Starting A Lackluster Line Out Well: The Star Wars The Black Series Padme Amidala Figure Rocks!

The Good: Wonderful sculpt, Decent accessories, Great balance and articulation
The Bad: Somewhat expensive/low collector’s value!
The Basics: Unless it yellows, the Star Wars The Black Collection action figure of Padme Amidala might well be the ultimate Attack Of The Clones version of Padme in action figure form.


When it comes to new Star Wars action figures, I have been skeptical of many of the new releases. After all, so many of the main characters have been done to death in action figure form and most of them have actually been done perfectly (finally). In fact, when the new The Black Series of Star Wars action figures was announced, I was instantly disappointed because none of the figures were unique to the new line. But, once the line was released, I looked over them and the Scout Trooper I thought would be the highlight of the line turned out to be a dud. Instead, the best of the first wave was actually the Padme Amidala figure.

The Padme Amidala figure is Padme as she appeared in the Geonosis Arena battle scenes in Attack Of The Clones (reviewed here!). She is sculpted with the back of her outfit cut open, after the Nexu attacked her. Otherwise this is a pretty generic end of Attack Of The Clones figure.

This 4" Padme Amidala figure is wonderful and articulated incredibly well. Unless this figure ages poorly (by yellowing, which it does not appear it will based on the plastic looking less white now), this might be a perfect figure and the best Padme Amidala action figure.

Basics

Padme Amidala in this form is the Senator from Naboo posed neutrally from the Battle Of Geonosis from Attack Of The Clones. She is cast in her white outfit, with her hair back and a belt. She has a neutral stance and Padme's right hand can hold the blaster. The left hand is molded with the fingers spread open enough so she can hold the Naboo blaster that comes with her.

The Padme Amidala figure stands only 3 7/16" tall, which puts her in proportion to the rest of the line. Padme Amidala is appropriately coifed in her white top and white leggings and boots with her right arm, midriff and face exposed. The figure has such appropriate details as the tear from the Nexu on her back and a holster on her belt. As well, her bare arm has an armlet. This figure is made of a combination of solid plastic, with her arms and belt being composed of a softer, more rubbery plastic.

This toy is a decent sculpt, in the face area. This Padme Amidala looks appropriately like actress Natalie Portman. Padme Amidala is impressive in his coloring detail . . . to a point. The detailing on the figure's face is somewhat monolithic and the skin tones are nowhere near realistic. She has no rouge, for example on her cheeks, but her lips are accurately bright pink. As well, the fingers do not have fingernails molded into the sculpt.

Accessories

Padme Amidala, being a captive Senator, has two scene-appropriate accessories. This Padme Amidala figure comes with a Naboo blaster pistol and a Battle Droid's blaster. The Naboo blaster is monolithic silver soft plastic and fits perfectly in the holster on her belt. The ¾” long gun accessory fits perfectly in either of her hands.

The other weapon Padme Amidala comes with is a Battle Droid's blaster, like the one she recovered once she and Anakin were freed! This is a simple 1 1/4" black plastic blaster which is lacking in any coloring details, though it is a good sculpt of the weapon. Unfortunately, it looks disproportionately large in Padme's grip, but at least it is accurate.

Playability

The four inch toy line was designed for play and Padme Amidala is incredible in that regard. This Padme Amidala has incredible balance and articulation. The figure has holes in the bottom of the feet that allow it to be stuck onto any playset or vehicle that has the corresponding pegs. Padme Amidala is gifted with an incredible fourteen points of articulation. Padme Amidala, as an action figure, has joints at the knees, ankles, groin socket, bustline, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and neck. Most of the joints are actually hinge joints that also swivel, which gives Padme an incredible amount of articulation.

Between the balance and articulation, this is an incredible figure that has somewhat obvious and exposed joints, but still looks pretty wonderful.

Collectibility

Padme Amidala is part of the 2013 Star Wars The Black Series collection of four-inch action figures. This series of Star Wars action figures was fairly common and the Padme Amidala figure was #01 in that collection and was one per case, though they do not seem to be at all hard to find. As a result, Padme Amidala was pretty well available in the cases of this product and as a result is still widely available on the primary market today. It is doubtful that, despite the quality of this figure, it will appreciate in value.

Overview

Padme Amidala is a wonderful figure that might be the best action-oriented Amidala figure and is worth buying to replace earlier white-costumed Amidalas.

For other Padme Amidala figures, please check out my reviews on:
Vintage Collection VC33 Padme Amidala (Peasant Disguise)
Attack Of The Clones #02 Padme Amidala Arena Escape
Attack Of The Clones #41 Coruscant Escape Padme Amidala

9/10

For other toy reviews, please check out my Toy Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Rare Sequel Better Than The Original: How Thor: The Dark World Became THE Superhero Movie Of 2013!

The Good: Special effects, Performances, Moments of characters.
The Bad: Malekith comes across as monolithic, Romance plot is underdeveloped.
The Basics: Thor: The Dark World surpasses Thor as an engaging journey with enough character and deeper themes to remain compelling throughout.


Sequels, admittedly, have a tough time of it, especially the longer a franchise goes on. In a year where Marvel is trying to flesh out its universe with the television show Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. and surpass the spectacle of The Avengers (reviewed here!) with Iron Man 3 (reviewed here!), the second Marvel blockbuster attempt for the year hits theaters at a time when it is hard not to be pre-disappointed. With Ender’s Game promising to blow the roof off of special-effects driven action movies only a week before Thor: The Dark World hits screens, Marvel had to sell a compelling story in order to truly land the Thor sequel as a success.

Fortunately, it does (for the most part).

I was not a huge fan of Thor (reviewed here!), though I will openly admit that it has aged better in hindsight than many of the Marvel Universe films, so if anything my expectations were lowered for Thor: The Dark World. But Thor: The Dark World has what Thor lacked: an appreciation for the unique setting of Thor within the Marvel Universe and a villain who was more than just an empty suit. Despite being somewhat underdeveloped and underused, Thor: The Dark World includes a villain who raises the stakes admirably in a way that Iron Man 3 was not able to do credibly. If the stakes in The Avengers were New York City and Earth, Thor: The Dark World ratchets the potential catastrophe up in a way that it seems hard for Guardians Of The Galaxy to follow: the nine realms of the universe are all poised to fall in Thor: The Dark World!

Having returned to the magical realm of Asgard, with Loki as his prisoner, Thor is once more bound by family and mystical barriers that keep him away from Earth and physicist Jane Foster. While Thor adapts to life back on Asgard by bringing peace to all the realms, on Earth, Jane is trying to get on with her life. When Darcy pops back up with information on mysterious readings in the atmosphere, Jane is enticed and they find a gravitational anomaly in an abandoned warehouse. There, Jane is teleported to the Dark World where she touches the Aether. The Aether possesses her and she is returned to Earth, which draws Thor back to Earth. Thor takes Jane back to Asgard to try to save her life from the Aether. Soon after, the Dark Elf Malekith leads an attack on Asgard. As the remaining enemy of the Asgardians – the Frost Giants were not the only ones! – the Dark Elves make an attack of Thor’s homeland that illustrates the power their leader, Malekith can bring to bear, Thor and his friends find themselves in a struggle that threatens all nine realms. To that end, Thor breaks Loki out of his Asgard prison.

After reconciling for their time apart, Thor, Loki and Jane continue their work and relationship together. Malekith’s plan soon becomes painfully clear; a celestial event, the Convergence is soon to occur and that will allow Malekith to lay waste to all nine realms at once. To stop Malekith and the creatures he employs and sets free through the rifts caused by the Convergence. Journeying to the Dark World, Thor, Loki, and Jane try to lure Malekith away from Asgard and Earth, but when Malekith takes the Aether for his own, at a tragic cost, Earth becomes the focal point for Malekith's vengeance and Thor must save the world again.

Given that Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. just began (and was already given a full-season order) and there are plenty more Marvel film sequels with release dates announced, the fate of Malekith’s plan is pretty well telegraphed. Whenever I look at a villain, especially one who wants to either rule the world (which always seems much more of a hassle than it is worth) or destroy the world/existence, the key question for credibility is “why?” Malekith is given a glossed-over revenge story that takes a back seat to the Loki/Thor buddy action movie that Thor: The Dark World turns into. In fact, even more than the hints of a love story – Marvel apparently does not want to tread anywhere near a Twilight-esque love story that would actually develop genuine emotions between their superheroes and a love interest - Thor: The Dark World cries out for a Director’s Cut that might restore scenes to the film (not just as deleted scenes on the inevitable Blu-Ray, but actually integrated as a true director’s cut) that make Malekith seem more well-rounded and truly compelling instead of clinging to an old wound with a perverse sense of overreaction for his revenge.

One of the fundamental problems with Thor was that the romantic subplot between Thor and Jane Foster was largely under-developed. The basis of Jane’s relationship with Thor was, largely, that he was The Other, the proof she rationally needed to believe in the fantastic. As anyone who has ever been in a romantic relationship knows, that wears off. In fact, it is a poor excuse for starting a relationship (even Darcy’s obsession with Thor’s physique has more long-term lasting power than the sense of wonder one might have to explore a finite space). To that end, Thor: The Dark World does what it absolutely has to in order to keep the relationship between Thor and Jane plausible, if not sustainable: Thor shows Jane Asgard and that rekindles what little they (substantively) had between them before Jane becomes a plot point to motivate Thor. Jane Foster rapidly becomes as ineffectual as Natalie Portman’s Padme Amidala (though, to be fair to Portman, the scenes in Revenge Of The Sith that made Amidala into a compelling leader were cut from the film! Whether such scenes for Thor: The Dark World exist is unclear) and Jane becomes an unfortunate damsel in distress character that Portman seems bored with portraying.

Christopher Eccleston, who is usually magnificent in good as Malekith, but the downgrade in my esteem for him comes not from anything he does, but from how Malekith is written and presented on screen. Eccleston presents great vocal emotional range, which is pretty much all he can do behind the make-up and CG effects for Malekith. Only a hint of his true acting range is presented in a single scene where he is able to infuse genuine emotion behind his eyes and hint at the depths of Malekith’s loss and anger.

With most of the main cast either appearing in seriously small roles amounting to little more than cameos (Kat Dennings, for example, appears as Darcy for a decent chunk delivering her lines exactly as one would expect from the Two Broke Girls star), the brunt of Thor: The Dark World falls on the performances of Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. Hiddleston is able to play Loki with more depth than in The Avengers where Loki was a facilitator and tool for much of the film, albeit with some wonderful lines. In Thor: The Dark World, Loki is a beaten man (demigod) who is rebuilding his presence and Hiddleston makes the process as convincing as possible without ever having the sense that Loki is either lost entirely or becoming confident too soon after his imprisonment. It’s a tough balance, but Hiddleston nails it.

There is a tough balance for Chris Hemsworth to play as well. Thor is a fantastic character and having such a larger-than-life godlike character, especially in moments in our real world, can come across as cheesy or invincible in a way that obstacles he faces are ridiculous. Hemsworth finds a way – usually with his eyes and smile – to deliver lines that allow him to play Thor as a credible and realized character who is not taking himself entirely too seriously. That is a tightrope that Hemsworth navigates well.

Director Alan Taylor balances the character moments and quips between Thor and Loki fairly well with the dramatic fantasy setting of Asgard and the other realms. While the final chase through the nine realms between Thor and Malekith once again illustrates how directors today try to equate special effects with speed (the settings are hardly as developed as Asgard or Earth and the way they are bounced between is sometimes more frustrating than satisfying), what is shown is immaculate.

Ultimately, Thor: The Dark World has the character elements needed to rival Ender’s Game to keep the science fiction piece from stealing a second weekend at the top of the box office and to leave viewers glad Marvel has once again overcome expectations.
For other works with Christopher Eccleston, be sure to visit my reviews of:
Unfinished Song
Amelia
G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra
Heroes - Season 1
28 Days Later . . .
Elizabeth

7.5/10

For other film reviews, please check out my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Cult Classic?! I've No Hope For Humanity . . . Garden State

The Good: One or two moments of character, Ian Holm
The Bad: Most of the characters and acting are terrible, Plot is nonexistent or hackneyed.
The Basics: Dull, predictable and uninspired in acting and writing, Garden State disappoints the viewer who was enthusiastically anticipating the viewing.


A very good friend of mine warned me against being too critical of Garden State after I panned The Last Kiss (reviewed here!). She informed me that there's something of a cult that has grown up around the movie Garden State and that Zach Braff is considered the second coming for writing, directing and acting in the movie. I know it's chic to take shots at celebrities when they become ridiculously well-paid, but the timing of this review is coincidence. And before I tear into someone's new Bible, let me start with the caveat that I was looking forward to Garden State. It's been on my list for years.

Andrew Largeman, a bit actor in Hollywood, returns to New Jersey when his mother drowns in the bathtub. He has been living a life as a twenty-something in Hollywood half asleep and half bored. He returns to New Jersey, avoiding his issues with his father, to hook up with friends, fall in love with a local girl, and come to understand that life is for the living and it's time he started living in the present and for a future.

I'll start my rant off with my real problem with Garden State; almost everyone is a stupid stereotype of youth. I cannot recall the last time I watched a movie about people in their twenties when there was not excessive drinking, drug use, smoking or open, emotionless, sexuality. I can live with sex, but I'm sick of seeing young people universally portrayed as idiotic drug-using, smoking, boozers that lack genuine personality and real rebellious spirit. If this truly is the future of America, the United States is doomed. If this is considered entertaining, the next generation is as lost as every prior generation has always secretly feared.

I call the characters idiotic because the prevalence of drug culture as mainstream youth (as presented in Garden State and innumerable other teen-oriented coming-of-age films) culture is characterized by the most selective stupidity I've yet witnessed. So, while Andrew acknowledges he is a Hollywood actor, but refuses to do coke, he - moments later - pops whatever pill is handed to him. Moron. This is on top of the pharmacy of antidepressants Andrew is on.

And on that front, Garden State writer Zach Braff ought to have done some homework. In a scene in the movie where Andrew visits a neurologist, the doctor tells him that antidepressants clear the system relatively fast, which is the opposite of truth (a number of the SRIs take time to build up in the blood stream, should not be ended abruptly and can cause withdrawal symptoms up to a month after usage is terminated if the system is not properly weaned from them). As problematic is just the basic sense of the pharmacy of Andrew is on and the lack of interactions with the various drugs he uses in the course of Garden State.

I'm sorry, there are a lot of cliche ideas in film and literature; coming of age, mid-life crisis, deathbed conversions. We've seen these things. I suppose every generation needs a coming of age film/novel. Then again, it's hard to top The Catcher In The Rye. Garden State is a particularly witless coming of age; the protagonist is barely believable as someone who either has coasted as long as he has without dealing with his problems or someone who hasn't already gotten over them. That is, the elements of his backstory that come up in the movie seem like they ought to have been dealt with already in order for him to have remained functional as long as he has or there didn't seem enough in the movie to wake him up.

Either way, the plot has been done. It's been done to death and this is not a particularly compelling coming of age. Andrew is not an interesting protagonist. He's dull, dull to watch and it's hard to feel empathy for one who willingly surrounds himself with such losers as Andrew does. Like Napoleon Dynamite (reviewed here!), Garden State is a much-hyped movie with characters that are supposedly original and compelling, but fall short.

The only marginally interesting characters are the two supporting characters in Andrew's life. Andrew's father, Gideon, is aloof, but intelligent and every scene he's in is riveting. Similarly, Sam, Andrew's love interest is far more interesting than Andrew, though from her first moments she seems ridiculously young.

On that note, let's explore the acting. Natalie Portman plays Sam and from the first moments she is on screen, she seems to be playing Sam as young. Sam is very open with opinions, but the level of enthusiasm and lack of discretion was so childlike as to be troubling. Honestly, she was playing the role in a way that was more appropriate for a character five years old than eighteen. Later in the film, as Sam and Andrew move through their days and the obstacles they find there, Portman's acting becomes more age-appropriate and the performance is better.

Ian Holm is great as the taciturn Gideon, ruling each scene he is in with a sense of sensibility that makes the film watchable at least for the few minutes he is in it. Similarly, Ann Dowd is recognizable and wonderful in her bit role as Olivia, Sam's mother. It is refreshing to see her bring maturity and dignity to this movie.

But the film rests mostly on the back of Zack Braff and there it dies. Braff is quite good at creating a low-key affect. But it doesn't bring us into his character. In fact, Braff's performance is so understated as to make his character repulsive; the viewer does not want to get to know Andrew because from the opening frames (where he imagines going down in a plane crash and he sits unphased by the experience) he seems too unbelievably boring. He's not enjoyable or interesting to watch and Braff's performance only serves to distance the viewer from whatever internal struggle the character might be going through.

Were I truly jaded, I might suggest that Zach Braff's first directoral effort was simply an insecure attempt to kiss Natalie Portman. But that would be real jaded. As it stands, I'm at a loss as to why Garden State resonates with so many young people. Were I them, I would see it as a cautionary tale and strive for better.

For other works with Peter Sarsgaard, please be sure to check out my reviews of:
Green Lantern
Knight And Day
The Cell

3/10

For other film reviews, please be sure to check out my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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Cold Mountain Is Another Sad Southern Perspective On The Civil War

The Good: Peripheral characters and actors
The Bad: Dull leads, Boring story, Pacing
The Basics: Worthwhile only for the peripheral characters and actors, Cold Mountain is a long, disappointing Southern Civil War story.


Have you ever noticed how the majority of movies on the American Civil War take place from the Southern perspective? It's almost as if the South is obsessed with the Civil War and their loss that they just cannot get over it. Instead, they seek to recapture something from that time. Cold Mountain recaptures the oppression and ruthlessness of the South as it rebelled against the North.

In the little town of Cold Mountain, North Carolina, little southern belle Ada Monroe waits for her love Inman to return to her. While she waits, her home is menaced by Home Guard, the Southerners who didn't go off to fight "Northern Aggression" and instead stayed home and harassed the locals. Ada is aided by the appearance of Ruby Thewes, who helps her out around her property in exchange for room and board. Inman, for his part, becomes mortified by the killing on the front lines and heads home in a weird odyssey that is nowhere near as entertaining as, say, O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Cold Mountain suffers, first and foremost, by its cast. Jude Law, as appealing as he is supposed to be, is exceptionally bland and a pretty terrible actor. He wasn't charismatic in A.I. (reviewed here!), he's only vaguely interesting here. In fact, of the main three in the cast, Law is the high point. When he journey's home and looks rugged and bearded and un-Jude Law-like, his acting ability comes out and he is able to deliver some performances that are respectable, most notably the subtlety of his scene near the end where he turns back toward the road (to reveal more of the scene would expose more of the plot than you should know).

It is always a mystery to me how Best Supporting Actress is chosen. Rene Zellweger won the award for her performance in this and I was left thinking she had Kim Bassinger Syndrome. KBS is a rare affliction whereby an actress with a minimal role in a film somehow is granted great recognition for the role, when it was relatively minor (like Kim Bassinger's role in L.A. Confidential). My personal belief is that Zellweger won solely on the strength of her delivery of the "rain speech;" for the rest of the film she is so distantly behind Kidman and Law that "Supporting Actress" is something of an overstatement. If you're disturbed by Zellweger's squinting and whining, this is not the movie for you. Her brief performance includes one or both in every frame.

Kidman rounds out the main cast playing the dull and uninspired Ada who is only of real interest so long as her father (played well by Donald Sutherland) is in the flick. Kidman's character has little character and Kidman's performance is weakened by the fact that - as a weak character - she must play off other people to define herself. As a result, much of Kidman's performance is simply reacting, not actually imbuing the character with, well, character.

In contrast to the dull, plodding main characters and the uninspired performances by the leads, the supporting cast is pretty wonderful with a great array of actual characters. The always-wonderful Brendan Gleeson plays Ruby's father and as a credit to his acting ability, manages to portray him without even a hint of his 28 Days Later character. Gleeson reminds us how good character actors can be.

Supporting the film as well are Ethan Suplee, as the tragic Pangle, Jack White, as the musician Georgia, Kathy Baker as Sally - a role that redeems her tired performance as "hook lady" from Boston Public, Philip Seymour Hoffman, as Reverend Veasey - a fugitive to accompany Inman, and Donald Sutherland as Reverend Monroe. These characters are each more interesting than the main three and quite well-portrayed by their respective actors. Kathy Baker, for example, plays exceptionally well outside the special effects to make her pallor and near-death quite vivid and real.

But so much of Cold Mountain hinges on plot and it's not terribly compelling. After the first group of people are tormented or killed for harboring deserters or being a deserter, we understand how harsh the Home Guard is. The repetition of it simply fills time and delays the obvious conclusion to the movie. And the serious problem is that those characters we care the most for are so briefly in the movie before they are snuffed out.

It's basically a "soldier makes his way home from war and encounters obstacles" film. And intermingled with that is a "women at home fighting in their own way" story. The latter story suffers because the women are not interesting or particularly strong; indeed, Ada is almost entirely defined by her waiting for Inman and thus seeks her definition from a man. Consequently, the other half suffers because it does not take long before the viewer begins to wonder, "Why is Inman working so hard to get home to such a dull woman?" And Inman's own lack of genuine personality is confusing as well. We have a dull man determined to make it home to a woman who defines herself based on him, resulting in a cyclical motion of complete boredom.

Blood and guts fans will enjoy the battle scenes and Cold Mountain sadly has a scene of rural living involving the exsanguination of a goat that is very realistic and almost more tragic than the human costs of the movie. In short, though, this is a tired, tiresome movie, without anything truly new and led by characters and actors that were overpaid for their performances they failed to deliver on.

For other works featuring Natalie Portman, check out my reviews of:
Thor
No Strings Attached
Black Swan
The Other Woman
The Darjeeling Limited
V For Vendetta
The Star Wars Saga

4/10

Check out how this film stacks up against other films I have reviewed by visiting my Movie Review Index Page where the reviews are organized best film to worst!

© 2012, 2005 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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One Of The Better Inaction Figures, The Vintage Collection Padme Amidala (Peasant Disguise) Stands Up!

The Good: Wonderful coloring detail, Generally good accessories, Fairly decent articulation
The Bad: Accessory coloring is awkward, The fabric elements are obvious.
The Basics: The Vintage Collection Padme Amidala (Peasant Disguise) figure pays homage to one of the last, previously un-figurized, costume changes Padme Amidala had in the Star Wars Saga!


It actually surprises me some that there was an entire wave of Star Wars action figures that came out at the end of 2010 that I, apparently, missed. Ironically, that wave is now easily available at discount stores and the Attack Of The Clones Vintage Collection figures in that wave I missed are now coming into my collection at a nicely discounted price! In the case of the Padme Amidala (Peasant Disguise) figure, the fact that my wife picked me up the figure as part of my Easter basket from her was pretty cool.

For those unfamiliar with the Padme Amidala in peasant disguise, that is not terribly surprising as she did not stay so garbed long in Attack Of The Clones (reviewed here!). Padme Amidala was forced to flee Coruscant in disguise after her second assassination attempt. After turning power over to Jar Jar Binks, she quietly slipped off planet on a peasant transport with Anakin Skywalker.

The 4" Padme Amidala in peasant disguise is an entirely new rendering of the character and the only one that has her in this specific outfit.

Basics

The Padme Amidala in peasant disguise figure stands 3 7/8" tall to the top of her standard hood (the one that comes on the figure in the package). She is the politician in robes, which are a mix of hard plastic and velvet cloth pieces. I’ve never been a fan of the outfits that blend the cloth and plastic, but this one looks pretty good, arguably because the simple outer robes are opened enough to reveal the underrobe which has detailing that is precisely the same color as the cloth.

This toy is a decent sculpt, though it is largely inflexible. Hasbro bothered with molded details like the lacing on the boots beneath the dress, despite the fact that they are virtually invisible. The hoods and sleeves are molded with folds and billows that make the outfit seem like it exists in the real world. The sculpt is as accurate as it can be considering that most of the aspects that would make it distinctly Padme Amidala are hidden. With the figure’s realistic proportions, the fingers are molded perfectly, though they do not have any fingernails.

Padme Amidala in peasant disguise is colored with exceptional attention to detail. Her dress features an intricate pattern that looks exactly like the one on the figure’s card. Moveover, the shoulders and bracelets are equally ornate. The skin tones for the face are realistic and the figure has both red lips and perfectly detailed eyes (whites, brown irises and black pupils!). This is a figure that Hasbro put a lot of coloring detail in, which pretty much makes up for the lack of articulation in the figure.

Unfortunately, the standard hood does not have the same level of coloring detail. The orange hood with the plate in it is molded with intricate texturing, but it does not continue any pattern or texture from the rest of the outfit. That headdress also does not actually match the figure’s sleeves, which seems somewhat problematic because the two are exceptionally close. While this headdress is clearly supposed to be the lace headdress pictured on the back, it looks nothing like that on the figure.

Accessories

Padme Amidala in peasant disguise is essentially a refugee, so she comes only with her ornate headdress and her blaster. The ornate headdress is the one worth outfitting the figure with. The metallic-looking headpiece fits perfectly over the figure’s hooded head when the one headdress is removed. It is intricately detailed to match the figure’s dress and it looks entirely appropriate on the figure’s head.

Also worthwhile is the blaster that this Amidala comes with. Recognizable to fans of the Star Wars Saga as Amidala’s blaster, the little 11/16” firearm is silver and black and fits in either of Amidala’s hands. The fact that a silver trigger breaks up the black handle impressed me!

Playability

The four inch toy line was designed for play and Padme Amidala in peasant disguise is fair in that regard. First, the figure has incredible balance. Because Padme Amidala in peasant disguise can only be arranged flatfooted with her solid under robe supporting her all the way around, she is virtually untippable. In fact, one almost has to wonder why Hasbro bothered to put the peg holes in the feet of this figure; she stands so solidly.

Padme Amidala in peasant disguise holds up moderately well in the articulation department. Despite her lower half – everything below the articulated midriff – being immobile, her upper-body articulation is pretty incredible. She has hinged ball and socket joints at the elbows and shoulders, as well as a ball and socket joint for the head. Sure, her hood prevents any movement of the head, but it was a nice thought. The wrists and waist both have simple swivel joints that provide the figure with more than enough posing options to make the figure worthwhile!

Collectibility

Padme Amidala in peasant disguise is part of the Vintage Collection line that was released late in 2010 and then promptly disappeared from the market. Padme Amidala in peasant disguise is Vintage Collection figure VC33 and it is part of the assortment that has suddenly flooded back into the market, thanks to discount stores like Five Below. Because the figure is so simple and it is part of a discounted collection from, arguably, the least popular film in the Star Wars Saga, I suspect it will be a long time before this figure appreciates in value, if it goes up at all.

Overview

While the figure might not look as good outfitted as it comes in the package and this Amidala has very limited articulation, out of the package, the Padme Amidala (Peasant Disguise) figure is a surprisingly strong and worthwhile action figure!

For other Vintage Collection figures from Attack Of The Clones, please check out my reviews of:
VC30 Zam Wesell
VC37 Super Battle Droid
VC49 Fi-Ek Sirch

6/10

For other Star Wars toy reviews, please check out my index page by clicking here!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Anger And Revolution Without The Passion For It: V For Vendetta

The Good: Excellent dialogue, The human moments
The Bad: Violence without passion, Much of the acting, Aspects of over-the-top
The Basics: Failing in the realm of grandiose battles, V For Vendetta is philosophically sound and connects on an emotive, personal level, but is otherwise just long.


I went to see V For Vendetta blind. Not literally blind, but without having seen previews, not reading reviews, not knowing anything but the title, the actors and the tagline. I had anticipated - based on what little I knew of the movie - enjoying the political message of the film. I didn't. In fact, what had an effect on me was the personal elements. But, I get ahead of myself.

V For Vendetta begins as the story of Evey, a young woman sometime after 2015 who is out after the curfew in London. When the Fingermen, common citizens who act as a police force, stop her and begin to assault her, she is rescued by a masked man. The masked man introduces himself as V and speaks articulately and in poems and at great speed and Evey hesitantly accompanies him to a rooftop to witness a concert. The concert consists of music blaring over London's propaganda soundspeakers and crescendos into an explosion of a significant landmark building.

Later, V takes over the propaganda ministry and plays an appeal to the British people wherein he urges them to stand up and take back the government and their lives and a year from that day - November 5 - stand outside Parliament which he will blow up. In his escape, he rescues Evey and is reluctantly forced to keep her detained for the year in his Shadow Gallery, a collection of artifacts that the government has believed destroyed. Evey escapes and is captured by the government until she loses everything and becomes free herself.

The best moments of V For Vendetta are the personal ones and the nice thing about the movie is it never cheapens the resolve or conflict within the characters. So, the most obvious aspect of the movie - what is under V's mask - remains a mystery. But it's the peripherals that make the most moving moments of the movie. Deitrich, a celebrity on the British network who Evey knows, tells a heartwrenching story. Dr. Surridge, one who personally hurt V in the past, delivers the most beautiful and poignant line of the movie in a quiet point. She simply asks V (NOT a direct quote, sorry!), "Is it ever too late to say sorry?" It is such a perfect moment.

What Surridge's exit from the movie does it propel the plot along and from her demise to the end of the film, much is spent filling in the blanks that plague the viewer from the first half of the movie. We see a Totalitarian Britain, but we don't know how it became that way, save V's accusations that the populace has become complacent. So, the latter half illustrates how V himself was integral to the establishment of the State and the resolution of V's anger.

Much of the exposition is a function of an investigation by Finch, a tired-looking detective who is investigating V's first bombing. Finch is the human element that the movie turns on. Many might argue that V For Vendetta is V's story or Evey's, but it's not. V's story is what Finch uncovers, but because much of it is a cobbled together backstory, it is hard to find empathy for V. V becomes a tool for Finch's understanding.

Similarly, Evey is a tool of V. She is an obvious successor to V, but hardly a common citizen. Her backstory reveals a history of persecution and moments that predispose her toward V's philosophies. Far more compelling than watching someone who has known the government is wrong actually moved to action is watching someone who is a cog in that government learning the government is the problem and the power of that revelation leading to immediate action. That is Finch's story and that is what makes the movie watchable and enjoyable in the parts that it actually is enjoyable.

The problem is, those moments are not the bulk of V For Vendetta. Instead, they are the exception to the rule. The pacing of V For Vendetta is very off. Long passages of the movie are ponderous and drawn out. Refreshingly, V provides some of the longest monologues I have seen and heard in recent movies. This strikes me as real and it's nice to see in a movie. Unfortunately, when the action picks up and the conversations stop, the battles move at such speed that what is actually happening is almost impossible to visually decipher. The exception is the climactic battle, which is slowed for dramatic effect and is nice in that it is easy to see what is happening and make the whole thing make sense.

But the characters - the mains, V and Evey - are a mix of bland and terrible. V is defined as a monster created by the State, but is honest and has a purpose. What he lacks is passion. He is reasonable, reasoned and deadly, but there's no real emotion in his words or his actions. Thus, when he tears off his mask at one point and speaks words of emotion to Evey near the end, they fall flat because he has expressed no passion. This works if the point is to say that vengeance kills the soul, but then it's hard to believe the willpower that keeps V alive through his final sequences. That is to say, if one has the passion to endure and keep fighting, one has passion and that passion should be evident in some of the dialogue. It's not.

Evey, on the other hand, is just incomprehensible. It is hard to believe that a young woman who appears to have some measure of privilege, who witnessed her parents being dragged away as a child would defy the State weakly or wouldn't already be well on the road to being a terrorist. What I mean here is that as we learn Evey's backstory, it is obvious that she is the perfect candidate for V's movement. Her parents were taken from her at a young age and she was raised by the State and she witnessed government brutality. So, one might think she was either already subverting the government or was terrified of the government. The opening scene of the movie, Evey leaving after curfew, indicates she is not the latter.

The only characters that are worth watching are the ones most would think are peripheral. Dr. Surridge, only briefly in the movie, makes one of the most intense marks on the viewer. Similarly, Deitrich is so beautiful in his naivete that when he broadcasts a satire against the totalitarian leader Adam Sutler (hmm . . . could they make that any closer to Hitler?) he believes he might get away with it. And the story Evey learns of the actress is simply heartbreaking. These are the characters, the ones that flit in briefly, make a point and disappear, are what brings empathy to the movie.

And Finch. There's Finch. Finch is a brilliant character who is so much more than a symbol. Finch investigates an act of terrorism against the Party and begins to ask himself - and others - the questions a totalitarian state hates. And he walks a tenuous line. But he does it wonderfully. He's the man to watch.

Unfortunately, because Finch is played by Stephen Rea, a middle-aged non-Hollywood type, he does not get top billing. He deserves it, though. He out performs Natalie Portman by a hundredfold. Rea makes the movie watchable. He binds us to the story and his character represents all that V wants to accomplish, so the viewer is most interested in his movement through the story.

Similarly, Stephen Fry doesn't sell movie tickets, but he steals every single scene he is in. He is brilliant as Deitrich and if he and Rea aren't nominated for their roles in this movie, they were robbed. As well, John Hurt is brilliantly directed. I'm not certain how much of what makes his character work was actually his acting, but he is terrifically directed. Why? Sutler, who Hurt plays, is the leader of the totalitarian England. Usually, this is a role taken by one with charisma. Hurt is never on screen where he is not yelling and being angry. No charisma whatsoever. Directed for brilliant irony.

Unfortunately, despite her wonderful, subtle and powerful performance, Sinead Cusack as Dr. Surridge has so little a part in the film that to suggest she receive a nomination is almost ridiculous. If there was a "Best Performance For An Actress With Less Than Five Minutes Screentime," she would be a shoo in.

The other performance of note - for its adequacy - is Hugo Weaving. Weaving is given the difficult task of emoting while behind a mask and he manages to do that. Not so much with his voice. Thus, we have the character problem of V not being emotional, yet executing possibly the most elaborate cycle of vengeance seen in a film. But as an acting problem, Weaving uses body language extraordinarily well to make V . . . well, human. That's the most we might ask for.

Outside that, it's all minutiae and the big themes. The big themes are obvious to any progressive who has been awake the last five years. Totalitarian states are built on indifference and the sloth of an accepting populace. Ironically, Portman encapsulates this entire sentiment in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith (reviewed here!) when, as Padme, she observes that democracy dies with applause, not horror. Here, the viewer is beaten over the head with the hyperbole of this, until one appreciates the details.

The main groups being persecuted are homosexuals and those who defy the State. So, for example, Muslims have all been expunged. Now, lacking Muslims, those who are killed are those who simply own a copy of the Koran. And while the rounding up and killing of homosexuals throughout the movie might seem over-the-top, one only has to look at the subtle obviousness of Totalitarian England. All of the characters in the movie are white. Homosexuals, then, become the obvious target. Why? They cannot be seen. Everyone who can be seen to be different is already gone. 'Gotta get those who are still hiding! That's the Totalitarian view. Divergence is the crime in a totalitarian state and it's something that V For Vendetta beats us over the head with. But, those who already get it will not come out feeling impassioned by the movie.

In fact, the greatest disappointment I experienced in watching V For Vendetta was in the audience. When the movie was over, the audience stood right up and left. No one was talking about blowing up the White House, so I suspect much of the audience just didn't get it. That's disheartening. This morning, I haven't heard a word about Fox News being hijacked by radicals who want us to fight our government's robbing us of our right to have our vote counted. Our "V's" haven't stepped up and when they don't, the writers and directors will have realized they failed.

For other films by the Wachowski brothers, please be sure to visit my reviews of:
Bound
The Matrix
The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Revolutions
Speed Racer

7/10

For other movie reviews, please visit my Movie Review Index Page by clicking here!

© 2012, 2006 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Love Out Of Order: The Other Woman Is Difficult And Difficult To Take Seriously.

The Good: Great performances, Realism of interrelationships, Most of the direction
The Bad: Universally unlikable characters, Moments of direction
The Basics: The Other Woman has just enough in it for me to recommend, but is plagued by a fundamental character problem that makes it hard for me to recommend in any enthusiastic way.


As a movie reviewer, there are very few movies I do not hear about before they are released in the theaters. So, when I was walking around with my wife a few months back and my wife and I saw The Other Woman on DVD, I was surprised. I was shocked that Natalie Portman released a film that I had not heard of until it hit DVD. So, today I got The Other Woman out of the library and we watched it. And, the short of it is, I can see why The Other Woman was never given much in the way of fanfare.

The Other Woman is a difficult movie to watch. Despite the title suggesting it is about infidelity, the film is much more about the complexities that come from being a second wife and the mother of a baby who died very young. Those who have issues with death of babies and issues surrounding divorce and infidelity are unlikely to enjoy The Other Woman. The film is wrenching almost the entire movie and a big part of the problem with the movie is how it is set up. Writer and director Don Roos (based on Ayelet Waldman's novel) has a serious issue that guts the emotional credibility of the film, which is that the protagonist gets involved with a married man. That makes it hard to take seriously her anger at her father and at her new husband. The Other Woman is troubling as well because all of the characters are unlikable. As my wife noted, as she has noted many, many times before, throughout the movie, "Women are such bitches to each other!" And in The Other Woman all of them are. Most everyone in the movie is actually rotten to one another and that makes the movie more unpleasant to watch than, say Magnolia (reviewed here!).

Told out of order, The Other Woman focuses on Emilia Greenleaf. Struggling to deal with her stepson and her husband's ex-wife, she recalls how she became involved with Jack before his marriage to Carolyn was over. Getting upset with her stepson William for suggesting they sell "the baby's" stuff on eBay, Emilia remembers falling in love with Jack and the struggle to get a place in William's life. When William is difficult and afraid of everything, Emilia disbelieves that he is lactose intolerant and she tries to get him ice skating without a helmet.

But when the pregnancy that split up Carolyn and Jack up brings Jack and Emilia baby Isabel, the relationship seems like it might be all right. But eight days after Isabel is born, she dies and this strains the family. With Carolyn getting pregnant and pulling both Jack and William, Emilia tries to get the relationship right while she reconciles with the infidelity issues she had from her own father.

The Other Woman is heavy-handed and complex. But the complexity is irksome in some serious ways. Emilia has serious issues with the way her father treated her mother, yet she cheats with Jack. That fundamental problem with the character makes it hard to take her indignation seriously. And she is indignant a lot. So that makes a lot of the movie hard to take seriously.

More than that, so many of the characters are overtly cruel to one another. For sure, Carolyn has a lot of reasons to dislike Emilia, but the level of her hatred for her is so extreme as to be utterly unwatchable. The most likable characters in the movie, Mindy and Simon, are barely in the film, but the main cast is dominated by characters who are unlikable, treating one another horribly. Even William's school teacher is a jerk in her two scenes, with a laughable line "I will not let you destroy . . ." William's artwork moments after Carolyn tears it in half.

But, as difficult as the movie is and as unlikable as the characters are, the four main performers are absolutely amazing in their roles. Scott Cohen, who I have not seen since the early seasons of Gilmore Girls (reviewed here!) is charismatic as Jack and the movie uses the performer's easygoing acting style well enough that it is actually surprisingly easy to like Jack after a point. Charlie Tahan gives an unsettling performance as William. The portrayal of the kid is unsettling in that he is so obnoxious and hurtful as a kid that what he says seems twice as insensitive, but Tahan sells it. Sure, in the moments Tahan is at his worst, I found myself wondering what kind of parent Jack was that he had not spoken to his son about issues pertaining to Isabel's death, but Tahan sells the moments convincingly.

Natalie Portman gives her usual sterling performance. Portman is serious, emotionally vulnerable and plays Emilia as a woman who legitimately is trying her best to do what is right for all concerned (save Carolyn after a point). Portman is good, even when her character is loathsome.

But the one who steals The Other Woman is Lisa Kudrow. Those who fell in love with Kudrow's performance on Friends (reviewed here!) will find her virtually unrecognizable as Carolyn. Kudrow plays Carolyn as cold, momentarily maniacal and the uber-bitch. Watching her and hearing the lines she delivers is enough to make one's stomach clench up in disgust. But what sells Kudrow's performance is the scene late in the film where Carolyn and Emilia face one another and discuss in very cold, hard, terms Isabel's death. In that scene, Carolyn becomes human, against her better judgment and it is Kudrow's acting that makes it seem like it is not a different character.

On DVD, The Other Woman includes only the film's trailer and sneak previews for other IFC films. Ultimately, I've decided two things. The first is that The Other Woman is an absolutely horrible title for this movie and as such when my wife and I sat down to it, we were utterly unprepared for the film and I would never have subjected her to a film like this had I known the intensity of the baby death in the storyline. It's a horrible title. And as bad as the character flaw with Emilia is in clinging to anger when she is an adulterer herself, the movie is not bad. It's not perfect, but just because it is difficult should not disqualify it from being considered good. But the way it is good is in an academic way: the film succeeds because the ratings for things like plot, acting and directing (except for moments when Portman and Tahan fall down by falling out of frame because, I'm guessing, Roos couldn't afford stuntpeople) score high and the character elements actually score high despite some serious flaws. In other words, the movie is good by the numbers, but it is utterly unpleasant to watch. As such, it is, objectively, an eight out of ten . . . but I'm not recommending people see it.

For other works featuring Natalie Portman, check out my reviews of:
Thor
No Strings Attached
Black Swan
The Star Wars Saga

8/10 (not recommended)

For other film reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.


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Utterly Charmless: Ashton Kutcher's Butt, Natalie Portman Naked And Random Lesbian Teenagers Cannot Save No Strings Attached!

The Good: One or two charming moments, One or two acting moments
The Bad: Stale plot, Terribly stiff acting, Utterly unlikable characters
The Basics: No Strings Attached fails to land the premise before delving into it fully, making for a terrible romantic comedy that is utterly unromantic and seldom funny.


Ever since I saw and praised Friends With Benefits (reviewed here!), I've been told that the movie - whose plot I admitted was nothing terribly new - was just a rehash of No Strings Attached which came out about six months prior. So, today, I figured it was about time to watch No Strings Attached. Now, as the movie finishes up and I start my review, I am astonished that anyone has ever compared No Strings Attached with Friends With Benefits. While the Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis vehicle is funny, charming and surprisingly well-acted, No Strings Attached is none of those things.

No Strings Attached has such a predictable plot as to be almost not worth mentioning, but what truly sinks the movie is that the characters are monolithic and unlikable. And the worst element of No Strings Attached is that the two leads, Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman, have absolutely no chemistry on screen. None. Zippo. Zilch. The acting is so stiff that Dylan Hayes and Stefanie Scott who open the movie as the young versions of Adam and Emma have so much more chemistry than the adult actors that they pretty much gut any surprise the movie might have had.

Starting at a summer camp, fifteen years before the primary action, Adam laments that his father is getting divorced to camp friend Emma, then asks is he can finger her. Ten years later, Emma is visiting a friend's frat party and runs into Adam. Having no one else she knows in the area, she invites Adam to her father's funeral the next day and he obliges. Four years later Emma and Adam run into one another when their friends run into each other and then a year later, they reconnect again. At that time, Adam is working on a television show (like Glee) and Emma is working at a local hospital. The morning after Adam gets super drunk after finding his father and ex-girlfriend are now together, Adam and Emma begin a "friends who have sex" relationship.

Soon, the pair is by all appearances a functioning couple who are trying to restrain their own feelings. Emma insists Adam see other women, despite getting jealous when he does and Adam begins to advance his professional career, which earns him the attention of one of the producers on the show he is working on. As the two have lots of sex, they struggle with both the perception and reality that they are developing real emotional bonds, bonds which Emma is afraid to acknowledge.

No Strings Attached is such a simple movie that it is hard to find more to write about it. Writers Elizabeth Meriwether and Michael Samonek try to give their characters some depth, but the fail in that they tell far more than they show. So, for example, Emma is supposed to be characterized as a woman who doesn't want a relationship - her mother asserts because her father died and she took it hard - but she is initially characterized as a nihilist and that's fine. The problem is, instantly upon getting into the faux-relationship with Adam, she is invested in it as if it is a real relationship. In other words, the writers are all talk on Emma not wanting a relationship, so the "conflict" she feels late in the film is exceptionally forced.

Moreover, none of the characters are particularly interested or compelling. Adam's father, ably enough played by Kevin Kline, is utterly impossible to empathize with as he consorts with Vanessa, Adam's ex. The subplot with Emma's sister, Katie finding love and getting married feels like just what it is, a subplot and it leads to plot-predictable moments that bring the movie back to Emma and Adam.

As for the acting, I want to be thorough, but there were no extraordinary performances on any front. Ludacris, who was vibrant in Crash (reviewed here!) is restrained in a supporting role in No Strings Attached. Cary Elwes is restrained and unrecognizable with his beard as Dr. Metzner. Lake Bell seems like a poor director's Amanda Peet. And, the two most viewers will care about - Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher are uncharacteristically stiff as Emma and Adam. The acting is pretty boring and the principles seem bored with their lines and performances.

On DVD, No Strings Attached comes with a tiresome commentary track in which Ivan Reitman tries to fool the viewer into believing they are watching a movie that is in any way significant or unique. There are four deleted scenes, two alternate scenes and two featurettes, none of which make the primary programming actually worth watching.

For other works with Natalie Portman, please check out my reviews of:
Thor
Black Swan
The Star Wars Saga

2.5/10

For other movie reviews, please be sure to visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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The Star Wars Saga Has Legendary Qualities, But Is Far From Perfect!

The Good: Great story, Pretty awesome special effects, Generally decent acting
The Bad: Moments of character and acting.
The Basics: There is a timeless quality to the Star Wars Saga, but there are serious enough issues that make it anything but perfect.


I love Star Wars. I have the figures, I have the movies, I've gotten autographs of many of the obscure stars (Michael Sheard just months before his death, as it turned out!), and I do enjoy the mythological sensibility to the story of the fall. But, for one who grew up on it and one who enjoys the universe, I am prepared to commit the ultimate heresy that every other reviewer knows, but few fans admit:

The Star Wars Saga is not all that great.

Sure, it's good. It was groundbreaking at the time, but have you actually watched it? If you've never actually sat down and watched the Star Wars Saga in order, it is the saddest collection of clueless law enforcement officers running around getting slaughtered by a military force that becomes more inept over twenty years leading into a rebellion of people who are willing to give up at the drop of a dime. Seriously. The sheer number of times characters say something is "impossible" or "can't be done" or whine about the state that they are in before actually trying is shocking. And for those looking for a great hero story, we all know that the quality of the hero is judged by the quality of the villains. Who are the villains in the Star Wars Saga? A bunch of people who look pretty cool, but are even more inept than the heroes! Darth Maul? One kill and dead. Darth Tyrannus? One arm and dead. General Grievous? One kill, nope that's been edited out, one escape and dead. Who is the villain in the Star Wars Saga? A one thousand year-old geezer and his robot apprentice.

But I jest. When the Star Wars Saga works, it works because it tells an essential character story of how easily good may be perverted into the forces of power and control and how hope may lead to the redemption of that corrupted soul. It tells the story of how common plight leads to romance and how sidekicks can be universally annoying be they amphibian or droid. The Star Wars Saga illustrates that when you push the boundaries of what is known, you may create a work that will capture a generation simply by being ambitious and daring.

Cinema has lost that. Arguably the most original attempt in recent years, The Chronicles Of Riddick Saga (reviewed here!) was thwarted from continuing by commercialism. The Star Wars Saga tells a pretty universal story set in a distant galaxy populated by humans, aliens, robots and an astounding array of creatures. But, like The Matrix (reviewed here!), a full series was created based on a decent original idea. Unlike the disturbingly constructed The Matrix Saga, George Lucas - the creator of the Star Wars Saga - had the first trilogy constructed before the first film was filmed. While he had the prequel trilogy conceived, he had not fleshed it out, resulting in a six-film Saga that tells the story of Anakin Skywalker, but is plagued by minutia between the two trilogies that do not quite add up. The inconsistencies are disturbing enough to stymie even the Star Wars loyalists, but not enough to drive it into unwatchable territory.

For those unfamiliar with the Star Wars Saga (now available on Blu-Ray), the six movies that comprise it are:
The Phantom Menace
Attack Of The Clones
Revenge Of The Sith
A New Hope
The Empire Strikes Back
Return Of The Jedi

The Phantom Menace explores a galaxy far, far away that is brimming with conflict. After a thousand years of peace, the Galactic Republic is in turmoil when the planet of Naboo is besieged by the capitalist forces of the Trade Federation. Republic negotiators, two Jedi named Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, arrive to try to lift the Trade Federation blockade but they are nearly killed. Escaping Naboo with the planet's Queen, the Jedi make it to Tatooine where they discover a young boy, Anakin Skywalker, who is powerful with the Force, the mystical power utilized by the Jedi. Amid political machinations that insinuate that the Jedi's enemies - the Sith - have returned to the galaxy, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and Anakin return to try to liberate Naboo.

Ten years later, Padme Amidala, former Queen of Naboo is returning to the political capital of the Republic to vote on an important bill when she is almost assassinated. The Jedi Anakin and Obi-Wan are assigned to protect Amidala as the Republic heads toward war with Separatists who wish to leave the Republic. Obi-Wan searches for the bounty hunter who put the hit on Amidala and discovers a clone army being built for the Republic that no one knew about. As Obi-Wan becomes embroiled in political and military machinations that were directed by the Sith, Anakin and Padme fall in love.

Revenge Of The Sith begins two years later as the Clone Wars rage on and Anakin and Obi-Wan have to save the Supreme Chancellor from a powerful Separatist general. As the Jedi try to end the war and uncover the Sith Lord who has evaded them for the past decade, Anakin is seduced by the power of the Dark Side of the Force using his secret wife, Padme, as the tool of his undoing.

Twenty years later, A New Hope finds the galaxy under the control of the Galactic Empire where a small band of rebels fights against the forces of power and control. When Princess Leia acquires the plans to the planet-destroying Death Star weapon, she tries to get the plans back to the Rebellion, but is intercepted by the Empire's forces, most notably Darth Vader. Leia manages to get the plans into two droids who end up on Tatooine in the possession of Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke and Obi-Wan try to get the plans back to the Rebellion, but are intercepted by the Death Star and must save the galaxy from the massive weapon.

The Empire Strikes Back has the Rebellion fleeing from the might of the Empire as Darth Vader scours the galaxy for Luke Skywalker. As Han Solo and Princess Leia try to evade the Empire, Luke Skywalker goes to a remote world where he learns to use the power of the Force. But Darth Vader is intent on luring Luke out and he uses his friends to entrap the young man.

The Saga concludes with Return Of The Jedi wherein Luke and Leia try to rescue Han Solo from the gangster Jabba the Hutt. As the Rebellion goes on the offensive against the new Death Star - which is still under construction - Luke, Leia and Han journey to Endor for a final showdown with the Empire and Darth Vader.

The Star Wars Saga has essentially two groups of characters in the two trilogies, but when viewed together is the story of the downfall of Anakin Skywalker from the Jedi with the most potential to a tool for the Empire. George Lucas, who wrote the Saga (at least the story), does an excellent job of telling the story of Anakin using pretty standard mythological storytelling. Anakin begins as a boy of mysterious origins with the insinuation of incredible powers. As he refined his powers, Anakin illustrates an impatience which is a pretty classic tragic flaw and he develops with the potential to be the most powerful instrument for good. The forces of evil, of course, seek to exploit that and the Star Wars Saga illustrates well how the feelings of love may be used by malevolent forces.

What does not work when the Saga is viewed together is how loss keeps Anakin under the thumb of the Sith Lord. In The Empire Strikes Back, the Emperor reveals - through new scenes added into the film - that he has essentially lied to his apprentice for twenty years and there is no significant character reaction. Given that the character's tragic flaw has much to do with seething rage, it is virtually unforgivable that the character has none of that evident when the truth is revealed.

This, of course, is a problem with the fact that the story was retroactively created. The prequel Trilogy has to explain how Anakin Skywalker fell from grace and when it fits back into the original Trilogy, there are dramatic inconsistencies. On the character level, this seldom works. This is also why the Prequel Trilogy neglects the spiritualism of the original Trilogy. In the first (or second, depending on perspective) Trilogy, the Force is a powerful field and belief that empowers the Jedi. In the Prequel Trilogy, thousands of Jedi are completely duped by a single Sith with many of the Jedi revealing tragic flaws that - according to the later installments - would have led them to the Dark Side. In other words, the principles of using the Force to create a policing body work out philosophically, but not in a practical application.

The Star Wars Saga pioneered all sorts of special effects and on Blu-Ray, they look absolutely incredible. From stop-motion model work through computer-generated characters, the Star Wars Saga is a visual masterpiece from George Lucas and the other directors in the Star Wars films.

As for the acting, the Star Wars Saga utilizes some pretty incredible talents - Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and James Earl Jones - exceptionally well. It also introduced many new talents who deliver as well as they can. Hayden Christensen, for example, performs somewhat stiffly in Attack Of The Clones and Revenge Of The Sith. Where the Saga succeeds on the acting is how the performers completely invest in the universe being created. All of the actors look like they believe in their setting and with the virtual characters, they interact with complete seriousness, making it easy to invest in the galaxy.

On Blu-Ray, the Star Wars Saga includes commentary tracks for each film and featurettes on the creation of each movie and the Saga as a whole. There are also forty-five deleted scenes and animatics which are kept separated from the films. For a Saga that George Lucas has so continually tweaked, it is almost ridiculous that the movies do not have the scenes actually integrated into the new versions of each movie.

This leads to the exploitative quality of the Star Wars Saga. George Lucas is a shrewd businessman and while this is the first time the Saga has appeared all together on Blu-Ray, the films have been available in at least two different forms on DVD. Most people will not have the equipment needed to get the additional value out of the Blu-Ray versions. More than that, beginning in February, the films will be rereleased theatrically in 3-D. Will Lucas add new scenes for the 3-D release? Will he integrate deleted scenes into the 3-D release? Who knows? What is virtually undeniable is this: even if the only change is that a 3-D print of the Star Wars Saga is created, those 3-D versions will be released after the Saga is once again completed as 3-D Blu-Rays undoubtedly with more bonus features to exploit the same customer base for their hard-earned dollars for what is essentially the same product.

In other words, the Star Wars Saga is complete now. It has been for more than half a decade and the change in technology has not fixed the problems that the Saga has had. Instead, those who already have the six DVDs are not truly going to need to reinvest in the Blu-Rays and until a complete reimagining including a complete rewrite, much like the new Footloose (reviewed here!) completely remakes the Saga from the original, is created, there is no real need to buy the new boxed set.

For other cinematic Sagas, please visit my reviews of:
The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy
The Back To The Future Trilogy
The Indiana Jones Trilogy

7.5/10

For other film reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Coruscant Attack Padme Amidala Is One Of The Most Obscure, Best, Padme Figures Yet!

The Good: Decent detailing, Good articulation, Good accessories, Good balance and poseability.
The Bad: Low collectibility, Balance could be better.
The Basics: Of all of the Attack Of The Clones (and other) Padme Amidala figures I've owned or reviewed, the Coruscant Attack one is the best one so far!


It might surprise some of my more regular readers to learn that I have, thus far, only reviewed one Padme Amidala action figure! It's true! That's the Arena Escape Padme from the Attack Of The Clones line and it had a few unfortunate problems which led me to not recommend it. But as I near the end of my Attack Of The Clones action figures, I was pleasantly surprised to rediscover the Coruscant Attack Padme Amidala action figure, which I am able to eagerly endorse.

For those unfamiliar with Padme Amidala, she was seen on Coruscant in Attack Of The Clones (reviewed here!). Arriving on Coruscant for a vote, she dodges an assassination attempt by piloting a second craft to the landing pad. It is her flightsuit from the escort vehicle that is the subject of the Coruscant Attack Padme Amidala!

The 4" Padme Amidala figure from the Attack Of The Clones Collection is the former Queen in her orange, brown and green outfit with a removable helmet that disguises her true identity!

Basics

The Padme Amidala figure stands 3 1/2" tall to the top of her bare head. She is dressed in the brown flightshirt with orange leggings she was seen in briefly at the outset of the film. Most of her drab shirt is covered by a heavier leather-looking green and brown tunic. She has boots, gloves and her tunic ends in a skirt that covers just her butt. This figure is made of hard plastic with a soft plastic skirt which has limited flexibility. This means the figure can be put in a sitting position, though the skirt will resist that. Padme Amidala’s human face is well-sculpted and is entirely recognizable and looks very much like Natalie Portman! Hasbro also gets the character’s hair right by molding in fine lines and having it in bound and braided behind her head, as she did in the movie.

The coloring of the human elements, which is only the face, is very good. While all of the rest of the coloring of the uniform is monotonal - a very clean look for the character - Padme Amidala's face includes slightly pink cheeks and a soft shade of pink for her lips. There is a brown scuff below her chin painted on (at least on mine!) that makes it look like Padme has already been attacked by the bomber. Her eyes are appropriately white, brown and black, so the figure looks better than most. Her hair is molded brown, but has black highlights throughout, giving her a realistic depth and shading to the toy! The rest of the coloring details are adequate. This is a completely clean look for Padme Amidala, though the tunic is primarily green with a brown color brushed on to give it depth and texture. The character's belt is accented with gold and the rest of the figure has a clean coloring to her.

Accessories

Padme Amidala, Republic politician, comes with three custom accessories. She has her helmet, blaster pistol and a radar dish. The helmet is an immaculately-detailed work in both coloring and sculpt. The 3/4" tall soft plastic helmet is a perfect fit for the figure's head and it features a translucent yellow visor section that allows the figure's eyes to be visible through the helmet when it is worn. This keeps the figure from losing the identifiable traits fans might like by having her wear the helmet. The maroon helmet is highlighted with silver ribbing and a gray breathing mask. This looks great and fits the coloring detail of the action figure well.

The figure comes with Padme Amidala’s blaster. The 3/4” long black and gray plastic gun looks exactly like the one Naboo guards use. It features a side-scope and a barrel that is accented with gray-silver paint. This fits either of Padme's hands and looks good there. When not in her hands, it may be attached to her waist as the gun has a tiny peg which is designed to fit into the hole on Padme's waist. My experiences have been that the figure and accessory go together well and stay together nicely once there.

The final accessory for the Coruscant Attack Padme Amidala figure is pretty cool and a nice reference to the brief scene. The figure comes with a radar dish accessory and if one looks closely at the scene where Padme avoids the first assassination attempt, one might see a column radar dish that explodes when the explosion rocks the ship Padme has escorted to Coruscant. As such, the 4 1/4" tall gray and rust-colored radar dish assembly is completely solid and features a dish which rotates up and down as well as swivels on its base 360 degrees! What makes this accessory better-than-the-norm is the special play function to it. The back features a lever tab and when one pushes down on it fast and hard, it swings down to launch the core piece of the radar dish up. That causes the five pieces of the radar dish accessory to explode and it's a neat effect! The core, two sides and top pieces of the radar dish may then be reassembled and attached to the base, which is easy to do and pretty much idiotproof, even if it is not always entirely stable.


Playability

The four inch toy line was designed for play and this Padme Amidala is very good in that regard. Padme Amidala has good balance. She is molded to look like she may stand in a fairly active pose, like she is running, but flatfooted, she mostly falls over. On the plus side, there is a near-flatfooted position that allows the Coruscant Attack Padme Amidala to stand up and in that position, she is generally stable. She balances remarkably well in more exotic poses like kneeling on one knee. But for straightforward standing erect poses, she is one who benefits from having a playset or vehicle which might utilize the peg holes in her feet for stability.

Padme Amidala has some additional play functions, notably, the right arm features a quick-draw action. When the right arm is down, a button on the back of the figure allows the arm to raise and lower, simply by pushing the button in or releasing it!

This Padme Amidala figure is articulated at the shins, knees, groin socket, waist, shoulders, elbows, and neck, making her one of the most articulated figures of this era of Star Wars toy. Most of the joints are simple swivel joints, though the knees are a hinge joint, which - in conjunction with the rotating shins - allows her to kneel well.

Collectibility

Padme Amidala is part of the Attack Of The Clones line that was released in 2002. She is 2002 Attack Of The Clones Collection figure #41. Padme Amidala was fairly common and demand for her was easily met. She is a fair investment, however, because this version of Padme has not been recast and thus the only way to get this outfit is to buy this particular action figure!

Overview

The Attack Of The Clones Padme Amidala is good, but not quite perfect. Her balance is a little off and the facial coloring could be a little richer. But for the most part, this figure is an easy "buy," despite the fact that it was somewhat overproduced.

For other Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones action figures reviewed by me, please check out my reviews of:
#01 Acklay Battle Obi-Wan Kenobi
#02 Arena Escape Padme Amidala
#04 C-3PO
#10 Shaak Ti
#13 Kamino Escape Jango Fett
#18 Zam Wesell Bounty Hunter
#23 Yoda
#26 Luminara Unduli
#27 Count Dooku
#35 Orn Free Taa
#39 Supreme Chancellor Palpatine

8/10

For other Star Wars toy reviews, please check out my index page by clicking here!

© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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