I used to think Anakin not liking sand was awkward, and that was bad Now I'm smarter; Anakin not liking sand was awkward, because he's realistically awkward
Dude, haveing lived in a desert for year I Hate sand. Anakin is right when he says it gets everywhere. Sand sucks. Fuck sand. I never want to live in a desert again.
The hate towards that line was really over the top, it's just a line, not the best but not the worst in all of Star Wars either (I think the sequel trilogy has some dialogue that's a bit more terrible), most of fans took it out of context, even as a kid I could understand why Anakin would say that, he lived his first years in a desert planet, I wouldn't be surprised if his resentment would grow after his mother died. Even in ANH Luke expressed the same sentiment about leaving Tatooine and even more so after his uncles were killed, after Luke and Obi-Wan left the Mos Eisley cantina, Obi-Wan told him that he should sell his speeder, then Luke replies "don't worry, I don't want to come back to this planet ever again", "ironic" as Palpatine said, since later Luke returned to rescue Han from Jabba in ROTJ.
I accepted people's hate of that line until I re-watched the movie and realized it was meant to highlight the difference between Anakin's childhood and Padme's. I think its role in telling the story is more important than how it was phrased.
I'm a girl and have always had a crush on Anakin. So does my best friend from high school. I always thought we were just weird and perhaps we are, but it's good to know other girls have admitted to liking him too. And yes the scenes between Anakin and Padme were often awkward in Attack of the Clones but I can't really explain why. Regardless I still really love their love story because I just can't resist a forbidden romance.
Forbidden love is the best kind of love in books and movies, the kind of love you really want to last forever because you know they deserve to be together when no one else in the story believes it.
Anakin was my first movie crush. Yeah they are awkward was he was a emotionally stunted teenager whos been basiclly raised as a monk. When was he supposed to learn how to be smooth.
@@keribere244 Wait.... What's a girl-crush? Am I missing something? If this means what I think it means why have I never heard a woman state that the find women conventionally attractive when they do?
Also speaking as a female I think you hit the nail on the head about why Padme reacted the way she did to Anakin's confession of murdering the Tusken raiders..and while it is a dark instinct to admit to I too feel like his willingness to cross moral boundaries to protect those he loves is pretty hot. I guess there is just something primally appealing about someone who will go that far to keep you safe.
Evolution doesn't get rid of traits that aren't needed unless they hinder survivability or reproductivity. Attraction to such a partner would've been pretty useful back when protecting a woman with everything a man's got was an everyday occurrence. So after all, there should be something primally appealing about a person like that.
@@skeptic_lemonit continued to evolve throughout civilization as well. It became so stoicism. A warrior poet, was ideal. A civilized man needs to mix deep intellectualism, as well as, a fit body. Mind and body are interconnected. You can’t be healthy mentally while being physically unhealthy, and visa versa.
You got a point but confessing to have killed women and children as well was unneeded. Anakin's slaughter of sand people and Jedi should have been portrayed with more ambiguity.
I never really understood why people trashed on it so much. Cheesy dialogue has always been a staple of Star Wars and it makes storytelling sense to focus on the relationship that motivated Anakin's actions in Episode 3.
@@strategicperson95 Its indicative of a larger problem with Lucas. To put it into context, George began injecting unnecessary and poorly aged CGI long shots to make it appeal more to kids. He then removed the originals from retail circulation and replaced them with the "special editions". Fast forward to TPM, we have unnecessary characters like Jar Jar that make it appeal more to kids. His character was reductive to the whole story and removes any sense of tension. My point is the Lucas doesn't know how to write anything, and when given resources he only uses the CGI for more space lizards and poorly aged visuals.
@@Hobbes7.62 Bad take imo. Lucas wrote the OT, Prequels, American Graffiti etc. All successful. All this talk about poorly aged cgi and being more for kids... The entire series is made for kids, you just grew up with the older films and continued liking them as an adult, doesn't change the fact it was made for kids. Similar for Avatar the Last Airbender or Batman the Animated Series. Made for kids, loved by the adults that grew up with them. And the CGI, some of it may be outdated but at the time they were pushing the technology as far as they could, even you know, just creating revolutionary new tech for CGI that ILM and later other studios would implement into other blockbuster films.
People who mock the romance in AOT clearly have not been in love when they were young LOL. Cringe stuff gets said all the time, cringe stuff that in retrospect is funny to think abt due to how strange it is.
I've never had a romantic relationship in my life but I'm still self-aware enough to suspect that I'd be about as smooth as Anakin is. Very few young men have the confidence of Han Solo.
I think you're missing the entire point of the criticism, it's not that it isn't realistic for a young man to act that way, it's that it was a choice to make Anakin a young person, when he could have been older. When watching an action/adventure/fantasy movie, you're not looking for a coming of age cringy/realistic love story.
About Padme dying. Just because the medical staff can't do anything because "she lost the will to live" doesn't mean the cause of death is a broken heart. The cause of death is still complications from childbirth caused by choking it's just she's resisting treatment, refusing to fight for herself.
@@skeptic_lemon that's exactly my point. Which is why the idea that critics act like it's stupid just because it's not an official cause of death is baffling to me
I've always said that the point of Anakin's character is that he has a stunted emotional development. He's not a poorly written character, he's flawed.
Dunno why a bunch of nerds DIDN'T realise the combo of protective skillful guy, innocent fortrighness, transparent honesty, making a girl laugh and respect the boundaries a woman puts to the relationship was actually attractive
Bingo, but I'd like to go a step further. Those same nerds consider the love story between Han and Leia actually SUPERIOR to Anakin and Padme. HOW? They hated each other completely throughout the entirety of Ep 4, and were still at odds at the beginning of Ep 5. Then he basically just forces a kiss on her, and suddenly they're lovey-dovey the rest of the trilogy? They had not had even ONE meaningful or thoughtful conversation before they became a couple, and that's considered a BETTER love story than 2 ppl who helped win a WAR as kids, and then met up again as adults and fell in love?
@@KoolKeithProductions Tempted as I am to agree with you, I think times can change what is perceived as romantic and certain tropes will be more attractive to each other. Anakin and Padme don't bicker too much, a common trope many find charming bc its like an old married couple, but that may also not be romantic to others. Possessivenes and jealousy is nowadays considered not very romantic for women, but it certainly was a trope of many 80s/90s/early 00's romances! But I do think they def are wrong on treating Anakin like a creep, or that by that standard, they should be honests and say Han should be considered a worse one. Bigger age difference, disrespect, basically forcing a kiss on her, etc. For me his most romantic act is at the end of ROTJ when he says he'll step aside if she wants Luke - misguided as it is, it is EXACTLY what Anakin does in ATOC: Padme says no, he says he won't push it. She's the one who thinks they'll die and enter war anyways so why bother depriving themselves.
@@MeliDMR93 well...I do think Anakin is KINDA a creep in Ep 2, but is not his fault. Its not like he has much experience Mackin on the fly honeys, so to speak. lol Plus he knows what he feels for Padme is Forbidden by the jedi, so of course he would sound a bit awkward at times. But what draws Padme to him is how he's just an avalanche of honesty and emotion, which is something I'm sure she rarely is around as a young Queen. I'm sure ppl are very Regal around her, and tell her what she wants to hear. Anakin does not do that. Meanwhile Han is just a comeplete Jackass to most everyone, and suddenly after a full movie of his nonsense, Leia wants to jump his bones? I'm not saying their romance is bad, but it certainly isn't the standard bearer to point to when some ppl try to say Anakin and Padme's WAS bad.
@@KoolKeithProductions Maybe staying on Tatooine in hindsight was for the best considering that my headcanon implies that his true happily ever after was not only never becoming a jedi or having Shimi live at all but mating a fellow Tatooine denizen who doesn't give him too much grief. A happy life Darth Vader may have seen in his dreams but never becomes true at all
I'm Lucas ride or dier, and I gotta say, thanks for giving some awesome new insights. the point of Anakin and Padme finding love contrasting between Anakin's Honesty and Padme's deceptions in episode 2 is really good, especially how it flips by episode 3. Anakin becomes defined by deception; and Padme becomes defined by honesty. Anakins' honesty saved Padme; Anakin's deception destroys padme.
I think a lot about the "I don't like sand" scene, and I'm come to the conclusion that the scene needed two more lines. Most people forget that right before the infamous line, Padme had been talking about how much she used to love going to the beach as a child. While Anakin did make a conversational leap, it's not like he was entirely off-topic. What's needed is a better segue, like so: A: "Well I'm sorry, but I don't think I would enjoy the beach." P: "Why not?" Now, Anakin expressing his dislike for sand at length feels natural, because he's just answering a question Padme asked of him.
Again you want them to talk what you think is realistic way of talking,just accept that it's a galaxy far far away and they talk differently than us and problem is solved.
@@Arphemius And yet fans still misunderstand and misinterpret certain scenes in the films. Like Han being a cold blooded killer when it was just self-defense. Greedo came to kill him, so he responded in kind. But fans didn't get that, so Lucas changed it to Greedo shooting first to make it clearer.
I've always liked the "I don't like sand line", I always assumed people understood the symbolism there but disliked it regardless, but I basically never see anyone address it, so these days I wonder. First of all, let me state that I hate sand, and will mention that whenever the subject of beaches and the like come up, so I already find the idea that you can't have small talk about disliking sand preposterous. Sand is annoying, for exactly the reasons Anakin mentions. But more importantly, that one line explains Anakins entire character, "I don't like sand, it's course, rough, and it gets everywhere, not like here, here everything is soft and smooth". If you ever want to know why Anakin fell to the darkside? It's all right there. Yes Anakin grew up on a sand planet, but more importantly he grew up on a lawless slave planet. He associates these things, and for good reason, it's not just sand that Anakin hates, it's what it represents, a chaotic, dirty, uncontrolled universe. It's that universe that made his mother suffer, that lawlessness, that lack of order and control. Anakin hates being reminded of that, which is the real reason he never went back for his mother, he hates that life, he likes the republic because it's clean, controlled, and orderly. That's the world he wants to be a part off, he doesn't want to be reminded of his slave past, not any of the things associated with it. He's essentially left his "roots" because he sees that life as being something that is both shameful, and which should not exist. And when he goes back there he's immediately reminded of why, his mother is kidnapped and dies. It's a confirmation of his basic feelings and beliefs, that the galaxy needs order and needs to be controlled by an iron fist that will make it clean, and smooth, and nice...A safe, and secure, society. The entire character motivations of Anakin, as well as the basic conflict between the rebels and the empire is summed up in that one line, and people dislike it, It boggles my mind.
Look, the idea that sand represents the past Anakin hates is not terrible, but the scene has to work on it own first, which is just a terrible pick up line to compliment Padme's skin. You can say that he is meant to be awkward, which would work if Padme is pointing that out and making jokes about it. The main criticism for this couple from most people including me is that they lack chemistry, and in order to have chemistry you don't need both partners to be suave competent seducers, they just need to be engaging and actively listen and react to what each other is saying, so if your partner is saying something strange like the sand line, you should react like you just heard something strange, and the writers can go for the "strange but innocent and oddly charming" angle at the following dialogue to build actual rapport between the characters. Here Padme just stands there with a bland expression as if she is enchanted by his seduction, which feels off for the audience. In my opinion Hayden Christensen was actually trying, Natalie Portman was way worse.
Personally I did understand the subtext but I felt weird about it because it felt like they turned it into a joke which I feel like they shouldn't have if this is something based on his trauma.
@@baishihua Yea they basically turned it into a joke/pick up line which I feel is wrong. I would've liked it a lot more if he was just being vulnerable about his past and letting Padme know he's not over his childhood. That could've honestly been really romantic and a way for Padme to get to know him better.
I saw this in theatre, and never thought the sand line was a bad line. I think these things are really subjective, and if someone tells you something is bad and you're receptive to them, you'll begin to see it that way. Yes, Hayden is sexy. He can't help it
I have and will forever state that if George had enough time, say multiple full tv show episodes, he could have spread things out and made them see more organic. But there’s so much going on in episode II, arguably the most action packed (in terms of the amount of things going on), that there’s never enough time for one thing to settle before cutting away to the next.
But this is a particular type of soap opera- it's based on the ones in the 1930's. The acting is all about the art of representation rather than the art of experience in this case, before Brando introduced the Stanislavski system to mainstream Hollywood.
can you tolerate a period piece or historical film? genuine question. also, if that's how you feel you must love the sequels. the OT fanbabies were exactly who those were catered to.
@@JustSomeDude42 if u ever been in love especially as a Man U realize it happens much faster than you give credit for. and after all it is film and a depiction of life in moving images
The whole Star Wars saga is a soap opera. A space soap opera. Isn't Luke being Vader's son and Leia's brother a soap opera as well? Really? Even Mark Hamill's acting is not much better than Hayden Christensen's.
15:03 Holy moly, I'm so glad there's someone else that notices that Anakin realized he screwed up. We've all had a moment where we said something we instantly regretted to a family member, a friend, or in this case a crush.
"She changes clothes every scene" "they have known for only a few days" maybe she changed clothes each day and they actually lived there for monthes? I do not remember star wars giving any time measure in the prequel to count days, and by some magic, padme DOES NOT changes clothes over a single casual day (she usually changes before / after facing politicians) Plus, naboo is clearly shown to be a "high elf" society, with beautiful architecture, clothing, even their ships are shiny! I think you did a great video there, really good arguments. (am I the only one cringed af by the musical scene at the end?)
your love for hayden christensen is seen & appreciated here! anyways your take is great, ive always loved this romance since i was little and couldn’t really process the awkward dialogue, probably cause the body language and music tell the story really well
Unfathomably based. This video has artfully articulated just about every thought I've had on the Anidala relationship, and then some; goes to show you how little these so-called "critics" understand any of these films-and yes, that's including the OT. Instant favorite.
One of the reasons the discourse over Star Wars is so toxic is the excessive amount of misinformation that just gets spread around as if it were fact, in part due to a lot of UA-camrs just saying things without backing it up with sources. This is why I only watch a small handful of Star Wars content from creators such as Rick Worley, So Uncivilized, Nerdonymous and Style is Substance nowadays. I think you just might have made it to that list. Great video.
I also recently watched Icy the Fire Mage's multi-video rebuttal of Plinkett's Phantom Menace review, which (even if I don't fully agree with everything) was enjoyably Nerdonymous-esque in its dismantling of superficial argumentation and plot misunderstandings: ua-cam.com/play/PLurPyJWa-S37cfDXV8foFJtnrHiApVn1_.html
People who trash on the prequels romance forgot how awkward their earliest romances were. If some magical being made a movie of your first love you’d cringe your ass off, and not just because it’s you. It’s because it’s genuinely cringey. And remember, Anakin as a Jedi NEVER knew anything about dating or women etc. Of course it was gonna be cringey. Did you want him to be a suave rizz god?
Ultra Vegito is Anakin but better with darkness inside waiting to come out but rizzing properly and actual charisma that may inspire a revolution against extremist groups with true success. His creator CALLMEARJ as a result is George Lucas but not an abusive father of a franchise
If someone killed my mom in front of me I would not kill them... quickly. They would BEG for death before I was done with them. Anakin and Padme would have spent days together on the trip to Naboo and days of time their. Enough time that they arrived at Geonosis at the same time as Obi-Wan who went to the outer edge of the galaxy and part way back. That is a trip of weeks. Also C-3PO and R2-D2 were exchanged with Anakin and Padme's wedding vows.
Really good video. Also nice of you to recognize how the Jedi forbid attachments and that Anakin had to *let go* of his mother. I'm also happy that you pointed out Yoda recognizing that Anakin made the choice to side with the Jedi over his attachment with Padme, securing his future with the Jedi. I think I was the only person to have picked up on that detail. My view on Padme dying at the end of ep 3 is that she was suppose to die from suicide, unable to cope with Anakin falling to the Dark Side, but it went against the notion of Padme still seeing some good in Anakin before dying, and went against the futuristic elements of the Star Wars setting. Padme needed to die of a suicide without it being a suicide but it couldn't be from a medical condition because it would be healed with advanced technology akin to magic. It's why Lucas had Padme die of 'mysterious causes' like a broken heart; it's suicide without the choice to commit suicide. But yeah, it's a fairy tale.
I think the idea is that Anakin and Padme are so entwined, that their love ends up killing them, physically and metaphorically. AOTC foreshadows that with "love that will destroy us," but ROTS give us hints to that. Padme and Anakin sense each other from afar during the Padme's Ruminations scene, yet Padme isn't Force sensitive. And of course, Anakin telling Palpatine, "Just help me save Padme's life. I can't live without her." And with her death, he fully embraces the dark side and his persona as Darth Vader. This is just a theory I read and sort of believe.
Absolutely great. I will add 41:25 My heart is beating... hoping that kiss will not become a scar. And we know that his body will have a lot of scars after burning.
This literally wanted to make me cry because like- Anakin x Padmé is /THE/ awkward romance of all time! I adore it as much as I adore Han x Leia and its obvious the parallels between the two couples. I mean, having a crush on a celebrity or someone you met years prior is definitely plausible! For example, I had a crush on one boy for over five years straight from first grade to at least 10th grade if not even after I graduated from high school. I only don't remember exactly how long because it's been 4, almost 5 years since then and my brain can chuck old memories like that, that are no longer of any positive use to protect my mental health as I have Major Depression among other things. I can totally see most of the aspects of Anakin x Padmé being grounded in real life but I do also see the very very obvious fantasy romance elements mixed into the real-world elements. I feel it's a perfect blend of real-world and fantasy, considering their ages when they met the first time and then again 10 years later. He was 9 almost 10 and she was 14 when they met the first time, do the math and 10 years later they were 19 almost 20, and 24 years old. Both were still very naive, yet she was a little more mature due to her gender and older age, and extra experience due to being older and having been Queen of a planet and then its senator. It should be obvious to those who enjoy fantasy fiction, who know what the meaning of fantasy and fiction are, just saying. Also, I do have a minor crush on Hayden as well as Ewan and Harrison but my Star Wars love has always been and always will be Mark's Luke Skywalker. It was that very character who plunged me into the world of being an author and made me develop a knack of falling in with characters and creating AU worlds with a version of me by their side. 🩷❤️💚💜💙
Oh yeah having a crush for years is completely plausible even for adults! There were several guys in my past who crushed on me for over a decade as grown ups. I'm not kidding. It's more common than we might think. And there is one friend of mine who I hadn't seen in 7 years and had feelings for. The minute I saw him again all those feelings came right back.
@Princess Euphemia100 wow, nice to know someone else understands! I mean, Anakin is the way he is because his path was already written since we saw him as Vader first. He's supposed to be unlikable in almost all ways because he's supposed to end up becoming a villain until the very end. He really is a combination of Obi-Wan, Han, and evil but he's the type of bad boy you want to crush on. Yes, Padmé could've done better but she fell in love with him, and nothing can break that love, she died loving him. Some people are like that, they love someone even if it may seem wrong or the person is unlikable. Some people see something that no one else can and they bring the best out of the person.
15:19 During this scene, everyone I heard was like 'oooh, Anakin's angsty' or 'hey, let your woman speak, don't interrupt her' but everybody seems to overlook the fact that what Padmé said was quite rude and sounded belittling. The old guy asked Anakin a question and addressed him as Master Jedi. But before he could have said anything, Padmé jumped in and said 'oh, he's not a master, not even a Jedi yet, he's just a Padawan learner'. If I were Anakin I would have been like 'hey, that was uncalled for!' Yet Anakin tried to stay formal in his speech and simply said 'hold on a minute'. But Padmé was like 'excuse me, I was talking if you don't mind'. So I personally always thought that Anakin's frustration here was totally justified. 28:35 I always thought that Yoda had a feeling that Anakin is attracted to Padmé. And he purposefully assigned Anakin for this as a test. To see how well he will deal with the temptation and stay true to the Jedi ideals. 41:08 To be fair, Padmé never said anything. Anakin takes a pause after almost every sentence, waiting for a response from her. Since she didn't respond, Anakin thought that continue talking is still less awkward than utter silence. 59:33 I never actually believed Padmé died because of a broken heart. Why would her heart be broken? Because Anakin turned to the dark side, killed younglings, became power hungry and choked her? Yeah, despite all that, Padmé's last words were 'there is good in him'. Also, she just gave birth to two kids. Wouldn't that give her the drive ro live? To raise them? Or to try and save Anakin from himself? She was a fighter. She wouldn't give up like that. Remember, 'she lost the will to live' was said by a droid. What does a medical droid know about human emotions? That droid is programmed to recognise and cure diseases and perform surgeries and stuff. It couldn't explain what happened rationally so it said what it heard from humans in similar scenarios. My theory always was that Palpatine actually knew how to 'keep the ones he cared about from dying'. Because Plagueis 'taught his apprentice everything he knew'. But Palpatine didn't tell Anakin that saving someone from dying comes at the sacrifice of another. Because this is still a dark side power after all. I believe Palpatine used the Force to drain away Padmé's life to keep Darth Vader alive. Thereby his first breath in his suit resulted in her last breath. Some say this is confirmed in some official source, though I've never seen it, but this is what seems logical to me when I'm looking at the visual storytelling in that scene. On another note, I think I did read in some novel or an early screenplay draft that at one point Dooku told Anakin that the Tuskens capturing his mother was orchestrated by him and Sidious. So I can't really be sure if Shmi's death was genuine or not.
If they don’t have good chemistry why do I get emotional over their story and tear up every time the wedding scene plays and the end of episode 3 Honestly nothing gets my heart like these movies/characters. It’s such unique and a beautiful way of telling a story and nothing else and I get the vision Also both trilogies are for completely different generations so are gonna be different because it’s different times and a different artist vision
@@nicoledin7091 Its a guilty pleausre hoe much i listened to it back in the day after school when my parents were still at work,id pop in the dvd to get to this theme
@@waltonsmith7210 that’s a mood Sometimes I go for walks still and listen to the theme. Or I’ll play it a lot trying to make her costumes but I never feel like any of my costumes can compare to the gorgeous designs in the movies
It's good to see (generally younger) people coming out and now praising/defending these films after the wave of Gen X/Old Millennials savaging them for years. Don't get me wrong I enjoy the RLM reviews from a surface level/humour perspective but I really enjoyed the prequels and re-watched them dozens of times as a child/teenager. Great video.
the cringe at the sand dialog is a palm face god level, The Man use it to reinforce this up town girl romance trope, for her, the sand is a memory of a fun holiday living in her luxurious bobble; while for the other, it reminds him a harsh reality living as a slave. It makes me believe that George over estimated grossly the public intelligence. Now that I think of it, that gives a little sense to the Diner in Coruscant as some crono-geographic tracer, awrrggg!! I still hate it.
What a nice video. Not too much fluff, gets to the next idea quick and even has subtlety in its expression here and there, which is highly appreciable. Obviously there are technical restrictions/quirks within the production, namely the MacBook screen-record quality in the audio of the example/meme portions. But I like and agree with many of the ideas here, especially with the notion that Anakin is an emotionally stilted character that has a hard time expressing himself, but his character is so madly and naively in love with Padme that he falls on his face to make it happen, which makes the telling kind of charming, especially because Darth Vader is portrayed as this hardened and mysterious character. It’s actually a cool juxtaposition that he’s in actuality just a human being with insecurities and things that make him openly vulnerable. This video certainly brought a refreshing interpretation of this storyline, and I really enjoyed listening to it.
I like the prequels more then the originals. But thought EP2 was the weakest of the 3 (but I also thought the send scene was well done) . But I rewatched it last year and I really fell in love with it. As somebody who grew up with the golden age of Hollywood, I could see and appreciate all the needs towards it.
i showed my girlfriend all the star wars movies and she said that her favorite was attack of the clones because anakin and padme reminded her of me and her. much like your situation she was eyeing anakin but it's ok cause pretty openly had the hots for padme already and she knew that
@@fauzanabdulkahfi957 Sorry to offend. I would not speak heresy against some of my favorite films of all time, I believe that I was making a joke because prequel haters rag on the age difference of Anakin and Padme.
@@cheezeebutter452 The age difference between Padmé and Anakin (5) is even shorter than the age difference between Elsa Pataky and Chris Hemsworth (7) or between Shakira and Piqué (10). Real life is "cringer" than AOTC 😂😂😂
@@fauzanabdulkahfi957 You're right. At least Padmé waited Anakin to come of age before kissing him. Leia "somehow" always knew Luke was her brother and still she kissed him twice 😂😂😂
I always found it kind of funny. When I first watched Cosmo's and Stuckman's review they both credited RLM at the beginning it's a bit of a red flag for me. That's what happens when you allow other's opinion to influence your own. And just because someone talks loud doesn't mean they have anything worthwhile to say. But that's how I see it I could be wrong.
I've never understood the appeal of RLM either, despite having basically the same sense of humor, somehow i found them profoundly un enjoyable. That being said, it's not like stuckman watched their videos before he saw episode 2, he had years to think about it and probably watched it a few times too, I've never even seen the RLM video and episode 2 is my least favorite of the 6 by MILES. The thing about the romance in it, that's a criticism that has been around since release, it's a view that considerable numbers, perhaps even a majority of people formed on their own, and even if they didn't, once they hear the criticism there isn't nearly enough contrary evidence for them to counter it. If it took an hour long video over 20 years after the movie came out to dig deep enough to justify the writing, it's just bad writing. If the scenes were actually intended to be that awkward, the fact that so many people have been able to believe it was bad writing for so long means it completely failed to convey that it was intentional. Very deep and clever writing for awkward character interaction disappears when the writing fails to convince the majority of people that the characters were meant to be awkward, and aren't victims of bad writing, or just bad actors. There just isn't enough there to see the romance as, at best, extremely clunky at getting across that it's actually the characters who are awkward, and not the writing. It's a star wars movie, you should be able to understand the major themes and characters after one, maybe 2 viewings. The romance is a very considerable and important B plot with 2 of the 3 main characters, if people thought the romance writing was awkward even after multiple viewings, even if you can justify it after going over every tiny detail (including interviews, which should NEVER be required to understand a movie), the fact that it was that poorly conveyed means that the writing is still awkward.
I suppose so. Can't say I agree with everything argued in the video I respect it regardless. Frankly like with some people the romance is among my issues with AOTC. But I wouldn't call it a terrible episode since there are a lot I enjoyed about it too. I like TPM and ROTS though. I do get a feeling that people overreacted with these films and exaggerated things they percieve as problems when in reality it's there for a reason, such as Anakin being arrogant and hot tempered failing to realize that is part of the reasons why he fell to the dark side. The CGI even though they were great for its time and in fact they used a ton of miniatures, real world locations and even a real volcanic eruption. The politics even though it serves a purpose in the story and its the weapon Palpatine used to gain power. And I was able to piece these on my own by just watching the films sometimes a dozen times over the years.
"People with the opposite opinion must be brainwashed!", I don't know man, this kind of online tribalism is pretty toxic, beside aren't you here doing the same thing, absorbing similar opinions to your own, and if you talk to someone about how good the prequels are, you will likely to reference this video as well? I will say this, being divisive is not a sign of good quality, because it shows that there could have been an alternative version that would've been liked by much more people, which means there is a lot of room for it to improve. While you liked these movies, would you honestly say that these are the best versions that can physically exist, and that if you can travel back in time with the best film crew with you and have the power to be fully involved in prequels' productions, you wouldn't make some major improvements?
I always found Anakin hot, felt like he'd be the type of edgy man that brings a thrilling but strong yet emotionally soft energy to a relationship after a bit of time of growing into his social skills.
Hayden's look is not creepy, I would say definitely kinda naughty 😅 and confident. And yes he was a crush for a lot of teenagers back then (me included 😁).
Dang I spit out my water when I read that first line. Dude was creepy. She even said she doesn't like being looked at like that and he still does it. That is not right
Honestly I just chalk it up as people not understanding what the prequel tried to do different from the original trilogy. It's not a rough American Western movie about rebelling against the empire. People (and maybe especially kids because I barely understood even the clone wars) didn't get that the prequels were really gonna go deep into the advanced politics, nuances, and subtleties of more complicated characters. The prequels were not meant to be simple and clean, whether it is to its benefit and/or detriment.
The sad truth is, people validly defend the prequels but the haters still use the old disputed arguments to trash them. Even the actors crew and cast defends them to death.
"he talks about them in a way in such an innocent and fortright manner, I think you have to at least admire his confidence. [...] So that fact that Anakin isn't a doormat and is willing to openly disagree with her is probably attractive to someone." YES and not just anyone, someone who works IN POLITICS. She's sitting through Senate discussions from monday to friday. A lot of politicking is about being vague, a calculated communicator, to never sound too extreme and to be a bit deceivious with your true intentions and ideas. OF CURSE sh'd like it!
With regard to dialogue, have you ever read a direct translation of a foreign language. It makes sense that the real language of star wars is not english, so their syntax and cultural references would be odd to us. Haven't scene anyone complain about the way Yoda talks.
The Prequels never needed The Clone Wars. That series is nowhere near as good as people say it is while the Prequels are far better than people say they are.
@@tomnorton4277 The Clone Wars tv show actually makes some characters more stupid and character assassinates the prequel characters for example I don't get why Obi-Wan would lie to Anakin about faking his own death since he already knows how far Anakin will likely go to get avenge him and the turmoil it would put on Anakin see how at the start of Episode 2 Obi-Wan knows Anakin worried about his mother just from dreams. I just don't see Obi-Wan putting Anakin through something like that even if the council told Obi-Wan not to tell Anakin, but the thing is I would think he would if he were put into that situation anyway since he was going to defy them and Yoda in Episode 1 to train Anakin. I could go on with other characters but that's pretty big example of why I don't think the show is all that great or "enhances" the prequels.
This is a good video, focusing on an aspect of the prequels even its fans seem somewhat reluctant to defend (and when they do, it's sometimes with backhanded arguments like Anakin, deliberately or not, using mind tricks on Padmé to make her fall for him - I've never heard that argument be used for any of the other romances in the saga, and given the presence of Anakin fangirls proving he's someone girls could fall for I never thought it was needed here). When I first watched the prequels, I did find the Anakin/Padmé romance to be rather corny, but it never occurred to me to think of it as one-sided, as critics seem to present it to be. I still struggle with that mindset because they're so clearly both being goofy and sappy. One can even see the ‘you’ll always be that little boy I knew on Tatooine’ line as an early indication of Padmé’s denial of her feelings for Anakin - it seems awfully specific. Looking back at Han/Leia - or even Luke/Leia, as far as that went - Lucas does seem to focus very little on writing people falling in love but rather on them being in love. It’s all “here’s Character A, here’s Character B, they’re attractive to each other, bam, now what are they going to do with it”. Han Solo starts off Empire Strikes Back with the presumption that Leia already likes him - this doesn’t seem to be based on anything from A New Hope, but judged by the fact that she later kisses him back we’re supposed to take it that this was probably true. Similarly, the most infamous of the AOTC Anidala scenes, the fireplace one, is not about two people developing feelings for each other, it’s about them discussing what to do with those feelings. (I say 'the most infamous' because honestly, when I first heard about the sand line I automatically assumed it was from the fireplace scene, because that was the corny scene I remembered - the actual sand scene hadn't stuck with me). To be fair to the critics, though from the start of the film Padmé is falling for Anakin, that doesn’t mean she can’t sometimes feel a little awkward about his advances. Again, though, Han’s behavior around Leia is far more overt than Anakin’s around Padmé. The picnic scene is definitely sweet and dorky. I wonder whether the sand people massacre was the moment Padmé fully realized how strong her feelings for Anakin had grown, that she didn’t just feel compassion and casual attraction but that she saw him at his worst and her first instinct was to feel sympathy. 51:20 Glad to see there’s someone who realizes that Padmé is willing to shift what she believes in in order to serve her goals. This is the same character who took one good look at Coruscanti politics in TPM and basically said “Yeah, this system isn’t working, time to go back to Naboo and get an army instead”. I would say that Anakin deciding to do his duty at the end of AOTC does signal some growth, since he acts more maturely during the Clone Wars and the first half of ROTS. But you’re right that, like with the reconciliation between him and Obi-Wan after they were so at odds at the start of the movie, it just papers over the cracks. Anakin loves Obi-Wan in Part 3, is willing to give his life for him, jokes around with him… but after what happened with his mother, point-blank refuses to trust him with his visions of Padmé dying. Good work!
Anakin's Oedipal complex is not just driven by his removal from his mother, its driven by the replacement of his father figure with the oppressive authority of the slavers, which PM fails to really demonstrate because kids movie. Anakin is driven to rebellion, emotional outbursts and possessive relationships because he has no model for loving authority, and the death of Qui Gon and the general coldness of the Jedi only fuel those drives. Also, Lucas uses very simple, emotive language because his characters are supposed to be direct representations of basic narrative archetypes. The story of Star Wars and its presentation is high drama with an operatic quality; its not subtle. Characters rarely get closeups. You are supposed to understand who and what a character in within seconds of seeing them on screen.
A lot of the criticisms from the likes of RLM (who brainwashed an entire generation), the People vs George doc losers (the "George Lucas r*ped our childhood" folks), Cosmonaut, and Stuckman, they all are literally factually incorrect about many of their issues; (Ex: Cosmonaut in Ep2 review, says when Obi-Wan talks to Jango and learns Tyranus hired him, Cosmonaut believes Kenobi is dumb because he knows Tyranus is Dooku... But this is literally not true. Nowhere in the film of Ep2 do the Jedi learn Dooku is Tyranus) They also don't address the same criticism to the OT; (Ex: Stuckman in his Ep2 review is annoyed Anakin when protecting Padme on Naboo is wearing his Jedi clothes and has his lightsaber out, even though he's supposed to be keeping a low profile. Meanwhile, he fails to criticize Ben Kenobi in Ep4 for literally whiping out his saber and cutting some guys arm off, while protecting Luke, supposed to be keeping a low profile on an Empire surrounded area) And lastly, the rest of their criticism is either super subjective pretending it's objective fact, or lying, like claiming they watch behind the scenes stuff but they still claim nobody ever challenged George. Basically they get simple info wrong if they had just watched the film, they claim they watch behind the scenes then make up stuff which the behind the scenes stuff will counteract if they really watched it.
Here is an exercise to show how good the romance really is. Look up the stages of Courtly love, now prepare to have your mind blown, Anakin and Padme go through EVERY SINGLE STEP!!!!!!!!!
Attraction to the lady, usually via eyes/glance Worship of the lady from afar Declaration of passionate devotion Virtuous rejection by the lady Renewed wooing with oaths of virtue and eternal fealty Moans of approaching death from unsatisfied desire (and other physical manifestations of lovesickness) Heroic deeds of valor which win the lady's heart Consummation of the secret love Endless adventures and subterfuges avoiding detection (the main difference is that Courtly Love normally involves adultery on the part of the woman, in this case Anakin is being unfaithful to his vows rather then Padme to her husband.
Great video. Someone who actually understands the deeper themes of Star Wars and what it’s really about. Tired of seeing marvel fans who think they know story telling and Star Wars talk
Pretty great video! Certainly got some Nerdonymous vibes from the way you addressed the criticisms and actually gave quotes in their full context, all while making a compelling argument for the romance working in the way it was designed. Is it written in the way someone like me would have made the romance? No, but I also wouldn't have used the present cinematography either. All those aspects are tailored to the very specific Star Wars style (of harkening back to the serials of the 30's with their big, bombastic emotions) that the fanbase, for as much as they obsess over the films, seem to weirdly miss. You made a significant point about how some of the critiques made of the romance are based on western standards/familiarity, not non-western standards that the series has also heavily drawn from. I mean, people get into such a flap over the Jedi raising children from a very young age to become monks, when the method of finding the new Dalai Lama in Tibet holds many similarities. Or, even when they won't have to look that geographically far, they'll ridicule Naboo having an elective monarchy when they only have to look at the HRE or Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth for it to be a historical reality. I think the only aspect I disagree with you on is the idea that Palpatine manufactured the romance by assigning Padme to the protection of Obi-Wan and Anakin. It removes an aspect of free will from the romance that occurs and where the characters individual choices concerning the issue really matter, and falls into a similar vein as the fan theory that Anakin was using mindtricks to seduce her. Speaking of which, that point about all those YTbers saying that Padme was literally 'asking for it' by dressing that way?.....Yeah, I thought that seemed like a gross and weird understanding of consent in love. 'Just because someone dresses provocatively doesn't mean they want it' is like...one of the most basic consent rules.
I have a suspition that people who hate on the dialogue for being akward dont want to face the fact that they are socially akward themselves. As they say "if you gaze into the abyss too mutch, it gazes back at you".
Oh yeah, I figured that out years ago. They hate being reminded that very few people have the confidence and charisma of James Bond or Han Solo. And if they're socially awkward people it's going to trigger them even more, especially if they've said something cringeworthy to a man or woman in the past.
@@tomnorton4277 i dont think han solo is that suave either tbh, he puts on the mask but when it comes to leia he was really akward too. "I love you" "i know" "you like me because im a scoundrel"
You just made this story 10x better by pointing out the fact that Anikin caused the death of his loved ones by intervening. The explanation on the will to live was so clever🔥🔥
Wonderful video! Can tell that a lot of effort was put into it and it's a testament to just how much substance the love story in Attack of the Clones has that you could spend an hour talking about just that singular aspect. You're very funny too, which is rare to see from somebody so diplomatic with their points.
To ad to the fact that you said many women you know said they had a crush on Anakin, as a gay person myself I’ll say a lot of gay people had a crush on him, be it for his looks or Anakin as a character as a whole
28:32 Wait you guys don't remember the scene where Yoda says: "Go on romantic Candlelight dinners you must. Important for your Relationship it is. Hehehe"
Expert deconstruction, both of the very bland, improperly worded and misunderstood arguments, and of the scenes themselves, explaining just why you think those (bad) arguments were incorrect. I was always a fan of how accurately and expertly Hayden portrayed a troubled, socially awkward, angsty young adult, and I never understood how people couldn't realize the nuances of things like the age of time and settings being drastically different compared to during the OT, and also just how fluidly the acting portrayed Padmé and Anakin's romance.
It's entitlement and obsession over discarded ideas that are alledgedly better than the final product. Almost as if they beieve Lucas ruined everything when the truth is they pushed Lucas away all because he was no lapdog of a fandom full of crap. TBH selling everything to Disney was poetic revenge. They got a fair punishment named the sequel trilogy
I like this it feels like you rolled out the TV cart for me your ideas are interesting and you feel like a teacher telling kids why the prequels are actually good
Many real relationships have their awkward and cheesy moments. It's cringey when you see it happen in real life, and it's cringey when you see it happen in films. It's fairly realistic, but that doesn't mean it's not a chore to sit through at times. It's like replaying cheesy memories of a past relationship. I think that's the issue at hand. It's uncomfortably real. The prequels are still my favourite Star Wars movies, but they're not always the best viewing experience.
I love how the editor adds those clips of Chris and Mike agreeing with him even though they never spoke with him! 🤣 I gotta learn to do that next time Im in an argument! 🤣🤣🤣 *LOL* this whole video is actually REALLY well edited, Im inspired by the editing style honestly! 😀👍
Lmao you can’t marry a man you just met I married my husband after 3 days it happens it was awkward the first 6 months or so bc we were getting to know each other but here we are 6 years later. and your right its a soldier thing it happens a lot with soldiers
i remember being like 14 watching aotc and falling in love with anakin lol. star wars guys would never understand but (regardless of hayden’s amazing looks) anakin is incredibly attractive primarily because of how he isn’t afraid to show emotion. very honest, very confident, very attentive and caring. not to mention his power and charm. guys see hayden’s awkward acting (i’m sorry we have to admit to that) and think thats how padme sees her but those “creepy” looks and conversations would pull any girl in i’m telling you.
Filoni’s thoughts on Qui-Gon aren’t shared by Lucas. Lucas never said that Qui-Gon’s continuing existence was the difference between Anakin turning to the Dark Side or not.
Excellent essay on this topic. I grew up with 3 sisters who loved to watch corny chick flicks, and this was the only Star Wars movie they would watch with me, for the romance, and to put it bluntly, the relationship between anakin and padme is far more engaging than most mainstream rom coms. Is there flaws, of course but I understood that these were not normal people having normal conversations like in other stories. I will admit the relationship is done way better in the clone wars but these movies were needed for that show to happen.
Its kinda like Jar Jar in Ep1. All these adults that hate Jar Jar, not realizing they agree with the adults in the film. The character is clearly supposed to be disliked. Though with Jar Jar, it may have been too successful lol.
Growing up I worshipped the prequels (I’m 25 now and worship the OT). I rewatched them recently and I was cringing so hard at the anakin/padme scenes for the first half of AOTC. I really like them in the second half and the scene where they kiss as they enter the arena is still one of my favorites. Their story definitely has flaws but I still really like it. Probably cause I watched the prequels a thousand times as a kid 😭
Not entirely sure how this got recommended to me, but tbh....good shit. Seems like you're still figuring out your style/vibe, while still having a decent idea of what you're shooting for and how you want to differentiate. Here's a sub. Keep it up, you've got something fun here.
Padmé from The Phantom Menace shows in two scenes her caring side that I want to point out that would make sense to why she accepts and understands Anakin’s confession of killing the Tusken Raiders who killed his mum in Attack of the Clones. In the Naboo Royal Starship she watches a holographic image of Sio Bibble explaining that the death toll on Naboo is catastrophic. She is concerned/worried and saddened about it as the more time she spends on Coruscant would otherwise have been the potential to saving countless lives- despite this though as Queen of Naboo she still comforts Anakin over the void of the loss of his mother as they have been separated. This not only shows she is caring and also compassionate (good traits for anyone to have by the way) it also links to that post- Tusken Raider slaughter scene in Attack of the Clones where she puts other people’s physical and emotional wellbeing before herself (selfless). Furthermore in the Senate building scene when talking to Jar Jar she replies that she hopes not when he asks if she thinks that her people are going to die and when later in the same scene she tells Palpatine that she will return to Naboo as she wants to save innocent lives (and by doing so putting her life in danger) again selfless and also fearless? So in analysis as I have always and still do love Attack of the Clones and Anakin and Padmé’s love/romance it gives further weight to the idea that Anakin is attracted to Padmé not merely for her good looks but also because she is an impulsive (like he is), compassionate, selfless and dedicated person- most of these traits being what people hope for in their potential lovers. In short Padmé being physically beautiful is not the only reason why Anakin falls in love with her.
Hayden Christensen is a pretty attractive dude, yeah especially when he grew into his Darth role with the slightly longer hair and the hood covering his Sith eyes? And when he slaughtered not just the men? But the women and the younglings?!
Ive always loved this movie and thought its flaws were exaggerrated. I think so much of the Prequel hate is artificially manufactured and inflated. I grew up with these the Prequels....I cant begin to say how much they inspired my imagination. The suppisedly bland and forgettable and cringy characters struck a chord with me.....not to mention the fact that the story is so goddamned epic.
And when married Anakin and Padme were all "oooh I love you," and shit, I always assumed they were doing normal couple shit. I know a lot of married people that say super cringe shit to each other. In fact... most married couples are kinda cringe together
HOLY SHIT THIS VIDEO BLEW MY MIND!!!!!!! I rewatched the prequels for the first time in over 5 years and I thought they were still bad mostly because the idea of a prequel rewrite has been intriguing me for a while. And this video really opened my eye. For a while I couldn't decide if Attack of the Clones or the Last Jedi was the worst star wars movie but i can safely say Attack of the Clones is miles better than that movie. Your video really wants me to hear more about what you think about the prequels. I cant wait to watch the rest of your channel!
Another thing worth mentioning here is how often the prequel haters say it's so 'obvious' that sending Padme and Anakin to be alone together after Anakin was prophesized to 'bring great danger' was a bad idea and they all should have seen Vader coming based on that BUT it only seems obvious to us because we know he's going to become Vader in retrospect. We've seen the OT. But ask anyone who didn't see the OT or know anything about Star Wars first and they are always shocked when they find out that Anakin is Vader. For anyone who doesn't already know the story it isn't obvious at all. So why would it be obvious to the Jedi? It wouldn't.
I used to think Anakin not liking sand was awkward, and that was bad
Now I'm smarter; Anakin not liking sand was awkward, because he's realistically awkward
And because it probably reminds him of Tatooine, where he lived as a slave for most of his childhood.
Dude, haveing lived in a desert for year I Hate sand. Anakin is right when he says it gets everywhere.
Sand sucks. Fuck sand.
I never want to live in a desert again.
The hate towards that line was really over the top, it's just a line, not the best but not the worst in all of Star Wars either (I think the sequel trilogy has some dialogue that's a bit more terrible), most of fans took it out of context, even as a kid I could understand why Anakin would say that, he lived his first years in a desert planet, I wouldn't be surprised if his resentment would grow after his mother died. Even in ANH Luke expressed the same sentiment about leaving Tatooine and even more so after his uncles were killed, after Luke and Obi-Wan left the Mos Eisley cantina, Obi-Wan told him that he should sell his speeder, then Luke replies "don't worry, I don't want to come back to this planet ever again", "ironic" as Palpatine said, since later Luke returned to rescue Han from Jabba in ROTJ.
@@BioGoji-zm5ph I'm always surprised that people poke fun and post sand memes without understanding this.
I accepted people's hate of that line until I re-watched the movie and realized it was meant to highlight the difference between Anakin's childhood and Padme's. I think its role in telling the story is more important than how it was phrased.
A young boy who becomes a monk? It's not unrealistic for him to stay in love for 10 years.
I had a crush on the same girl from my school from when I was 9 until I was 13 old, and I'm not even a monk!
@@servus_incognitus my wife did the same from when we were 8, until now.
I'm a girl and have always had a crush on Anakin. So does my best friend from high school. I always thought we were just weird and perhaps we are, but it's good to know other girls have admitted to liking him too. And yes the scenes between Anakin and Padme were often awkward in Attack of the Clones but I can't really explain why. Regardless I still really love their love story because I just can't resist a forbidden romance.
Forbidden love is the best kind of love in books and movies, the kind of love you really want to last forever because you know they deserve to be together when no one else in the story believes it.
Anakin was my first movie crush. Yeah they are awkward was he was a emotionally stunted teenager whos been basiclly raised as a monk. When was he supposed to learn how to be smooth.
We do, but I’ll admit that my girl-crush on Natalie Portman outweighs it by a little bit…
@@keribere244 Wait....
What's a girl-crush?
Am I missing something?
If this means what I think it means why have I never heard a woman state that the find women conventionally attractive when they do?
@@skeptic_lemon I think for me it’s more i don’t know if I wanna be with her or look like her kind of thing lol
This is way too based. Somebody call the based police!
My thoughts exactly
Did the Star Wars fandom not know Anakin is a common crush? Broody hot boy?? That’s so obvious.
“Lucas isn’t subtle enough with his dialogue”-the people who miss anything more discreet than a hydrogen bomb
Well, they got with their whining sequel trilogy and dumbed down modern Star Wars. They got what they deserve
Long time no see...
Dude Anakin and Padme's romance is the opposite of subtle. There's no nuance to it at all.
@@paulssss5463 You clicked on a video and didn’t watch it, but still wrote comments about the topic?
@@Xavier_Dimoff I watched it. I just disagreed with almost everything.
Also speaking as a female I think you hit the nail on the head about why Padme reacted the way she did to Anakin's confession of murdering the Tusken raiders..and while it is a dark instinct to admit to I too feel like his willingness to cross moral boundaries to protect those he loves is pretty hot. I guess there is just something primally appealing about someone who will go that far to keep you safe.
Evolution doesn't get rid of traits that aren't needed unless they hinder survivability or reproductivity. Attraction to such a partner would've been pretty useful back when protecting a woman with everything a man's got was an everyday occurrence. So after all, there should be something primally appealing about a person like that.
@@skeptic_lemonit continued to evolve throughout civilization as well. It became so stoicism. A warrior poet, was ideal. A civilized man needs to mix deep intellectualism, as well as, a fit body. Mind and body are interconnected. You can’t be healthy mentally while being physically unhealthy, and visa versa.
You got a point but confessing to have killed women and children as well was unneeded. Anakin's slaughter of sand people and Jedi should have been portrayed with more ambiguity.
I will die defending Padme and Anakin's love and I wouldn't have it any other way
Same, it's one of my favorite love stories ever tbh
You will die braver than most.
I never really understood why people trashed on it so much. Cheesy dialogue has always been a staple of Star Wars and it makes storytelling sense to focus on the relationship that motivated Anakin's actions in Episode 3.
I agree. There is as much cheesy dialogue in ANH and ROTJ as there is in the prequels.
@@SpFlash1523 even Empire has it.
It is just the double standards of the lazy critic.
@@strategicperson95 Its indicative of a larger problem with Lucas. To put it into context, George began injecting unnecessary and poorly aged CGI long shots to make it appeal more to kids. He then removed the originals from retail circulation and replaced them with the "special editions". Fast forward to TPM, we have unnecessary characters like Jar Jar that make it appeal more to kids. His character was reductive to the whole story and removes any sense of tension.
My point is the Lucas doesn't know how to write anything, and when given resources he only uses the CGI for more space lizards and poorly aged visuals.
@@Hobbes7.62 I feel like I'm missing half the discussion here.
What argument were you making I wasn't part of?
@@Hobbes7.62 Bad take imo.
Lucas wrote the OT, Prequels, American Graffiti etc. All successful. All this talk about poorly aged cgi and being more for kids...
The entire series is made for kids, you just grew up with the older films and continued liking them as an adult, doesn't change the fact it was made for kids. Similar for Avatar the Last Airbender or Batman the Animated Series. Made for kids, loved by the adults that grew up with them.
And the CGI, some of it may be outdated but at the time they were pushing the technology as far as they could, even you know, just creating revolutionary new tech for CGI that ILM and later other studios would implement into other blockbuster films.
People who mock the romance in AOT clearly have not been in love when they were young LOL. Cringe stuff gets said all the time, cringe stuff that in retrospect is funny to think abt due to how strange it is.
I've never had a romantic relationship in my life but I'm still self-aware enough to suspect that I'd be about as smooth as Anakin is. Very few young men have the confidence of Han Solo.
@@tomnorton4277, I'd imagine that I'd be worse than him... (sigh)
T H I S !!
I'm glad I didn't marry the chicks I had crushes on in middle to high-school.
That much cringe is just... good god
I think you're missing the entire point of the criticism, it's not that it isn't realistic for a young man to act that way, it's that it was a choice to make Anakin a young person, when he could have been older. When watching an action/adventure/fantasy movie, you're not looking for a coming of age cringy/realistic love story.
About Padme dying. Just because the medical staff can't do anything because "she lost the will to live" doesn't mean the cause of death is a broken heart. The cause of death is still complications from childbirth caused by choking it's just she's resisting treatment, refusing to fight for herself.
They also say they don't know what's wrong with her, and Palpatine says Anakin killed her
@@histguy101 which feeds into the theory that Palpatine used sith sorcery to kill Padme while saving Anakin
You'd be surprised how much the will to live matters in a context like this.
@@skeptic_lemon that's exactly my point. Which is why the idea that critics act like it's stupid just because it's not an official cause of death is baffling to me
@@DaywalkerNL94 I also matters in real life though, so they're not even right. They're just complaining.
I've always said that the point of Anakin's character is that he has a stunted emotional development. He's not a poorly written character, he's flawed.
Flawed can be good cinema, but it doesn't automatically equal good. It depends on how you do it. This was just an awful way of doing it.
He's handled remarkably well, especially compared to most traumatized characters in film
Dunno why a bunch of nerds DIDN'T realise the combo of protective skillful guy, innocent fortrighness, transparent honesty, making a girl laugh and respect the boundaries a woman puts to the relationship was actually attractive
Bingo, but I'd like to go a step further. Those same nerds consider the love story between Han and Leia actually SUPERIOR to Anakin and Padme. HOW? They hated each other completely throughout the entirety of Ep 4, and were still at odds at the beginning of Ep 5. Then he basically just forces a kiss on her, and suddenly they're lovey-dovey the rest of the trilogy? They had not had even ONE meaningful or thoughtful conversation before they became a couple, and that's considered a BETTER love story than 2 ppl who helped win a WAR as kids, and then met up again as adults and fell in love?
@@KoolKeithProductions Tempted as I am to agree with you, I think times can change what is perceived as romantic and certain tropes will be more attractive to each other. Anakin and Padme don't bicker too much, a common trope many find charming bc its like an old married couple, but that may also not be romantic to others. Possessivenes and jealousy is nowadays considered not very romantic for women, but it certainly was a trope of many 80s/90s/early 00's romances!
But I do think they def are wrong on treating Anakin like a creep, or that by that standard, they should be honests and say Han should be considered a worse one. Bigger age difference, disrespect, basically forcing a kiss on her, etc. For me his most romantic act is at the end of ROTJ when he says he'll step aside if she wants Luke - misguided as it is, it is EXACTLY what Anakin does in ATOC: Padme says no, he says he won't push it. She's the one who thinks they'll die and enter war anyways so why bother depriving themselves.
@@MeliDMR93 well...I do think Anakin is KINDA a creep in Ep 2, but is not his fault. Its not like he has much experience Mackin on the fly honeys, so to speak. lol Plus he knows what he feels for Padme is Forbidden by the jedi, so of course he would sound a bit awkward at times. But what draws Padme to him is how he's just an avalanche of honesty and emotion, which is something I'm sure she rarely is around as a young Queen. I'm sure ppl are very Regal around her, and tell her what she wants to hear. Anakin does not do that. Meanwhile Han is just a comeplete Jackass to most everyone, and suddenly after a full movie of his nonsense, Leia wants to jump his bones? I'm not saying their romance is bad, but it certainly isn't the standard bearer to point to when some ppl try to say Anakin and Padme's WAS bad.
@@KoolKeithProductions Maybe staying on Tatooine in hindsight was for the best considering that my headcanon implies that his true happily ever after was not only never becoming a jedi or having Shimi live at all but mating a fellow Tatooine denizen who doesn't give him too much grief. A happy life Darth Vader may have seen in his dreams but never becomes true at all
@@nestorsifuentesaguirre2722 But if he never becomes Vader, then balance never comes to the Force, and perhaps a worse fate happens to the galaxy.
I'm Lucas ride or dier, and I gotta say, thanks for giving some awesome new insights.
the point of Anakin and Padme finding love contrasting between Anakin's Honesty and Padme's deceptions in episode 2 is really good, especially how it flips by episode 3. Anakin becomes defined by deception; and Padme becomes defined by honesty.
Anakins' honesty saved Padme; Anakin's deception destroys padme.
Also, TASCHEN SHIP THE FUCKING RED SMALL ARCHIVES BOOK I SWEAR TO GOD I KNOW YOU HAVE IT IN STOCK DUNCAN'S BEEN TAKING SELFIES WITH IT>
Ppl don’t understand how layered & nuanced the dialogue of the prequels are
Yes. Gotta defend the prequels
I think a lot about the "I don't like sand" scene, and I'm come to the conclusion that the scene needed two more lines. Most people forget that right before the infamous line, Padme had been talking about how much she used to love going to the beach as a child. While Anakin did make a conversational leap, it's not like he was entirely off-topic. What's needed is a better segue, like so:
A: "Well I'm sorry, but I don't think I would enjoy the beach."
P: "Why not?"
Now, Anakin expressing his dislike for sand at length feels natural, because he's just answering a question Padme asked of him.
Woaaaaah. You’re right!
Again you want them to talk what you think is realistic way of talking,just accept that it's a galaxy far far away and they talk differently than us and problem is solved.
That's not even necessary tough. It's perfectly obvious to anyone who isn't a complete idiot.
@@Arphemius And yet fans still misunderstand and misinterpret certain scenes in the films. Like Han being a cold blooded killer when it was just self-defense. Greedo came to kill him, so he responded in kind. But fans didn't get that, so Lucas changed it to Greedo shooting first to make it clearer.
I've always liked the "I don't like sand line", I always assumed people understood the symbolism there but disliked it regardless, but I basically never see anyone address it, so these days I wonder.
First of all, let me state that I hate sand, and will mention that whenever the subject of beaches and the like come up, so I already find the idea that you can't have small talk about disliking sand preposterous. Sand is annoying, for exactly the reasons Anakin mentions.
But more importantly, that one line explains Anakins entire character, "I don't like sand, it's course, rough, and it gets everywhere, not like here, here everything is soft and smooth".
If you ever want to know why Anakin fell to the darkside? It's all right there.
Yes Anakin grew up on a sand planet, but more importantly he grew up on a lawless slave planet. He associates these things, and for good reason, it's not just sand that Anakin hates, it's what it represents, a chaotic, dirty, uncontrolled universe.
It's that universe that made his mother suffer, that lawlessness, that lack of order and control.
Anakin hates being reminded of that, which is the real reason he never went back for his mother, he hates that life, he likes the republic because it's clean, controlled, and orderly. That's the world he wants to be a part off, he doesn't want to be reminded of his slave past, not any of the things associated with it. He's essentially left his "roots" because he sees that life as being something that is both shameful, and which should not exist.
And when he goes back there he's immediately reminded of why, his mother is kidnapped and dies. It's a confirmation of his basic feelings and beliefs, that the galaxy needs order and needs to be controlled by an iron fist that will make it clean, and smooth, and nice...A safe, and secure, society.
The entire character motivations of Anakin, as well as the basic conflict between the rebels and the empire is summed up in that one line, and people dislike it, It boggles my mind.
Look, the idea that sand represents the past Anakin hates is not terrible, but the scene has to work on it own first, which is just a terrible pick up line to compliment Padme's skin. You can say that he is meant to be awkward, which would work if Padme is pointing that out and making jokes about it. The main criticism for this couple from most people including me is that they lack chemistry, and in order to have chemistry you don't need both partners to be suave competent seducers, they just need to be engaging and actively listen and react to what each other is saying, so if your partner is saying something strange like the sand line, you should react like you just heard something strange, and the writers can go for the "strange but innocent and oddly charming" angle at the following dialogue to build actual rapport between the characters. Here Padme just stands there with a bland expression as if she is enchanted by his seduction, which feels off for the audience. In my opinion Hayden Christensen was actually trying, Natalie Portman was way worse.
Personally I did understand the subtext but I felt weird about it because it felt like they turned it into a joke which I feel like they shouldn't have if this is something based on his trauma.
@@baishihua Yea they basically turned it into a joke/pick up line which I feel is wrong. I would've liked it a lot more if he was just being vulnerable about his past and letting Padme know he's not over his childhood. That could've honestly been really romantic and a way for Padme to get to know him better.
You hit it right on the head, I agree completely.
@@GubbiGap the sand line is not supposed to be a flirt it is supposed to be part of a conversation. I only cringe when people make fun of it.
I saw this in theatre, and never thought the sand line was a bad line. I think these things are really subjective, and if someone tells you something is bad and you're receptive to them, you'll begin to see it that way.
Yes, Hayden is sexy. He can't help it
It's not a bad line at all but it is an unneeded scene. Even though the scene is also good from an aesthetic point of view.
Anakin and Padme are a soap opera. People like soap operas. Let’s not pretend the acting, pacing, and execution is without flaw.
I have and will forever state that if George had enough time, say multiple full tv show episodes, he could have spread things out and made them see more organic. But there’s so much going on in episode II, arguably the most action packed (in terms of the amount of things going on), that there’s never enough time for one thing to settle before cutting away to the next.
But this is a particular type of soap opera- it's based on the ones in the 1930's.
The acting is all about the art of representation rather than the art of experience in this case, before Brando introduced the Stanislavski system to mainstream Hollywood.
can you tolerate a period piece or historical film? genuine question. also, if that's how you feel you must love the sequels. the OT fanbabies were exactly who those were catered to.
@@JustSomeDude42 if u ever been in love especially as a Man U realize it happens much faster than you give credit for. and after all it is film and a depiction of life in moving images
The whole Star Wars saga is a soap opera. A space soap opera. Isn't Luke being Vader's son and Leia's brother a soap opera as well? Really? Even Mark Hamill's acting is not much better than Hayden Christensen's.
15:03
Holy moly, I'm so glad there's someone else that notices that Anakin realized he screwed up. We've all had a moment where we said something we instantly regretted to a family member, a friend, or in this case a crush.
"She changes clothes every scene"
"they have known for only a few days"
maybe she changed clothes each day and they actually lived there for monthes? I do not remember star wars giving any time measure in the prequel to count days, and by some magic, padme DOES NOT changes clothes over a single casual day (she usually changes before / after facing politicians)
Plus, naboo is clearly shown to be a "high elf" society, with beautiful architecture, clothing, even their ships are shiny!
I think you did a great video there, really good arguments.
(am I the only one cringed af by the musical scene at the end?)
You are not the only one. Also feel bad for the guys have to dance in Vader costumes.
“Anakin is so awkward” ANAKIN WAS A SLAVE 😂
your love for hayden christensen is seen & appreciated here! anyways your take is great, ive always loved this romance since i was little and couldn’t really process the awkward dialogue, probably cause the body language and music tell the story really well
Unfathomably based. This video has artfully articulated just about every thought I've had on the Anidala relationship, and then some; goes to show you how little these so-called "critics" understand any of these films-and yes, that's including the OT. Instant favorite.
Awkward? Yes!
Cringe? Yes!
Endearing? Also yes!!!
One of the reasons the discourse over Star Wars is so toxic is the excessive amount of misinformation that just gets spread around as if it were fact, in part due to a lot of UA-camrs just saying things without backing it up with sources. This is why I only watch a small handful of Star Wars content from creators such as Rick Worley, So Uncivilized, Nerdonymous and Style is Substance nowadays. I think you just might have made it to that list. Great video.
If you like them, check out a channels called "Darth'd" and "Thor Skywalker". They have similarly (if I may be so bold) correct views on Star Wars.
@@Obi-Wan_Kenobi General Kenobi.
I also recently watched Icy the Fire Mage's multi-video rebuttal of Plinkett's Phantom Menace review, which (even if I don't fully agree with everything) was enjoyably Nerdonymous-esque in its dismantling of superficial argumentation and plot misunderstandings: ua-cam.com/play/PLurPyJWa-S37cfDXV8foFJtnrHiApVn1_.html
@@LaukkuPaukku that sounds interesting. I'll give it a watch. Thanks for the recommendation.
People who trash on the prequels romance forgot how awkward their earliest romances were. If some magical being made a movie of your first love you’d cringe your ass off, and not just because it’s you. It’s because it’s genuinely cringey.
And remember, Anakin as a Jedi NEVER knew anything about dating or women etc. Of course it was gonna be cringey. Did you want him to be a suave rizz god?
Ultra Vegito is Anakin but better with darkness inside waiting to come out but rizzing properly and actual charisma that may inspire a revolution against extremist groups with true success. His creator CALLMEARJ as a result is George Lucas but not an abusive father of a franchise
As a gay man, who has not Interest in women, I agree that Hayden Christensen is hot.
If someone killed my mom in front of me I would not kill them... quickly. They would BEG for death before I was done with them.
Anakin and Padme would have spent days together on the trip to Naboo and days of time their. Enough time that they arrived at Geonosis at the same time as Obi-Wan who went to the outer edge of the galaxy and part way back. That is a trip of weeks.
Also C-3PO and R2-D2 were exchanged with Anakin and Padme's wedding vows.
Hyperspace.
@@skeptic_lemon Yeah, they used hyperspace. its still a trip, in star wars, measured in days to weeks of time.
Really good video. Also nice of you to recognize how the Jedi forbid attachments and that Anakin had to *let go* of his mother. I'm also happy that you pointed out Yoda recognizing that Anakin made the choice to side with the Jedi over his attachment with Padme, securing his future with the Jedi. I think I was the only person to have picked up on that detail.
My view on Padme dying at the end of ep 3 is that she was suppose to die from suicide, unable to cope with Anakin falling to the Dark Side, but it went against the notion of Padme still seeing some good in Anakin before dying, and went against the futuristic elements of the Star Wars setting. Padme needed to die of a suicide without it being a suicide but it couldn't be from a medical condition because it would be healed with advanced technology akin to magic. It's why Lucas had Padme die of 'mysterious causes' like a broken heart; it's suicide without the choice to commit suicide. But yeah, it's a fairy tale.
Wait... so "you're breaking my heart" was literal!?
@@lazedreamor2318 🤷
@@lazedreamor2318 Anakin said he couldn't live without Padme, Padme showed she felt the same, lol.
Actually, there's a thing called "broken heart syndrome", that I think happened to Padmé
I think the idea is that Anakin and Padme are so entwined, that their love ends up killing them, physically and metaphorically. AOTC foreshadows that with "love that will destroy us," but ROTS give us hints to that. Padme and Anakin sense each other from afar during the Padme's Ruminations scene, yet Padme isn't Force sensitive. And of course, Anakin telling Palpatine, "Just help me save Padme's life. I can't live without her." And with her death, he fully embraces the dark side and his persona as Darth Vader. This is just a theory I read and sort of believe.
Absolutely great.
I will add 41:25 My heart is beating... hoping that kiss will not become a scar. And we know that his body will have a lot of scars after burning.
"He´s too awkward and says weird things to her"
Yeah no Sh%t he´s in love AND he´s a GUY.
Personally I like Anakin and Padme's love story more then Han and Leia's.
👍👍👍👍👍👍agreed
Yes
They're different, one is cute and the other is cool, both are fine
Same. Han and Leia are still pretty good though
Never liked Han. He his a real creep. Just a pretender with a big moth
This literally wanted to make me cry because like- Anakin x Padmé is /THE/ awkward romance of all time! I adore it as much as I adore Han x Leia and its obvious the parallels between the two couples. I mean, having a crush on a celebrity or someone you met years prior is definitely plausible! For example, I had a crush on one boy for over five years straight from first grade to at least 10th grade if not even after I graduated from high school. I only don't remember exactly how long because it's been 4, almost 5 years since then and my brain can chuck old memories like that, that are no longer of any positive use to protect my mental health as I have Major Depression among other things. I can totally see most of the aspects of Anakin x Padmé being grounded in real life but I do also see the very very obvious fantasy romance elements mixed into the real-world elements. I feel it's a perfect blend of real-world and fantasy, considering their ages when they met the first time and then again 10 years later. He was 9 almost 10 and she was 14 when they met the first time, do the math and 10 years later they were 19 almost 20, and 24 years old. Both were still very naive, yet she was a little more mature due to her gender and older age, and extra experience due to being older and having been Queen of a planet and then its senator. It should be obvious to those who enjoy fantasy fiction, who know what the meaning of fantasy and fiction are, just saying. Also, I do have a minor crush on Hayden as well as Ewan and Harrison but my Star Wars love has always been and always will be Mark's Luke Skywalker. It was that very character who plunged me into the world of being an author and made me develop a knack of falling in with characters and creating AU worlds with a version of me by their side. 🩷❤️💚💜💙
Oh yeah having a crush for years is completely plausible even for adults! There were several guys in my past who crushed on me for over a decade as grown ups. I'm not kidding. It's more common than we might think. And there is one friend of mine who I hadn't seen in 7 years and had feelings for. The minute I saw him again all those feelings came right back.
@Princess Euphemia100 wow, nice to know someone else understands! I mean, Anakin is the way he is because his path was already written since we saw him as Vader first. He's supposed to be unlikable in almost all ways because he's supposed to end up becoming a villain until the very end. He really is a combination of Obi-Wan, Han, and evil but he's the type of bad boy you want to crush on. Yes, Padmé could've done better but she fell in love with him, and nothing can break that love, she died loving him. Some people are like that, they love someone even if it may seem wrong or the person is unlikable. Some people see something that no one else can and they bring the best out of the person.
15:19 During this scene, everyone I heard was like 'oooh, Anakin's angsty' or 'hey, let your woman speak, don't interrupt her' but everybody seems to overlook the fact that what Padmé said was quite rude and sounded belittling. The old guy asked Anakin a question and addressed him as Master Jedi. But before he could have said anything, Padmé jumped in and said 'oh, he's not a master, not even a Jedi yet, he's just a Padawan learner'. If I were Anakin I would have been like 'hey, that was uncalled for!' Yet Anakin tried to stay formal in his speech and simply said 'hold on a minute'. But Padmé was like 'excuse me, I was talking if you don't mind'. So I personally always thought that Anakin's frustration here was totally justified.
28:35 I always thought that Yoda had a feeling that Anakin is attracted to Padmé. And he purposefully assigned Anakin for this as a test. To see how well he will deal with the temptation and stay true to the Jedi ideals.
41:08 To be fair, Padmé never said anything. Anakin takes a pause after almost every sentence, waiting for a response from her. Since she didn't respond, Anakin thought that continue talking is still less awkward than utter silence.
59:33 I never actually believed Padmé died because of a broken heart. Why would her heart be broken? Because Anakin turned to the dark side, killed younglings, became power hungry and choked her? Yeah, despite all that, Padmé's last words were 'there is good in him'. Also, she just gave birth to two kids. Wouldn't that give her the drive ro live? To raise them? Or to try and save Anakin from himself? She was a fighter. She wouldn't give up like that. Remember, 'she lost the will to live' was said by a droid. What does a medical droid know about human emotions? That droid is programmed to recognise and cure diseases and perform surgeries and stuff. It couldn't explain what happened rationally so it said what it heard from humans in similar scenarios. My theory always was that Palpatine actually knew how to 'keep the ones he cared about from dying'. Because Plagueis 'taught his apprentice everything he knew'. But Palpatine didn't tell Anakin that saving someone from dying comes at the sacrifice of another. Because this is still a dark side power after all. I believe Palpatine used the Force to drain away Padmé's life to keep Darth Vader alive. Thereby his first breath in his suit resulted in her last breath. Some say this is confirmed in some official source, though I've never seen it, but this is what seems logical to me when I'm looking at the visual storytelling in that scene. On another note, I think I did read in some novel or an early screenplay draft that at one point Dooku told Anakin that the Tuskens capturing his mother was orchestrated by him and Sidious. So I can't really be sure if Shmi's death was genuine or not.
If they don’t have good chemistry why do I get emotional over their story and tear up every time the wedding scene plays and the end of episode 3
Honestly nothing gets my heart like these movies/characters. It’s such unique and a beautiful way of telling a story and nothing else and I get the vision
Also both trilogies are for completely different generations so are gonna be different because it’s different times and a different artist vision
Its the same artists vision.
How about that theme song, too?
@@waltonsmith7210 oh their theme is EVERYTHING 😍 it’s a masterpiece that sends chills up my spine
@@nicoledin7091 Its a guilty pleausre hoe much i listened to it back in the day after school when my parents were still at work,id pop in the dvd to get to this theme
@@waltonsmith7210 that’s a mood
Sometimes I go for walks still and listen to the theme. Or I’ll play it a lot trying to make her costumes but I never feel like any of my costumes can compare to the gorgeous designs in the movies
It's good to see (generally younger) people coming out and now praising/defending these films after the wave of Gen X/Old Millennials savaging them for years. Don't get me wrong I enjoy the RLM reviews from a surface level/humour perspective but I really enjoyed the prequels and re-watched them dozens of times as a child/teenager. Great video.
I’m a right in the middle millennial (born in ‘88), and the prequels are my hill to die on - I’ll defend and praise them with my last breath. 😅
the cringe at the sand dialog is a palm face god level, The Man use it to reinforce this up town girl romance trope, for her, the sand is a memory of a fun holiday living in her luxurious bobble; while for the other, it reminds him a harsh reality living as a slave. It makes me believe that George over estimated grossly the public intelligence. Now that I think of it, that gives a little sense to the Diner in Coruscant as some crono-geographic tracer, awrrggg!! I still hate it.
What a nice video. Not too much fluff, gets to the next idea quick and even has subtlety in its expression here and there, which is highly appreciable. Obviously there are technical restrictions/quirks within the production, namely the MacBook screen-record quality in the audio of the example/meme portions. But I like and agree with many of the ideas here, especially with the notion that Anakin is an emotionally stilted character that has a hard time expressing himself, but his character is so madly and naively in love with Padme that he falls on his face to make it happen, which makes the telling kind of charming, especially because Darth Vader is portrayed as this hardened and mysterious character. It’s actually a cool juxtaposition that he’s in actuality just a human being with insecurities and things that make him openly vulnerable. This video certainly brought a refreshing interpretation of this storyline, and I really enjoyed listening to it.
I like the prequels more then the originals. But thought EP2 was the weakest of the 3 (but I also thought the send scene was well done) . But I rewatched it last year and I really fell in love with it. As somebody who grew up with the golden age of Hollywood, I could see and appreciate all the needs towards it.
this video solidified that I can't keep defending hayden christensen's portrayal of anakin akywalker with just a keyboard anymore, I will need a gun.
bro what 😮
The prequels are like the wine, just like Hayden Christensen. great video, I totally subscribing
i showed my girlfriend all the star wars movies and she said that her favorite was attack of the clones because anakin and padme reminded her of me and her. much like your situation she was eyeing anakin but it's ok cause pretty openly had the hots for padme already and she knew that
“Anakin and Padme reminded her of me and her.”
Don’t let this man around children!
@@cheezeebutter452 Bro they dated when Anakin is adult 💀
@@fauzanabdulkahfi957 Sorry to offend. I would not speak heresy against some of my favorite films of all time, I believe that I was making a joke because prequel haters rag on the age difference of Anakin and Padme.
@@cheezeebutter452
The age difference between Padmé and Anakin (5) is even shorter than the age difference between Elsa Pataky and Chris Hemsworth (7) or between Shakira and Piqué (10). Real life is "cringer" than AOTC 😂😂😂
@@fauzanabdulkahfi957
You're right. At least Padmé waited Anakin to come of age before kissing him. Leia "somehow" always knew Luke was her brother and still she kissed him twice 😂😂😂
the ONLY good thing about the disney sequels is that they’ve caused people to reevaluate their thoughts on the prequels
I always found it kind of funny. When I first watched Cosmo's and Stuckman's review they both credited RLM at the beginning it's a bit of a red flag for me. That's what happens when you allow other's opinion to influence your own. And just because someone talks loud doesn't mean they have anything worthwhile to say. But that's how I see it I could be wrong.
I've never understood the appeal of RLM either, despite having basically the same sense of humor, somehow i found them profoundly un enjoyable. That being said, it's not like stuckman watched their videos before he saw episode 2, he had years to think about it and probably watched it a few times too, I've never even seen the RLM video and episode 2 is my least favorite of the 6 by MILES. The thing about the romance in it, that's a criticism that has been around since release, it's a view that considerable numbers, perhaps even a majority of people formed on their own, and even if they didn't, once they hear the criticism there isn't nearly enough contrary evidence for them to counter it. If it took an hour long video over 20 years after the movie came out to dig deep enough to justify the writing, it's just bad writing. If the scenes were actually intended to be that awkward, the fact that so many people have been able to believe it was bad writing for so long means it completely failed to convey that it was intentional. Very deep and clever writing for awkward character interaction disappears when the writing fails to convince the majority of people that the characters were meant to be awkward, and aren't victims of bad writing, or just bad actors. There just isn't enough there to see the romance as, at best, extremely clunky at getting across that it's actually the characters who are awkward, and not the writing. It's a star wars movie, you should be able to understand the major themes and characters after one, maybe 2 viewings. The romance is a very considerable and important B plot with 2 of the 3 main characters, if people thought the romance writing was awkward even after multiple viewings, even if you can justify it after going over every tiny detail (including interviews, which should NEVER be required to understand a movie), the fact that it was that poorly conveyed means that the writing is still awkward.
I suppose so. Can't say I agree with everything argued in the video I respect it regardless. Frankly like with some people the romance is among my issues with AOTC. But I wouldn't call it a terrible episode since there are a lot I enjoyed about it too. I like TPM and ROTS though. I do get a feeling that people overreacted with these films and exaggerated things they percieve as problems when in reality it's there for a reason, such as Anakin being arrogant and hot tempered failing to realize that is part of the reasons why he fell to the dark side. The CGI even though they were great for its time and in fact they used a ton of miniatures, real world locations and even a real volcanic eruption. The politics even though it serves a purpose in the story and its the weapon Palpatine used to gain power. And I was able to piece these on my own by just watching the films sometimes a dozen times over the years.
"People with the opposite opinion must be brainwashed!", I don't know man, this kind of online tribalism is pretty toxic, beside aren't you here doing the same thing, absorbing similar opinions to your own, and if you talk to someone about how good the prequels are, you will likely to reference this video as well?
I will say this, being divisive is not a sign of good quality, because it shows that there could have been an alternative version that would've been liked by much more people, which means there is a lot of room for it to improve. While you liked these movies, would you honestly say that these are the best versions that can physically exist, and that if you can travel back in time with the best film crew with you and have the power to be fully involved in prequels' productions, you wouldn't make some major improvements?
I always found Anakin hot, felt like he'd be the type of edgy man that brings a thrilling but strong yet emotionally soft energy to a relationship after a bit of time of growing into his social skills.
Hayden's look is not creepy, I would say definitely kinda naughty 😅 and confident.
And yes he was a crush for a lot of teenagers back then (me included 😁).
Dang I spit out my water when I read that first line. Dude was creepy. She even said she doesn't like being looked at like that and he still does it. That is not right
Honestly I just chalk it up as people not understanding what the prequel tried to do different from the original trilogy. It's not a rough American Western movie about rebelling against the empire. People (and maybe especially kids because I barely understood even the clone wars) didn't get that the prequels were really gonna go deep into the advanced politics, nuances, and subtleties of more complicated characters. The prequels were not meant to be simple and clean, whether it is to its benefit and/or detriment.
I already defend the prequels, but this video makes me appreciate them even more! Great work!
The sad truth is, people validly defend the prequels but the haters still use the old disputed arguments to trash them. Even the actors crew and cast defends them to death.
Haters: "How could a woman fall in love with a mass murderer?"
Women: "OMG this true crime serial killer is soooooo cute!"
"he talks about them in a way in such an innocent and fortright manner, I think you have to at least admire his confidence. [...] So that fact that Anakin isn't a doormat and is willing to openly disagree with her is probably attractive to someone." YES and not just anyone, someone who works IN POLITICS. She's sitting through Senate discussions from monday to friday. A lot of politicking is about being vague, a calculated communicator, to never sound too extreme and to be a bit deceivious with your true intentions and ideas. OF CURSE sh'd like it!
With regard to dialogue, have you ever read a direct translation of a foreign language. It makes sense that the real language of star wars is not english, so their syntax and cultural references would be odd to us. Haven't scene anyone complain about the way Yoda talks.
This definitely deserves more views
I appreciate how you didn't bring up TCW
The Prequels never needed The Clone Wars. That series is nowhere near as good as people say it is while the Prequels are far better than people say they are.
@@tomnorton4277 Exactly
@@tomnorton4277 The Clone Wars tv show actually makes some characters more stupid and character assassinates the prequel characters for example I don't get why Obi-Wan would lie to Anakin about faking his own death since he already knows how far Anakin will likely go to get avenge him and the turmoil it would put on Anakin see how at the start of Episode 2 Obi-Wan knows Anakin worried about his mother just from dreams. I just don't see Obi-Wan putting Anakin through something like that even if the council told Obi-Wan not to tell Anakin, but the thing is I would think he would if he were put into that situation anyway since he was going to defy them and Yoda in Episode 1 to train Anakin. I could go on with other characters but that's pretty big example of why I don't think the show is all that great or "enhances" the prequels.
This is a good video, focusing on an aspect of the prequels even its fans seem somewhat reluctant to defend (and when they do, it's sometimes with backhanded arguments like Anakin, deliberately or not, using mind tricks on Padmé to make her fall for him - I've never heard that argument be used for any of the other romances in the saga, and given the presence of Anakin fangirls proving he's someone girls could fall for I never thought it was needed here).
When I first watched the prequels, I did find the Anakin/Padmé romance to be rather corny, but it never occurred to me to think of it as one-sided, as critics seem to present it to be. I still struggle with that mindset because they're so clearly both being goofy and sappy.
One can even see the ‘you’ll always be that little boy I knew on Tatooine’ line as an early indication of Padmé’s denial of her feelings for Anakin - it seems awfully specific.
Looking back at Han/Leia - or even Luke/Leia, as far as that went - Lucas does seem to focus very little on writing people falling in love but rather on them being in love. It’s all “here’s Character A, here’s Character B, they’re attractive to each other, bam, now what are they going to do with it”. Han Solo starts off Empire Strikes Back with the presumption that Leia already likes him - this doesn’t seem to be based on anything from A New Hope, but judged by the fact that she later kisses him back we’re supposed to take it that this was probably true. Similarly, the most infamous of the AOTC Anidala scenes, the fireplace one, is not about two people developing feelings for each other, it’s about them discussing what to do with those feelings. (I say 'the most infamous' because honestly, when I first heard about the sand line I automatically assumed it was from the fireplace scene, because that was the corny scene I remembered - the actual sand scene hadn't stuck with me).
To be fair to the critics, though from the start of the film Padmé is falling for Anakin, that doesn’t mean she can’t sometimes feel a little awkward about his advances. Again, though, Han’s behavior around Leia is far more overt than Anakin’s around Padmé.
The picnic scene is definitely sweet and dorky.
I wonder whether the sand people massacre was the moment Padmé fully realized how strong her feelings for Anakin had grown, that she didn’t just feel compassion and casual attraction but that she saw him at his worst and her first instinct was to feel sympathy.
51:20 Glad to see there’s someone who realizes that Padmé is willing to shift what she believes in in order to serve her goals. This is the same character who took one good look at Coruscanti politics in TPM and basically said “Yeah, this system isn’t working, time to go back to Naboo and get an army instead”.
I would say that Anakin deciding to do his duty at the end of AOTC does signal some growth, since he acts more maturely during the Clone Wars and the first half of ROTS. But you’re right that, like with the reconciliation between him and Obi-Wan after they were so at odds at the start of the movie, it just papers over the cracks. Anakin loves Obi-Wan in Part 3, is willing to give his life for him, jokes around with him… but after what happened with his mother, point-blank refuses to trust him with his visions of Padmé dying.
Good work!
Stuckman has some of the worst Star Wars takes on the internet. Some aren’t even his own, they are just stolen from Red Letter Media.
Anakin's Oedipal complex is not just driven by his removal from his mother, its driven by the replacement of his father figure with the oppressive authority of the slavers, which PM fails to really demonstrate because kids movie. Anakin is driven to rebellion, emotional outbursts and possessive relationships because he has no model for loving authority, and the death of Qui Gon and the general coldness of the Jedi only fuel those drives.
Also, Lucas uses very simple, emotive language because his characters are supposed to be direct representations of basic narrative archetypes. The story of Star Wars and its presentation is high drama with an operatic quality; its not subtle. Characters rarely get closeups. You are supposed to understand who and what a character in within seconds of seeing them on screen.
A lot of the criticisms from the likes of RLM (who brainwashed an entire generation), the People vs George doc losers (the "George Lucas r*ped our childhood" folks), Cosmonaut, and Stuckman, they all are literally factually incorrect about many of their issues;
(Ex: Cosmonaut in Ep2 review, says when Obi-Wan talks to Jango and learns Tyranus hired him, Cosmonaut believes Kenobi is dumb because he knows Tyranus is Dooku... But this is literally not true. Nowhere in the film of Ep2 do the Jedi learn Dooku is Tyranus)
They also don't address the same criticism to the OT;
(Ex: Stuckman in his Ep2 review is annoyed Anakin when protecting Padme on Naboo is wearing his Jedi clothes and has his lightsaber out, even though he's supposed to be keeping a low profile.
Meanwhile, he fails to criticize Ben Kenobi in Ep4 for literally whiping out his saber and cutting some guys arm off, while protecting Luke, supposed to be keeping a low profile on an Empire surrounded area)
And lastly, the rest of their criticism is either super subjective pretending it's objective fact, or lying, like claiming they watch behind the scenes stuff but they still claim nobody ever challenged George.
Basically they get simple info wrong if they had just watched the film, they claim they watch behind the scenes then make up stuff which the behind the scenes stuff will counteract if they really watched it.
Here is an exercise to show how good the romance really is. Look up the stages of Courtly love, now prepare to have your mind blown, Anakin and Padme go through EVERY SINGLE STEP!!!!!!!!!
Attraction to the lady, usually via eyes/glance
Worship of the lady from afar
Declaration of passionate devotion
Virtuous rejection by the lady
Renewed wooing with oaths of virtue and eternal fealty
Moans of approaching death from unsatisfied desire (and other physical manifestations of lovesickness)
Heroic deeds of valor which win the lady's heart
Consummation of the secret love
Endless adventures and subterfuges avoiding detection
(the main difference is that Courtly Love normally involves adultery on the part of the woman, in this case Anakin is being unfaithful to his vows rather then Padme to her husband.
Great video. Someone who actually understands the deeper themes of Star Wars and what it’s really about. Tired of seeing marvel fans who think they know story telling and Star Wars talk
Pretty great video! Certainly got some Nerdonymous vibes from the way you addressed the criticisms and actually gave quotes in their full context, all while making a compelling argument for the romance working in the way it was designed.
Is it written in the way someone like me would have made the romance? No, but I also wouldn't have used the present cinematography either. All those aspects are tailored to the very specific Star Wars style (of harkening back to the serials of the 30's with their big, bombastic emotions) that the fanbase, for as much as they obsess over the films, seem to weirdly miss.
You made a significant point about how some of the critiques made of the romance are based on western standards/familiarity, not non-western standards that the series has also heavily drawn from.
I mean, people get into such a flap over the Jedi raising children from a very young age to become monks, when the method of finding the new Dalai Lama in Tibet holds many similarities. Or, even when they won't have to look that geographically far, they'll ridicule Naboo having an elective monarchy when they only have to look at the HRE or Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth for it to be a historical reality.
I think the only aspect I disagree with you on is the idea that Palpatine manufactured the romance by assigning Padme to the protection of Obi-Wan and Anakin. It removes an aspect of free will from the romance that occurs and where the characters individual choices concerning the issue really matter, and falls into a similar vein as the fan theory that Anakin was using mindtricks to seduce her.
Speaking of which, that point about all those YTbers saying that Padme was literally 'asking for it' by dressing that way?.....Yeah, I thought that seemed like a gross and weird understanding of consent in love. 'Just because someone dresses provocatively doesn't mean they want it' is like...one of the most basic consent rules.
i wish nerdonymous whole come back…
Dude what free will? It's made VERY OBVIOUS that basically Anakins entire life has been guided by Palpatines hand
I have a suspition that people who hate on the dialogue for being akward dont want to face the fact that they are socially akward themselves. As they say "if you gaze into the abyss too mutch, it gazes back at you".
Well, if that's the case, I guess I'm f*cked then.
Oh yeah, I figured that out years ago. They hate being reminded that very few people have the confidence and charisma of James Bond or Han Solo. And if they're socially awkward people it's going to trigger them even more, especially if they've said something cringeworthy to a man or woman in the past.
@@tomnorton4277 i dont think han solo is that suave either tbh, he puts on the mask but when it comes to leia he was really akward too. "I love you" "i know" "you like me because im a scoundrel"
To be fair I also hate sand too so I feel for that line personally.
And this video was made my a man? Omg finally someone says it right, the girls and the gays always understood this
You just made this story 10x better by pointing out the fact that Anikin caused the death of his loved ones by intervening. The explanation on the will to live was so clever🔥🔥
Wonderful video! Can tell that a lot of effort was put into it and it's a testament to just how much substance the love story in Attack of the Clones has that you could spend an hour talking about just that singular aspect. You're very funny too, which is rare to see from somebody so diplomatic with their points.
I love your editing style
Fake Star Wars fans when REAL George Lucas Patriots (GLPs) pull up
GLP > MLP lol
Edit: I only just realized my joke made no sense and was not what I intended it to be lol
Now that we managed to defend anakin and padme romance, it's time to defend our lord jar jar
@@Cappuccino_Rabbit yep, jar jar i a perfectly fine character.
To ad to the fact that you said many women you know said they had a crush on Anakin, as a gay person myself I’ll say a lot of gay people had a crush on him, be it for his looks or Anakin as a character as a whole
Wait a minute...this isn't 66 seconds!
28:32 Wait you guys don't remember the scene where Yoda says: "Go on romantic Candlelight dinners you must. Important for your Relationship it is. Hehehe"
Damn this was good, always love seeing these movies properly understood and defended from asinine internet critics.
I will love Padme for ever 💖😍
Expert deconstruction, both of the very bland, improperly worded and misunderstood arguments, and of the scenes themselves, explaining just why you think those (bad) arguments were incorrect.
I was always a fan of how accurately and expertly Hayden portrayed a troubled, socially awkward, angsty young adult, and I never understood how people couldn't realize the nuances of things like the age of time and settings being drastically different compared to during the OT, and also just how fluidly the acting portrayed Padmé and Anakin's romance.
It's entitlement and obsession over discarded ideas that are alledgedly better than the final product. Almost as if they beieve Lucas ruined everything when the truth is they pushed Lucas away all because he was no lapdog of a fandom full of crap. TBH selling everything to Disney was poetic revenge. They got a fair punishment named the sequel trilogy
I like this it feels like you rolled out the TV cart for me your ideas are interesting and you feel like a teacher telling kids why the prequels are actually good
Many real relationships have their awkward and cheesy moments. It's cringey when you see it happen in real life, and it's cringey when you see it happen in films. It's fairly realistic, but that doesn't mean it's not a chore to sit through at times. It's like replaying cheesy memories of a past relationship. I think that's the issue at hand. It's uncomfortably real. The prequels are still my favourite Star Wars movies, but they're not always the best viewing experience.
I love how the editor adds those clips of Chris and Mike agreeing with him even though they never spoke with him! 🤣
I gotta learn to do that next time Im in an argument! 🤣🤣🤣
*LOL* this whole video is actually REALLY well edited, Im inspired by the editing style honestly! 😀👍
Lmao you can’t marry a man you just met I married my husband after 3 days it happens it was awkward the first 6 months or so bc we were getting to know each other but here we are 6 years later. and your right its a soldier thing it happens a lot with soldiers
People say it’s cheese but every line Lucas wrote between them has deeper levels of depth and foreshadowing and metaphors
This video is incredible! So much appreciation for the amount of research :)
i remember being like 14 watching aotc and falling in love with anakin lol. star wars guys would never understand but (regardless of hayden’s amazing looks) anakin is incredibly attractive primarily because of how he isn’t afraid to show emotion. very honest, very confident, very attentive and caring. not to mention his power and charm. guys see hayden’s awkward acting (i’m sorry we have to admit to that) and think thats how padme sees her but those “creepy” looks and conversations would pull any girl in i’m telling you.
Filoni’s thoughts on Qui-Gon aren’t shared by Lucas. Lucas never said that Qui-Gon’s continuing existence was the difference between Anakin turning to the Dark Side or not.
This has literally 1,000x fewer views than I expected.
It may not be perfect, but it's still better than it gets credit for.
Excellent essay on this topic. I grew up with 3 sisters who loved to watch corny chick flicks, and this was the only Star Wars movie they would watch with me, for the romance, and to put it bluntly, the relationship between anakin and padme is far more engaging than most mainstream rom coms. Is there flaws, of course but I understood that these were not normal people having normal conversations like in other stories. I will admit the relationship is done way better in the clone wars but these movies were needed for that show to happen.
Its kinda like Jar Jar in Ep1. All these adults that hate Jar Jar, not realizing they agree with the adults in the film. The character is clearly supposed to be disliked. Though with Jar Jar, it may have been too successful lol.
Growing up I worshipped the prequels (I’m 25 now and worship the OT). I rewatched them recently and I was cringing so hard at the anakin/padme scenes for the first half of AOTC. I really like them in the second half and the scene where they kiss as they enter the arena is still one of my favorites. Their story definitely has flaws but I still really like it. Probably cause I watched the prequels a thousand times as a kid 😭
Not entirely sure how this got recommended to me, but tbh....good shit.
Seems like you're still figuring out your style/vibe, while still having a decent idea of what you're shooting for and how you want to differentiate. Here's a sub. Keep it up, you've got something fun here.
Padmé from The Phantom Menace shows in two scenes her caring side that I want to point out that would make sense to why she accepts and understands Anakin’s confession of killing the Tusken Raiders who killed his mum in Attack of the Clones.
In the Naboo Royal Starship she watches a holographic image of Sio Bibble explaining that the death toll on Naboo is catastrophic. She is concerned/worried and saddened about it as the more time she spends on Coruscant would otherwise have been the potential to saving countless lives- despite this though as Queen of Naboo she still comforts Anakin over the void of the loss of his mother as they have been separated. This not only shows she is caring and also compassionate (good traits for anyone to have by the way) it also links to that post- Tusken Raider slaughter scene in Attack of the Clones where she puts other people’s physical and emotional wellbeing before herself (selfless). Furthermore in the Senate building scene when talking to Jar Jar she replies that she hopes not when he asks if she thinks that her people are going to die and when later in the same scene she tells Palpatine that she will return to Naboo as she wants to save innocent lives (and by doing so putting her life in danger) again selfless and also fearless?
So in analysis as I have always and still do love Attack of the Clones and Anakin and Padmé’s love/romance it gives further weight to the idea that Anakin is attracted to Padmé not merely for her good looks but also because she is an impulsive (like he is), compassionate, selfless and dedicated person- most of these traits being what people hope for in their potential lovers. In short Padmé being physically beautiful is not the only reason why Anakin falls in love with her.
Hayden Christensen is a pretty attractive dude, yeah especially when he grew into his Darth role with the slightly longer hair and the hood covering his Sith eyes?
And when he slaughtered not just the men? But the women and the younglings?!
Ive always loved this movie and thought its flaws were exaggerrated. I think so much of the Prequel hate is artificially manufactured and inflated. I grew up with these the Prequels....I cant begin to say how much they inspired my imagination. The suppisedly bland and forgettable and cringy characters struck a chord with me.....not to mention the fact that the story is so goddamned epic.
And when married Anakin and Padme were all "oooh I love you," and shit, I always assumed they were doing normal couple shit. I know a lot of married people that say super cringe shit to each other. In fact... most married couples are kinda cringe together
HOLY SHIT THIS VIDEO BLEW MY MIND!!!!!!! I rewatched the prequels for the first time in over 5 years and I thought they were still bad mostly because the idea of a prequel rewrite has been intriguing me for a while. And this video really opened my eye. For a while I couldn't decide if Attack of the Clones or the Last Jedi was the worst star wars movie but i can safely say Attack of the Clones is miles better than that movie. Your video really wants me to hear more about what you think about the prequels. I cant wait to watch the rest of your channel!
Hey wait....
This was totally longer than 66 seconds
I mean when I was a kid I had a crush on a girl for 5 years. Barely ever talked to her or saw her. Kind of like Anakin.
No way you've been defending this longer than me because I've been in this fight since I was six years old!
This is a very good video but the audio of everything other than your voice has a lower sound quality than the quality of life in North Korea
Well, luckily my voice is the only one that matters, right?
(I'll fix this next time)
Another thing worth mentioning here is how often the prequel haters say it's so 'obvious' that sending Padme and Anakin to be alone together after Anakin was prophesized to 'bring great danger' was a bad idea and they all should have seen Vader coming based on that BUT it only seems obvious to us because we know he's going to become Vader in retrospect. We've seen the OT. But ask anyone who didn't see the OT or know anything about Star Wars first and they are always shocked when they find out that Anakin is Vader. For anyone who doesn't already know the story it isn't obvious at all. So why would it be obvious to the Jedi? It wouldn't.
Great video. The tragedy is still felt in these films and I'm glad someone defended them to this extent.
This is a very very good analysis of one of my favourite films AOTC.
The performances and Lucas’ directing was fantastic.
Good job