Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader

Everything they said and showed was on point and gave me those happy feelings that Clone Wars touched upon between these brothers.

 

While it was nice to see a flashback it was a little jarring because you could tell that they didn’t deaged Hayden face, he looked older and further the signature scar from Episode 3 is not present on his face . Not even in the Order 66 flashback.

 

Didn't notice the order 66 lack of scar but it missing from the training seems right as it looks like it's set just prior to AotC (no gloved hand).

 

Yeh that's him alright!

 

It starts with good intentions, such as the desperate need to win a pod race: "We have to help them, Mom...you said that the biggest problem in the universe is no one helps each other..."

 

Fans talked themselves into believing the prequels were good and they needed Ewan McGregor back as Kenobi for more live-action stuff before he was too old.



Fickle.

 

I will say that Hayden killed it in the finale with Darth Vader! That last scene where his mask is split in half was bonechilling especially when he confessed he killed Anakin Skywalker (My God) BRAVO!

 

I was a mess watching that exchange between Obi-Wan and Anakin/Vader. Great job by both Ewan and Hayden.

 

I have to say, between the silent glimpse of Anakin staring daggers at Obi-Wan a few episodes ago and now this “You didn’t kill Anakin Skywalker, I did” moment, there is something quite chilling about this performance from Hayden.

Now, I’m not going to put on rose-colored glasses like the rest of the online fandom is in regard to his work in the prequels, it still is what it’s always been, but… I think this comeback has provided an interesting new layer to his work with the role.

 

It helps to have a better script and direction that allows him to show his acting skills even if he himself doesn't have much screentime. I genuinely hope he has a small resurgence in other stuff from this.

 

This

The prequels lacked proper direction because Lucas is a writer, not a director. That in turn affected the actors involved in the prequels. Hell, even Natalie Portman who is a tremendous actress fell victim to some bad acting in those movies. Hayden showed he can act when given proper direction in this series. Looking forward to seeing more of him in Ahsoka

 

I think even Lucas himself would disagree with that-- he hated writing almost as much as directing. He was always happiest producing and editing.

 

Never had an issue with Hayden in the prequels anyway but thought he did some really good stuff here. Glad he returned and killed it.

 

Hayden did great here. I wasn't a fan of him in the prequels, but not sure if that was 'cause of writing/direction or his acting. He really showed how to play a classic totally badass Vader here though.

 

I wish we had more actual scenes with as Anakin, but other than that Hayden was great in this series and there were at least two memorable, very effective moments in this show that even rivaled his most memorable scenes in the prequel trilogy, especially when it comes to his acting in that final episode.

 

Agreed, I loved the final scene between Obi-Wan and Anakin. Made me tear up a bit!

Would have loved to have seen a flashback of Anakin with his Episode III look/TCW, but they must be saving that for Ahsoka.

 

I was hoping for some clone wars flashbacks with Obi-Wan and Anakin (and Ahsoka, why not!), but i'm also happy that they didnt throw flashbacks in just for the sake of it. The flashback we got was powerful and very meaningful to the story they were telling, and it was an awesome one too.

I rewatched episode 6 today and man, poor Vader got the high ground and he couldnt even enjoy it! "It's over Obi-Wan, i have the high ground" lol. I kid, i kid.

 

I'm happy for Hayden that he kind of got a little redemption in all of this. It was clear from watching the press tour for the show that he was very aware of all the hate the prequels and his performance got. It must be very meaningful to be able to finally put that behind him and get embraced by the fans now.

End of the day, I think he's just fine as Anakin Skywalker. Lucas wrote and directed him to be a whiney, awkward dude. And that's what he delivered. But it's cool that he got to put his stamp on the Vader portion of it a bit more. I know they did the same moment in Rebels but something about seeing the visual duality of Vader and Anakin was really powerful and will leave a lasting impression in how I think about the character.

 

I’m gonna have to assume they’ll have that in the Ahsoka series. They’ll have to! I doubt Christensen signed on to only be seen fully once lol

 

Hayden was great in his return! Wouldn't mind seeing him take up the role in future projects.

 

Yeah that's why I have a fan edit with this inserted into the movie:

 

I know a lot of people like this, but it's always been too much for me, feels like a huge overcorrection, it's a shame to me because technically it is pretty impressive, but with some restraint they might've been able to make something that didn't feel so out of place.

 

Did you watch the one I posted? It actually trims it down quite a bit from the full thing.