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Post #157413

Author
Adamwankenobi
Parent topic
Who's gonna read "Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader?"
Link to post in topic
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/157413/action/topic#157413
Date created
23-Nov-2005, 9:02 AM
That's an excellent explanation of your point. And I too can respect that. The problem is, I see it from the exact opposite. The very first things I saw in star wars, the very first things which made me interested, were the story of the jedi and the story of Anakin. I saw episode I, and wanted to episodes 4-6. I was not diapponted, because to me, it provided a fitting conclusion to what I had first saw in TPM. I could already see the connections between people, what was going to happen, etc. Then, when AOTC and ROTS came along, they filled in the gaps between the story I already knew, and even greater enhanced how I felt about them. The PT even enhanced the OT. The problem I've always had with the OT and OT fans is that Vader was never the villain in the first place, as seen in ROTJ. ROTJ was evidence enough, before the PT came along, that he was a very human character, and that he was not the true evil, Emperor Palpatine was. As Lucas put it, you got a hint through his words and actions that he was: "The victim, not the villain." So you may have saw him as the epitome of all evil at first, but ROTJ showed the truth. I find it strange that Vader is on the top 10 villains, yet Palpatine is nowhere close. Is it becuase of the black armor and meacing voice? Hmm...

But, as Lucas says (and you can dispute this all you want, but this is what he claims, so we must take his word) the original story was never meant to portray him as the true villain, but, Vader became such an icon, that it took the PT to allow people to see him the way Lucas intended. I mean, my mom grew up in the 70's and 80's, watched all three films of the OT in theaters, enjoyed them, but now years later tells me ROTS is the one where the most interesting story lies. And this was from the point of view of someone who is not a fan, but who greatly enjoys all of the films. She did not watch them repeatedly as many have, but merely enjoyed them a few memorable times since they came out. This proves that different people see the saga in a different way. She's from your generation, saw the OT growing up, yet still equally enjoyed the PT. She was not a critic. She didn't go in expecting anything, she just went in and enjoyed it. The only reason critics and everyone for that matter gave TPM and AOTC bad reviews is becuase they went in expecting it to be the way THEY wanted it to all these years, rather than the way HE wanted them to be. They had grown up, expecting the films to grow up with them. And when the films stayed as they were, it had a jarring effect on some people. I remember those guys on MTV on the "Best Week Ever" show back in May. When that week's show came around that talked about ROTS's release, they said, "Oh, finally, a Star Wars prequel movie that actually doesn't suck!"