Having just re-watched it, I thought the laser walls was one of the best things about that scene. It added dramatic tension in the way those little breaks with close-ups worked in old Bruce Lee fights. And seeing Maul pace around while Neeson meditated highlighted what it was that distinguished these characters from one another. Then, of course, there's the helplessness of Mcgregor as he can't step in to support his master. Good stuff.
Believe it or not, in the screening I attended, the audience as a whole ate that **** up. They were clapping and cheering, only laughing because they loved it so much. I threw up a little in my mouth.
I'll never forget seeing Yoda using a miniature saber and jumping around like Spiderman while screaming in anger like Miss Piggy. I remember my brother and I looking at each other like, WTF is happening?
I love all the lightsaber duels in the PT. I don't go into these movies thinking I'm going to get a realistic fight for survival style combat. It's suppose to be flashy. That said, I thought Yoda's jump flips were ridiculous.
As legendary as Epsidoe IV is, the duel between Vader and Obi Wan would never work with today's audience. Take a look at Obi Wan's spin move at 0:35.
I giggle every time, that's PT-tier dialog/acting.
Like Caveman discovering fire...and now we take it for granted
What ended up getting Maul killed in the end was his underestimating the strength of Obi Wan's fingers.
