Chefelf.com Night Life: A question regarding Samuel L. Jackson - Chefelf.com Night Life

Jump to content

Star Wars Fan Convention

  • (3 Pages)
  • +
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3

A question regarding Samuel L. Jackson If you hate him in these films...

#1 User is offline   Lord Aquaman Icon

  • Legend
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 1,976
  • Joined: 19-November 04
  • Location:Atlantis
  • Interests:Movies, comic books, some mythology... basically anything that's larger than life.
  • Country:United States

Posted 08 May 2005 - 11:43 PM

I've met a lot of people - fans and non fans alike - who seem to habitually loath the presence of Samuel L. Jackson in the Star Wars prequels, some because they feel he is wasted (along with many other fine actors), some because his lightsaber is purple (which he personally requested), others simply because as a Jedi Master he doesn't get to curse, and some simply because he's Samuel L. Jackson. I personally have nothing against the presence of Samuel L. Jackson in these movies - there are other far more annoying distractions worth hating - but if you find yourselves hating Sam in these movies, I would like to hear them so that I can understand better why you don't want him in these movies (among other fine actors).
I am the Fisher King.

I'd like a qui-gon jinn please with an obi-wan to go.
0

#2 User is offline   ernesttomlinson Icon

  • Level Boss
  • PipPipPip
  • Group: Junior Members
  • Posts: 342
  • Joined: 28-September 04

Posted 08 May 2005 - 11:52 PM

I don't hate Samuel Jackson in the movies but his appearances, especially in Episode I, make me cringe. His line readings are so flat and lifeless. He's more tolerable in Episode II only because he hardly does anything but swing a lightsabre and say, "Party's over."
0

#3 User is offline   Grand Moff Lebowski Icon

  • Mini Boss
  • PipPip
  • Group: Junior Members
  • Posts: 121
  • Joined: 24-July 04

Posted 09 May 2005 - 12:47 AM

"Party's over." does it for me. My main problem with him in Star Wars is that he is playing Jedi Master Jules Windu--AKA Bad Mother F**er.
"This Party's over"??? Who says that in Star Wars. What seasoned, lethal, experienced, Master, swordSmith, teacher, respected elder would say THAT? Why not start in with some other earthly type sayings like, "Your ass is as dead as fried chicken", or "We're gonna be like 3 little Fonzies here".

Purple lightsaber? It is obvious the character has these things and says these lines because Sam Jackson wanted to say them and GL's kids thought it would be RAD to have him do it.

The ONLY reason he should have been in the PT is to have turned out to be a bad guy. That would have beenawesome for him. It would explain why he acts like such a subdued dork in EPI too.
0

#4 User is offline   Storm Icon

  • Level Boss
  • PipPipPip
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 374
  • Joined: 25-March 05
  • Gender:Male
  • Country:Canada

Posted 09 May 2005 - 12:57 AM

It's not that I don't like Samuel L. Jackson as an actor, I just dislike all of the Jedi in the Prequel Trilogy. They're all so arrogant of their abilities and highly illogical. Qui Gon seemed to be the last intelligent Jedi, before Yoda apparently realizes he is a fool and has 30 years to think about his mistakes before wisening up. Here are a couple points:

1. There really is no reason for them to be so untrusting of Anakin. Yes, they could tell that "his future was cloudy", but this leads them to be consistently paranoid of Anakin. In most scenes involving Anakin and the Jedi Council, even when Anakin is a child, he is treated poorly from all members of the council. No wonder he is so bitter. I think Anakin would have turned out much differently if Qui Gon was his master.

2. The rescuing of Obi Wan and Anakin from the Geonosis Arena is unacceptable. Surely they must have realized the odds they were against, and the majority of Jedi who went to help were killed by the overwhelming droid army. Sacrificing 30 Jedi to save two is quite ridiculous, especially since the Jedi are to have no attachments to people. This sense of arrogance among the Jedi is probably what got them all killed.

3. When Dooku asks for the surrender of the Jedi in the arena, it is foolish for Mace Windu to refuse. If the clone army had not intervened, they would all have been killed. When Jango caught Padme and Anakin, did they surrender? When the destroyer droid kidnapped Obi-Wan, did he surrender? Surely even a "great" Jedi like Mace Windu must realize that surrender is an acceptable option at times. If Anakin and Obi-Wan did not initially surrender, they too would have been killed.

Mace Windu is a fool, as well as the rest of the Jedi. I will find ROTS to be a much better movie if Mace Windu is killed. Also, I think his lines such as "This party's over" and "I don't think so!" are absolutely hilarious. You see, making the Jedi seem this retarded will make it easier for us to accept that the Jedi were nearly made extinct.

This post has been edited by Storm: 09 May 2005 - 01:01 AM

0

#5 User is offline   Grand Moff Lebowski Icon

  • Mini Boss
  • PipPip
  • Group: Junior Members
  • Posts: 121
  • Joined: 24-July 04

Posted 09 May 2005 - 01:02 AM

Word.
0

#6 User is offline   CowboyCurtis Icon

  • Soothsayer
  • PipPipPipPip
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 800
  • Joined: 11-February 04
  • Location:Minnesooota
  • Interests:I lose interest in more things each and every day as things grow more and more mediocre and substandard...
  • Country:United States

Posted 09 May 2005 - 07:33 AM

I don't hate Jackson, either. I think he's a fine actor, but I think he's mis-used. "This party's over!" is a terrible line. I can forgive the colored lightsaber because we've been shown other colors, but there should be a really good reason other than "because Sammy requested it" to have it that color. There isn't even a good reason why a Sith's saber is red. It's certainly is a dead giveaway that they're Sith.

And what Storm said above. In general, my basic thoughts on Jedi is that even ONE Jedi can make a difference in a situation. Example, Luke in ANH. The odds against the Rebellion were stacked. There is no way they should've lost by all accounts, but one man one man who isn't even a full Jedi yet... one man with the Force on his side... makes all the difference in turning the tide against the Empire... yet, all of those Jedi--a hundred or more of them?---can't even win a battle against machines.

I guess they weren't listening to their midi's....

This post has been edited by CowboyCurtis: 09 May 2005 - 07:36 AM

Flying Ferret

Battle for the Galaxy--read the "other Star Wars"

All I know is I haven't seen the real prequels yet.
0

#7 User is offline   StarWarsIsUs Icon

  • Awesome Possum
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 1,358
  • Joined: 20-April 05
  • Location:Skywalker Ranch
  • Country:United States

Posted 09 May 2005 - 08:11 AM

I like Sam L. Jackson, and I have nothing wrong with purple lightsabers, but in this movie, Lucas makes him look like he can't act that well, when he can indeed act VERY well. Lucas has screwed it all up to hell.
SecretShadow (SuperShadow's main adversary)

Endor Holocaust
FIND OUT THE TRUTH
0

#8 User is offline   Lord Aquaman Icon

  • Legend
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 1,976
  • Joined: 19-November 04
  • Location:Atlantis
  • Interests:Movies, comic books, some mythology... basically anything that's larger than life.
  • Country:United States

Posted 09 May 2005 - 09:42 AM

QUOTE (CowboyCurtis @ May 9 2005, 05:33 AM)
And what Storm said above.   In general, my basic thoughts on Jedi is that even ONE Jedi can make a difference in a situation.  Example, Luke in ANH.  The odds against the Rebellion were stacked.  There is no way they should've lost by all accounts, but one man  one man who isn't even a full Jedi yet... one man with the Force on his side... makes all the difference in turning the tide against the Empire... yet, all of those Jedi--a hundred or more of them?---can't even win a battle against machines.

I guess they weren't listening to their midi's....


Good point. Luke's Jedi training was more or less crash course and look what he accompolished - blowing up the original Death Star as well as rescuing his friends from a bunch of scurvy desert thugs, thugs who could actually think at least, whereas all these Jedi in the prequels can't even handle a bunch of mindless machines that resemble Daffy Duck. It's a miracle among miracles that they lasted over 1000 generations - or for that matter, a generation.

It's amazing we can even take the Jedi for being arrogant, given how flat the line readings are.

And remember, Qui-Gon should not have been a part of the equation! But that's getting off topic, so let's get back to Sam. Yes, his lines were ridiculous, yet I still find hating his performance in the prequels to be exceedingly difficult.

This post has been edited by Lord Aquaman: 09 May 2005 - 09:43 AM

I am the Fisher King.

I'd like a qui-gon jinn please with an obi-wan to go.
0

#9 User is offline   littlejerryseinfeld Icon

  • Henchman
  • Pip
  • Group: Junior Members
  • Posts: 88
  • Joined: 26-October 04
  • Location:newport beach, CA
  • Country:United States

Posted 09 May 2005 - 12:14 PM

i hate him (the character, not the actor) because he's such a prick.

simple.

he's not cool, he just comes off as an asshole. if i was annie, i'd hate him too.
0

#10 User is offline   Magee Icon

  • Henchman
  • Pip
  • Group: Junior Members
  • Posts: 52
  • Joined: 04-May 05
  • Country:Nothing Selected

Posted 09 May 2005 - 03:27 PM

Who is he? Who is Mace Windu? I dont know anything about him except that he is the character that Samuel L. Jackson plays in the new Star Wars movies. He doesnt do anything. He walks around and repeats what the other characters say, badly I might add. He adds nothing. He is nothing. Like so much in these movies. The Imperial Admiral in the beginning of ESB that Vader kills has more character than Mace Windu.
0

#11 User is offline   Sagacity Icon

  • Mini Boss
  • PipPip
  • Group: Junior Members
  • Posts: 172
  • Joined: 24-January 04

Posted 09 May 2005 - 03:41 PM

He was a bad fit for an ill-conceived character, and that's always a killer.
0

#12 User is offline   BinarySunset Icon

  • Henchman
  • Pip
  • Group: Junior Members
  • Posts: 58
  • Joined: 20-April 05
  • Country:United States

Posted 10 May 2005 - 09:47 AM

QUOTE
He was a bad fit for an ill-conceived character, and that's always a killer.

I have to say that ITA with your statement, Sagacity. It pretty much sums up, I think, what others are feeling about Samuel L. in the PT.

I can't say that I was any kind of Samuel L. fan - I'm not into Tarrentino films nor the kind of films Sam generally tends to be in. But I was intrigued and impressed when I heard that he was cast in TPM. I initially thought that GL was truly branching out and creating a nice, diverse Star Wars universe (the way Star Trek has always been diverse).

Coming back to topic, I remember asking another SW fanatic who Samuel L. would portray in TPM. She said, with all this enthusiasm, "oh! he plays a Jedi master named Mace!" That was it. End of sentence. I remember looking at her and waiting for her to continue with some "character background" on this Mace. Nothing.

For all my friend's enthusiasm, she had nothing more to say about Mace Windu and, as sad as it is, that's pretty much what I've seen on screen: Samuel L. Jackson is playing a Jedi Master named Mace Windu. And that's about it. We haven't been given anything else (not on screen anyway, the book Shatterpoint does a fine job of giving us more on Mace).

As Sagacity said, "an ill-conceived character" [on-screen anyway] and as others have said, Samuel L. seems wasted in the role.

Although, I have to confess: I do like the line, "this party's over". I know, it's more of a Sam Jackson-ism rather than something we've come to expect a Jedi to say; but then again, who expected Anakin aka Darth Vader to run around saying "Yippee!". Also, we know Jedi come from all over the galaxy, who's to say they can't have their own speech idiosyncrasies? (and NO comments about ebonics or "ghetto speak" - if I read any such things I'll have to bring out my "Lady Vader" side and crush some tracheas devil.gif).

That is all biggrin.gif
0

#13 User is offline   diligent_d Icon

  • Soothsayer
  • PipPipPipPip
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 541
  • Joined: 16-May 05
  • Country:Canada

Posted 17 May 2005 - 03:34 PM

I always felt he was out of place in the Star Wars galaxy. Just like Jimmy Smits - it just feels like a distraction to me. I can't stand Samuel L. Jackson personally, so that probably has something to do with it since I didn't mind Ewan McGregor or Liam Neeson when they were announced.

And the purple Lightsaber does suck, in my opinion. But then again, I can't stand purple. So I have no logical beef against either one, just a personal reaction.
0

#14 User is offline   Devout Catalyst Icon

  • Henchman
  • Pip
  • Group: Junior Members
  • Posts: 59
  • Joined: 16-May 05
  • Country:United States

Posted 17 May 2005 - 03:50 PM

I think Jackson is just badly miscast.

He could have been the Han Solo character that the prequels so desperately need. He would be entirely convincing in that kind of role. He'd make the perfect Star Wars rogue. Yeah, the Lando Calrissian comparisons would be inevitable, but whereas Lando is smooth and diplomatic, Jackson could be a no-nonsense toughie.

As a Jedi Master, he is just not believable. Plus Mace Windu is a total nothing character.
0

#15 User is offline   barend Icon

  • Anchor Head Anchor Man
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Crappy News Team
  • Posts: 11,839
  • Joined: 12-November 03
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Nieuw Holland
  • Interests:The Beers of Western Europe, Cognac, and constantly claiming the world would have been a better place if Napoleon had won.
  • Country:Australia

Posted 18 May 2005 - 12:06 AM


0

  • (3 Pages)
  • +
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3


Fast Reply

  • Decrease editor size
  • Increase editor size