Best 'Insane pilot' Chase

wautd · Post by **wautd** » 2004-07-22 03:01am

Why isnt the DS trench run in ANH in the poll by the way? I was on the edge of my seat the first time i saw it. And is sure as hell was insane flying in a narrow corridor with 3 TIE's at your six

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2004-07-22 03:06am

wautd wrote:Why isnt the DS trench run in ANH in the poll by the way? I was on the edge of my seat the first time i saw it. And is sure as hell was insane flying in a narrow corridor with 3 TIE's at your six

It was originally going to be 'best Asteroid' chase, with AOTC and ESB being the 'either/or' choice. Then I upgraded to 'insane piloting' scenes, where you have the two scenes above, with the ROTJ scene thrown in.

ANH was excellent, and desperate and all that, but it wasn't really 'insane' piloting. It was basically three fighter/bombers going at high speed down a literal path, with three TIEs on their six. ESB was about dodging rocks AND TIEs on their six. AOTC was about dodging rocks, shrapnel and a pissed off bounty hunter. ROTJ was about avoiding the flak, diving into the superstructure and making sure not to hit anything, then getting the hell out once the bombs were away.

ANH doesn't compare to the above three, even though it's just as suspenseful. It counts as desperate piloting, but not utterly INSANE piloting (the asteroid field and ring halo would be a nightmare to navigate, while dodging flak and missiles and so on, while going through the maze like innards of the DS2 compares well with sheer insanity).

VT-16 · Post by **VT-16** » 2004-07-22 07:06am

I chickened out and voted 'all three'.

DocHorror · Post by **DocHorror** » 2004-07-22 11:31am

ROTJ all the way. Like someone said before, it was a group of professionals doing a professional job without the bullsht or showboating.

Plus the Yeehaa!!! was damn cool

The Silence and I · Post by **The Silence and I** » 2004-07-23 02:07am

ESB, has to be the coolest space maneuvers I've seen. It's the only one that gets me excited each time I see it, Han's priceless one-liners and the way he just pwns the TIEs in...a frieghter... so cool!

Faqa · Post by **Faqa** » 2004-07-26 04:26pm

That one was a pain to think of. While Han's pwning of the supposedly elite TIE pilots is good(or did Vader's personal armada have BAD pilots?), ROTJ beats it in atmosphere. C'mon, this is IT. Killing the Death Star, killing the Emperor, winning the war. Plus, I loved Lando's scream at the end and his Sullustan co-pilot.

AOTC? Meh. It was cool, but it(like all of AOTC's action scenes, including the much-lauded Coruscant chase) lacked the OT's INTENSITY, for some reason. Maybe it's the soundtrack - classic SW actions requires more classic SW music, not distant background stuff! John Williams carries more credit than you'd think in making those scenes work.

Or maybe a little less CGI work, and a little more choreography would've gone a looooooooong way.

Jalinth · Post by **Jalinth** » 2004-07-26 06:50pm

Faqa wrote: AOTC? Meh. It was cool, but it(like all of AOTC's action scenes, including the much-lauded Coruscant chase) lacked the OT's INTENSITY, for some reason. Maybe it's the soundtrack - classic SW actions requires more classic SW music, not distant background stuff! John Williams carries more credit than you'd think in making those scenes work.

Or maybe a little less CGI work, and a little more choreography would've gone a looooooooong way.

John Williams is the best - rock doesn't make for great dramatic movies - you need a full orchestra. And a great composer - Long Live Williams.

Personally, the ESB scene was scary as a kid - liked the ROTJ Death Star scene - absolutely awesome. Professionals going in on a faint hope attack. And they live to tell the tale.

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2004-07-27 05:31am

Faqa wrote:AOTC? Meh. It was cool, but it(like all of AOTC's action scenes, including the much-lauded Coruscant chase) lacked the OT's INTENSITY, for some reason.

It's character. Any problem you have with anything should automatically be tied to character; don't like a book/film/play/etc, ask yourself: "Who're the characters and why should I care about them?" I'm not saying it's ALWAYS the characterisation's fault - because sometimes it isn't, or isn't the only thing that's wrong - but in writing character is key.

The reason why TPM and AOTC lacked intensity was because of the lack of character. The only really intense thing I remember from TPM was the final lightsabre duel between the Jedi and Darth Maul. And that was because I liked Qui-gon (I had to, he was the principle character), and was beginning to like Obi-wan (throughout the entire film he has ZERO development, during that fight he looked like he was dangerously close to falling to the dark side and giving into his rage, and Ewan MacGregor actually acted that out well - about the only part of TPM where seemed to emote anything beside mild contempt for everything - of course, by the end of the duel he was back to his usual, placid self - meaning the development was lost and ultimately pointless).

AOTC scenes such as the 'much lauded car chase' lacked intensity because, frankly put, the characters sucked. Who the hell is this Zam Weesel? We don't even get to know her before she get's put down like a dog. Hell, GREEDO had more of a character than she did, and he was on the screen for only a minute or so.

Post by **Vympel** » 2004-07-27 05:45am

ESB, but only because it has an awesome soundtrack. Otherwise, the laser blasts, seismic charges, and wicked-cool missile would've done it for me.

YT300000 · Post by **YT300000** » 2004-07-27 01:35pm

Stofsk wrote:The reason why TPM and AOTC lacked intensity was because of the lack of character. The only really intense thing I remember from TPM was the final lightsabre duel between the Jedi and Darth Maul. And that was because I liked Qui-gon (I had to, he was the principle character), and was beginning to like Obi-wan (throughout the entire film he has ZERO development, during that fight he looked like he was dangerously close to falling to the dark side and giving into his rage, and Ewan MacGregor actually acted that out well - about the only part of TPM where seemed to emote anything beside mild contempt for everything - of course, by the end of the duel he was back to his usual, placid self - meaning the development was lost and ultimately pointless).

But remember, the Jedi were supposed to be lacking emotions, and very calm and serene all the time.

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2004-07-27 07:52pm

YT300000 wrote:But remember, the Jedi were supposed to be lacking emotions, and very calm and serene all the time.

But remember, JEDI MASTER YODA in ESB said: "You must FEEL the Force." Jedi do not lack emotions, they simply train and warn against letting passions rule your actions.

And even then, passions like love and compassion are encouraged by Anakin's own admission. He says the Jedi are supposed to love. But passions like hatred, anger and fear all lead down to the dark side.

Sorry, feelings = emotions. There's a difference with being stoic and inscrutable, and being downright monotonous and boring. Obi-wan wasn't calm or serene during that final fight with Maul, and Qui-gon had a few moments where he was a little... not upset, but somewhat vocal with the Jedi Council.

Then there's the OT depiction of Jedi - Luke definitely has emotions and is considered a Jedi Knight by the end of the trilogy; nor was he told "Emotions are bad for Jedi" by either Yoda or Ben - quite the oppostie, actually. He was encouraged to use his feelings.

The Jedi in the PT come off as being little better than robots. As far as characters can be concerned, they display little to no feelings. Until around AOTC, but by then you're still thinking "Why do I give a shit about these Jedi? They don't seem to give a shit either." Maybe that was George Lucas's point, that WE'RE NOT supposed to care for the Jedi, who are displayed as being arrogant and overconfident, and more than a little contemptuous of non-Jedi. But unfortunately this fails as a plot because the two central characters ARE Jedi, and WE'RE SUPPOSED to like them and feel sympathy for them. If Obi-wan was more than a little passionate about a few things, if Anakin could have thought more about his mother prior to having the force-nightmare, then maybe we'd have more sympathy for them.

YT300000 · Post by **YT300000** » 2004-07-27 09:25pm

I'd debate this, but I'm feeling very PT Jedi-ish today.

I think that the PT Jedi were supposed to be somewhat more emotionless [less emotional] than OT ones, but Lucas just overdid it.

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2004-07-27 10:18pm

YT300000 wrote:I'd debate this, but I'm feeling very PT Jedi-ish today.

Just as well; I'm at uni right now anyway, though I'm in-between classes (it's 12:13pm as I type this, and my next class is at 2:00pm, so at some point I'll have to log off AGAIN to eat lunch and so on).

I think that the PT Jedi were supposed to be somewhat more emotionless [less emotional] than OT ones, but Lucas just overdid it.

More or less agreed. I think the PT Jedi were supposed to look bad in the audience's eyes, but this is self-defeating since THEY'RE the ones we're SUPPOSED to have sympathy for. When Mace Windu cocks up like a stupid fucker you just have to shake your head and wonder why you paid so much to see this film (he had Jango by the throat and STOPPED for fuck's sake. In a maelstrom of carnage the entire separatist movement - at least some of the leadership was there - would have been decapitated, literally, but he stopped - 'cause he's a stupid fucker. Yet we're supposed to believe he's a badass? Jack Bauer is a badass. Luke Skywalker kicking the shit out of Jabba's Palace guards AND a Rancor - that one without a lightsabre - was badass. Mace Windu screwing up the unscrewable? Pathetic).

[EDIT] Don't get me started on the "Last Stand of the Samurai - er, Jedi" shit with the arena. The above rant was bad enough.

MrAnderson · Post by **MrAnderson** » 2004-08-04 08:58pm

Howedar wrote:ROTJ, cause I don't buy the Falcon pulling stuff off that TIEs can't.

Do you also not believe it when older pilots in much older planes cream pilots in much newer planes at places like Top Gun?

The movie may have been hokey but those training places do exist and its quite common for the more experienced trainers to smoke the young punks.

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Best 'Insane pilot' Chase

Which do you consider the best 'Insane Pilot' chase scene?