I watched the original Star Wars trilogy over the weekend, and while I might talk at some point about it in greater detail, it just made me more annoyed with the prequel movies. Yeah, there's a lot of fanboy rage out there concerning the prequels and where people think Lucas "screwed up", some of it more legitimate than others.
But here's a guy who (although the review is meant to be funny) makes some really valid points on the subject of creating strong protagonists and supporting characters in adventure stories. Although his voice is pretty annoying, he makes a good argument on the subject of what many think is Episode I's greatest flaw - the lack of a strong protagonist. Take a look:
This is just the first of seven parts to this review. I haven't seen any of the others, but this is definitely worth watching.
EDIT: Here's a cool Youtube video by a guy who goes through the plot of Episode I and makes a good case for how it could have been a much stronger film, because he also sees the need for a strong protagonist.
Discussing Action and Adventure Storytelling in Print, Film, Television, and Popular Culture
1 comment:
I think the voice (especially the droning monotone) is supposed to be part of the humor. If you get through the first minute or so of the video he actually starts to make valid points.
I do agree with his fundamental point, and listening to the people compare characters from the original trilogy to those in the Phantom Menace is hilarious. I don't think there is some bias lurking in it, since I'm sure each of those people watched the original trilogy 5+ times...and the Phantom Menace once or twice at most. The more familiar you are with a character, the more comfortable you are and the better you can describe them.
With that said, the basic premise definitely holds. There is no strong protagonist in the Phantom Menace. There certainly could have been, but none of them managed to be developed enough to become it.
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