Star Words: Episode II, Part 30
Apr. 19th, 2018 05:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matrilAnd now we come to the last installment for Episode II. Like the first film, the final line of dialogue packs quite an ominous punch, but unlike Episode I, there is no jubilant celebration scene to balance it out. It's only going to get darker and darker as we move into the final movie of the prequel trilogy.
Obi-Wan has made his report to the leaders of the Jedi Council, and they are all greatly unsettled by Dooku's claim about Darth Sidious. "It doesn't feel right," Obi-Wan muses. His uncertainly is probably related to the fact that Dooku was omitting a rather crucial detail about his knowledge of the Sith Lord -- namely, that he himself is Darth Tyrannus, apprentice to Sidious. Mace decides they should a closer eye on the Senate in any case, but that they have no idea just how serious their problem is.
Then, looking out soberly at the skyline of Corsucant, Obi-Wan acknowledges that the clone army helped them earn a victory on Geonosis. Yoda quickly corrects him. He might not know what to make of Dooku's words, but he's wise enough to see the truth in this case.
"Victory? Victory, you say? Master Obi-Wan, not victory. The shroud of the Dark Side has fallen. Begun, the Clone War has."
The Jedi are supposed to be peacekeepers. They have failed. Whatever else happens in the coming war, even if they are able to restore peace in the end, their participation in warfare will change them. And we know that things will in fact end very badly for the Jedi and the galaxy at large. There can be no victory as long as war is raging. There can be no celebration in bloodshed and violence. These are tokens of the Dark Side.
The remainder of the film might just be my favorite juxtaposition in the saga. First we watch the assemblage of a massive clone army, and we are forced to recognize that the Imperial fleet was born to serve the Republic, the supposed good guys. Just in case we missed it, the Imperial March accompanying the scene provides a very un-subtle hint. The future Emperor now has possession of the tools of oppression and tyranny, and he didn't take them by force or subterfuge. They were handed to him willingly, by a democratic body. The death of freedom is looming. Shroud of the Dark Side, indeed.
And then, a cut to the idyllic waters where Padmé and Anakin shared their first kiss. A scene in stark contrast to the sprawling military pomp on display at the Republic's core. This is quiet, intimate, with only the holy man and the two droids bearing witness. Two people, facing the future alone. And yet their family will change the fate of the galaxy. This union, this unassuming marriage, will be more important than a vast army of clonetroopers. It will bring doom. And then it will bring salvation.
I love this movie.
Next time, Episode III!
Obi-Wan has made his report to the leaders of the Jedi Council, and they are all greatly unsettled by Dooku's claim about Darth Sidious. "It doesn't feel right," Obi-Wan muses. His uncertainly is probably related to the fact that Dooku was omitting a rather crucial detail about his knowledge of the Sith Lord -- namely, that he himself is Darth Tyrannus, apprentice to Sidious. Mace decides they should a closer eye on the Senate in any case, but that they have no idea just how serious their problem is.
Then, looking out soberly at the skyline of Corsucant, Obi-Wan acknowledges that the clone army helped them earn a victory on Geonosis. Yoda quickly corrects him. He might not know what to make of Dooku's words, but he's wise enough to see the truth in this case.
"Victory? Victory, you say? Master Obi-Wan, not victory. The shroud of the Dark Side has fallen. Begun, the Clone War has."
The Jedi are supposed to be peacekeepers. They have failed. Whatever else happens in the coming war, even if they are able to restore peace in the end, their participation in warfare will change them. And we know that things will in fact end very badly for the Jedi and the galaxy at large. There can be no victory as long as war is raging. There can be no celebration in bloodshed and violence. These are tokens of the Dark Side.
The remainder of the film might just be my favorite juxtaposition in the saga. First we watch the assemblage of a massive clone army, and we are forced to recognize that the Imperial fleet was born to serve the Republic, the supposed good guys. Just in case we missed it, the Imperial March accompanying the scene provides a very un-subtle hint. The future Emperor now has possession of the tools of oppression and tyranny, and he didn't take them by force or subterfuge. They were handed to him willingly, by a democratic body. The death of freedom is looming. Shroud of the Dark Side, indeed.
And then, a cut to the idyllic waters where Padmé and Anakin shared their first kiss. A scene in stark contrast to the sprawling military pomp on display at the Republic's core. This is quiet, intimate, with only the holy man and the two droids bearing witness. Two people, facing the future alone. And yet their family will change the fate of the galaxy. This union, this unassuming marriage, will be more important than a vast army of clonetroopers. It will bring doom. And then it will bring salvation.
I love this movie.
Next time, Episode III!
no subject
Date: 2018-04-22 01:17 am (UTC)Anyway, that's two movies complete, and at least one more to go. (If you do get to the following trilogy, I can suppose things might shift from "arguing bits of dialogue can indeed be delved into rather than just rejected" to "finding more significance in bits of dialogue than just snappy one-liners.")
no subject
Date: 2018-04-22 02:07 am (UTC)I've considered maybe continuing the series into the original trilogy, but I haven't decided yet. Regardless of whether the dialogue is considered good or not, I find it's a good entryway into analyzing individuals scenes and motifs and such. I'll see if I still have momentum after finishing Episode III.