posted
Having Han shoot first, as we the new viewers are first meeting him, accomplishes a very important thing: it lets you know that you can't predict him.
We know about good guys. They act rough, they do what's needed, but they always follow a moral code. Luke is a good guy in the making, and we know without asking that there are things he won't do.
The original Han is an anti-hero. He does good, but not always for the reasons you'd think, not always by the rules you'd expect, and not always without causing some havoc along the way. And that means from that point on, you the viewer can't quite trust him.
As today is the 5th anniversary of Serenity, I'm going to go there: Han shooting first is the previous generation's version of Mal shooting the cop in the pilot episode of Firefly. It's a "what the...?" moment, when the character does something pragmatic but utterly unexpected that shakes you out of your preconceptions and lets you know this is something different. It's interesting.
Han shooting in self defense? OK. He's a good guy. So? Th revised Han is on the same level as Luke now, he's just been around more and has a big fuzzy friend. Much less effective, to me.
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by umberhulk: Why do people care about Greedo shooting first?
For me, it's because Han is the type of guy who would shoot first. He's not a murderer, but they were in Wuher's, the most dangerous place in the most dangerous city on the most dangerous planet for parsecs around, and the guy is an outlaw and a criminal, but yeah, he's also a pretty cool and decent guy deep down.
But he'd totally but a blaster bolt between Greedo's eyes when the guy has a gun on him and is threatening to take him to Jabba.
Having him shoot second robs a part of his character.
But Greedo already has his gun drawn and pointed. Having Han shoot first makes Greedo just look retarded. I dont think he would care about the bounty that much. And frankly, if someone already has you lined up and you draw, your shooting no matter who you are.
Han unclipped his gun's holster under the table the second Greedo sat down. Not to mention he does distracting hand and eye movements to hide the fact that he's about to blast him.
Are either of those actions still in the "new" version?
Posts: 3486 | Registered: Sep 2002
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by umberhulk: Why do people care about Greedo shooting first?
For me, it's because Han is the type of guy who would shoot first. He's not a murderer, but they were in Wuher's, the most dangerous place in the most dangerous city on the most dangerous planet for parsecs around, and the guy is an outlaw and a criminal, but yeah, he's also a pretty cool and decent guy deep down.
But he'd totally but a blaster bolt between Greedo's eyes when the guy has a gun on him and is threatening to take him to Jabba.
Having him shoot second robs a part of his character.
But Greedo already has his gun drawn and pointed. Having Han shoot first makes Greedo just look retarded. I dont think he would care about the bounty that much. And frankly, if someone already has you lined up and you draw, your shooting no matter who you are.
Doesn't make him look as bad as missing from two feet away.
Posts: 1287 | Registered: Apr 2006
| IP: Logged |
quote:As today is the 5th anniversary of Serenity, I'm going to go there: Han shooting first is the previous generation's version of Mal shooting the cop in the pilot episode of Firefly. It's a "what the...?" moment, when the character does something pragmatic but utterly unexpected that shakes you out of your preconceptions and lets you know this is something different. It's interesting.
Or, if you were watching it as it aired, it's the moment that Mal kicked the guy into the intake of his engine.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
| IP: Logged |
quote:As today is the 5th anniversary of Serenity, I'm going to go there: Han shooting first is the previous generation's version of Mal shooting the cop in the pilot episode of Firefly. It's a "what the...?" moment, when the character does something pragmatic but utterly unexpected that shakes you out of your preconceptions and lets you know this is something different. It's interesting.
Or, if you were watching it as it aired, it's the moment that Mal kicked the guy into the intake of his engine.
Perfect example.
I saw them in the order they were meant to be seen, and when I saw the scene you describe it didn't surprise me one bit; I almost expected him to do that by that point.
Posts: 3486 | Registered: Sep 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
I saw them when they aired, and when Mal did that in the first episode, I was totally surprised. It was awesome. I couldn't stop talking about it.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Elmer's Glue: Doesn't make him look as bad as missing from two feet away.
But it is kind of fun to see that han solo's neck now apparently works completely differently than one might expect in a human.
Posts: 15421 | Registered: Aug 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Elmer's Glue: Doesn't make him look as bad as missing from two feet away.
But it is kind of fun to see that han solo's neck now apparently works completely differently than one might expect in a human.
Or that he had time to move his head at all. Or that he even thought it was worth it to guess which direction to move his head, as he had just as good a chance of making a hit miss as vice versa.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:In much less dramatic fashion, it seems to have rather signaled the development of 3D post-conversions for the Indiana Jones films. Raiders of the Lost Ark is obviously 1st up in the queue, and it’s unclear whether the one-a-year strategy planned for Star Wars will be carried over for these or where the theatrical runs of the two series will fall with respect to one another. According to Blue Sky Disney, George Lucas is expected to make an official announcement next month, and if it all pans out as reported we’ll have more for you then.
quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head: I saw them when they aired, and when Mal did that in the first episode, I was totally surprised. It was awesome. I couldn't stop talking about it.
That part was amazing. I think Serenity had another one of those moments. Mal is in Inara's room, the assassin says "I am unarmed" and Mal cuts him off, says "Good!" pulls out his gun and shoots him.
This part did make me wonder though...Why aim for the chest? In every movie they aim for the chest. Just shoot him in the head and you don't have to worry whether the guy is wearing armor or not.
Posts: 1937 | Registered: Nov 2006
| IP: Logged |
1) The head is a lot smaller than the chest. 2) If you aim for the center of mass and miss upwards you'll hit the neck or head. 3) If you miss downwards you'll still get gut, crotch, or possibly leg. 4) Miss left or right and there's a good chance you'll get an arm. 5) It's way easier to move your head to the side than to move your whole body. 6) Your arm held straight out is at chest level. You need an upward trajectory to hit the head, which seems harder to me.
At least these are my largely uninformed theories.
Posts: 5656 | Registered: Oct 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
The real answer is that squibs could be much more dramatic in the chest. Head squibs of the same strength aren't used on the head because they'd be more painful.
Posts: 3486 | Registered: Sep 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Head shots, outside of movies and video games and other such fiction, are a patently silly thing to aim for. You aim for the core body mass.
Posts: 15421 | Registered: Aug 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
A person's head can move as you're shooting. Much more difficult to move your chest out of the way. Police officers are always trained to shoot for center mass if they need to bring someone down. Leave the head shots for the snipers who have no other clear shot.
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
| IP: Logged |
Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
On the other hand the bounty hunter in question could've been a complete nub, basically someone who bought an crappy blaster and took the first wanted poster he saw, like that one guy you meet in Mass Effect 2 in the mission you help Garrus.
Anyways, I'm completely convinced now that the Anti Lucas people are complete and utter babies who had maybe two legitimate grievances with Lucas for meddling with the Star Wars mythos and have been completely immature babies who can best be described as ****** whipped with too much time on their hands and nothing better to do than complain.
Yeah sure I've seen better done anime versions with the same premise as Star Wars Clone wars (Legends of the Galactic Heroes/Gundam) but I've also seen worse AND Clone Wars spends a fairly significant amount of time fleshing out the Mandalorians/Clone Troopers, that to me more than makes up for the fairly 10-16 year old saturday morning cartoon demographic focus on the show.
People need to learn to shut the heck up, I'm speaking "in general" of course with nothing specifically aimed at anyone here.
I've liked Clone Wars (both the movie and the series) and I liked Crystal Skull.
IP: Logged |
posted
This is why if you're actually trying to kill someone, you shoot them in the chest and then shoot them in the head when they're down or stunned and it's harder for them to evade fire.
Or so I've heard.
In less morbid news, someone on The Escapist was pushing the rumor that Lucas was actually considering doing another Star Wars Trilogy to take place many years after the OT. No notion if there's any credibility to that; if he had a lick of sense, he'd at least wait to see how the 3D versions do to find out if the horse had any remaining life signs.
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
Pfft the Horse as a huge amount of legs, its still encredibly popular the prequal trilogy did fantastically certainly well enough to warrant a movie and a tv series and the sequel trilogy would certainly draw upon the EU if Lucas has any sense.
quote:Originally posted by Sterling: In less morbid news, someone on The Escapist was pushing the rumor that Lucas was actually considering doing another Star Wars Trilogy to take place many years after the OT. No notion if there's any credibility to that; if he had a lick of sense, he'd at least wait to see how the 3D versions do to find out if the horse had any remaining life signs.
Well he's always envisioned it as nine parts.
I think he's too old to take on that undertaking himself, and he's not one to hand off the Star Wars universe to anyone.
Posts: 3486 | Registered: Sep 2002
| IP: Logged |