How the mighty have fallen to a real darkside

While I liked some of the prequel movies, no one is telling me that they are winning awards for writing anytime soon.  Phantom Menace and Revenge of the Sith both had some pretty big plot holes but at least they were fun action movies.  Attack of the Clones could be one of the worst things ever to be sprouted on God's green Earth, and that brings me to the subject of this review.  That is turning one of the silver screens most memorable and powerful villains into a simpering wimp.

Darth Vader if you've been living under a rock for the last 30 years or so was the main antagonist of the original Star Wars trilogy.  With his imposing black armor, labored and mechanical breathing and masked face, he was mysterious and creepy.  He had a lightsaber that could cut anything in his path, his powers of the force allowed him to move objects or even kill people with his mind.  He was also a fighter pilot with his own squadron and a fleet of immense space battleships for conquest.  He was a badass.

WAS.  Take a look at either Attack of the Clones or Revenge of the Sith and you'll see why.  I can't completely blame Hayden Christensen but he clearly needed help in direction and a better script to back him up.  Reading the EU graphic novel (and one of the best Star Wars comic series) Dark Empire, Luke joined the Dark Side to learn it's secrets and to learn why his dad went down that dark path.  In the films that followed 10 years later, we see that being told he is powerful and not trained properly, not to mention being browbeaten by his peers and manipulated by the dark side, you can't blame him for going the route he did. 

So instead of falling into evil and seduced by the Darkside and it's tales of power, he is tricked into it because he ended up hating his friends.  In between this, in the prequels he mules like a child about how life isn't fair and how people are holding him back-that one day he will be big and strong even saying that he is more powerful then Yoda.  Take this attitude later into Empire Strikes Back where he continually reneges on a deal with Lando.  Little Anny grew up to be an Asshole who got his way and now that hes Darth Vader the scourge of the galaxy who is a spoiled brat and it only makes me fear him cause I wouldn't want to work with him if given the chance cause I know he would screw me over to help ease his past of mistreatment.  I'm afraid of him more that he'd act like a stuck up asshole rather then be someone who'll kill me.  Even seeing him shout orders to his troops in the first Star Wars can't wash the taint away.

I talked about this in my Attack of the Clones review, but the same holds true here.  Darth Vader in the grand scheme of the 6 movies has been ruined.  Another book described Vader as "mad human wreckage" who went insane, but we all know he didn't.  He just had a king size hissy fit and lashed out at his supposed friends.

So....why does he still get a postive number?  Cause he's still Darth Vader and if your able to seal yourself away from the prequel movies and act like they didn't happen, he has much more appeal.  But....as Darth Vader once said, "It is too late for me."