Hayden Christensen, the actor known for playing Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels, has revealed two of his favorite appearances of the classic villain Darth Vader. As all fans of the franchise know, Skywalker becomes Vader after being corrupted by the dark side of the Force, and Christensen brought his fall from grace to life in the prequel trilogy. Interestingly, when picking his favorite Vader appearances, he didn’t select any of the films he starred in.
Per GamesRadar+, Christensen recently appeared at Fan Expo Boston, where he participated in a Star Wars panel. When asked about his favorite films in the franchise, Christensen reaffirmed that he isn’t just someone who starred in the saga — he’s a fan, too:
“I was always a big Empire [Strikes Back] fan. And from some of the more recent films, I loved Rogue One. I thought that, for me, really kind of captured the essence of what Star Wars is meant to be. And I loved how they portrayed Darth Vader in that film, too.
“There are so many different people that have contributed to this character, and I’m just one of them. And I loved what they did.”
The Empire Strikes Back is widely considered one of the best Star Wars films, and one of the best sequels ever made. Its portrayal of Darth Vader is much stronger than in the first film, and it introduces the memorable musical score of the villain known as “The Imperial March.” When picking out Vader’s best moments in the franchise, few rival those seen in The Empire Strikes Back.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has become one of the most acclaimed films of the beloved series in recent years. Amid the divisive sequel trilogy, other spinoffs, and the Disney+ catalog of TV shows, Rogue One stands among the most popular attempts at expanding the original timeline. It wasn’t an easy film to make: Originally pitched by VFX wizard John Knoll in the early 2000s, it didn’t begin its development until the 2010s. Several writers participated, and it famously underwent significant reshoots. In the end, all that chaos resulted in a prequel that doesn’t reflect the “issues” of the production.
The 2016 release grossed more than $1 billion, and though it was very costly to make (it’s famously one of the most expensive movies ever made), Disney and Lucasfilm saw it as a triumph. The critical reception was also positive; today, it has an 84% critics’ score and 87% audience score at Rotten Tomatoes. To compare, the last film in the sequel trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker, has a Rotten critics’ score of 51%.
Does Darth Vader’s Presence in ‘Rogue One’ Make Any Sense?
The following contains spoilers for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.Christensen’s time in the Star Wars franchise gave audiences a backstory for the villain, while Vader’s presence in Rogue One is brief but unforgettable. The Sith lord is only featured in the last scene, messing up the rebels’ plans and showing his skills with his trademark red lightsaber. But there’s not much more.
Darth Vader’s presence in Rogue One serves as a bit of fan service mixed with a link that connects the movie with the original trilogy. It does make sense from a narrative point of view, but it isn’t exactly “necessary.” Along with the Princess Leia “cameo,” it feels inevitable, but it doesn’t feel forced — and Michael Giacchino’s version of “The Imperial March” in the movie is also a great re-interpretation of the original.
- Release Date
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December 16, 2016
- Runtime
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133 Minutes
- Director
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Gareth Edwards
- Writers
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Chris Weitz, Tony Gilroy
- Producers
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Kathleen Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Tony To, Allison Shearmur