Hot Toys MMS429 - Return of the Jedi Luke Skywalker

[IronPatriotFTW]

Sorry I seldom get on a computer these days to type, so a couple spots in my post were ****** fast mobile writing. If you all were not such a nit picky bunch I’m sure you could decipher it plus sometimes I use voice to text. But I do apologize for the errors lol.

I’m not so much defending the new movies, though I have enjoyed them overall. I’m just using established content and context (like Luke had little to no paitience and reacts impulsively and emotionally), to further connect the Luke that was in TLJ that we seen, vs the one I might have expected. Especially after reading EU. But as for just what was show in the OT, it fits. You don’t have to see or accept it... as a great Jedi once said “you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.”

It’s also like how one of my favorite characters like Darth Vader from the OT, was turned into IMO a lesser grade performance in the PT with a Anakin I had some trouble getting behind initially. But when the Clone Wars shows came out, they offered much redemption, plus character building and expansion that “redeemed” to me much of what was done with the prequels. Minus Jar-Jar.

And yeah maybe the new movies take your childhood heroes and kinda makes what they did seem worthless, but the same can be said of most real life childhood heroes and war stories. I actually really like how Rouge One showed that the Rebels were willing and able to do such horrific things like the Empire, by showing that they were assassins and murderers as well. And they used people as means to a end. War is ugly, and usually rewritten by its victors. And in order to achieve victory as romanticized in the OT there was a lot of behind the scenes hand dirtying.

I also liked how the Clone Wars showed that the Jedi were not these all knowing and great people to a lot of the galaxy (a knowledge, or in some cases a lack there of, that Palpatine used and greatly exploited) they were not even known to a lot of planets and people. To a good amount of people who they were not just myths to (also established in the OT, when not so much time had past between the PT and the OT to forget a group so allegedly powerful and mystic) hated them and thought they were selfish and pretentious, and didn’t offer aid unless it was in their or the republics own interests.

Again, it all seems to come down to the point of view thing lol

 

[Prime Clone]

I never thought he was using Force Choke here, just putting them to sleep.

This isn't the best view, but they do clutch their throats...

It’s also like how one of my favorite characters like Darth Vader from the OT, was turned into IMO a lesser grade performance in the PT with a Anakin I had some trouble getting behind initially.

Glad you came around. Many folks thought the PT Anakin should have been older and more badass, but the fall from grace wouldn't have been as dramatic.

 

[ShadowX81]

Glad you came around. Many folks thought the PT Anakin should have been older and more badass, but the fall from grace wouldn't have been as dramatic.

Why exactly? Making him young, effeminate, and immature, with his fall coming off as a child having temper tantrum kind of ruined it all for me IMO.

 

[Wor-Gar]

If you just do the original math, Vader being 50 in ANH, means he would have had Luke when he was 31. So the original fall many envisioned for 20 years was that of a grown adult.

I get the parallel of having Anakin close in age to Luke, so when that choice is upon Luke it is more dramatic. He's at the same point his father was. But I think that's taking it too literally. Not everyone is 19 (or 23) when confronted with a crossroads.

If TPM started with a young 19 year old Anakin slave who is angry with his plight in life and his only escape is pod racing... and they carried thru storywise with that "dream" he had of freeing the slaves in part 2... and then in part 3, after years of war and fighting and frustration, Anakin ultimately had his fall from grace at, say, age 29... I think that would have worked just as well, likely better.

 

[loki2371]

If you just do the original math, Vader being 50 in ANH, means he would have had Luke when he was 31. So the original fall many envisioned for 20 years was that of a grown adult.

I get the parallel of having Anakin close in age to Luke, so when that choice is upon Luke it is more dramatic. He's at the same point his father was. But I think that's taking it too literally. Not everyone is 19 (or 23) when confronted with a crossroads.

If TPM started with a young 19 year old Anakin slave who is angry with his plight in life and his only escape is pod racing... and they carried thru storywise with that "dream" he had of freeing the slaves in part 2... and then in part 3, after years of war and fighting and frustration, Anakin ultimately had his fall from grace at, say, age 29... I think that would have worked just as well, likely better.

Like Kylo Ren??? He's 29 and a bigger whiny ***** than Anakin ever was in the PT. The Clone Wars cartoon really changed his character a lot.

Every Disney SW villain sucks ***... Snoke was wasted, Ren (only looked cool in TFA, ruined by losing helmet in TLJ... Need to see pretty boy Drivers face) & Phasma was useless. Hux turned into a stooge sidekick. Better come up with a new baddy for EP9, but I already don't care...

 

[RandomHero]

And there is the problem with this whole thing. In order to defend the new movies, you have to tear down one of the greatest movie heroes of all time.

No one just randomly "created the idea in thier heads" that Luke was a Jedi. Besides straight out stating it in the film, it's been his arc for decades. To come out decades later and state that he wasn't important or great, and that this was all just fan headcanon is absolutely ridiculous.

Nevermind the fact that the ENTIRE premise of The Force Awakens was finding the great Luke Skywalker. The movie starts with Poe getting the missing piece of the map to Luke Skywalker from Lor San Tekka. Poe hides the map in BB-8, then the movie becomes about getting BB-8 to the Resistance, so they can find Luke Skywalker. The main villain wants the map, so he can find Luke Skywalker. The most dramatic part of the movie was finding Luke Skywalker. The movie is literally all about finding the most important person in the galaxy, a hero who stood up to the Emperor and his apprentice, and helped take down the Empire.

And it was all for nothing. They continued to make Luke Skywalker the main point of Star Wars, until they just decide that he wasn't.

 

[ShadowX81]

If you just do the original math, Vader being 50 in ANH, means he would have had Luke when he was 31. So the original fall many envisioned for 20 years was that of a grown adult.

I get the parallel of having Anakin close in age to Luke, so when that choice is upon Luke it is more dramatic. He's at the same point his father was. But I think that's taking it too literally. Not everyone is 19 (or 23) when confronted with a crossroads.

If TPM started with a young 19 year old Anakin slave who is angry with his plight in life and his only escape is pod racing... and they carried thru storywise with that "dream" he had of freeing the slaves in part 2... and then in part 3, after years of war and fighting and frustration, Anakin ultimately had his fall from grace at, say, age 29... I think that would have worked just as well, likely better.

I agree. Anakin starting out in his late teens in Episode 1, being 29 in Episode 2, and 35 in Episode 3 would have worked great for me. I always kind of pictured the young Vader being a combination of Jamie Lannister and Galen Erso.

Another factor to consider is that people (especially Hollywood actors) looked and acted a lot more mature 30 years ago. Hence why Luke in ROTJ comes off as much more grown up than Kylo Ren, even though Kylo is older.
Hollywood tends to favor actors these days that look like eternal teenagers. Hell, even Hayden today looks like he could still pass for a college kid. Even though hes not too far off from how old Vader would have been in ANH.

 

[Creighton]

Back on topic but I looked at the preorder pics again today. man I sure hope they don't botch this one!

 

[IronPatriotFTW]

Why exactly? Making him young, effeminate, and immature, with his fall coming off as a child having temper tantrum kind of ruined it all for me IMO.

Simply put, he had complex and horrible to live with personality disorders among other awful psychological factors.

I’m sorry that’s what ruined it for you, I highly suggest you watch the Clone Wars series, both animation versions are spectacular.

It can be a bit much that that’s most of the way they showed Anakin in the movies. It probably has something to do with being restricted to making a movie around 2 hours and being forced to make sure the central point and demand of showing this young boy being conflicted with so much turmoil internally and externally that he ended up as the Darth Vader you began with. Again the Clone Wars fleshed him out as a person, as well as expanding and explaining a lot of his conflict and views.

 

[IronPatriotFTW]

Nevermind the fact that the ENTIRE premise of The Force Awakens was finding the great Luke Skywalker. The movie starts with Poe getting the missing piece of the map to Luke Skywalker from Lor San Tekka. Poe hides the map in BB-8, then the movie becomes about getting BB-8 to the Resistance, so they can find Luke Skywalker. The main villain wants the map, so he can find Luke Skywalker. The most dramatic part of the movie was finding Luke Skywalker. The movie is literally all about finding the most important person in the galaxy, a hero who stood up to the Emperor and his apprentice, and helped take down the Empire.

And it was all for nothing. They continued to make Luke Skywalker the main point of Star Wars, until they just decide that he wasn't.

Lots of great adventures have some magnificent treasure promised at the end, only for it not to exist and the real treasure being you/they end up finding yourself/themselves or their friends or family.

 

[IronPatriotFTW]

Back on topic but I looked at the preorder pics again today. man I sure hope they don't botch this one!

Will hopefully see a version at Comic-Con.

 

[ShadowX81]

Simply put, he had complex and horrible to live with personality disorders among other awful psychological factors.

I’m sorry that’s what ruined it for you, I highly suggest you watch the Clone Wars series, both animation versions are spectacular.

It can be a bit much that that’s most of the way they showed Anakin in the movies. It probably has something to do with being restricted to making a movie around 2 hours and being forced to make sure the central point and demand of showing this young boy being conflicted with so much turmoil internally and externally that he ended up as the Darth Vader you began with. Again the Clone Wars fleshed him out as a person, as well as expanding and explaining a lot of his conflict and views.

But did they have to make him so young and boyish? Did they have to make him so explosive and whiney in his anger when the original trilogy Vader was quietly intense and surprisingly restrained? Not every type of crazy matches. Did they have to make him so awkward and wooden?

And yea, ive heard clone wars is better. Il have to check it out.

 

[Lordscum]

If you just do the original math, Vader being 50 in ANH, means he would have had Luke when he was 31. So the original fall many envisioned for 20 years was that of a grown adult.

I get the parallel of having Anakin close in age to Luke, so when that choice is upon Luke it is more dramatic. He's at the same point his father was. But I think that's taking it too literally. Not everyone is 19 (or 23) when confronted with a crossroads.

If TPM started with a young 19 year old Anakin slave who is angry with his plight in life and his only escape is pod racing... and they carried thru storywise with that "dream" he had of freeing the slaves in part 2... and then in part 3, after years of war and fighting and frustration, Anakin ultimately had his fall from grace at, say, age 29... I think that would have worked just as well, likely better.

According to the Topps ESB trading cards Darth Vader was 50 at the time of ESB.

 

[IronPatriotFTW]

But did they have to make him so young and boyish? Did they have to make him so explosive and whiney in his anger when the original trilogy Vader was quietly intense and surprisingly restrained? Not every type of crazy matches. Did they have to make him so awkward and wooden?

And yea, ive heard clone wars is better. Il have to check it out.

Just go watch Clone Wars, it’s on Netflix

Edit: I want to add, you want to see the clone wars animated movie first, then the show. The chronological order will be a little wonky but it all works out lol. Netflix has both. It’s out of print or something cause the Blu-ray for the movie is expensive. But yea the Movie , then the show.

 

[Wor-Gar]

According to the Topps ESB trading cards Darth Vader was 50 at the time of ESB.

OK, 3 years difference. Though I remember being surprised that Vader was so old at 50 in ANH - that seemed old to me at the time. Lucas constantly retcons everything. So who's to say what the hell is fact - it could be changed tomorrow.

Anyway, so Vader could have been 47 in ANH. Makes Anakin 28 when he had Luke. As stated, I think that would have been a better age for Anakin in ROTS instead of 23.


EDIT: I just read that they are retconning Vader's age yet again, now making him 42 in ANH - clearly to fit in with the PT. So see, they can change what they like when they need to.

 

[DarkChocobi]

I believe my flex payment at SS will be finished by the time Jedi Luke in stock at their ware house..unlike 2 pack and Anakin which have to convert into full payment.

 

[BoosterGold06]

I have this on PO and I kind of want to order a second one, but I've never bought two of the same figure before. Seems kind of crazy at these prices.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I have this on PO and I kind of want to order a second one, but I've never bought two of the same figure before. Seems kind of crazy at these prices.

I don’t blame you. If a figure comes with different accessories/clothes for different looks, I get tempted. I tend to do that with my 1/12 scale figures, but it’s a harder decision to make at 1/6 price points.

Then again, some collectors do it to have a spare for various reasons

 

[BoosterGold06]

I don’t blame you. If a figure comes with different accessories/clothes for different looks, I get tempted. I tend to do that with my 1/12 scale figures, but it’s a harder decision to make at 1/6 price points.

Then again, some collectors do it to have a spare for various reasons

Yeah it's easier at 1/12. Luke's outfit in his final duel with Vader is the iconic Luke to me, but if I order Jabba then I'd kind of like to display him with his robe on as well.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Exactly!