The (Totally) Phantom Menace [old version]

Some say there is a fight scene at the end of "The Phantom Menace"...

Voice done with http://www.oddcast.com/demos/tts/tts_...

From my french version : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC7QRT...
Thanks to Marine and my other friends for the help on the translation.

• Category

  Comedy

[KayozTheCynicalAlien]

Yeah. Finally someone spotted how awful those fight scenes were. God forbid anyone might actually put their guard up... or aim for an opening! Maybe someone needs to tell Lucas that the point of a sword is to stab the opponent (with)...?

[leftyzizzle]

Some people take these films way to seriously. Entertaining video though. I think the fights were pretty damn good myself.

[ZoldierrZzz]

They were awesome!

[KayozTheCynicalAlien]

No, I didn't say intentional that the suit should have been restrictive, or that the helmet was nigh impossible to see out of, just intentional that if something technical or logistical happened to change the way the movie was filmed a bit, or a lot, then they were to go with it, as was somewhat of a general rule back then, as they didn't have the resources they do today. (It was also a rule to try and make up excuses to back up their "fixes".)

[ZoldierrZzz]

It was clearly not intentional that the suit should've been restrictive. That's extremely farfetched of you. David Prowse once explained that he used to see through the holes of the breathing mask to facilitate walking because the shades on the helmet were dark and hard to see through. Do you suggest this was also intended in-universe? The argument you are making is not valid.

[KayozTheCynicalAlien]

Actually, improv was part of how they made the originals. Hell, a lot of the props, spaceships and aliens were made either out of leftovver bits from other sci-fi shows that were never used, or literally slapped together from random bits and pieces. One of the Star Destroyers even has a tiny toy soldier as part of its detailing.

Even Lucas himself said that elements of the show changed quite drastically because of what worked on paper not working so well in practice.

Short answer: Yes, it does.

[KayozTheCynicalAlien]

No, it may not have been intentional, but it does give Lucasfilm the excuse to allow for such bad swordplay in that one scene. And whether it was intentional or not, Vader's stiffness and awkwardness throughout the original trilogy were obvious for all to see, so intended or not, Vader did lack mobility in-universe, too.

The terrible thing is, though, despite all the plausible excuses for the fighting in that scene to be bad, it was better than all the other fights in SW for actual fighting.

[ZoldierrZzz]

Nope, what the suit was like for the actors doesn't mean it was intended in-universe.

[KayozTheCynicalAlien]

Oh no, I'm not having double standards for the OT. I didn't say a damn thing about any of Luke's fights, did I? No. Though even the actor for Vader said that the costume was restrictive, the cape often got in the way and the helmet was hard to see out of. So obviously the same would go for Vader in-universe, too. And on top of that, I also mentioned that Kenobi threw the fight, so obviously he wouldn't fight to actually win.

Also, I didn't say that the DV v OWK fight wasn't choreographed badly.

[ZoldierrZzz]

Neither were in any shape to fight competently? But it's simply not true. Where did you pull this fact out from? It's pretty well established in the prequel trilogy that they are great swordsmen despite age. Lord Sidious.. Qui-Gon.. even Yoda managed to fight Sidious with great skills. It had only passed 19 years since Obi and Anakin's last encounter.. Look, it's ok to criticize the choreography in TPM or any movie for that matter, but don't have double standards for the OT.

[KayozTheCynicalAlien]

That isn't refuting myself. My point was that that one scene would have a proper excuse for bad swordfighting because neither combatant was in any shape to fight competently, and one didn't want to win.

And I was comparing that scene, which the person I replied to brought up, to the swordfight sequences in E1, where everyone was perfectly able-bodied and no-one threw the fight. Basically, that the E4 scene had an excuse for bad fighting, E1 did not. I think I stated it clearly.

[ZoldierrZzz]

"one being an old guy who wanted his opponent to kill him, and the other being a quad amputee in a gas mask who isn't much younger"

Don't need anything to back it up with, you've refuted yourself.