and “starting” the Clone Wars), but the distraction and annoyance he brings to the films outweigh any purpose his character could provide.
Jar Jar is featured in the majority of Phantom Menace, reducing the film’s appeal since his screen time is reduced to less than half in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002), and even less in Revenge of the Sith. Unfortunately, the latter two prequels contain other problems that make Jar Jar’s irritancy seem somewhat irrelevant, nullifying the character’s existence as a reason to disown Phantom Menace.
Romance
Let’s be honest. The dialogue (and chemistry) between Anakin and Padmé concerning their romance in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith is pretty damn terrible. It’s the cringiest element of the latter two prequels for me, but that’s not because I’m uncomfortable with onscreen romance. Take The Empire Strikes Back for example. The romance between Han and Leia couldn’t have been done any better, and I’m sure many agree.
Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman ) in Episode III
“I felt I needed a love story, and yet I couldn’t have a lot of smooching and kissing and all that stuff, and it had to all be more implied.” – Director Irvin Kershner on the Han/Leia romance in Empire, from Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy (2004)
We can say, “If only they’d gone the Empire route for the love story,” all day long, but we have to deal with what we have, and what we have for a love story in the prequels does neither the franchise, nor the significance of the romance justice.
A connection between Anakin and Padmé is present in Phantom Menace, but it’s far more subtle than that of its sequels due to the characters’ age difference, and isn’t even the film’s focus. The Anakin/Padmé romance plays a bigger role in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, serving as the catalyst for Anakin’s corruption and fall to the dark side. One would think the love story would have been done better if love was responsible for Darth Vader’s existence, but that shouldn’t be any surprise considering how the prequels fell short in a number of areas.
I’m not sure which line bothered me most, but two from Revenge of the Sith—“Hold me…like you did by the lake on Naboo,” (Natalie Portman) and “No, it’s because I’m so in love with you.” (Hayden Christensen)—are strong contenders for 1st place.
This romance is just one element among many placing Phantom Menace above the other prequels. We may watch Phantom Menace dreading Jar Jar entering the frame, but we can sit soundly knowing the lovey-dovey material is an entire film away.
Podracing
This is more of a nostalgia bit than anything else.
As unnecessary as the podracing sequence may have been in Phantom Menace, it was still one of the more exciting parts of the film, along with the climactic lightsaber duel. I’ll even say that for 1999, the computer animation in this sequence isn’t half bad. Oddly, the vehicles look better than their drivers, with the exception of Anakin since he’s a human actor.
Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith obviously have no podracing, but it’s not like they needed it since the storytelling gets heavier. Attack of the Clones gives us the speeder chase on Coruscant, which is as close as we’ll get to a second podrace, but the hokey dialogue during the speeder chase makes it difficult to like the sequence as much.
The main reason to be thankful for the podrace actually has nothing to do with the Phantom Menace film, but a video game, and anyone who grew up playing N64 in the late 90’s and early 2000’s knows what I’m talking about.
Star Wars Episode I: Racer (1999) was probably one of the best commercial products to come out of Phantom Menace. It was the most fun racing game I ever played growing up, next to Mario Kart 64 (1996), but not only that, Racer to date holds the record for best-selling sci-fi racing game with worldwide sales of 3.2 million, according to Guinness World Records 2011 – Gamer’s Edition. The game also received mostly positive reviews for both N64 and PC versions.
So why give a hoot about podracing? Well, because it was a fun, exciting and memorable action sequence set on a planet we all know and love. Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, of course, have action sequences of their own, but to me personally, none stuck out as much as the podrace, with the exception of the lightsaber duel in the third film.
Like I said, it’s mainly nostalgia talking here, but it’s still another reason for me to rank Phantom Menace higher.
Villains
One of the reasons I feel the prequels were weaker than the originals is because of their lacking a consistent antagonist. Yes, Palpatine is there, but he’s always lurking in the shadows. He’s not the in-your-face villain until Revenge of the Sith, and he splits that role with Vader.
The originals gave us Vader as a consistent villain to identify with throughout all three films, which is what we needed with the prequels. Darth Maul could have been a worthy candidate, but they decided to kill him instead. My preference would have been establishing Grievous as the main antagonist with Palpatine in the background, but that’s a discussion for another time.
The three sub-villains of the Prequel Trilogy (left to right): Darth Maul, Count Dooku and General Grievous
So without a consistent villain, it boils down to who does the better job.
In my opinion, Maul is the clear winner because Dooku and General Grievous were nothing but laughable due to their dialogue. Plus, Maul was the only villain in the film saga to wield a double-blade, which come on, is badass. The concept of Grievous is good, but anyone who saw Revenge of the Sith knows the character was underdeveloped and not well-executed. Grievous was killed off too early, given the character’s total screen time, and in an anti-climactic way. Dealing with a new villain can be a problem when you’re supposed to have both Vader and the Emperor in the closer, but then why have Grievous at all?
Maul was also the only villain to not spout the whole “join me” gag—the only villain this worked with was Vader in Empire. One could argue we only got to see Maul kick ass and look cool, but compared to Dooku and Grievous, is that a bad trade-off?
And I’m obviously not the only one who thinks this since Maul was resurrected (outside the films) years later.
Liam Neeson
The best part of Phantom Menace is this man.
Known at the time for his lead roles in gripping dramas such as Schindler’s List (1993) and Michael Collins (1996), and now for fast-paced action thrillers like Taken (2008), Liam Neeson brought the same acting potential to Phantom Menace as the late Sir Alec Guinness in Star Wars. Neeson’s Qui-Gon Jinn is definitely the best element of the film, even above Darth Maul, which is why folks often say things like, “Not even Liam Neeson could have saved this trash.”
It’s just fun to see him provide a sense of wit and humor, sometimes unintentional, throughout the movie, also like Guinness. He has that “I don’t give a shit” mentality about him, which is one of the elements that make his character missed in the next two installments.
And what a letdown it was when we all thought we’d be revisited by Mr. Neeson in the end of Revenge of the Sith that first time we saw it. Only if, right?
However, we have Neeson in Phantom Menace, which is a major help in distilling Jar Jar’s potency. Be thankful.
Battle Droids
Battle droids and super battle droids fighting during the Battle of Geonosis in Episode II
This one’s just stupid. When you have hordes of droids built specifically for combat, it makes no sense to give them personality of any sort. What’s the point if the majority of them are going to be destroyed?
This presents the question as to why battle droids talk at all. One could argue speech is needed for one droid to relay an order to another, so I’ll give them that. But here’s an even bigger question: Why keep the voices the same in the first two films, but then drastically change them for the third?
To put it bluntly, the battle droids sound like something out of a toddlers’ paradise in Revenge of the Sith. Is the ridiculous way they speak supposed to be intimidating to the Republic forces? If so, I don’t see it. And to make it worse, the super battle droids’ (introduced in Attack of the Clones) voices are even more cartoonish.
Anyone who played Star Wars: Republic Commando (2005) knows the super battle droids were given deep, menacing and threatening voices, which weren’t present in Revenge of the Sith.
Speech sample at 0:35
Speech sample at 0:10
Honestly, Attack of the Clones did the best job with the battle droids. The battle droids were hardly featured, but even during the climactic battle the super battle droids didn’t speak and a handful of standard battle droids only spoke a few words. The battle droids do speak in Phantom Menace, and are featured more prominently, but if they’re going to speak, the 60’s robots style in Phantom Menace is the better choice. I’d choose 60’s robots over toddlers’ paradise any day of the week.
Speech sample at 0:54
Speech sample at 5:49
The destroyer droids were obviously done the best because they don’t speak once throughout the Prequel Trilogy. The rest of the Trade Federation’s forces were just made into a joke by the third film. The droids hardly speaking is one of the perks of Attack of the Clones, but in situations when battle droids speak, Phantom Menace wins.
Anakin / Darth Vader
I know some accept Hayden Christensen’s portrayal of Anakin and Vader, but I’m not one of them. I still watch and enjoy the films in which he stars, but at the end of the day I’d prefer another actor in his place.
Evolution of Darth Vader (left to right, top to bottom): Jake Lloyd in Phantom Menace, Hayden Christensen in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, David Prowse (suited) in the Original Trilogy, Sebastian Shaw (unmasked) in Return of the Jedi
Christensen’s poor chemistry with Natalie Portman is what I’d call a major contribution to his inability to handle the role, and the overall delivery of his dialogue doesn’t gain him any sympathy votes. I’ve recently come to feel an older and more mature actor was needed to show off Anakin’s military and authoritative personality traits. Think about it this way. Imagine Christensen speaking any of Vader’s lines from the Original Trilogy. Do you buy it?
This next part may sound ridiculous, but I actually feel it’s one of the more important points.
Vader (in the suit) crossing his arms at the end of Revenge of the Sith distorted the illusion of Darth Vader onscreen because he never once crosses his arms in the originals. His trademark stance in the original films was placing his hands on his belt. If Lucas wanted to properly bridge the two trilogies, carrying this body language over to the prequels, I feel, was crucial in depicting the character.
Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back (left) compared to Revenge of the Sith (right)
The scene where Vader dawns the suit in Revenge of the Sith was also severely rushed, and in the film’s last minutes too, so we couldn’t even really take it all in. And I’m sure the “Nooooooooooo” was something we all could have done without—and that’s all I’ll say about that.
So, my point?
Phantom Menace may have given us Jake Lloyd as a young Anakin, but Christensen was guilty of far more offenses in portraying the character in the latter two prequels. Because we’re spared Christensen, Phantom Menace, yet again, stands as the more rewarding film.
Soundtrack
John Williams at the 50th Academy Awards in 1978 where he won the Oscar for Best Original Score
As one fond of film scores, this is probably the issue that bothers me the most.
It’s obvious various musical themes are reused throughout the Star Wars saga, such as “The Imperial March.” I say reused and not recycled because while composer John Williams uses the same melodies and patterns in all the films, he uses them in different ways. “The Imperial March” is the perfect example because Williams prominently uses this theme throughout the saga, and no two times are the same.
If one listens to the complete soundtracks of the Original Trilogy, they’ll hear changes in the manner in which the march is performed from scene to scene. In Return of the Jedi (1983), a different emphasis is placed on the notes for the scene in which the Emperor arrives at the Death Star II, as opposed to the first time the march is heard in The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
The original Imperial March
Another variation of the march
[Fun fact: Contrary to what people might think, Star Wars (1977)—a.k.a. Episode IV: A New Hope—is the only film in the entire saga to not feature “The Imperial March.” This is because the march wasn’t written until Williams composed the score for Empire.
If one goes back and watches Star Wars (any version) and focuses on the music, they’ll notice the infamous selection commonly known as “Darth Vader’s theme” is nowhere to be heard.]
John Williams and George Lucas going over the original Star Wars score in 1977
To add to the point of the Original Trilogy soundtracks, all three are completely original, meaning not one specific piece of music from any film shows up in another—not counting the main themes of the films’ opening and closing sequences.
When I say “piece of music,” I mean the specific composition itself, not a melody. So while we may hear different interpretations of “The Imperial March” from Empire to Jedi, we never hear the same version twice. This was an element that gave all three original films a unique identity, and this element disappeared, to an extent, in the prequels.
The only prequel with a unique musical identity was Phantom Menace. Not a single piece of music from the Original Trilogy, meaning specific compositions and not the notes themselves, is present in Phantom Menace. For the start of the prequels we’re given a fresh musical score with slight hints to what we’ve previously heard. The same can’t be said, however, for the other two films.
In both Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, specific musical selections from the Phantom Menace score were used, or “recycled.” Basically like copy and paste.
The “Duel of the Fates” piece from Phantom Menace being used during the Anakin/Obi-Wan duel in Revenge of the Sith is one incident, with the Battle of Geonosis sequence in Attack of the Clones featuring musical moments Phantom Menace’s opening being another.
Phantom Menace selection at 5:56
Phantom Menace selection at 4:17
I’m confident in thinking this decision wasn’t up to Williams, but more likely George Lucas, as Williams has provided numerous complete and original scores throughout the past several decades.
So Phantom Menace has the upper hand here as it’s the only prequel to feature an original soundtrack from start to finish.
In no way are these topics the limit regarding Star Wars prequel discussion, but I think my point is clear. Is Phantom Menace worthy of Best Picture? No, but when it comes down to it, Phantom Menace is the lesser of three evils concerning the prequels.
Jar Jar may have been bad (to some that’s putting it lightly), but I think he can be tolerated given everything else we have to deal with in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. This is, of course, all my opinion, and every Star Wars fan is entitled to view the films however they choose.
Happy (belated) Star Wars Day.
Preview: The Anniversary Strikes Back
Due to unfortunate, and unanticipated circumstances, I wasn’t able to properly celebrate the anniversary of Star Wars‘ release today. It’s also what I, and many others, think of as the TRUE Star Wars Day, as opposed to May 4.
Who would have known one of the largest breakthroughs in cinema would have taken place 37 years ago today?
I shall properly commemorate this anniversary soon, but for now, I still have less than five minutes to officially recognize Star Wars Day. Better late than never, right?
More to come.
“Let’s go catch a spider.”
I don’t know what it is about Marc Webb’s Spider-Man series, but it never seems to have as much appeal as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I’m never as enthused to see these new Spider-Man films as I am to see the next MCU film.
There are several reasons for this: 1) After seeing The Avengers (2012), it’s difficult for me to get excited for anything outside of that series, with the exception of X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014); 2) Spider-Man being cut from the MCU due to legal issues and greed is a major turn off from the franchise for me; and 3) The fact another Spider-Man film series ended only five years before The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) tends to make one think, “Really? Spider-Man again?”
Next to the MCU, these Spider-Man movies seem like the Narnia series compared to Harry Potter. There was just never any excitement to see the rest after Narnia’s first film, but I never lost interest while actually watching them. And oddly enough, each time I’ve been to see these new Spider-Man films, I always wind up enjoying them, no matter what I rant about beforehand.
(Caution: Major spoilers ahead)
Overall, I felt The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was a good sequel for what its predecessor was. I didn’t necessarily like it more than ASM, but I liked it as much, giving it a bit more credit for the portrayal of its villains.
Some of the reviews say the film suffers from an unfocused narrative, but I wouldn’t agree with that 100%. To me, the story’s main point is Peter Parker’s struggle to let go of those he’s lost—first being his parents, then his uncle Ben and now Gwen Stacy in this film.
Sam Raimi’s series dealt with Parker dwelling on his uncle’s death, along with protecting Mary Jane from evil. Webb’s series, I feel, gives Parker more to deal with emotionally.
Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy
While it’s a different love interest, both series present a complication with Parker’s love life. I prefer Webb’s over Raimi’s since Emma Stone’s Gwen is more appealing to me as a character than Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane. Mary Jane always came off as rude and shallow—the kind of person who becomes part of the popular crowd at school, but because their home life sucks, they take it out on the “non-popular” kids to compensate.
Mary Jane was like that toward Parker for the high school portion of the first film, which was enough for me to lose sympathy for her. I never cared whenever Mary Jane was in danger, and maybe that was because there was always a feeling of knowing she’d be saved. ASM2 broke this trend with Gwen’s death.
Now, I knew beforehand that Gwen’s character met her end in the comics while Spider-Man saves her from a fall. So given the darker and less campy tone of Webb’s films, I predicted Parker’s love interest would meet an unfortunate end at some point, with my money on the second film. Sadly, my prediction proved true.
Stone was one of my favorite parts of these films and she’ll definitely be missed. I always liked her character’s sense of humor. She gave off such a friendly vibe, like someone you’d enjoy hanging out with any time of the day. Plus, something about the relationship between Gwen and Parker felt more real than that of Mary Jane and Parker in the previous series. Maybe that’s partly because Andrew Garfield and Stone have a real-life romantic relationship, but hey, whatever enhances the illusion.
My favorite part of ASM2 was actually a part involving Gwen. After Spider-Man leaves to fight Electro in the final conflict, he webs Gwen to the hood of a car to keep her from following him, and out of danger. She angrily shouts Peter’s name in response to his actions, but then promptly covers her mouth in shock at having just outed Spider-Man’s identity.
Concerning the rest of the film, I do have a couple complaints despite my liking most of it.
The biggest buzzkill for me in ASM2 was the overhaul of slow motion during the film’s action sequences. I understand the effect’s use to help depict Parker’s Spidey-sense, but sometimes, when not used tastefully, slow motion can severely diminish the pacing and impact of a fight sequence. The incident that sticks out in my memory the most is the Times Square fight between Spider-Man and Electro, their first encounter.
Jamie Foxx as Max Dillon (top) and Electro (bottom)
I liked the dialogue between Parker and Electro prior to the fight, with Electro on the verge of exploding and Parker attempting to talk him down. That and the music—a pulsating and electric techno groove, rather than a swelling of symphonic tones—gave the entire fight an intense buildup that drove the viewer closer to the edge of the seat. Then, not three seconds after Electro declares Spider-Man his enemy and strikes, the entire scene freezes to follow Electro’s blast path and provide a broader perspective of his destructive reach. This is an interesting concept in theory, but the sudden stop of everything in the middle of the action, after more than five minutes of preparation, just killed it for me.
I was expecting more, but the filmmakers sacrificed a more thrilling introduction for the villain for a breakdown of Spider-Man’s perception. Once the effect ceased to dominate the scene, Parker saves those in danger and Electro is quickly subdued; a lot of effort without much in return.
This occurs several more times in the film, particularly during the climactic battle. The only part in which I felt this effect worked, to an extent, was the scene in which Gwen falls to her death. The use of slow motion in a fall sequence is nothing unheard of in movies. The most famous instance of this technique’s use is probably Hans Gruber’s death in Die Hard (1988).
When a significant character is going to be killed off, a simple realistic fall wouldn’t do anything emotionally for the viewers. It’s that feeling that consumes you—the feeling of time slowing as a character you care for meets their end. As the scene drags on, you’re filled with disbelief, hoping a miracle will save this person, but deep down you know there is no hope.
What was even sadder was watching Parker stand at Gwen’s grave season after season, fighting the cruel reality that the love of his life was gone.
Gwen Stacy staring up as Spider-Man and the Goblin fight, only seconds before her tragic fall
Continuing on, I didn’t like anything involving the Rhino. This had nothing to do with Paul Giamatti because he’s a fine actor, but he was out of place in this film for me.
Regarding Spider-Man in general, I’ve never liked the Rhino as a villain. I always thought himto be ridiculous and could never take him seriously. I mean come on, compared to the Goblin, Venom and Doc Ock, how could he?
His suit and everything in this film was just laughable compared to everything else. The ending featuring the Rhino’s ending took all seriousness and emotional impact from Gwen’s death and funeral just minutes before. Not a good way to end the film; same with its predecessor ending with a campy, made-for-3D shot of Spider-Man shooting a web at the screen.
Had the Rhino material, particularly the ending, been omitted, the film’s closing wouldn’t have felt as dragged out. A good way to end the film would have been showing Parker packing his parents’ belongings, and memories of Gwen, and then hearing about Giamatti’s character breaking out of jail before retrieving the Spider-Man outfit. That would effectively show Parker’s decision to return to crime fighting after being inactive for six months, but without spoon-feeding the audience.
Spider-Man and Electro face off in the film’s climactic battle
Another complaint I have isn’t necessarily directed toward this film, but its respected genre.
There are rare occasions when comic book films effectively develop the villains, but most of the time the films’ antagonists are introduced, have an accident to become the villain, concoct some insane plot and are defeated in two hours. My problem is it doesn’t ever seem like villains have enough screen time before becoming the villain, and the transformations always feel rushed. Why should we care about this villain when we barely know them?
Having Max Dillon (Electro) in ASM to give him a more proper introduction would have been great. Then we could connect with his character on a deeper level by the second installment.
I thought the presentation of Dr. Connors was very well done prior to his becoming the Lizard in the previous film. He had much more screen time and interaction with Parker before his transformation, and while a giant lizard may be hard to buy, we still knew the character well enough to stick around.
ASM2’s problem in this area is due to the focus on Harry Osborn, his father’s death and his relationship with Parker. We don’t see too much of Dillon because of this. The film spends a little too much time developing the other villain, leaving Electro out in the cold.
Dale Dehaan as Harry Osborn (left) and the Green Goblin (right)
That being said, I actually loved Jamie Foxx’s Electro. I was skeptical before seeing this movie since I’m not too fond of Foxx’s work. He did an awesome job with this character though, and the visual effects for Electro were incredible. After watching several interviews with Foxx, I’ve come to learn of his enthusiasm toward the film and role, and the great deal of respect he has for the source material. This makes the character all the more appealing because I know he genuinely cared for the part. So while he might not have been my first choice, Foxx was certainly a worthy candidate for the job.
I also favored Dale Dehaan’s Harry over James Franco’s. I felt more sympathy for this depiction of Harry, not to mention he had real problems to deal with. Franco’s Harry only had a vendetta against Spider-Man’s involvement in his father’s death, and constantly gave Parker a hard time for being friends with Spider-Man. Dehaan’s character was facing terminal illness and losing his inheritance of Oscorp through treacherous board members.
Following Norman Osborn’s death, Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) reunites with Harry Osborn after years of estrangement
Dehaan really came off as a desperate individual in need of a solution, hence his approaching Electro for help. Franco just came off as a spoiled rich kid, which is what his character was, so that’s not particularly Franco’s doing. He worked with what he was given. I simply prefer Webb’s Harry as his character is more tragic.
Like I said before, it’s a good film for what the first one was. It could have been better, but I’m not going to complain too much because I don’t invest too much interest in these films. Plus, it wasn’t trash. I’ve seen trash, and this Spider-Man sequel doesn’t fit that bill.
Maybe the third one will up the standard, but I’m not sure how I feel about these films serving as a catalyst for a Sinister Six project. I would rather they just be strong, enthralling Spider-Man films. I think one broad superhero film universe—the MCU—is enough for Hollywood. To me, everything just comes off as inferior in comparison, so why bother? This is one reason why I’m not all that excited for the DC film universe and the studio’s attempts at a Justice League project. It just seems like a move on the studio’s part to cash in on Marvel and Disney’s success, which is a low blow.
The X-Men franchise seems to be doing a decent job of straying away from this formula, but we shall soon see what X-Men: Days of Future Past has to offer.
“You don’t give people hope…you take it away…now I’m gonna take away yours.” – Harry Osborn to Spider-Man
In memoriam … H.R. Giger
H.R. Giger’s “Necronom IV”
I learned early this morning that H.R. Giger, the Swiss artist notorious for designing the alien in Ridley Scott’s 1979 film of the same name, died yesterday, age 74.
Giger was a surrealist artist, working in areas such as painting, sculpting and set design. His more well-known works depict varieties of designs consisting of interconnected human bodies and machinery. Giger’s Necronom IV was the piece on which the creature in Alien was based.
Giger earned an Academy Award in 1980 for his work on Alien. In addition to the film’s titular creature, Giger also designed the infamous “Derelict” spacecraft and “Space Jockey,” which seems apparent when viewing Giger’s other works.
Giger’s designs in Alien were, of course, carried on throughout the rest of the series, and the “Space Jockey” (now referred to as an “Engineer”) and “Derelict” designs made their cinematic return for the first time since 1979—although the “Derelict” made a brief appearance in Aliens (1986)—in Scott’s Prometheus (2012), for which Giger was credited.
Because of Giger’s vision, the fearsome image of the Alien creature will forever be synonymous with science-fiction and horror. This is the legacy this man left behind, and I’ll say it’s a damn good one as far as science-fiction is concerned.
Giger (right) with Bolaji Badejo in costume during the making of Alien in 1978
Frame by Frame 