Yoda. He was an innovation in 1980. Watching Empire today, he still is. Frank Oz injected so much life, vitality, humor, wisdom, pain, hesitancy, and nobility into that little muppet, that you simply cease to think of him as artificial. It's revealing to watch his mouth... it's not articulated at all, but still we buy it. I've commented before, watch the campfire scene, or inside his hut. They were careful to always have some light reflecting in his eyes, to give them moisture and life.

In Jedi, his scene is very short, he's suddenly deathly ill, and we have to endure one of the most agonizing death scenes in cinema history. Luke doesn't do much to comfort him, either. And there, alone with a 900-year-old wise man you'd think at the end he'd impart his ultimate knowledge. What does he say? "Luke, remember, the Jedi's strength flows from the Force." Ummmmm... To quote one of my favorite essays, "That's more of a first day lesson, isn't it?"

In Phantom, I don't know what they were smoking. What was that puppet? Some people have actually written that it's the same exact puppet from Empire. This is horribly wrong. With the new one, they experimented with a new, more "life-like" transluscent material for the skin. It didn't look like Yoda. His eyes were stretched, and mouth was creepy, like his skin was too tight and it would hurt to move. Above all, and this may come as a shocker, Yoda isn't green! He's perhaps green-ish, but if you really look at Empire, he's a very pale, powdery blue-green, nearly gray. This makes him more real looking. In Phantom, he's this sickly Hulk green.

His acting was stiff, his lines were terrible, and his Yoda-speak was very contrived. Why is it in the new movies they have to go out of their way to repeat lines from the originals? Can't they say new things? Why does Lucas think we won't make connections unless he smashes us on the head with them?

Attack of the Clone's Yoda, as I've said, was a major improvement. And he had a lot of screen time. I still missed the original puppetry, and the CG, no matter how good, still draws too much attention to itself. At least his dialogue was better.

Your question is probably what did I think about the battle with Dooku? I hated it. It was a mockery. It was "sooo cool!" and had everyone talking about it, but it was so far removed from the SW "palette" or "vocabulary." I'd rather see Yoda transcend the need for a lightsaber. The line, "we must settle this not with our knowledge of the Force, but with our skill with a lightsaber" sickened me. IF Yoda were to have a lightsaber, instead of him ping-ponging around like a toad on speed, I'd much rather see him stand perfectly still in one spot, blocking every slash Dooku swings at him. Calm, passive resistance and a counter for every strike.

I was impressed with Yoda in RotS. He feels more like the Jedi Master from Empire in this film. Watching him fight Palpatine made me realize that it was the camera work and pacing that was wrong in Clones. I bought Yoda's fight scenes in Sith; there was a build-up to it. I suppose the abruptness of the he duel with Dooku was the whole point. It could have been filmed better.

His language is still contrived. Many reviews site this as a fault. The problem is that not everything Yoda says needs to be backward. An analysis of his lines in Empire shows that only strategic lines are inverted.

Some forward examples:
I mean you no harm. I am wondering; why are you here? Wars not make one great. Aww, cannot get your ship out? Yoda; you seek Yoda! But first, we must eat! Yoda's not far. I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience. He is too old, yes, too old to complete the training. Will he finish what be begins? You will be... you will be. That is why you fail. Etc.

So you see, the backward speak is about 50% of his lines and sprinkled in delightful, clear prose for flavor. Oy. Imagine: "No harm I mean you. Wondering I am, why here are you? Yoda you seek!" Not only is that instantly clunky, but it's painfully reminiscent of the "new" Yoda.


To end on a positive, my two favorite Yoda moments:

"Never your mind on where you were! Hmm? What you were doing! Hmm?" He starts to look away, and then doubles back with a final little, "Hmm!" Yoda was a good ACTOR in Empire.

And, after Luke stands and says, "You want the impossible," and walkes away to leave Yoda standing there, the shot lingers and looks beautiful in widescreen. It's the shot of Yoda that lingers in the mind. He truly looked like a creature standing in the middle of his swamp.