Friday, May 27, 2011
Saturday, February 27, 2010
My Fantasy Library: Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover
The book is always better than the movie, right? Unless that is, the book is an adaption of a movie, instead of the other way around. But, there are exceptions, either way. I have a hard time saying that Matthew Stover’s novelization of the third Star Wars prequel is better than the film. The movie was such a visual feast! And I loved Ewan McGregor’s Obi-wan.
Samuel L. Jackson’s Mace Windu, battling Ian McDiarmid’s Darth Sidious, is one of my favorite scenes in film. Perhaps, it would be best to say, that the novel is better in many ways. Important ways. In fact, if some of the ideas and characterizations in the novel, had been utilized in the movie, Episode III would have been a far superior film!
Imagine an Anakin who isn’t a shallow, obtuse, whiny, ever-so whiny, brat. Instead, let’s make him a heroic, yet troubled young man. One with deep-seated psychological trauma, stemming from his years as a slave. Whose fear of loss and death, coupled with his crushing responsibilities, exacerbated by the chaos of war and most importantly, by his visions of Padme’s death, bring him to to the verge of a nervous breakdown. After weeks of horrid, anxiety-born insomnia, he’s as vulnerable as he can be, to the insidious manipulations of his “friend,” Palpatine.
Throughout the book, Mr. Stover takes scenes, given short shrift or just plain handled poorly in the movie and turns them into wonderful story. I’m told that Mr. Lucas went over the book with a fine toothed comb and that the work was most definitely subject to his final approval. There are many instances where the author appears to be shoring up the weaknesses, which appear in the film release. I do wonder, how much of this was material originally thought of by Lucas and how much was the author’s invention. There’s at least one sub-plot in the novel, involving Padme and some of the other Senator’s, trying to deal with the threat they see in Chancellor Palpatine’s growing power, which, while shot, was cut from the final version of the film.
Without exceeding the limits of Fair Use, let me give you a few excerpts from Mr. Stover’s gem of an adaption.
Dooku felt himself blanch. Where had this come from? Skywalker
came on, mechanically inexorable, impossibly powerful, a destroyer
droid with a lightsaber: each step a blow and each blow a step.
Dooku backed away as fast as he dared; Skywalker stayed right on
top of him. Dooku's breath went short and hard. He no longer tried
to block Skywalker's strikes but only to guide them slanting away;
he could not meet Skywalker strength-to-strength—not only did the
boy wield tremendous reserves of Force energy, but his sheer
physical power was astonishing—
And only then did Dooku understand that he'd been suckered.
Skywalker's Shien ready-stance had been a ruse, as had his Ataro
gymnastics; the boy was a Djem So stylist, and as fine a one as
Dooku had ever seen. His own elegant Makashi simply did not
generate the kinetic power to meet Djem So head-to-head.
Especially not while also defending against a second attacker.- Matthew Stover, Revenge of the Sith
The battle with Dooku, is far more satisfying in the novel. It’s only out of sheer desperation and luck, that the Sith Lord is able to take out Obi-Wan. In the Movie, Dooku deals with Obi-Wan quickly and easily. It kind of makes you wonder how Kenobi could possibly stand up to Anakin, at the end of the film. In the novel, the Jedi Master’s abilities are evident.
He drove a series of flashing thrusts toward Kenobi's legs
to draw the Jedi Master into a flipping overhead leap so that Dooku
could burn through his spine from kidneys to shoulder blades—and
this image, this plan, was so clear in Dooku's mind that he almost
failed to notice that Kenobi met every one of his thrusts without so
much as moving his feet, staying perfectly centered, perfectly
balanced, blade never moving a millimeter more than was
necessary, deflecting without effort, riposting with flickering
strikes and stabs swifter than the tongue of a Garollian ghost viper,
and when Dooku felt Skywalker regain his feet and stride once more
toward his back, he finally registered the source of that blinding
defensive velocity Kenobi had used a moment ago, and only then,
belatedly, did he understand that Kenobi's Ataro and Shii-Cho had
been ploys, as well.
Kenobi had become a master of Soresu.
Dooku found himself having a sudden, unexpected, overpowering,
and entirely distressing bad feeling about this...- Matthew Stover, Revenge of the Sith
There’s so many little things, all adding up and changing the story in vital ways.
Palpatine had somehow seen into his secret heart, and had
chosen to offer him the one thing he most desired in all the
galaxy. He didn't care about the Council, not really—that was a
childish dream. He didn't need the Council. He didn't need
recognition, and he didn't need respect. What he needed was the
rank itself.
All that mattered was Mastery.
All that mattered was Padme.
This was a gift beyond gifts: as a Master, he could access those
forbidden holocrons in the restricted vault.
He could find a way to save her from his dream...
He shook himself back to the present. "I... am overwhelmed, sir.
But the Council elects its own members. They will never accept
this."
"I promise you they will," Palpatine murmured imperturbably.
He swung his chair around to gaze out the window
toward the distant spires of the Temple. "They need you more than
they realize. All it will take is for someone to properly..."
He waved a hand expressively.
" . . . explain it to them."- Matthew Stover, Revenge of the Sith
In the movie, Anakin comes off as quite the little shit, when the council declares, that they’ve decided to deny him the rank of Master. In the novel Anakin freaks, not because of an out of control ego, but, because without the rank of Master, he can’t access those forbidden holocrons. Data which might contain the secret he needs, to save Padme.
Much of the depth, with which Mr. Stover infuses the story, is of the sort that could only be properly expressed in the form of a novel. Score one, for literacy. Still, there are many aspects of this version of the tale, which, would have been so, very, very satisfying, to see on screen. I liked Episode III, a lot, in spite of instances of what I see as lazy, condescending and uninspired scripting, marring what could have been a much better movie. I’m still not prepared to say that the book is superior. As an overall, experience. But, at the level of story alone, yes. It is. If you’re a Star Wars fan, you might want to check it out.
This is the moment that defines Mace Windu.
Not his countless victories in battle, nor the numberless battles
his diplomacy has avoided. Not his penetrating intellect, or his
talents with the Force, or his unmatched skills with the lightsaber.
Not his dedication to the Jedi Order, or his devotion to the
Republic that he serves.
But this.
Right here.
Right now.
Because Mace, too, has an attachment. Mace has a secret
love.
Mace Windu loves the Republic.- Matthew Stover, Revenge of the Sith
The shadow he fought, that blur of speed—could that be
Palpatine?
Their blades flared and flashed, crashing together with bursts
of fire, weaving nets of killing energy in exchanges so fast that
Anakin could not truly see them—
But he could feel them in the Force.
The Force itself roiled and burst and crashed around them,
boiling with power and lightspeed ricochets of lethal intent.
And it was darkening.
Anakin could feel how the Force fed upon the shadow's murderous
exaltation; he could feel fury spray into the Force though
some poisonous abscess had crested in both their hearts.
There was no Jedi restraint here.
Mace Windu was cutting loose.- Matthew Stover, Revenge of the Sith