This time, it's Ryan Wieber (from the previous "Ryan vs. Dorkman") against Brandon Flyte. The scene is a bit long and drawn-out, and some of the moves (especially a stabbing motion about a minute into the fight) are almost painful to watch. I liked the first duel, with Dorkman, better. But this duel arguably has a neater, cleaner conclusion.
Watch. You'll see what I mean.
One thing I've noted about these fights is that it does make a difference whether the fighters have martial arts training. Although I think Wieber & Co. have a good sense of Star Wars-style saber choreography, they're sorely lacking in footwork. Every time the camera shows their legs (and it's more obvious in this fight than in the Dorkman fight), the stances suck the drama out of the moment. Wider, firmer stances are called for. That, or they should keep the camera's focus above waist level.
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2 comments:
I agree that the first one was better. The stabbing motion you mentioned was indeed ridiculous. You can't stab with a double-saber! There's just no way to put any power into it without slicing your own arm off.
The finish was neater, perhaps, but the slow motion really ruined it for me. With the film slowed down, the inadequacies became even more obvious.
Oh, and there's no way that an unarmed fighter would stand a chance against an armed fighter of comparable skill. That was just too much.
All that aside, it's still cool to see people fighting with lightsabers.
Charles,
I have to agree re: slo-mo. That was a bad directorial choice.
As for the brief exchange where Brandon Flyte is unarmed: I think they could have improved that bit by adding some telekinetic tricks, much as they did in the previous duel. No such Force trickery occurs in this fight, which is a shame. The moment of the beheading itself, though, is pretty well done, and very much in the George Lucas tradition: vivid but not gory. Almost tasteful, to the extent that beheadings can be tasteful.
Kevin
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