May 23, 2004
Fire Lucas?
If you're a die hard Star Wars fan, it's hard to hear someone say it's time to toss out George and hand over the Episode III reins to a fresh face. But there's some truth to the advice in this article:
Can "Star Wars: Episode III" be saved?
I was skeptical until I got to the part about the man we love to hate, one of the best all-time villains, Darth Vader:
"Fire Hayden Christensen, whose single emotive capacity is sullen petulance, and whose attempts to put on the magisterial rage that must become Darth Vader's hallmark instead sound like a tenth-grader whose dad won't let him borrow the car. This is essentially the story of a guy who becomes Space Hitler, which is already hard enough to get people to take seriously without casting a scowly teen."
Read it, nod, smile, laugh in agreement.
Comments
I'm convinced the blame for Christensen's performance should go to Lucas, who managed to get horrible acting from even such well-established performers as Ewan MacGregor and Natalie Portman. And from all accounts, Christensen was quite good in Shattered Glass.
It only takes one look at the sterile, one-actor-at-a-time shooting method that Lucas prefers to see why any and all life was sucked out of the performances in the films.
Funny article. So true. Sadly, the damage has already been done. I suppose I'll see the last film. But part of me is dreading it.