The lady and I worked stuff out (see previous entry) and on another bright front, she's willing to watch Episodes I and II with me and then go to Episode III with me - eventually. When that will be, I don't know.

I don't think she'll ever get into it, but I suppose couples have their own "things" that they do separately. I had just hoped she'd understood and taken part. Ah well.

I've done a lot of thinking about the movie since I saw it last night. It was really quite good. I'm not going to say "masterpiece" as so many people have. I think the definition of that word has shriveled over the years - this, of course, coming from a person who refuses to take part in standing ovations nearly 50% of the time.

I've never thought Hayden Christensen was a great actor. He performs decidedly better in this film than in Attack of the Clones, but then again, Star Wars films have never been known for their stellar acting. You get people like Alec Guinnes, Peter Cushing, Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Harrison Ford, and Ian McDiarmid, and they add some very real credibility to whole saga. But as I tell people who relentlessly criticize the technical aspects of these films, that's not the point.

You know, aside from Episode IV, I personally wouldn't even say these movies are examples of great filmmaking. A New Hope was really groundbreaking, since the screen had never truly seen anything like that before. Like Mr. Christensen, Mark Hamill is not the world's greatest performer either. But I see similarities between the two.. and perhaps that's why Christensen was cast. But back on track, Episode IV was totally original and really tested the boundaries of filmmaking. In technical aspects, the original trilogy WAS great filmmaking. The newer trilogy, not so much.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not a prequel trilogy basher. On the contrary, I love all six of the films. But I just acknowlege the fact that there are things not 'perfect' with these movies - least of which the acting.

But - back on track again - the bigger track...

Sometimes people criticize these films in a very negative manner, rather than constructively. And to them I say that they're missing the point. I love these films for the story. The way the story plays out is what is fascinating to me. And the actors that portray these characters never do such a horrible job as to distract from the overall story arc - for me anyway. I can forgive visual and technical errors or inadequacy as long as the story is pushing forward.

These movies have been a very good source of enjoyment and entertainment for me through the years. I think what it comes down to is that they bring me back to my childhood. When I was a kid, the concept of a talking gold robot and a big bear/dog/thing flying a spaceship was incredible! For kids in this era, these are pretty simple concepts. So I can really see how Mr. Lucas felt the need to push the envelope in order to wow this new generation of space-loving kids.

To see Threepio in his shiny gold once more was nostalgic. To hear the names "Luke" and "Leia" spoken onscreen was heartwarming. To see how Obi-Wan truly gained possession of Anakin's lightsaber (which he gives in turn to Luke) was harrowing. Revenge of the Sith is more connected to the original trilogy than either of the first two, and I think that gives it a quality of greatness and even a feeling of "home" to those of us who grew up on the originals. It was a difficult puzzle to piece together and it is good to finally see the big picture.

Very good indeed.

Rawk on,
...twineball...