George Lucas: King of Wooden Dialogue

George Lucas's dialogue is probably the most maligned aspect of his style (and that's saying a lot!). But what if that's just because people are hearing it the wrong way?
#StarWars #GeorgeLucas #AttackOfTheClones

[@leethompson-kolar6333]

You were right about one thing, master: The negotiations _were_ short.

[@u.v.s.5583]

And you, general Grievous, too are shorter than expected.

[@bettyjames4180]

Thered always a bigger fish

[@bambusz0131]

Begun, the clone war has

[@FerDeLance06]

"How could this happen? We're smarter than this!" "Did you press the stop button?" "No, did you?" HA HA ... STOBBIT!!!

[@dj__alien]

@@FerDeLance06 “so uncivilized…”

[@gnbman]

"You write without a doubt the worst dialogue I can recall." George Lucas: "But you can recall it."

[@Catcherinthecorn]

Nice Pirates reference

[@VisconitiKingfr]

Because it's bad. You don't recall average dialogue, only great and terrible.

[@theunknowncommenter725]

@@VisconitiKingfr and you can give no examples of why the dialogue is "bad".

[@RM22201]

@@theunknowncommenter725 Do you genuinely want examples? I know u don't because u will suck the cock of Lucas and give some shitty excuse for how deep and meaningful objectively horrible dialogue is good. STFU

[@Haseo92]

​@@theunknowncommenter725 I'll give one. It's bad because the dialogue is too direct. There's nothing nuanced or poetic being said, it's just Anakin saying he is so in love with Padme or that he killed everyone in a village which we as an audience already saw and so being told about it again makes it less interesting. I know it shows his regret, but the choice of words were mediocre. In my opinion the best choice would've been to cut that scene out entirely and just show Anakins descent into the dark side rather than have him monologue about it. I don't really blame the actors either for the wooden performances, Lucas has never been too patient with the process of acting (according to Harrison Ford).

[@laneblakley6273]

Favorite line: Padme: So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause.

[@LEGOJediMaster]

The fictional Space politics from 20 years ago is still relevant in lower, underlying tones.

[@rickardkaufman3988]

The Empire was based on the rise of fascism in Germany under Hitler. Everything that the prequels cover is so important it should be classics. Lucas said he only did the prequels to explore the roots of fascism.

[@Robert53area]

@@rickardkaufman3988 well fascism is an Italian word... but the prequals scene where she says that, is represented to every totalitarian state ever, they were all welcomed at one point with applause. Even communism, and the german socialist party of the 30s.

[@rickardkaufman3988]

@@Robert53area True. It could even mean totalitarianism but Lucas's intentions were on fascism. Also, the Nazis weren't socialists. They just used the name socialist to divert votes and later purged all the left-wing parties and Hitler hated Marx to the point that if his party adopted Marxist language, he would leave the party. It was a state-capitalist party under the control of private industrialists that busted unions.

[@Shenordak]

But that is a legitimately good line, she sounds like she's probably quoting some in universe author.

[@iansin7722]

“This is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause” is actually the best line ever

[@unHolyEvelyn]

I think that's such a bomb line, people don't like it?

[@xergiok2322]

@@unHolyEvelyn It's a little on the nose. The line is written as if it's supposed to land hard. The only problem being that she's just saying what we are shown: dictatorship is introduced by Palpatine and everybody's clapping. Not exactly insightful, it's just spelling things out, which is fine, but it is made to sound like it's more than that.

[@unboundmaxx]

This is how Star Wars dies, with the Sequels.

[@ac3raven]

@@unHolyEvelyn I think it is mostly just some of Hayden Christensen's lines that people remember as being "bad".

[@LightsaberGoBrrrrrr]

@@ac3ravenpersonally I never disliked anakins dialogue EXCEPT for the scene by the fire where padme is in her black busty breast dress. It immediately follows the pear scene and it’s too jarring. Either another scene needed to be added or the fire scene needed to be changed

[@RockoEstalon]

You know what IS bad dialogue? "Somehow Palpatine has returned".

[@braveandboldbatman9463]

Lmfao every line in the prequels are infinitely more superior than that shit

[@ZogDaMegnivizint]

No, that was just a bad idea.

[@RockoEstalon]

@@ZogDaMegnivizint If it's a bad idea then it's by definition bad dialogue.

[@majorbensonwinifredpayne2158]

Don't forget "This is how we win. Not fighting what we hate. Saving what we love" as the rebel base is blown.

[@VTGN-II]

It really wasnt that bad of a line, it was played as mostly a joke.there were far worse actual lines in the sequels. That's like calling yodas dialogue in Tesb bad dialogue.

[@unbabunga229]

Let's be honest, it's one of the most quotable franchises in history. He's doing something right

[@lotanowo]

Yea, through insincere memes...In fact, they have only recently started to crop up at a large scale. Before that, I only remember "Now, THIS is pod-racing" or "I'll try spinning, that's a good trick" both of which tend to make fun of the movie. Padme had one good line about democracy dying. The OT, on the other hand, had much more memorable quotes that have been used with sincerity and heart, Yoda's quotes themselves have been used as inspiration for decades, and Vader's as a cultural icon in a much more monumental scale than anything in the prequels.

[@unbabunga229]

@@lotanowo I said franchises which I meant the OT and the PT. The OT has tonnes or god awful dialogue. Still like it

[@bobhill6561]

Well no. It's quotable like "you're tearing me apart Lisa" is quotable.

[@Rafael_Peixoto]

@@bobhill6561 it's treason, then

[@Frizzleman]

Love or hate it we’re talking about it so Star Wars wins

[@JoHolbr7794]

I have always loved Anakin and Obi-Wan’s banter. Obi-Wan: “Do you know how to pilot this thing?” Anakin: “Well given the circumstances, I would say the ability to pilot this thing is irrelevant. Strap yourselves in.”

[@PolishBigfootCircle11]

That line is the cockiest line I've ever heard.

[@jeffmuller1489]

Not to mention the Clone Wars banter.. some of the best theater IMO

[@ThinWhiteAxe]

There is nothing better in the galaxy than Anakin & Obi-Wan bantering for the entire first section of ROTS. Which I suppose is why they created a whole show to highlight Anakin and Obi-Wan bantering.

[@ThinWhiteAxe]

- Well, R2 was... - Hey, hey, hey. No loose wire jokes. - Did I say anything? - He's _trying._ - I didn't say anything!

[@zacharytrosch3406]

"We're still flying HALF a ship!"

[@justinthomas7222]

I think that "I HATE YOU!" is one of the greatest lines of dialogue ever delivered in a movie. Props to Hayden for that.

[@PosthumanHeresy]

It's the way he screams like a real person, rather than bassy yelling like is usually used in movies. The vocal chords failing to handle the way he's using them, the way it becomes throaty, it's akin to screaming vocals done by singers like Kurt Cobain that damage singers' throats over time than a line delivery.

[@justinthomas7222]

Agree wholeheartedly. Excellent way of putting it.

[@TheRenegade...]

The delivery of that one line alone tells me he's actually an incredible actor despite his subpar acting in much of the prequels.

[@justinthomas7222]

@@TheRenegade... He could give the director whatever was asked...

[@Terminated_Account]

The only reason people make fun of that line is because they kept an absurd amount of silence before cutting to Obi-Wan

[@NimTV]

My favorite lime from the prequels has to be “you were my brother Anakin. I loved you!” This is probably the most emotional moment of the entire trilogy, and is delivered as perfectly as it could possibly be by Ewen McGreggor

[@ThinWhiteAxe]

This right here ☝☝☝

[@onemoreminute0543]

I award you the title of 'based and prequel-pilled' ;)

[@NimTV]

@@onemoreminute0543 I mean I guess. I’m not a fan of them overall, but there is some great stuff in there

[@onemoreminute0543]

@@NimTV Fair enough 👍

[@Ricardo-cl3vs]

My favorite would be "So this is how liberty dies - with thunderous applause.."

[@arno.valtonen]

My top 3 are: "This is where the fun begins" "Another happy landing" "Hello There"

[@fatbird1516]

funny that they're all in RoTS

[@trs4184]

GENERAL KENOBI

[@viktor1754]

Not to worry, we're still flying half a ship

[@i.n.easwar6839]

What about "it's over Anakin!,I have the high ground?"

[@tylerbessette464]

From my point of view the jedi are evil

[@Imakeplaylists-in1pw]

Never had a problem with the sand scene. Imagine everyday all day you walk and work under the heat, in the middle of the desert add to that there is the frequent sandstorms when you go to bed you're covered in it, it is in your ears, your eyes, it gets everywhere. Even your clothes are full of it.

[@jackalope2302]

Also it sounds much more awkward without the lines Padme gives about swimming. Context matters.

[@mister_john]

It’s not so much the line as it is the apathetic delivery.

[@emoxvx]

The people complaining about the "sand" line fail to see that Anakin is really talking about his past as a slave on Tatooine, all the pain he endured there as a child. There's sand in Naboo as well, he's obviously not reffering to Naboo or sand physically, in fact, Naboo should be a planet he would associate with happiness and love as it's the homeworld of Padmé. It's full of vegetation, different species, water, beauty, nature, harmony, it's a celebration of life itself; it's the antithesis to growing up as a slave on the dangerous, rough and painful world that is Tatooine.

[@jeffreymeehan3116]

Now that right there, that is better than what Lucas wrote.

[@emmanuelmakoba6085]

I never had a problem with the sand scene too. But the "I hate them" monologue was definitely corny.

[@jmace2424]

The dialogue of Anakin Skywalker in Attack of the Clones perfectly captures what it feels like to be a guy on a date. It is immensely relatable!

[@jacobgarcia7918]

Wow, this is a good comment.

[@njux1871]

More precise, to be a young guy on a date the first time he fell in love. I absolutely see myself with my first girlfriend in there. First love never dies and all that. It's over the top and super-dramatic and you will be more lowkey and wise the older you get (hopefully) but man if it ain't relatable lol

[@SpFlash1523]

True that. "So have you. You're grown more beautiful, I mean. Well, for a senator, I mean."

[@emoxvx]

People feel awkward for that dialogue because when were Anakin's age in Episode II, 19/20, we were awkward like that talking to or crushed. Hell, some of us still are like that. People feel embarassed, so instad of admiting that it's embarassment, not, it's somehow "bad dialogue". A lot of people don't watch films because they really want to get involved in a story and actually get to know the characters, no, they just want a power fantasy.

[@JuicyMullet801]

@@emoxvxtruth

[@ayushsinghpawar4191]

The Anakin's "I HATE YOU!" still gives me chills

[@SoUncivilized414]

That scene wrecks me every time.

[@veteran0121]

???? Chills? Yeah hearing a shrill male voice yell "I hate you" in the most emo bitch way possible would give any man chills. Like the kind you get with nails on a chalkboard....

[@LilacSreya]

@@veteran0121 “emo bitch” really? Dude had his limbs chopped off and was on hot lava ground. What do you expect? Presidential speech? And this “shrill voice”, so? Not everyone has deep voice. It was supposed to be opposite of Obi Wan’s “I loved you” shout; no one complains about that. Why? Because he has a smooth non-shrill voice? Really it’s just feels odd to you guys because of your biased expectations of what feels “normal” (and typical Hollywood dialog). You guys are so fake.

[@cornbreadloverrr]

@@veteran0121 Thankfully there is a second version of this scene that's not as "edgy", enjoy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iIbUYaaQrZumqac

[@michaelstark8720]

@@cornbreadloverrr I like this 3rd version of events kzbin.info/www/bejne/anbXdHqIZ7KSpbc

[@valmarsiglia]

"You can write this shit, George, but you sure as hell can't say it." -- Harrison Ford.

[@soundwave252]

Funny, because in his later interviews, he said that he was wrong and the dialogue worked.

[@VibingMeike]

@@soundwave252 I was already thinking: context? Context please?

[@satinsguard]

@@soundwave252 He said that after reading the script during filming A New Hope. Without seeing the movie as a whole, of course it would sound awkward.

[@VinVonVoom]

@@VibingMeike The context of the original quote is literally "I remember telling George 'You can write this shit but you can't say it' then I watched the film and obviously I was wrong"

[@VibingMeike]

@@VinVonVoom Okay thank you!

[@an0rangutan]

Honestly, Anakin's dialogue is so believable it's baffling people hate on it so much, he's an awkward, orphan, slave kid raised by monks who tell him to forget about his mother, the only connection he ever had and tell him not to fear, or hate, or love. If he was an eloquent, witty speaker like Obi-Wan it would make far less sense, so yeah his dialogue is clunky and straightforward, but it's honest and believable.

[@Tippotipo]

Add that his father figure Quin Gon Jinn, the Jedi Master who understood him, was killed.

[@youtubeistryingtocensorme]

Its all about presentation. You can have cheesy dialogue on purpose without making it creepy. Anakin’s dialouge was just unintentionally creepy. George should’ve gone the empire strikes back route and had somebody else direct it and edit it

[@cheeseyoger]

@@youtubeistryingtocensorme Maybe, but I think we're ignoring that Anakin IS kind of creepy. He's not a guy who reacts to emotions in a normal way. He eventually helps slaughter the only society he knows in order to alleviate his fears of loss. It would be weird if someone with healthy emotional expression did that

[@althealligator1467]

I wholeheartedly agree: whether it was intended or not, the way Anakin is presented is genius. Now if the other characters weren't all like that, maybe that would make it more obvious

[@petronellataube2986]

I think Anakin's portrayal is actually accurate - question is how Padme could possibly find it attractive

[@IAmNeomic]

The dialog in these movies is one of the major reasons they've become so timeless. There's no buzzwords, no trendy phrases, nothing that places them in a specific time in history. He takes what he wants the characters to say, and breaks it down into it's simplest form.

[@redactedoktor]

Thank god the dialogue picks up wherethe cg left them.

[@AlexKurilovMusic]

Couldn't agree more. Disney's sequels sound so modern that it takes away the feeling of Star Wars. Things like "They fly now? They fly now!" and the cringe beginning of the last jedi with Poe vs Hux screams of modern humour that will become outdated in 10 years.

[@bigjawline9235]

@@AlexKurilovMusic if not already

[@JosephSmith-lm4ri]

@@AlexKurilovMusic it was outdated when I was sitting in the theater enduring it.

[@thewindupsweetheart]

@@JosephSmith-lm4ri 😂 same

[@Xochimique]

Lucas' dialogue works because it sounds legendary: like something from an acient tale of a long long time ago, far far away; not like a bunch of American guys from the 20th/21st century.

[@choueriito2548]

It can even be compared to works far younger than that. Plenty of works from the 19th century such as those of Jane Austen as well as direct translations of The Count of Monte Cristo or the works of Dostoyevsky are even more verbose and transparent when it comes to character dialogue and their intentions than any line a prequel detractor would point to. The fact that people accept those examples because of their time period or setting yet don't do the same for the dialogue of a series set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away shows a great level of cognitive dissonance; or, more likely, that those who criticise prequel dialogue from a false sense of authority have never read any classical literature.

[@zonefreakman]

It seems like he based it more on archaic story telling and characters rather than modern cinema and script writing. Something that is either undervalued or just not understood nowadays, at least by the critics.

[@choueriito2548]

@@zonefreakman You are correct with it not just seeming like that, but being outright confirmed by Lucas himself who makes it no secret the Monomyth/Hero's Journey is what influenced the structure and ideas of Star Wars (there's actually a great documentary made on this from back before Disney bought the franchise), as well as him saying the dialogue between Anakin and Padme in AotC was very much inspired by Shakespearean drama.

[@zonefreakman]

@@choueriito2548 I do like reading about Joseph Campbell's ideas, you could say the origin point of how Lucas created Star Wars. These ancient stories are immortal in a spiritual sense because they tell stories that are always relatable in our personal lives. They tell a philosophical story of how personal growth happens, and what happens tragically when we don't learn from our mistakes. So many movies made today will be forgotten in short order because they don't tell a relatable and meaningful story, unlike George Lucas' movies. It just seems to me that many Hollywood critics are completely uninformed or detached from classical education, including classical literature.

[@KingArthur39]

And that is why It is so iconic. The dialogue sounds like It could have been written 100 years ago or yesterday

[@caoimhinmccann4449]

If you've created the most quotable franchise of films in existance then you're clearly doing something right with the dialogue. Whatever that something may be.

[@Olivia-W]

Hello there. Yes, it's amazing how we all know sand is coarse and rough and irritating...

[@yashma4187]

@@Olivia-W And that it gets everywhere. I've never been a dessert planet, but I feel like I have....

[@yawgmoth6568]

Quotable as memes though, I don't think memes are an example of high art someone should strive to emulate... ......

[@Zeitschaltende]

"Oh hi Mark"

[@CometStar100]

@@yawgmoth6568 Exactly

[@CoolSmoovie]

That, “If droids could think, there’d by none of us left would there?” Parallel with the Clones just blew my mind.

[@ertymexx]

I can see, in the background, a VERY offended R2 and Threepio. ;-)

[@navilluscire2567]

The clones were designed to be basically *"organic droids",* capable of thinking yes, but ultimately just puppets to someone else's will.

[@Prauwlet213]

@@ertymexx yeah

[@CausticSpace]

@@ertymexx Stupid, frail, non-compartmentalized organic meat bag doesn't realize HK-47 is at least 5 hyperspace lanes away for talking unsophisticated like that.

[@diegovalencia6759]

I always considered Lucas the most talented child to ever be allowed to direct a movie. There is a sincerity and cleverness to his work that you will never see in a more "mature" and "well-developed" writer because he is not afraid of his work feeling childlish. That's why we get this very special feeling for dialogues and designs that we don't find anywhere else. The Disney movies tried so hard to become a "more mature" Star Wars that they ironically lost all the cleverness and charm behind that childish ankwardness.

[@thedofflin]

Lucas states that his movies are written for children. Of course his dialogue will be plain and unsophisticated. His movies are, for the most part, showing and not telling.

[@Ricardo-cl3vs]

I mostly agree. But "the most talented child to ever be allowed to direct a movie" would be Spielberg.

[@TamaHawkLive]

OP I'm not sure you watched the same movies if you thought Disney was trying to be mature with their takes. Disney for all they do good in the fun and adventurous animation world, can't write for shit when it comes to anything adult oriented. They also don't know how to let a scene play out with words for more than a few seconds and that's a reflection of how they've built their brand on animation style story telling.

[@TamaHawkLive]

@@Ricardo-cl3vs I think it's easy to confuse the fact that Speilberg movies host a lot of child center rolls but Speilbergs style is more notorious for being parental than nessesarly childlike. His movies have very loud maternal instinct arcs when it comes to the adult rolls and when centered around children are more written in the eyes what it's like to be a child figuring life out without a parent figure in the picture. It's pretty well documented that he intentionally writes his movies this way because of how he grew up so I wouldn't really call his writing style childlike, that's definitely more of a signature of Lucas.

[@Ricardo-cl3vs]

@@TamaHawkLive Well, that's your opinion and you're entitled to have it, I guess. I don't think you really understood what I was trying to say though.

[@unsc2060]

I physically can't cringe when I hear the "Sand Scene". r/prequelmemes and years of KZbin Poop has conditioned me to grin uncontrollably or chuckle to myself.

[@VibingMeike]

Haha same. I mean, I understand what he's saying but I just kind of laugh at it idk

[@quatreraberbawinner2628]

If you watch the line in context of the scene it sounds fine, that's something these "critics" love to do, play these scenes out of context, you can do that too any movie good or bad. It's extremely bad faith

[@unsc2060]

@@quatreraberbawinner2628 Oh absolutely! It's a fine scene in context. Full disclosure: I was six years old when RotS came out and I distinctly remember my parents being nervous about taking kindergarten me into a PG13 movie, having only seen Attack of the Clones on DVD. But never did I once think it was weird or odd. It was only as a teenager years later did I even realize how many people hated the prequels. I'm so glad to see people are coming around. Fandoms can be unimaginably toxic. When I heard that Ahmed Best almost killed himself over the fan backlash to Jar Jar it made me really upset. He told this story of taking his son to the bridge that he was going to jump off of and was glad that he didn't because of his kid. That's fucking horrifying.

[@stan4234]

At this point the memes have conditioned me to quote that scene line by line whenever I see it

[@abloodynova7625]

The more I think of that line, the more it makes sense. He's basically a teenage monk, probably no experience with girls, and therefore awkward (and kinda creepy) as fuck. It's just a terrible pickup line - in space. The way he fidget around with the pebble made me pretty sure Anakin knows that line is rubbish but shot it anyway. Just don't ask how I know.

[@zdvxr]

Starwars wouldn’t be as quoted and as popular without the “corny” dialogue.

[@SonicMegaKing]

Why'd you put quotes around Corny? It is corny. It's awful. That's why it's so quotable and memeable. Like The Room.

[@RIPDixie1865]

@@SonicMegaKing Exactly. Just because it was intended does not make it good or acceptable. These people are really out here making up excuses for how poorly written Star Wars dialogue is.

[@RIPDixie1865]

@Xd Dx I do not hate the movies. I hate certain aspects of the movies. I can still enjoy something while being critical of it. Go be overly hostile somewhere else, buddy.

[@Fidel_cashflo]

It’s popular because it’s Star Wars

[@zdvxr]

@@SonicMegaKing it’s different than that. Starwars fans know this.

[@MegaAgamon]

I must say as a kid growing up with Asperger's I appreciated *Wooden dialogue* because I didn't have to try figure out how characters felt. Something I struggled a lot as a kid was understanding body language. So having the characters tell me what they are feeling was much easier for me to immerse myself in star wars and empathize with the cast.

[@joyeeverett6196]

I have Aspergers too and I agree with this

[@scepticalbeliever]

I think it's true about pre-teens in general, even the "neurotypical" ones. It takes a long time to learn to read body language and intonation and it's still not always easy.

[@joyeeverett6196]

@@sukiosartchannel3689 True! Not that I always liked prequels’ dialogue but some of it is fine to me as an autie lol

[@umiluv]

That is very interesting! George often says he made Star Wars for the kids. That epic tales should be told for everyone to understand. Perhaps that is why he wrote things the way he did. Very complex situations that could be easily distilled for all ages and people to consume. Honestly, how does one make a trade blockade interesting for kids too?

[@joyeeverett6196]

@@umiluv I personally didn’t find the trade blockade compelling lol. I just liked Padmé and her personality when I was little

[@wythore]

Anakin asking Padmé if she's an Angel is infinetly superior to the sequel's "Somehow Palpatine has returned"

[@alexanderackerman3807]

He's a slave on a desert planet he's probably never seen someone so clean before, and thus it's not too far fetched that he thinks it's because she's some sort of hyper beautiful alien.

[@nestorsifuentesaguirre2722]

@@alexanderackerman3807 At first maybe he thought they were but a myth. That whatever mommy told him was a motivational bullshit

[@cash5512]

No it isn't

[@SESH710]

​@@cash5512it is

[@kolterdyx]

To me it looked quite natural. Anakin is not even 10 in that movie, he's just a kid, and kids are pretty honest and don't think about what they're saying as much as adults do

[@ManuelGomez-ef7mb]

The dialogue it's part of the charm, it always has been. People say he is a terrible director but, this is the same guy who shadowed Spielberg himself in college, the same guy who directed THX-1138 and American Graffiti, the same guy who made Sci-fi mainstream and cool again with a movie everyone thought it would fail, the guy who has pushed the boundaries of movie making and animation so far that what was thought "impossible" to do, now any major studio can do it. It's absolutely saddening that George gets to be so underappreciated and underrecognized by so many people even the ones who were supposed to cherish his work and continue his legacy.

[@laneblakley6273]

It was Francis Ford Coppola he shadowed, but point taken.

[@zhyaxxion]

a very good description of George - the new films just don't have the same resonance

[@isaiah9666]

Theres just something about so many Star Wars fans, I just dont get it. They have to find SOMETHING to be upset about

[@LEGOJediMaster]

The original trilogy was a knight, wizard, and princess story. The Prequels were a tragic space opera with ever relevant politics. Both with organic flowing stories.

[@EpicGamer-fl7fn]

the truth is every single director, (and by extension every single creator, but let's not touch that can of worms) no matter how great, has weak spots. areas of directing where he's just not as amazing as others. The only mistake George did was not hiring someone who could fill in on that. Literally EVERYTHING ELSE he's done perfectly, and you just cant argue with that simply beacuse we wouldn't even have this conversation if he did not.

[@HarleyKita]

One of the quotes that always makes me laugh is when Anakin says in the Geonosis arena "We are here to rescue you." Or something like that and Obiwan looks up at his bounds hands and simply says "Good job" Ewan McGregor's delivery is always on point!

[@ThinWhiteAxe]

I haven't met anyone who doesn't love his performance as Obi-Wan Kenobi. He has the perfect voice and bearing for the role and the dialogue.

[@Steak818]

@@ThinWhiteAxe It's funny that Lucas call himself the "king of wooden dialogue", when i always thought that McGregor was the most wooden actor ever. A perfect fit, if you ask me.

[@ThinWhiteAxe]

@@Steak818 well I guess my previous statement has to be modified to "I haven't met very many people who..." etc. 🙃

[@Steak818]

@@ThinWhiteAxe But I love his performance as Obi Wan. As i wrote, it fits.

[@ThinWhiteAxe]

@@Steak818 oh ok sorry I misunderstood "wooden acting" is usually not considered a good thing and so I read sarcasm into your comment where there was none, my bad

[@TheEvertw]

"You could hear it in a foreign language and still understand it" How right you are. When I first saw Star Wars in a US theater in 1978, I was 10 and hardly spoke a word of English. Yet that movie was the most exciting thing I ever saw.

[@navilluscire2567]

Which is funny because Star Wars is one of the few SPACE settings with multiple species and cultures that actually bothers having and fleshing out several distinct languages for various cultures and species, this also includes droid binary talk like with R2-D2 and yet despite these suppose language barriers we can often infer what characters speaking in a strange tongue are saying, guess with reasonable accuracy their meanings and intentions just by body language or tone alone!

[@xihix7619]

I've never had a problem with the dialogue in these movies. Star Wars in all its aspects is an operatic epic, the music, the visuals, and the dialogue. It doesn't try to feel grounded, it's being artistic, and like that segment of foreshadowing showed, the dialogue has deeper meaning, making it so much more rewarding to watch again. And Anakin was a little boy born in slavery, with terrible social interactions, and then when finally free he's put into the Jedi Order. He's always been a puppet, with people telling him what to do, never has he gotten the time to understand his emotions, he just had them. So he's awkward, and bad socially, so obviously he says weird stuff. I unironicly have had similar sentences escape my mouth. The scenes are supposed to be awkward, and those lines aren't what solidifies the romance between Ani and Padmé, they love each other, and a monologue about sand isn't gonna change that, not in a good nor bad way.

[@DioBrando-jm7uf]

He has Borderline Personality Disorder.

[@SilviDepp]

Perfectly said thank u👏👏👏

[@user-dnf83n0s8sg9u]

In a strange way George is practically Lynchian . Not “good” in a conventional sense - more of an abstract, regal way. It’s hard to identify. Lucas and Spielberg are similar in that way too in that they’re good with catching a certain emotion and letting John Williams spin it into diamonds. I suppose that plays into one of the points in this video (George doesn’t really give a shit about the dialogue). One of the strongest aspects of the prequels are it’s visuals . Obviously to many faults as well, but the most memorable moments of those films are the music stings attached to say, Darth Maul or entering Mustafar, the arena scene in Clones. Food for thought!

[@quatreraberbawinner2628]

I don't think hayden christensen is a bad actor, I don't think he's written badly either, he captures the essence of an awkward love struck teen, it's supposed to be corny

[@Venom5970.]

Hayden literally played Anakin to complete PERFECTION. It’s honestly unbelievable people call him a bad actor, you can see how much emotion and thought he puts into every line he says

[@yamimarik]

Exactly

[@Daniele63]

Hayden will always be Anakin for me

[@LucyWest370]

It’s like the main character in Catwoman. No matter what scene your watching you physically can’t tell if it’s a really good actor with a really bad script or a really bad actor with a really bad script. A lot of people confused the script and the acting and hated Hayden Christensen.

[@themadladorian4364]

​@@Venom5970. His delivery of "I'm not leaving without you, master." at the beginning of RotS was competely soulless though. As if they were having fun in a VR flight simulator. He wasn't aware of the context behind it. Ewan McGregor is the one that puts emotion in every line he says.

[@tygerchase9705]

One thing I've heard about the Prequels that always stuck with me. "The Prequels don't get worse the more you think about them, they get better". And stuff like that Dooku line and Jango Fett line just kinda goes to prove it more. I recently watched the classic Flash Gordon shorts and while in no way have they withstood the test or time or were really that enjoyable to watch honestly. They definitely gave me an appreciation for George's style and how he can actually use it effectively.

[@tomnorton4277]

Anomaly Inc said that.

[@thanos_6.0]

Unlike the Sequels. The more you think of them, the worse they get.

[@topdog5252]

Same here. I’ve recently watched THX(1138) and it’s a weird film. I found parts of it were hard to watch! Yet I can see the themes in the story and the beauty and uniqueness in some of the visuals. Parts of it clearly tie in with Star Wars.

[@AImighty_Loaf]

Prequel haters are smooth brain people who are incapable of immersion. Genuinely shocks me how anyone can think soulless disney cash grabs are "better written." Find plot holes in the PT. Do it. Now find plot holes in the ST.

[@adamjanek3511]

​@@AImighty_Loaf First of all I'm gonna say that by no means do I think the sequels are good and I hate them just as much so please don't get this twisted. However, there are some plot holes in prequels and there are plenty of poorly explained motivations for actions or motivations that don't make sense at all. There is also so much shit going on in the opening crawl that shouldn't be off-camera and then there's nothing interesting happening in the actual movies (this doesn't really apply to the revenge of the sith but I have also one problem with the opening crawl there... "There are heroes on both sides. Evil is everywhere." What tf does that even mean? I have analysed very difficult texts but this has to be a joke.) And then there is the problem with dialogue... The prequel dialogue just shows that George Lucas has never felt the touch of a woman in his life. Now yall maybe enjoy cringing at a movie convincing yourselves those lines are iconic or whatever but I find 2,5h of this horrible dialogue unwatchable because even if he intends to be awkward, nobody speaks like that and I know this because I am a very awkward person in real life. These movies don't make me feel any emotions and if the movie didn't specifically tell me what emotions the characters experience (e.g. those scenes where Anakin straight up says he's angry) I would have no clue at all. I also hate Anakin in these movies because he is a total piece of shit for no reason at all. I love his portrait in the animated series The Clone Wars where you can clearly see how he experiences his inner conflict between the sides of the force and his corrupted actions are pretty reasonable but in the movies, he just acts like a total psychopath. I could write a lot more but hopefully, you realize by now that those movies are not as great as you think.

[@surbaale]

"The ability to speak does not make you intelligent." - Qui-Gon Jinn

[@bizmasterTheSlav]

Almost every single prequel line is a legendary meme. And that's because the dialog is great. Anakin speaks awkwardly not because the dialogues are bad, but because he's a young introvert man who never really interacted with women before.

[@demod2080]

Funnily enough, I often called the Prequels his Shakespearean dialogue. Its flowery written but written with clear intent and poetry. It sometimes rubs people off the wrong way but to me it feels like it works great for the Universe it is.

[@kristopherakelly]

Favorite line: "Anakin's the father, isn't he? I'm so sorry." heartbreaking every time. Thanks for making so many great videos about Star Wars. Brilliant stuff.

[@BioGoji-zm5ph]

"Anakin's the father? I'm so sorry, Padme. I thought you had standards."

[@onemoreminute0543]

@@BioGoji-zm5ph "What is it Obi-Wan?" "It's Palpatine . He's the phantom menace behind the attack of the clones in order to exact the revenge of the Sith" "OMG he's behind all the movies!" Lol 🤣🤣

[@gumdeo]

That line was like a punch to the gut.

[@onemoreminute0543]

@@gumdeo Oh yeah, it's a great line due to how it can be viewed in multiple ways. "I'm so sorry" that you won't have a husband anymore. "I'm so sorry" that your children won't have a father. "I'm so sorry" that I have to do this :/

[@skycat04]

And that music... just pure... tragedy (the whole film is pure tragedy, the most grandiose and beautiful tragedy ever made for the "silver-screen").

[@divergenttardis7378]

I won't deny that Anakin's love confession to Padmé is very over-the-top and melodramatic, but I think in the context of Lucas' style of filmmaking, it's not entirely without merit. Being a drama king is just part of who Anakin is, and as a teenager with little experience in positive casual socializing (let alone in flirting), he's inevitably going to sound very silly and inarticulate. Although his dialogue pushes things to the extreme, it's entirely in character for Anakin to sound as dumb and cheesy as he does. And frankly, the sentiment behind what he says is actually quite cute and sweet in my opinion.

[@Drewbreesboss9]

The prequels were better than the originals to me. If you were raised as a slave in a world filled with sand and then brought to be trained as a Jedi and learn to have no attachments you would be awkward and “cringe” too. Anakin isn’t a drama king??? What do you expect him to say after his mother is killed?

[@thereyougoagain1280]

Maybe, but why does Padme speak the same way?

[@mr.safensound4238]

@@thereyougoagain1280 Padme is not a drama queen. She's the sensible one. Which dialogue of Padme's are you referring to? If it's Queen Amidala's dialogue you meant, that's 'stately dialogue' in line with her position as a political leader of Naboo.

[@ibrahimcallwood]

Exactly my thoughts 💯

[@jimbarino2]

Exactly. The Jedi brought him in and tought him to repress his emotions just as his hormones started raging. Then he met Padme and fell head over heels for her. What was he going to be, some sort of suave James Bond type? He was awkward nad cringeworthy. So were most Star Wars fans, and I think they didnt like that being refelcted back at them...

[@bigdoubleu117]

The saddest part is the misunderstanding a lot of fans have for the "I don't like sand" line. Fans who misunderstand this line tend to think Anakin starts talking about sand out of the blue like a weird conversation starter. But they forget it was Padme talking about her past as a kid going swimming with friends and drying out on the sand. Which prompts Anakin to talk about his crappy past as a kid through the allegory of sand.

[@RoyalFusilier]

If any person in the universe would be justified in having a blanket hatred of sand, it would be somebody from Tatooine.

[@JosephSmith-lm4ri]

@@RoyalFusilier as someone who doesn't like the beach, I sympathize with Anakin. Fucking sand, cleaning out of everything for weeks.

[@denyfixe1000]

I don't like sand, I like this line.

[@larrote6467]

that's not an allegory; you're just looking too much into it (and it's also not the worst thing ever, both sides take it too far)

[@bigdoubleu117]

@@larrote6467 what on Earth you talking about lol. Many people online thinks Anakin says "I don't like sand" out of the blue. I'm pointing out Padme mentions sand first. Idk if you meant to reply to someone else.

[@Robert53area]

I really don't understand why people hate the i don't like sand... She literally just got done explaining swimming across the lake, and laying out on the beach half naked on the sand. She painted a perfect image in his mind of something enjoyable. As someone who has lived in the desert for several years. It makes alot of since I hate the sand too, its annoying and rough, unlike the smooth refreshing water. Like that of a woman's touch. How hard is it to understand the lines...??? It really isn't hard.

[@HarryFan110]

Its irretating

[@benparsons4979]

she paints a perfect image of something she likes, then he proceeds to tell her how he doesn't like it... smooth

[@thatsabingo6695]

It’s bad because it is cringey and was meant to be emotional and serious when in actuality it’s a meme.

[@Iliadic]

Beach sand is very different from desert sand. I should know. I LIVE IN A DESERT

[@neuxell]

hyper-critical people who cant enjoy the movie for what it is. good plot, good character development, but they need something to dislike and mock because it's either boomers who want to be loyal to the original trilogy, or its pretentious "intellectuals"

[@KimballTho]

A tip for appreciating Hayden's dialogue is to imagine him saying it in Vader's voice. You may laugh at the mental image of Darth Vader trying to romance Padmé by bluntly stating "I am haunted by the kiss that you never should have given me," but that is exactly the stilted formal way Vader talks. Once you learn to appreciate Anakin's faux-cool speech patterns, you'll actually be disappointed with Matt Lanter's performance.

[@Marlena_M]

Ngl I heard Vader say that in my head and it sounds so awesome. I can picture him looking at a Padmé hologram and repeating that line.

[@waltascher]

It works the other way too. Try imagining Hayden saying “The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am” or “I am altering the deal; pray I don’t alter it further.”

[@orlandofurioso7329]

Or how many things Luke says were said by Anakin as well

[@ArisDeMarcoWCS]

@@waltascher holy shit this is genius. I've heard about the Hayden imitating Vader but never thought of him saying the actual dialogue and it totally works.

[@ignisofficialgaming]

Anakin’s dialogue at least makes sense for his character in the prequels. He was ripped from his mother during the most developmental time of his life and told to shut off his emotions despite them being a key part of his identity, resulting in emotional stunting and his awkwardness when interacting with others. It would be genius aside from the fact everyone in the prequels is like that

[@calebvejvoda5626]

The prequels: Deemed clunky on the surface but with so much heart underneath The sequels: Super flashy on the surface but with absolutely no heart underneath

[@Zed-fq3lj]

perfectly said. btw sequels are not Star Wars, it's just Disney turd.

[@DDD-qt8bw]

@@Zed-fq3ljthe prequels are trash.

[@conversationtosaurusrex]

@@DDD-qt8bw No they aren't, you're blinded by nostalgia.

[@sunsetsky9885]

My favourite line will always be “I am a Jedi like my father before me” it’s simple and effective and I love how it perfectly captures Luke’s and anakins story, accepting that he can be a Jedi, that he can be good again. Though I will always love “ask this is how liberty die, with thunderous applause” it’s so good. I will never not love the prequels (also if you ask me, the Disney trilogy have by far the worst dialogue out of all of Star Wars movies)

[@FunnieApple]

True the only piece of dialogue I can remember from the sequels is "blow that piece of junk out of the sky!" Cause Adams delivery is so cool! Oh and "REEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY"

[@EckhartsAuspice]

@@FunnieApple best line is they fly now?

[@onemoreminute0543]

@@EckhartsAuspice "Somehow, Palpatine returned.." ;)

[@INCAnitysy]

Kylo Ren screaming *more more* was by far the cringiest scene in the sequels

[@lefishe6611]

@@FunnieApple I can actually remember a few kinda neat lines

[@arrannn123]

Whenever I hear Anakin scream "I hate you" to Obi-Wan, I feel so many emotions, the fear I had watching him as a kid, the sadness it brings, their relationship destroyed and the hurt Obi-Wan recieves. I personally feel Revenge of the Sith no matter how many people dislike it, you have to admit, it had some powerful, hard hitting moments!

[@SM-cs2my]

i just watched rots for the first time last night, and i really enjoyed it! it was tough going from anakin and obi wan joking and teasing each other at the beginning, to 2 hours later trying to kill each other

[@jimcorleone7861]

The genius of George Lucas is also his way of filming: the shots are often long, wide and allow the context to be easily defined. Special effects are important but Lucas takes the time to show us each scene in detail, without adding tons of action or unnecessary fast movements. The same goes for the duels, the centerpieces of each film: the choreographies are always neat without trying to change plan every second to impress us.

[@Melvin7727]

Bingo

[@loremaster6828]

The way he arranges a scene with characters is almost like a stage play

[@jimcorleone7861]

@Surfyun I can feel your anger, it gives you focus, makes you stronger

[@lotanowo]

@@jimcorleone7861 Are you trying to insult him? You just said that he is now focused and strong. But also he's right, most of the shots in the prequels were literally wide-shots of two characters casually pacing towards the camera with a CGI backdrop. It's laziness, and has been present in cinematography since the beginning and is often used in cheap productions with low budget or productions meant to make a quick buck. Why would Lucas using this cheap, uninspired and lazy technique make his use of it better?

[@methos-ey9nf]

@@lotanowo LOL you missed the joke. Saying the anger makes him stronger and focused is something the Emperor says.

[@speederscout]

Honestly, the scene with Anakin and Padme by the fireplace is one of my most genuinely favorite scenes of dialogue. They are both trying so hard to hide and yet convey their true feelings while desperately trying to maintain their stoic, professional facades even as they completely collapse. The pain of their public positions colliding with their deep yearning is what produces their stilted dialogue, making their inner turmoil so awkward, and palpable. It is probably the most maligned and misunderstood and underappreciated scene of all time.

[@tomnorton4277]

I have a feeling that many people dislike it because it reminds them of how awkward and cringeworthy THEY were around their first love. Or makes them aware of how awkward and cringeworthy they probably will be if/when they find a person that they love romantically. Of course, few of them will ever admit it because their ego's won't allow it. The scene is so brutally honest with how uncomfortable love can be that people lashed out but frankly, I think that just makes it all the more sincere.

[@clutteryfluttery6391]

@@tomnorton4277 Or...maybe it's just not a very well written scene? Could your ego cope with that explanation? Cause plenty of movies have captured the awkwardness of first love without such lines as "I wish that I could wish away my feelings." Like, it's all very well to be going on about other people's egos, but it seems like you're the one with the ego if you can't admit something is a bit schlocky, or mediocre. It's okay! Star Wars is made for kids, it always has been. You don't have to be so insecure that you try and turn it into some sort of Chaucer-esque misunderstood genius that you alone (of course) understand. Sometimes it helps gain a little perspective to poke fun at the things you enjoy. I know the prequels have appalling dialogue. But I still enjoy them. I've never been quite sure WHY so many people feel like they need Star Wars to be something more than it is. Is it the insecurity of enjoying childish things? That in itself is a sign of immaturity.

[@tomnorton4277]

@@clutteryfluttery6391 So you were Mr Smooth around your first love? I've never been in a relationship but my ego can cope with the knowledge that I would probably be an awkward wreck too. And if I was ashamed of watching stuff for children, I'd have to be ashamed of still being a Pokemon fan at the age of 28.

[@jimreily7538]

​@@clutteryfluttery6391 Likely the best and most accurate comment on this channel. These people read excessively into crap dialogue, and add themes and depth that aren't there, and were never there to begin with. Lucas - and many of his colleagues, contemporaries, and close contacts - have routinely and bluntly remarked upon how poor his dialogue is. Lucas has admitted it time, and time again. He's just a bad writer. There's nothing more to it than that. Those who feel they must defend the dialogue and turn it into "the best writing ever" (as I've seen some commenters state) are only saying that, because they adore Lucas and cannot fathom that he'd be a bad writer. But he is. He's even said it's worst attribute, in respect of filmmaking.

[@nestorsifuentesaguirre2722]

​@@jimreily7538At least he's no Kennedy lol

[@tomnorton4277]

George Lucas is fully aware that his dialogue is corny and that's why it always sounds sincere. It's not meant to be cool or trendy or anything like that, it's just meant to be honest. Frankly, we need a lot more of that in today's society.

[@michaelsacco4212]

No. It’s just corny and bad. There is plenty of amazing dialogue that is sincere and honest, not cool or trendy, and isn’t corny and terrible like Lucas’s dialogue. Him being fully aware of how corny it is does make it a bit more enjoyable and have a cool sense of melodrama, but at the end of the day the prequel dialogue is just plain bad. Iconic and memorable (like “If you're not with me...then you're my enemy!”) isn’t iconic because it’s good. It does take a chance, is risky, and has an attractive melodramatic quality, while being kind of funny- but it’s just bad writing and dialogue.

[@tomnorton4277]

@@michaelsacco4212 Would you make these complaints about William Shakespeare? Do you think "With base? With baseness? Bastardy? Base, base?" sounds more natural than Anakin simply being upfront with Padme about how he feels?

[@michaelsacco4212]

Tom Norton you can bring up countless examples of melodramatic dialogue. Just because it’s melodramatic doesn’t mean it’s bad. The dialogue is wooden, cringey, forced. Sure it borrows attributes of Shakespeare, but not well. These are feature films. Movie dialogue needs to have a level of naturalness and not be as scripted and dull like the prequels. You can like the dialogue, nothing wrong with that. It’s just not good. The fact that this video even exists is evidence of that

[@tomnorton4277]

@@michaelsacco4212 Movie dialogue does not need to be natural. It needs to fit the story and Lucas' dialogue does. Star Wars has always had "bad" dialogue; Alec Guinness, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford were making fun of Lucas for it right from the start. It's part of the franchise's identity.

[@michaelsacco4212]

Tom Norton both trilogies have an epic and melodramatic feel to their dialogue, but the original trilogies dialogue is obviously 100x more convincing, less wooden, and natural. There’s no arguing with that

[@quantaluxvision]

This video has flipped my original viewpoint of "the dialogue is the worst part of the prequels." You convinced me! Bravo!

[@VinVonVoom]

@C man Man It's amazing how many parallels can be drawn from the criticisms of the OT vs the criticisms of the PT. "I like the main villains but those comic sidekicks and politics are really unnecessary" was a common complaint I see looking through old ANH reviews. Suddenly when TPM came out everyone forgot how C-3PO and R2-D2 did essentially the same thing as Jar-Jar.

[@NotaNazgul]

@@VinVonVoom well. Both the droids and Jar Jar are used as comic relief, yes. But the latter was overused to a point that many viewers were really annoyed and kicked out of the narration suspension. R2D2 to me had some mildly annoying moments - but also good ones.

[@ertymexx]

@@NotaNazgul this. The big battle(s) at the end of TPM were a worse version of Endor, when they try to make us be in suspense and laugh at the same time. It can work, but Jar-Jar crosses that fine line by a galactic mile, completely murdering the suspense.

[@Onezy05]

@@ertymexx Depends on the viewer. I thought it was fine for the most part in regards to juxtaposing between the more intense battle (the duels) and the childish one (Ewoks and Gungans)

[@Onezy05]

@@VinVonVoom It's funny, I remember reading an interview from Lucas about the droids being compared to Jar Jar. He stated that while there were definitely some criticisms of C-3PO in ANH, they were drowned out by the films overall positivity. There was a similar backlash to the Ewoks in Jedi, but that died down too. Lucas believed that Jar Jar only got a more extreme response due to the proliferation of the internet, where opinions could be voiced louder and be picked upon by more media outlets. Though funnily enough, Lucas responded to the C-3PO/Jar Jar criticisms in a similar way -by being almost self aware of the criticisms. In Empire, virtually all the characters make fun of C-3PO's mannerisms and his irritations are played off for laughs. In Clones, there's a brief moment were Jar Jar smiles towards the camera, as if saying 'yeah bitch I'm back!' 😂

[@DukeSolaire]

Having recently rewatched the prequels I noticed something I hadnt when watching them as a a kid. Theres a dynamic character change that happens within anakin in the finale of RotS that I love. The whole Trilogy he tries to restrain himself. Of course his dialogue is wooden, because he went into the jedi order at a later age than any other jedi. The whole Trilogy you witness him trying to suppress his emotions and be the "model jedi" when that's just not how he grew up. He's putting on an act. In Phantom Menace he's cocky, arrogant, and impulsive, something that any 9 or 10 year old boy ahead of his peers in every way would be like, especially on a competitive desert planet like Tatooine. Then suddenly he's thrust into this monastic order that tells him to suppress everything he's felt until then, to forget his mother, etc, to be completely humble, while at the same time telling him he's "The Chosen One", essentially the Jedi messiah, a position that should automatically grant him the highest respect and power amongst the jedi. But it doesn't. Instead he's denied the title of Jedi Master, while being berated and even ridiculed by his master. But then he's presented with a different path. Someone comes along and says "the jedi have lost their way, the republic is crumbling, your only chance to be anything more than what you are is to side with me." So he takes it. He takes the opportunity to side with Palpatine and let his emotions guide him, not realizing, until later, that that option was much worse than reforming the jedi order from the inside, which is what he would have done had he stayed behind when Mace said to, and subsequently been promoted to master. In an alternate timeline he could have been the one to succeed Yoda and return the Jedi Order to its peacekeeping roots. And then, at the very end, he stills speaks in an arrogant and aloof manner right up until Obi Wan chops his limbs off. Then, in that fateful moment when he yells at Obi Wan that he hates him, that's when he allows all that emotion out. Theres not just hate but also love in those words. He realizes that Obi Wan is right in a way, through his actions he's allowed himself to become Palpatines puppet, has allowed himself to have his "heart twisted by this dark lord". He's acknowledging that, although he still believes the old republic was inefficient and the jedi "evil from his point of view", it would probably be better than being ruled by Palpatine. Then, once he's in the suit, he can't fight Palpatine on his own anymore, as (I believe it's cannon) that Palpatine deliberately had the suit made in such a way as to constantly keep Anakin in a weaker state than Palpatine and in pain so the rage and hatred that fuels the dark side would more easily flow through him. Which is why in the OT he goes so soft on Luke, he's trying to train him up, so he really can depose Palpatine and create an Empire with "Peace, Freedom, Justice, and Security", ruling alongside his son. What he doesn't expect is for Palpatine to try to kill the only candidate who could possibly succeed the aging Anakin as his successor, hence why he throws him down the shaft.

[@calebvanhouden1761]

Completely agree man

[@You_Tube000]

Spot on!

[@williampan29]

I dobut the part about training him. otherwise he wouldn't chop his son's arm off. He, at the point of the Empire Strikes Back, still has a twisted set of values. He has conflicted feeling for both Luke and Palpatine. For the later he definitely remained loyal to and he if he truly want to rule the galaxy with his son, he would just disposed of Palpatine, but rule in the same autocratic style as him.

[@MusicalBoarder]

Anakin is a horny teen in the second movie having been told the last near decade to stop being emotional. Then he gets thrust into an assignment with as he puts it 'an angel,' and someone he was incredibly attracted to. He's going to be a dumb awkward teen saying weird things. Hayden's acting was accidentally brilliant and basically perfectly portrayed what a person going through that sort of thing would act and talk like. When he was talking about killing the tuskans, he was breaking inside. Being emotional and realizi g what he had done, trying to supress it with jedi training, and mentally snapping at the inner conflict.

[@sharp52092]

@@williampan29 Luke lost his hand while Anakin lost half his arm. Along with the rest of his limbs and had to live in a life support suit. Compared to what Vader/Anakin went through, he was going easy on Luke.

[@chaserivera1623]

I get it now. It's just a sound effect. It's why the old Lego Star Wars fit the Lego format so well with zero words and only muttering. It's easy for any 5 year old to understand, but genius with its emotional tones. Paired with the music, visuals, and sound effects, Star Wars is a sensory experience unlike anything ever created.

[@hopefullyanonymous3466]

That montage at the end was dope. This is probably the most perfectly articulated video on Lucas’ dialogue Favorite line: “There’s always a bigger fish” by Qui Gon. It has quite a deep meaning, really

[@TS-hw7ro]

YES

[@benparsons4979]

and that meaning is?

[@TS-hw7ro]

@@benparsons4979 ew

[@hopefullyanonymous3466]

@@benparsons4979 the idea that sometimes things are more layered than they appear. For instance in the Phantom Menace I always thought it was Maul but the bigger fish was Sheev and the even bigger fish was Jar Jar. Even in real life we think Gates or Fauci or a secret group or organization rules the world but then you realize there’s a bigger fish

[@benparsons4979]

@@hopefullyanonymous3466 surely at one point there cannot be a bigger fish? There's only so large a fish can become

[@SpiderMan-ek4sg]

I always thought his dialogue in the prequels were more of something Shakespearian. I thought it was clever considering it was another time in the galaxy, the way of living for people was EXTREMELY different compared to how they lived during the reign of the empire.

[@jackalope2302]

Interesting thought. But it makes sense. Think of how speech patterns changed just between you and your parents generation.

[@SpiderMan-ek4sg]

@@jackalope2302 exactly bro.

[@hunterlawrence3573]

@@jackalope2302 Also how different people can speak across one planet. Apply that to an entire galaxy

[@SpiderMan-ek4sg]

@@hunterlawrence3573 Exactly.

[@davebob4973]

hi spider man

[@MCFrenstar]

My Wife and I watched this and just subscribed. We will follow your career with great interest.

[@juresaiyan]

God bless you and your wife.

[@k.u.m.o.r]

I understood this reference

[@ДмитрийХличкин]

Same

[@captain61games49]

@@k.u.m.o.r indeed

[@bigdoubleu117]

With the infamous sand quote, the hate and misunderstanding, people tend to forget that it wasn't out of the blue. Padme is reminiscing that when she was younger she would lay out on the SAND to dry off after swimmimg. Anakin follows up with the sand line. Also Prequels and OT rule, Lucas is a genious, he didn't want to direct the Prequels originally but everyone he went to turned him down, he wasn't surrounded by yes men and you'd see that by watching all the behind the scenes, as he was challenged a lot by the creatives, there were more practical effects in the Prequels than the entirety of the Originals, the CGI was groundbreaking at the time with new technology and techniques still used today, the actors did get to change lines and make interesting choices with their characters, take Anakin for example; Hayden studied the way James Earl Jones spoke and mimicked it. Also speaking of the character, Anakin is a slave boy who joined a cult who trained him to strip away his emotions, the Jedi are space monks, so duh, they're monotone and calm because of their training. Anakin is a socially awkward teen trying to flirt for the first time and on his first crush. Ain't nobody here suave. I think the hate is secretly because people relate to that socially awkward side of them they either still have or had.

[@emoxvx]

People also hate Anakin 'cause they want some perfect good-doer Superman-esque character with zero flaws, someone one-dimensional. Anakin's no James Bond, he's not the master of flirting, he's a child struggling to find his place and meaning in life, struggling to become an adult and accepting his insecurities and fears.

[@BRAWGWill]

The films could really have done with some more grounded, down-to-earth characters.

[@bigdoubleu117]

@@BRAWGWill don't really think that exists with a temple full of warrior monks who are taught to let go of emotion and to be abstinent, let alone in a scifyi film

[@BRAWGWill]

@@bigdoubleu117 Unfortunately meant they resonate less than the originals, which had more down-to-earth characters and human moments.

[@bigdoubleu117]

@@BRAWGWill Sure, but that also makes sense, Luke and the original characters didn't live under a monk monastery. All the characters in the PT did.

[@siubidubi5897]

For me this dialogue has its own style and atmosphere, like... You listen to that and you know: "That's Star Wars! That's legendary tale about knights in a galaxy far far away!". If they did not speak so elegant, straight-forward and awkward in the same time, it would not be so iconic and characteristic. And, of course, so mematic!

[@ertymexx]

A hint: watch "Harvey", the old version with James Stewart. You will very much recognise the acting style and voice, I think. :-)

[@DemonBlanka]

I think that's why you see the best performances out of the more classic theatric actors in the cast, Ian Mckellan, Alec Guiness, Ian McDiarmid, James Earl Jones and Peter Cushing all give absolutely knockout performances that feel so much larger than what's actually on the page. It reminds me a lot of Star Trek captains, the captains are usually best when played by the same sort of actors who can deliver these grand speeches and feel like bold heroes of virtue without feeling cheesy or insincere. One of the things I was so saddened to see was the new Dune lacking that sense of grandiosity, while it's a mess of a film I adore the casting of Lynch's film (some obvious exceptions aside), Patrick Stewart as Guerney gave such an air of gravitas and theater to the role that the grittiness of the new film doesnt even try to capture.

[@asudebirtane8243]

I always thought the dialogue gave the feeling of "space opera, melodrama" feeling very well. It was corny but poetic and very memorable. I think I ve memorized more than half of the dialogue of first 6 movies

[@Vingul]

So all of the movies, then.

[@quakywacky8048]

If you put a darth vader voice mod on haden’s performance, you’ll understand why his acting is the way it is

[@juresaiyan]

Brilliant!

[@juanita-dark]

We should have all realised Padme clearly loved Anakin all along after she sat through that speech and was still happy to go with him to Tatooine.

[@thelockenbubi7117]

I just love how hammill completely perfectly acts out Lucas‘ line

[@LordVaderTyrannus]

6:27 What I actually like about this line is the part you cut out: "The thought of not being with you... I can't breath." Because once he becomes Darth Vader, he loses her, and after he loses her, he has a hard time breathing.

[@m97polska]

My favorite line of dialogue is 'so uncivilized'

[@u.v.s.5583]

General Kenobi! Your blaster will make a fine addition to my collection!

[@theboithatcried5060]

My favorite line is "You were the Chosen One" it's such a line that has so much meaning and emotion like how amazing can a line be that when you hear it it gives you chills

[@AppleCherry108]

“Lose a planet, Obi-Wan has.” Gets me every time.

[@faithingood3863]

That ending was a beautiful homage to the prequels, amazing stuff. Favourite line is probably underrated but simple by Qui Gonn 'Your focus determines your reality'

[@cursedkitchen8752]

People seem to forget that Star Wars is essentially a soap opera! The Manichee light vs. dark duality seems to make people forget that it is a cheesy soap opera about a messed up family. People take it too seriously, but not sincerely, as is the intention, like you said. Another excellent video!

[@divergenttardis7378]

Exactly! From surprise siblings to secret love affairs, Star Wars has a lot in common with soap operas, or at least media that satirizes them. The films are campy and larger than life, which is part of why they're so lovable.

[@VibingMeike]

@@divergenttardis7378 Something I said many times is: the movies aren't afraid to take risks, doing things different than 'normal' movies, not as in randomly subverting expectations every time (cough The Last Jedi), but with creating a different world where everything would be 'strange' in real life, but makes sense with the context of the world it takes place in.

[@user-vr5zk9ox8d]

@@VibingMeike Another film like that which comes to mind is Avatar (the blue people one lol).

[@VibingMeike]

@@user-vr5zk9ox8d Oh yeah that one! I still need to see the whole movie lol

[@user-vr5zk9ox8d]

@@VibingMeike I would recommend it. It’s a fun watch overall and there’s apparently some sequels along the way soon.

[@Dinosreviews]

The dialogue is very much like the movies and serials that George Lucas grew up with and were an influence for Star Wars. "Your focus determines your reality." Is a favourite of mine.

[@LordVader1094]

Also has the feeling of novels from the 1800s to early 1900s that are even more straightforward, expository, and "awkward". It's not bad dialogue, just a different style.

[@jonniboye6399]

This must be why I can't help but quote Luke's line after they rescue Leia: "I care!"

[@SoUncivilized414]

I use that one a lot myself, actually.

[@heunam3593]

''Life seems so much simpler when you're fixing things'' Anakin, Ep. II

[@Jared_Wignall]

Since Star Wars is in the space opera genre, the melodramatic dialogue that is accompanied with the theatrical acting style fits the franchise very well. George Lucas has mentioned how he wants his actors and actresses to act in a way that is reminiscent of the 1930s style of acting as he really enjoys that type of acting in classic films of the 30s as well as the old 30s serials that he enjoyed watching as a kid and served as some of his many influences for Star Wars.

[@benjaminvega7186]

You guys have no idea how much it makes me happy to see so many people understanding George Lucas and the amazing work he has done for us

[@donkylefernandez4680]

6:00 - 7:00 has got to be the cleanest sequence I've ever *experienced* in a video essay. Your editing provided understanding beyond words. Lucas is the King of Wooden Dialogue!

[@donkylefernandez4680]

Btw this made me think of the expository landfills of the Disney sequels

[@samh3530]

"the dialogue is the movies greatest weakness" is a common criticism of star wars, I'd argue it's one of the strongest. The dialogue is straightforward, plain, so it doesn't detract from the movie itself! I think its genius

[@Demetrius900000]

Crap all those scenes mades me tear up. So sad we won't see anymore Lucas Star Wars :(

[@derangedcrouton1864]

The mandalorian is Lucas influenced star wars

[@lumos2230]

Good lol. Dave filoni and Jon faverau are MUCH better writers and pretty much saving the franchise.

[@revengeofthesith.]

@@lumos2230 you realize Disney’s trash sequels are why the franchise went to shit?

[@derangedcrouton1864]

@@revengeofthesith. I don't like sand was probably the start

[@Demetrius900000]

@@lumos2230 You mean mandalorian? S1 was meh, S2 was better but still not the thing. But people love it, so who cares about my opinion.

[@headmasterhastings4884]

I agree. It just isn’t a space opera without cheesy dialogue. People have to remember that besides all of the special effects and modern technology, the prequels are 1950s adventure serials. It’s a shame the dialogue in the prequels is as misunderstood as it is.

[@sillythygoose]

I always thought this was a trick to make Star Wars accessible to everyone. When you have themes and emotions as strong as the ones in the prequels making the dialogue simple yet memorable is a good way to make sure everyone from adults to children can understand and are invested

[@DylanSunkel]

8:32 Whoa, I can't believe this video was directed by George Lucas himself! Props for getting that collab.

[@snuvmelon9974]

Hayden's delivery of Anakin's lines is something I find beautifully weird. I love it

[@Myhsiryh]

Everybody here is just commenting their favorite Star Wars quotes, but I want to show my appreciation for what an absolute *masterpiece* this video is! Truly great writing and editing! Keep it up! 🤩

[@brotheryoungtrad217]

If George didn't write the dialogue the way we know them today, we wouldn't have effective prequel memes. Think about it.

[@MediaLoverChris02]

That’s a good thing. So fucking sick of those prequel memes.

[@fluff6811]

I love how at the end it just turns into an Anakin Padme Love Theme AMV

[@SoUncivilized414]

You got an lol when I looked up that acronym. Basically.

[@fluff6811]

@@SoUncivilized414 he does it in all of his vids and it just makes it so cinematic🤩

[@VibingMeike]

I mean, I'm not complaining :P

[@imspecial5503]

Every time you post it’s an event where I cancel all my plans just to watch it

[@MattyBeeProductions]

I feel like I finally understood George Lucas' style once I heard him refer to Star Wars as a "Space Opera" in an interview.

[@sophiapacione]

Woah. I've been watching Star Wars since before I could read, or really understand half of what they were saying for that matter, but I think the fact that dialogue served more "as a sound effect" was what made me follow the story. At the time I didn't know what a republic was, the senate, or diplomacy. But I could recognize the tones and moods of dialogue, so I understood the plot quite well. I dunno it's just interesting to realize. Thank you!

[@SirPage13]

As somebody growing up without being able to speak or read english, I kind of never felt like I missed anything. Most other movies were impossible to get enjoyment out of without it being dubbed.

[@JohnSmith-td7hd]

Anakin's lines that are used here, when he's talking about how he feels, I feel are perfectly written and delivered. He is a Jedi and a man, both of whom are raised to control their feelings. The lines are spoken exactly as I would have. The writing and acting come together in such a poignant way. The writer and actor really knew how to reach their mostly male audience.

[@ndv135]

We don't meme the things we hate, we meme the things we love.

[@prometheusmodelow8322]

I never understood why people complain to no end about "corny" lines in the SW prequels but ignore the same types of lines from the modern Marvel movies. Dialogue is meant to express something, to further the plot of the movie, not to accurately replicate how you speak to your friends on discord or some shit.

[@DizzyBusy]

Hmph, yes, and then there are people who like to watch characters talk like humans. It takes a writer with good ears and it is a craft. George Lucas is a lot of things, but he's not a writer with an ear for speech. You don't have to understand, you just have a different preference

[@amrabilalovic9651]

"Twice the Pride, double the Fall" - my absolute favorite line from prequel trilogy.

[@BucketheadStudios]

The movies have always been intended for kids too, so it makes sense to have the characters show feelings very clearly. I've always thought of them in the sense of those old serials, and also almost playing out like a soap opera.......only immensely more cool of course 😄

[@outcast4087]

Personally, I never had any issues with Lucas' dialogues. Yes, they may sound pretty stiff, but they also sound natural. People don't give huge meaningful speeches all the time. Meanwhile, small lines for small friendly conversations and tiny commentaries on their own work and decisions - sure! Some more, some less, but they do it! Especially awkward teenagers who struggle with their own feelings. It all sounds really natural, really believable.

[@TS-hw7ro]

exactly

[@trololololo3659]

This . I always liked how straightforward the dialogue is in star wars . In most movies they have long ass conversations because they never get to the point . Most people don’t ramble about what they want to say and try to sound deep or something like that .if someone asks me why iam sad i just tell them why , i dont do a long ass damn philosophical speech about why iam sad .

[@onyxrose4349]

Exactly. Real conversation is nowhere near as witty as films make it out to be. When writing you can take minutes or hours to come up with one line of witty perfection, but a conversation isn't like that. People just... talk. They say what comes to mind, and that's all George's writing is.

[@chadwertz9648]

Well done. I love it when people give credit where credit is due and George Lucas definitely deserves the credit. The best comparison was his writing to his sound effects. After Disney’s fiasco, it’s obvious to me not just anybody can do what George Lucas can do with HIS universe.

[@angusdog22]

I love the dialogue of Star Wars . It’s so unique it’ll never be replicated .

[@grantjohnson5785]

2:34 "His characters always declare their feelings in the bluntest possible way." Oh, like how opera characters sing literally *everything* they're thinking and feeling... One would think this to be perfectly acceptable in a "SPACE OPERA", hmm??? Really explains why both the plot AND the dialogue stunk like a Hutt bathed in bantha poodoo in Ep. 7-9.

[@choueriito2548]

That, and it also harkens back to how characters talked in a lot of classical literature from the 19th Century. If looking at something such as the works of Dumas or Dostoyevsky, they have a similar manner of having the characters be transparent with either their feelings or intent in a manner far more verbose and transparent than what people criticise the prequels for. However, people seem to treat the two very different because those examples are novels from a different time and place whereas the prequels are films released in the 21st Century; the cognitive dissonance and hypocrisy of those criticising prequel dialogue coming from the fact these are set *a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.^ It reminds me a lot of what Rick Worley said in his video analysing the prequels, that a lot of Star Wars "fans" and "critics" that dunk on the prequels or George Lucas often have a strange double standard when it comes to Star Wars compared to other forms of fiction.

[@NotaNazgul]

@@choueriito2548 I cannot follow your point. What language beings actually mostly use in Star Wars is different dialects of "galactic basic". Yet we consume it in modern english - our own language. While some dialogue here is really powerful, some is awfully wooden and can kill the SciFi immersion. People have a point in their critique - Dumas, Dostojewski, Basic or not.

[@choueriito2548]

@@NotaNazgul I am well aware that it's Galactic Basic, which only adds to my point. Despite it being "translated" into English, many idiosyncrasies still remain such as several races being categorised with distinct accents such as the Gungans, Twi'leks, etc.making it apparent that mannerisms and speech style in Star Wars are far from completely uniform regardless of what language it's in. If anything, that only adds to the Sci-Fi immersion rather than kills it.

[@LordVader1094]

@@NotaNazgul Are you stupid or something? Nobody gives a damn about it being galactic basic in-universe, most people don't even know that term who watch the films. It's a space opera, and operas are not generally subtle.

[@NotaNazgul]

​@@choueriito2548 This I understand, thanks. Well, I think this is where personal preference starts. To me, the humans in Star Wars are so close to us that it occasionally kills my immersion if their language is too strange/wooden. Yes, I fully understand that this is long ago in a different galaxy. But I also judge the movies by their capacity to entertain me and offer immersion in the story Lucas wants to tell. They are not a documentation after all. So it would be nice if you could remove words like "hypocrisy" when reflecting on other perspectives. But I get now that you perceive the SW humans as more alien and that their different language helps your immersion. Both makes sense :)

[@mbmc6408]

Unlike sand, i like this channel and hope it gets everywhere

[@crackedfrijoles6696]

I think the best part of Lucas’s dialogue is how goddamn easy it is to make a meme out of it. it’s just so unusual compared to most other movies. I guarantee you that it will be very difficult to find a movie where one of the main characters says “hello there” when faced with one of the main villains

[@Alice83ashla]

Maybe I like the Dialogue a lot because it’s straight forward it literary tells you what is anyone thinking etc. and it’s probably because I have Autism so the straight up dialogue helps me.

[@thatboyonfire]

“So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause” is one of my favourite lines in the whole saga

[@Casual-Yohoho-Enjoyer]

When you watch it and just think "k, that's how they talk in this universe" it doesn't seem so weird

[@frankyan3943]

Anyone who’s doubting Lucas’ ability to write realistic, naturalistic, and witty dialogues should watch American Graffiti

[@nathanhills336]

I absolutely adore the prequels. I rewatched them over and over when I was a kid and they never lost their spark. I recently watched all of the Star Wars films and I definitely can still say the prequels are some of my favorite films. Star Wars is simply great. All of it.

[@kewlman5417]

Chad: all good Virgin: only original good

[@nathanhills336]

@@kewlman5417 I agree full heartedly

[@thanos_6.0]

Same case with me bro

[@akosmaradi5281]

I just hate the new trilogy tho I am sorry but I cannot contain my hatred for those 3 films. I don't think they are star wars at all. I must be a virgin than :D

[@Leshamir]

@@kewlman5417 Gigachad: but not sequels.

[@noheroespublishing1907]

George Lucas is truly a talented artist, not just because of his visuals, or sound effects, but because he so clearly was inspired by other great artists in other fields, his poetic mind is masterful, and to this day I still find subtle forshodowing, double-entendres, and complex visual symbolism; all packed into an easy access blockbuster package. George makes a genera often viewed as an artistic expression of trivialities into a complex operatic symphonic poem in the tradition of Dante's The Divine Comedy, Milton's Paradise Lost, or Melville's Mobey-Dick. He elevates the simple and makes it grand, he truly is just as visionary as his friend and contemporary Steven Spielberg and worthy of just as much respect.

[@Drexaan]

One great thing about star wars is that its messages seem so far off from reality and fantastical, but the more one thinks about it and the more one compares it with many facets of our reality, the more relevant it seems. Especially today. I'm not just talking the political side of it, but also the spiritual and philosophical sides

[@jeffmuller1489]

Agree! There are a lot of messages and truths in Star Wars that can be applied today.

[@suntzugames]

05:30 - Well said. I have never thought of that until now. My 6-year-old son never asks me what the characters are talking about when we are watching Star Wars, while it happens constantly when we watch other movies (English being a second language to us).