Thursday, June 19, 2008

Knights of the Old Republic

Author(s): Bryce Marrero / Zgamer
Location: Los Angeles, CA / Eagle, ID

"Knights of the Old Republic"


Produced by: George Lucas, and Rick McCallum
Directed by: Allan Arkush
Written by: Damon Lindelof and Drew Karpyshyn
Based on the game by Bioware Studios
Cinematography by: Newton Thomas Sigel
Editing by: Zach Staenberg
Art Direction by: Ian Gracie, Phil Harvey, and David Lee
Costumes by: Trisha Biggar
Visual Effects by: Scott Farrar, Richard Kidd, and Bill Westenhofer (ILM)
Music by: John Williams
Make up by: Dave Elsey and Nikki Gooley

Main Cast

Simon Baker as Kael Deynuo
Kate Beckinsale as Bastilla Shan
Edward Burns as Carth Onasi
Julian McMahon as Darth Malak

Also Starring

Arnold Vosloo as Darth Bandon
Hayden Panettiere as Mission Vao
Christopher Meloni as Canderous Ordo
Keith David as Jolee Bindo
Stellan Skarsgard as Admiral Saul Karath
Jack Coleman as Calo Nord
Peter Mayhew as Zaalbar
And Kristoffer Tabori as the voice of HK-47

Tagline: "Through power I gain victory; through victory my chains are broken; the Force shall set me free"

Synopsis: Kael Deynuo wakes up to find that he is in a place that he doesn't remember. His head hurts as he tries to piece together everything. He faintly remembers his past as a soldier for the Republic, but everything else is fuzzy. Before he can gather his thoughts, Carth Onasi runs in to alert him that the Republic cruiser they are in is going down. Carth Onasi. He’s never met this man, yet Kael’s sure he knows all about him. He knows that Carth is one of the Republic's best and most loyal officer. However, he also remembers he has a problem trusting others. Before Kael can even react to what he has remembered, the cruiser is hit by another torpedo. Kael learns that their only hope is to rush to the last starship on board, The Ebon Hawk, where Bastilla and a few others wait for them. Bastilla...why is that name familiar to him? Again, Kael seems to know all about her despite never meeting her. She is the prize of the Republic and the Jedi order, with the rare gift to control the outcome of any war. Putting that aside, Kael and Carth rush to the ship, barely escaping with their lives.

While on the ship, Bastilla and the others inform Kael about what has happened to the galaxy. Darth Malak, last surviving apprentice of the Dark Lord Revan, has unleashed an invincible armada on the galaxy after killing his master. Malak's war of conquest has left the Jedi Order vulnerable, as countless Jedi continue to fall in battle or change alligence. Malak has been looking for Bastilla for some time now, and destroyed the Republic ship they were on in an attempt to capture her. Darth Malak...That's a name Kael knows very well. Malak is a powerful Sith Lord and someone you would never want to meet in person. He also has no jaw, using a type of robotic device around his disfigured mouth to talk. But again, how does Kael know that? He can put a full description of Malak in his head. as if he met him in person before. Yet with what he knows, he is sure that they have never met. Kael also notices something else that is strange. A particular bond has formed between him and Bastilla. Through this bond, visions of Revan and Malak are shared. But why do the visions show these Dark Jedi doing traitorous things rather than
seeing people he knows? As the bond gets stronger, Bastilla suggest that Kael and his team travel to the planet of Dantooine, where the Jedi Council, leaders of the Jedi Order, awaits.

Once on Dantooine, Bastilla discovers Kael is a Force Sensitive and requests he should be trained in their ways. She meets with the Jedi Council, who reluctantly agree to the idea. Thus, his journey to becoming a Jedi begins, but as Kael goes through his training he can't help shake the feeling of deja vu. The lightsabers, using the force, it seemed second nature to him. As a result his training goes by quickly, showing amazing results. During the last stages of Kael's training, he stumbles upon a hidden tomb. Kael enters the tomb, where he discovers a map of the stars and a very old droid. The droid, speaking in a strange dialect of the Selkath language, suggest that this "Star Map" can be used to find a forge-like structure capable of producing limitless supplies. Kael rushes to the Jedi Council to inform them of his findings. The Council finally see's a glimmer of hope, as they may have finally found a way to cause some harm to Malak's invincible fleet. The council orders Bastilla, Kael, and his companions to investigate further on the matter.

As Kael and the others prepare to travel to the other planets in search of answers, Bastalla warns him of the dangers of the mission. Malak's fleet has spread throughout the galaxy, meaning more conflicts like the attack on their ship are likely to occur. Malak has also dispatched search parties and bounty hunters to find and kidnap Bastilla. However, Kael is not worried about these things. He does not fear danger and loves to take on a challenge, though he can't explain why he does so. As Kael and his team prepare to jump to lightspeed, he can't help but feel he will soon find the answer to all of his confusing emotions and questions on this journey. And he can't help but feel he might find out something about himself he may or may not like....

What the Press would say:

Space. A celestial beauty whose treasures lie just outside of our reach. Now, who here hasn’t wanted to know what is out there beyond the stars? Well, Allan Arkush, one of the directors of the acclaimed show “Heroes”, gives us a glimpse into this wonder with his film Knights of the Old Republic. Based on the best selling Star Wars video game, Knights tells a grand tale of honor, bravery and redemption that sets it as a new benchmark for the science fiction genre, much like how the original movie did. The scope is epic (stretching to multiple planets), the production value is spot on and the acting is great across the board. The script, expertly adapted by “Lost” writer Damon Lindelof and the game’s original director Drew Karpyshyn, takes a different approach than most video game adaptations do. Rather than be a mindless string of clichés and fights, the film treats its subject material very seriously while still keeping a sense of fun and wonder. The dialogue is literate and well written, the situations feel connected rather than a group of loosely strung scenarios and none of the scenes feel negligible. It is a very complete story from start to finish. Also, it has one of the most unique plot twists in a sci-fi film yet. To think, you build such a bond with the hero Kael that when it’s revealed that he is actually the Dark Lord Revan captured and brainwashed by the Jedi Council after his supposed “death”, it comes out as quite a surprise.

The other factor that makes the film work is Arkush’s directing. For having only made a couple movies, his approach is much more serious and poetic than one would first assume. He refuses to rely solely on over the top special effects or a large ad campaign for his film’s success. The tone is serious, the dialogue is delivered naturally and he never lets campyness take over pivotal moments. This is a top quality epic space opera, just like it’s meant to be. The cinematography is beautiful and the sound design puts other sci-fi films to shame. Arkush’s coordination of the film, from the epic space battles to the tightly edited and adrenaline pumping lightsaber duels, is also well thought-out and nicely crafted through each scene. Thankfully, Arkush knows how to pace the film, as his balance between action scenes and serious moments is nicely done. There’s never a moment where the balance is off, as the editing for the film transitions the scenes smoothly. Of course, where would a film like this be without great production value? The sets are absolutely beautiful, the costumes top notch, the sound is amazing and the visual effects are designed in a way that they are well done, but don’t steal the show from the story or acting.

Obviously, the glue that holds this film together is the cast. From the good guys (David, Meloni) to the bad guys (Vosloo, Coleman), the performances are stellar across the board. Thankfully, none of the leads let their star power get the better of them, as each one inhabits their character well. Baker, playing the lead Kael Deynuo, does a very good job making his character one to care for. He nicely underplays Kael so he doesn’t completely steal the show but still makes his character important to watch. While not your typical action hero, he makes up for it with the depth of his performance. He is matched nicely by costars Beckinsale and Burns, who play his comrades Bastilla and Carth respectfully. Beckinsale easily becomes her character, with her distinct accent, physicality and acting really shining through. Plus, she really knows how to handle herself when it comes to combat. Burns, in turn, nicely plays his pessimistic character Carth. He makes Carth a sympathetic person, since his negative attitude is actually based on an event that people can somewhat relate to. Probably the best surprise comes in the form of Julian MacMahon. Ditching his cheesy acting in Fantastic Four, MacMahon really steals the show as main villain Malak. Rather than be the typical sinister warlord, MacMahon has Malak be a more thoughtful villain. He’s calm and collected, yet not one to sympathize with his enemies. He is truly a Dark Lord and truly a villain you both hate to love and love to hate. If that doesn’t say Oscar nominee, I don’t know what does.

Knights of the Old Republic is a great film. With the right budget, a great cast and a well thought out story, Knights is one of the best surprises of the year.

Best Picture
Best Director- Alan Arkush
Best Actor-Simon Baker
Best Actress- Kate Beckinsale
Best Supporting Actor- Julian MacMahon
Best Supporting Actor- Edward Burns
Best Adapted Screenplay- Damon Lindelof and Drew Karpyshyn
Best Cinematography
Best Art Direction
Best Editing
Best Costumes
Best Visual Effects
Best Make-up

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