Top 5 - Anakin/Vader fan vids
Dec. 31st, 2016 11:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
swiftsnowmanefor @jedifest16′s Top Picks challenge
The Balance by elaine
Five fan vids for my fave. ♥
1. Krwling by Malfoyinmyheart4ever
A deeply emotional exploration of Anakin/Vader via carefully chosen scenes from both the PT and OT. The way the clips are interwoven with one another and with the music to create this dual narrative is simply astounding, and demonstrates a refreshing sensitivity and understanding towards this character and his fall/redemption.
And while I’m not usually a fan of the sort of music that’s been used here, in this case, it just…works. So well. The lyrics fit the choice of scenes and blend seamlessly with both the visuals and with the dialogue. The part where you see Anakin and Obi-Wan fighting on Mustafar overlaid with Vader and and Obi-Wan’s duel on the first Death Star and Obi-Wan’s “You were my brother, Anakin, I loved you” hits me so hard, every time. And nothing gets me more than “against my will I stand beside my own reflection” set against a clip of Vader and Leia in ANH as it shifts back into Anakin and Padme in RotS. ;_;
All in all, this is not merely one of my favourite Anakin Skywalker vids, but is one of the most perfectly edited fan vids I have seen this year.
2. Hurricane by 1jonde1
Anakin’s fall to the Dark Side, focusing mostly on the final scenes of his downward spiral at the end of RotS. Thematically, the song is a more than fitting accompaniment to this, the most devastating part of Anakin’s story. “Tell me, would you kill to save a life? Tell me, would you kill to prove you’re right? Crash, crash, burn, let it all burn…” I don’t think I need to explain – the lyrics pretty much say it all. I also greatly appreciate how the editing matches the techno-y beat of the music—you’d never guess the vid is nearly 6 minutes long! The extremely de-saturated, almost b&w visuals only serve to highlight the noir-ish beauty of RotS’ cinematography, enhances the overall tragic feeling of the story, and evokes the intensity of the characters’ emotions as said tragedy unfolds.
3. The Hand of Sorrow by Damsel In Damnation
Ehrmahgerd, this vid. This definitely my personal favourite Anakin fanvid. I have lost track of how many times I’ve watched and listened to this one over the last few months alone. It’s got the sort of mood that I love –that almost fairytale-esque vibe. And the song choice is much more ‘my’ style of music than what is usually chosen for fan videos, which is a definite bonus. I adore the opening, how it starts with this soft, dreamy, and all-too brief moment between Anakin and Padme at the Lake on Naboo….and then, BOOM, suddenly it’s WAR, and you get this slew of chaotic imagery and clips from all the fight scenes and battle sequences from the Prequels. It just captures the sense of how everything is unraveling so quickly into a state of violence and nothing can be done to stop it.
And then… the LYRICS. Just… ahhh. This song is now one of my go-to Anakin songs because of this fan vid and these lyrics. How it talks about a boy who grew up to be ‘’the hand” to “watch you, to shield you, or kill on demand”. And then, during Anakin’s “what have I done” moment: “The choice he made, he could not comprehend.” Wahhhhh. And another: “He’s torn between his honour and the true love of his life. He prayed for both and was denied.” AND THEN, my favourite part, that kills me every time, because it is accompanied by a clip of Anakin/Vader kneeling before the Emperor: “The curse of his powers tormented his life; obeying the crown was a sinister price.” and how “he surely would flee, but the oath made him stay.” Just…. kill me plz. ;_;
The whole thing is devastating to watch, but I don’t care. I love it. Especially how the ending is Padme whispering to Obi-Wan that “there’s good in him, I know, there’s still…” even as he is being sealed into his suit and we hear his first, Vader-ish breaths.
4. Hurt by Matt Kownyia
“And you could have it all…my Empire of dirt.”
Is there any more PERFECT Anakin/Vader song in the UNIVERSE than Johnny Cash’s emotional and heart-wrenching rendition of ‘Hurt’? NO I DIDN’T THINK SO. Everything about it is SO FITTING. Lyrics, clips, just..gahh. Seriously, this. is. incredible. Pretty much every part gives me super-intense feels, but nothing gets me like the final line “If I could start again, a million miles away, I would keep myself, I would find a way.” *cue dying whale noises*
One final note: I can’t help but notice that the only bits of dialogue included in this entire fan vid are Padme whispering “Anakin” and Luke calling out “Father, please!” Not only is this incredibly effective, but it also gives the haunting impression that their voices are echoing across the stars, calling him back to his True Self.
5. You were right about me by Dakateah
Anakin’s return/Vader’s redemption at the end of RotJ, combined with clips from the PT…. need I say more? Basically one big explosion of Luke&Vader and Anakin&Padme feels. 10/10, would gladly watch a hundred times in a row.
