Here we go with an action scene in AOTC. Things were already tense between Jango Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi when they met earlier. Obi-Wan knows Jango is totally lying and is the bounty hunter responsible for the attempt on Padme’s life, while Jango knows the jig is up. Which is why he and his clone/son Boba are trying to get off Kamino as quickly as possible when Obi-Wan tries to stop him after Yoda and Mace Windu order him to bring back Jango for questioning.
As Boba scrambles onto the ship, Jango in full armor and Obi-Wan battle it out on a rainy landing pad. AOTC uses a lot of cloudy skies, which is a Lucas shorthand for things mysterious, hidden, and unclear. Kamino is itself an enigmatic out-of-the-way, taken-off-the-map planet of constant rainstorms and inhabited by an enigmatic race of alien beings whose specialty is cloning. The big secret Kamino is hiding is the creation of a massive clone army that had been done in secret for over a decade and the destructive implications of which are symbolized by the storms raging outside. The clouds on Kamino are dark gray and black, making it the most ominous location in the film.
Obi-Wan basically spends most of AOTC chasing down deep dark secrets and he’s stumbled onto a doozy. But Jango is a more than capable and dangerous fellow, even matched up against Obi-Wan. Jango is able to escape (even while bumping his head).
As with all good action scenes, it comes down to stunt coordination and editing. The result is fast-paced yet unlike with a lot of action scenes these days, I can actually follow what’s happening. Bonus points to Ewan McGregor, who really got put through the wringer when doing many of the stunts himself, and to Temuera Morrison for having to do a fight scene in that armor. ILM and the on set special effects crew of course deserve its props for convincing effects, combining practical and digital elements. A great popcorn moment.
Tags: AOTC
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September 30, 2015 at 10:47 pm |
In AOTC, Obi-Wan is essentially Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson, and plays impromptu detective through out the first 2/3 of the film. Really loved the mystery of the clones and of their origin sprung from the mind of the enigmatic Master Sifo-Dyas.
It’s ironic that Kamino is so foreboding outside, because Tipoca City is the opposite. The city, and its celestial aura, seems to be a metaphor for heaven. The birthplace of creation.
Unfortunately, it’s an illusion, and all he finds there are a bunch of disaffected, greedy businessmen.
I think in many ways, Jango Fett is the worst of the worst. He doesn’t believe in anything, except greed. Anakin believed in the Sith and the politics of Palpatine, no matter how pee-into-a-jar-Howard Hughes-crazy those ideas might seem to most, I think Anakin believed he was he was justified in his actions. Whereas Fett just don’t care, holmes!
Kamino is a hostile planet of raging elements, straight outta the OT. The landing pad is the real Kamino, where the greatest threat is not man, but the elements. Obi-Wan gets jacked up by the elements much in the way Luke does on Hoth.
The scene shows again how good of an action director Lucas is. With all the rain, under a less technically proficient craftsman, the scene easily could have become an MTV-edited, shaky cam-photographed, unintelligible mess. Much like most of my posts!
And remember, there are no handrails on the landing platform, nor anywhere else in Star Wars architecture where an action scene might break out! It’s a long fall!
October 1, 2015 at 9:11 am |
As I’ve long said, there’s no OSHA in the GFFA.
October 2, 2015 at 10:28 am |
I always loved the fight scene between Obi-Wan & Jango (as well as the asteroid part) since I saw the film at age 7 🙂