haljordan28 said:

the duel of the fates was good but it was just more of the prequel circus performance stuff. too many cheroographed spins and leaps. especially at the end after qui-gon is struck down and obi-wan rushes maul.

It's funny, I had the exact reverse impression - the two-on-one phase was "choreographed circus", but as soon as Darth Maul got them trapped in that bottomless pit room, things got more interesting.

First you got the fight with Jinn, where you clearly feel he's exhausted and not on par with Maul, and whisper it, there's actually some real TENSION in the scene (so we never got to know Qui-Gon that well, and he was kinda boring most of the time - so what).

Then, Obi-Wan's pumped... and pissed... but when he leaps at Maul, he remembers to stay focused and retain control over his movements, because he knows that if he just goes completely bollocks, he's gonna get his head chopped off in no time.

I dunno... maybe it's really just me in the whole nerduverse, but in my opinion, that sequences manages to capture and convey that balance between heat and anger, and focus and control Obi-Wan has to master.

Maybe it's the increased tempo and aggression of the fight, as compared to what's come before, combined with the beautiful and elegant choreography,.. not sure. The conclusion where Obi-Wan jumps up, obviously ruins everything. :D