Padme sucks...and other observations.

[prisoner_24601]

After breaking down and watching Revenge of the Sith this weekend, I've decided that I detest her character.

To be fair, I have a feeling that the reason I find her so amazingly repulsive is because I'm a mother myself. I simply cannot fathom how someone would just give up and die (of a broken heart - or whatever the hell it was – is that even possible?) when you have two children to take care of. I understand her being broken hearted because her husband went all dark side and everything (although considering how big of a whiny idiot he was - is this really a surprise?), and I even understand the desire to lay down and die. But dammit, woman, you have two kids that need you and you just give up and die? It's not about your pain anymore, you selfish cow! Your feelings come second to what has to be done for those kids. I know that some people find her dying of a broken heart sad and romantic... I just find it annoying, and I find it impossible to sympathize with someone this selfish and idiotic.

I eventually came to the conclusion that Luke and Leia were far better off adopted out, rather than being raised by such a weak willed and spineless milk sop of a woman. This explains how someone as feisty as Princess Leia could be her daughter, because clearly Jimmy Smits taught her about spunk.

WTF.

My husband suggested that a far cooler ending would have been for Padme to put her children in hiding, and for her to go and find Darth Vader, and try to talk some sense into him (similar to the Carth DSF ending). Of course, Darth Vader would have killed her, but at least she would have shown some spine - and that might have actually been tragic.

As it is... I'm glad the stupid bitch is dead.

*takes a deep breath*

Anyway, I enjoyed the move more than I thought I would. It was a hell of a lot better than Episode One, although I can’t speak for Episode Two since I never got around to seeing it (and honestly I’m really not inclined to watch it since it features a romance between two complete nitwits). The lightsaber battles and fight sequences were pretty cool, if a bit overblown (okay George, do we really need a lava waterfall, on top of everything else?), Ewan McGregor is hot, and all the details in the backgrounds were gorgeous. I kept ignoring the atrocious dialogue and focused on how pretty the movie (and Ewan) was.

I also liked how Anakin actually did some truly evil things (like kill some innocent kids) and that sequence, and the sequence where all the Jedi are betrayed actually had some emotional punch for me. But I think it is pretty telling of the quality of the writing that I cared more for the nameless Jedi in the background getting shot in the back, than when someone like Mace Windu bit it (god he was annoying…). I think the reason I liked the other Jedi better was because they really didn’t talk much…

Interestingly, Anakin’s amazing stupidity almost works as a motivation for him to fall to the dark side, because only someone that stupid would go evil that quickly, and for such a lame reason. I love how it never occurs to Anakin that maybe finding a good obstetrician would be a better solution to his problems than slaughtering little kids. Of course, Yoda’s advice of: you just have to accept what happens to her and let her die is equally as stupid, so maybe some of the Jedi get what is coming to him (but not those kids… *sob*).

Personally, I was rooting for Palpatine to win, because everyone else was too stupid to be even remotely sympathetic, and the fight between him and Yoda as they tear apart the Senate was pretty neat (and almost poetic – if it hadn’t been so ham handed).

All in all, I think Dark Helmet summed it up the best: “Evil will always triumph over good because good is dumb.” And if the Republic is this lame, maybe they need an Emperor to keep them in line.

Comments

[rose70.livejournal.com]

I simply cannot fathom how someone would just give up and die (of a broken heart - or whatever the hell it was – is that even possible?) when you have two children to take care of. I understand her being broken hearted because her husband went all dark side and everything (although considering how big of a whiny idiot he was - is this really a surprise?), and I even understand the desire to lay down and die. But dammit, woman, you have two kids that need you and you just give up and die? It's not about your pain anymore, you selfish cow! Your feelings come second to what has to be done for those kids. I know that some people find her dying of a broken heart sad and romantic... I just find it annoying, and I find it impossible to sympathize with someone this selfish and idiotic.

EXACTLY. I don't even understand why Lucas didn't stick with his original implications in Ep. IV-VI and let her hide w/ Leia on Alderaan until dying of a LEGITIMATE disease when Leia was very young. Or he could have made up some crap about how a good Force choke/cracking her head on a rock finished her off. But none of this "She's perfectly healthy, but she's lost the will to live" bantha crap.

I kept ignoring the atrocious dialogue and focused on how pretty the movie (and Ewan) was.

*drool* yes. It's a shame, because Hayden Christiansen is a pretty good actor in all the non-Star Wars stuff I've seen him in. Pretty much all of them are good actors, and I feel bad watching them try to make the best of what Lucas gives them.

But man, if you don't like the dialogue in this one, never watching Episode II is probably a very good move. The romance is completely unbelievable and has poor build-up.

I also liked how Anakin actually did some truly evil things (like kill some innocent kids) and that sequence, and the sequence where all the Jedi are betrayed actually had some emotional punch for me.

That sequence killed me. My mom kept poking me cause my jaw was hanging open. It might have had a deal to do with being dressed in a Jedi costume too, he he.

The kids, gah...I was talking to kosiah about it over in one of my several rants on the movie in my LJ, and part of the reason I think it made me so sad was that the fanficcer in me put Celyn in that scene (man, that would be the ultimate Carth abuse)...which spawned a little Anakin-getting-his-ass-kicked story.

I definitely loved Palpatine. That man was genius. Did you catch the implication that he created Anakin after learning the whole manipulation of midichlorians from his master? Another idea which I think is complete crap- what, was Sidious just walking around on Tatooine, saw Shmi sweeping, stuck out his fingers and said "BOOM! You're pregnant! Hurry up and produce that little midichlorian-laced freak so I can turn him into my apprentice twentysome years from now."

[grimbles.livejournal.com]

Ahahaha! I haven't even seen the movie yet, but from what I read, I agree with you. A friend at work keeps spoiling it for me, so like, I figured it wouldn't hurt to read this post. She told me "Padme lost the will to live..." and I said..."What? You mean Vader didn't kill her? What a rip off! Whaddya mean, 'she lost the will to live?' Gimme a break!"

I'm going to watch it tonight.

[prisoner--24601.livejournal.com]

That sequence killed me. My mom kept poking me cause my jaw was hanging open. It might have had a deal to do with being dressed in a Jedi costume too, he he.

That costume rocked. I totally want one. I thought about trying to get my mother to make one, but since she can't sew, and I'm thirty I figured I was out of luck. LOL.

The kids, gah...I was talking to kosiah about it over in one of my several rants on the movie in my LJ, and part of the reason I think it made me so sad was that the fanficcer in me put Celyn in that scene (man, that would be the ultimate Carth abuse)...which spawned a little Anakin-getting-his-ass-kicked story.

You know, ever sense I had a kid, I can't bear to watch children get hurt in movies or on TV. It never used to bother me all that much, but now, it's far more painful to watch.

Heheh... I'm about to go read the Anakin getting his ass handed to him story... It sounds like a lot of fun...

Another idea which I think is complete crap- what, was Sidious just walking around on Tatooine, saw Shmi sweeping, stuck out his fingers and said "BOOM! You're pregnant! Hurry up and produce that little midichlorian-laced freak so I can turn him into my apprentice twentysome years from now."

Yeah, that didn't make any damn sense to me. I mean, if he could knock people up with super strong force sensitive babies at will, then why didn't he knock up someone closer to him and raise the kid as his own? That way instead of taking the chance of Anakin turning him down, he could indoctrinate a kid from birth with his sithy ways?

It also seems strange to me that creating life would be a dark side power. I mean, I always wondered if dark siders could even have kids. Given how they seem to physically fall apart on the outside, you'd think that the same thing would be going on inside their bodies...

[angelan.livejournal.com]

I was kind of thinking she should have just died of the Darth Vader force choking her and they could've...I don't know, ripped the babies out or something. Then when Palpatine triggers the wonderful 'NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!' from Vader, it would actually have had a point.

Or she could've died of Nabooian fever. Or fallen off her speeder. Or had an actual complication in the birth. Or gone back as you say and gotten killed by Anakin. Or any number of ways which weren't so very irratating. Especially since she didn't seem the wilting flower type, at least not in the second movie (I haven't seen the Phantom Menace, so I have no idea what she was like in that).

(That aside, she made one hell of a corpse. I hope I look that good at my funeral. Hell, I hope I look that good at my wedding!)

[prisoner--24601.livejournal.com]

I was kind of thinking she should have just died of the Darth Vader force choking her and they could've...I don't know, ripped the babies out or something. Then when Palpatine triggers the wonderful 'NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!' from Vader, it would actually have had a point.

Heh... Now that would have been AWESOME. You're right... any of those options would have been better than what happened. I guess I could have bought it better if she wasted away over the course of four or five years or something, but the instantaneous death was just goofy.

Yeah, she didn't seem that wimpy in the first movie, although she was hardly Leia spunky.

(That aside, she made one hell of a corpse. I hope I look that good at my funeral. Hell, I hope I look that good at my wedding!)

Oh yeah, she was gorgeous, and I was so jealous of how good she looked while simultaneously giving birth and copping out dying. I'm damn certain I didn't look that good when I was giving birth... I was also jealous of her pretty maternity clothes, because for some reason fashion designers seem to think that once a woman gets pregnant she really wants to start wearing things like bows and lace and polka dots (although Padme's nightie with the pearls made me laugh).

[mizanchan.livejournal.com]

(Hi Pris! RLS under a different name!)

I have to agree with you, I never saw Padme as the type to just give up the way she did. She always struck me as too strong-willed, too tough to just wilt away like she did. (Though it does make good fodder for an AU Episode 3 ending fic!) Plus, it introduces the continuity glitch with Leia's remembering her in RotJ. Geh, too many details.

I'm with you. I nearly cried at seeing what happened to the younglings myself. Especially the ones hiding in the Council chamber. So sad...

[kosiah.livejournal.com]

Word, yes.

Personally, I was rooting for Palpatine to win, because everyone else was too stupid to be even remotely sympathetic, and the fight between him and Yoda as they tear apart the Senate was pretty neat (and almost poetic – if it hadn’t been so ham handed).

Until Yoda slinks off...fate of teh galaxy? Eh, hide I will.

I think -- or did Meraviglia think of this first -- I can't remember, that Lucas had Padme die of grief for two reasons: one, he thought it was sad, Titanic in Space after all, and two, and more insidiously, he wanted to suggest that there was still some "good" in Vader. And what better way to show it than to not have him kill his wife?

Nevermind what that does to the plot, or to her character. It's that kind of flagrant disregard for logic or hmm, womenkind that makes me wonder if George isn't a bit...creepy. I mean, when you think about it, Schmi gets a pretty raw deal too. I was never that impressed with Leia, but compared to every other woman in the canonical Star Wars universe, yeah, she does have some spine.

My husband suggested that a far cooler ending would have been for Padme to put her children in hiding, and for her to go and find Darth Vader, and try to talk some sense into him (similar to the Carth DSF ending). Of course, Darth Vader would have killed her, but at least she would have shown some spine - and that might have actually been tragic.

Hell, a random stormtrooper could have accidentally shot her as she made her way to Vader. Or, Palaptine could have killed her and lied about it later. Put all the blame on the actual villian if you must. That would have been workable.

[prisoner--24601.livejournal.com]

Until Yoda slinks off...fate of teh galaxy? Eh, hide I will.

Heh, yeah. Both my husband and I turned to each other and were like: "Where the hell does he think he's going? Get back in there yoda! You're not done yet!"

Hell, a random stormtrooper could have accidentally shot her as she made her way to Vader. Or, Palaptine could have killed her and lied about it later. Put all the blame on the actual villian if you must. That would have been workable.

Oh yes, any of those would have been far better. I especially like the one where a random stormtrooper shoots her... heheh.

*clapclapclap*

[athenaprime.livejournal.com]

Eh, Pris, I'm with you on the mom thing. And those visions? I think Uncle George still thinks that babies come from the prop room or something.

Romance--I don't think Uncle George has been the same since he divorced his wife back in the 80's.

Me: Oh please don't tell me the Republic Falls because somebody didn't read "What to Expect..." in the bathroom.

Hubby: You'd think a Dark Lord would maybe, I dunno, *talk* to his wife about his fears

***LS Hubby points gained***

Hubby: How about asking somebody who's not male, celibate, or green about having babies

***even more LS Hubby points gained***

Hubby: Tell me she's not giving birth with a bunch of guys sitting there and watching like it's Pay-Per-View Wrestling

***LS Hubby Mastery Achieved***

It would have made more sense, been more tragic, and kept more continuity if Padme would have lost her mind instead of lost the will to live. I mean, there are hormones at work, here! Severe depression leading to melancholia and eventual death when Leia was like, five, would have made a lot more sense than having the girl who was elected queen at 14 (okay, WTF's up with that--I'd barely trust a 14 year old with watching my cat, much less ruling my planet), survived about 40 assassination attempts by the time she hit 25, had the guts to tell a hormonal 20 year old "we can't have a relationship" while wearing a merry widow and a petticoat, and went off to rescue Obi-wan and the Incredible Kenobi Hair...just up'n'die.

And somebody pointed out in the kfm.com boards--why do the clone troopers have to kill the full grown jedi when Anakin gets to go after the defenseless kids? Lazy, I tell ya...lazy!

[miakun.livejournal.com]

But... WET EWAN!

My dad was commenting on how Anakin had to have his legs replaced with taller ones to become Vader. XD

My biggest disapointment with the movie was that some of the parts (the Jedi Betrayals, though they were missing their spidersense if they got shot in the back) were fantastic and really heart wrenching and then others (the Padme dying of a broken heart and a lot of Natlie Portman forgetting her acting skills) were just mediocre and laughable.

But, seriously, Anakin Darkside and not burnated, HAWT.

[prisoner--24601.livejournal.com]

But... WET EWAN!

I know... I'm torn. WET EWAN vs. angsty whiny idiotic romance... It's a tough call. I may take your advice and just watch it with the sound off.