Fixing the Prequels: TPM

part onepart twopart threepart fourpart fivepart sixpart sevenpart eightpart nine (The entire series can be read by clicking the Post Label at the bottom of each individual post in the series.) And now we come at last to the end of The Phantom Menace. The final battle is, of course, the best executed portion of the entire film, owing as it does to George Lucas’s skills at film editing. But there are some changes I’d make herein, mainly dealing with two particular fronts: Anakin’s conduct in the battle, and Jar Jar’s. Remember, when last we’d left, I’d shifted things soDown the rabbit hole….

part onepart twopart threepart fourpart fivepart sixpart sevenpart eight (The entire series can be read by clicking the Post Label at the bottom of each individual post in the series.) And now at last we return to our repairs on The Phantom Menace. When last we left our heroes, we had just finished discussing the Midichlorians while our heroes are en route back to Naboo for…whatever it is the Queen is planning. At this point I’d have a quick little bit with Darth Sidious and Darth Maul: INT: SITH SPACECRAFT – MEDITATION CHAMBER Darth Maul is kneeling in meditation inDown the rabbit hole….

part onepart twopart threepart fourpart fivepart sixpart seven Returning to repairing The Phantom Menace, we’re still on Coruscant, but not for much longer. Qui Gon and Obi Wan stand before the Jedi council to hear the decision on Anakin’s future. Initially, the Council decides to reject Anakin as a Jedi pupil. I like this scene, but I like how it reads in the original script a little bit more. Here’s how that works, with a few alterations of my own: YODA: Correct you were, Qui-Gon. MACE WINDU: His cells do contain a high concentration of midichlorians. KI-ADI: And the ForceDown the rabbit hole….

part onepart twopart threepart fourpart fivepart six Heading back into The Phantom Menace, we now head into what’s always been my favorite part of the movie, the Coruscant sequence. I get the feeling sometimes that I’m alone in my fondness for this part of the movie specifically (in addition to my more general sense of aloneness in liking the movie at all in the first place), but I genuinely think the stuff on Coruscant is well done, interesting, intriguing, and involving. So there. Just after the good guys escape from Darth Maul on Tatooine, we cut to Naboo, where theDown the rabbit hole….

part onepart twopart threepart fourpart five Marching on in our re-examination of The Phantom Menace, we resume the Tatooine section of the film. But first, a digression of sorts is called for. In comments to the last post, Jason opined that in TPM Anakin is too young, and should have been older: ten or eleven, perhaps. I’ve actually waffled on this quite a lot, and I’ve generally settled on these thoughts. First: Well, the general thrust of this series isn’t to completely reinvent the Prequel trilogy, and recasting a major role would certainly be a significant step in that direction.Down the rabbit hole….

part onepart twopart threepart four And here we are again, taking stock of The Phantom Menace. When last we left our heroes, they had escaped Naboo and were now en route to Tatooine seeking repairs to their ship without which they’ll never make it to Coruscant. They are unaware that the true menace behind the Trade Federation’s invasion of Naboo is actually a pair of Sith Lords, who are even now working to figure out where they’ve escaped to. So, let’s jump right into it. In the movie, we cut from the awful scene between Jar Jar and Padme (whichDown the rabbit hole….

part onepart twopart three Wow, it’s been a long time since I updated this series, so let’s get right into it, shall we? When last we left our heroes, they had just blasted their way out of the hangar bay on Naboo and are now heading toward space, in an attempt to get to Coruscant where Queen Amidala hopes to be able to gain the support of the Chancellor in the matter of her world’s invasion by the Trade Federation. Now, before getting back into matters of script, a brief digression about visual effects. I’ve never been one to lamentDown the rabbit hole….