Many Galley readers might be wondering Where in the World is Jonathan V. Last? The answer, unfortunately, is that he is under the weather--so much so he is unable to get to a computer and post his usual intelligent blog items (as opposed to one that links Scotch to the Partridge Family). We all hope he gets better soon.
Jonathan was supposed to attend a screening of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith this afternoon. But because he is ill (and generous, I might add), I am going in his stead. I admit I am but a mere Paduan compared with my colleague. Why, I don't even own a cape. Nevertheless I am looking forward to what is supposedly (and thankfully) the best of the first three episodes, chock full of violence. But I am also hoping to see a lot more Natalie Portman. (Who doesn't?)
I guess the question remains, in the interest of this blog, whether or not I should mention potential spoilers or any details of the film, for that matter. Or perhaps I ought to simply give it a rating from 1-10? (1 being the Phantom Menace and 10 being the Empire Strikes Back.)
1 hour ago
5 comments:
Best wishes that Jonathan get better.
But he'd better understand that he still is not excused from republishing/updating "The Case for the Empire"
How bout start with a rating, warn of coming spoilers, and then spoil? For those of us who have to wait til May 19 and want a choice.
It's a prequel. Bad guys win. We already know.
Which raises an interesting point: if the best of the prequels takes places when the bad guys win, and the best of the original three was when the bad guys won, shouldn't we always root for the bad guys? Jonathan was right all along.
Full review. Spoil if you need to, don't if you don't.
And pass get-betters to Jonathan. His essay was so right: It's Vader who lets Han and the gang "escape" with the Death-Star plans; it's Vader who slips out the back door when the rebels use those plans to destroy the Death Star and the cream of the imperial military officer corps; it's Vader who persuades the Emperor to spare Luke's life; Vader asks Luke's help to overthrow the Emperor and restore peace and order to the galaxy; and in the end it's Vader who kills the Emperor and gives birth to the New Republic. Now that we've seen what the Old Republic and the Jedi were really like, Vader gets the mad props for destroying them, too. Anything really good that happens in the Star Wars saga is Vader's doing. A generation or more later, ordinary people across the galaxy will have the perspective to see just how directly and how positively Vader's actions affected their lives.
If only he could have killed that insufferable Yoda, too. Heck, even his bad-guy cred-proving moves - all those whimsical snuffing-out of lives with choking-at-a-distance force powers - are inflicted mainly on other bad guys. What do you call someone who uses his force powers to asphyxiate imperial officers? A good guy, that's what you call him.
Vader will never get the credit for taking down the evil regime. His critics will say the regime was crumbling anyway, or that you don't impose a new republic, it has to be a movement of the people.
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