[Snip]
Well said, that man!
The "Duel of Augments" can be seen in the same light as a Iajitsu or Fast-Draw duel - the narrowing of the eyes, the slight changes in foot position, the final twitch, and someone is dead. Likewise the chanting, the burning of sacrifices, the ritual arming, and the final moment when two magically-enhanced champions clash.
For most of us, we tend to look at the "action" sequence only, while skipping over the preparation scenes. But take a look at some of the 80'-90's action flicks, where the hero "gears up"; ramming knives into sheathes, painting on his black face camo, clicking selector switches on his multi-use Rifle/Grenade launcher, slamming magazines into pistols and pistols into holsters... (Schwarzenegger in Commando, Ripley in Aliens 2, etc). The bloodbath of the villain followers (Drug Lord's Minions/Alien Warriors) can be seen as a coup de grace on the minions (hey, they had their own preparations going on, they just weren't as good...). Only when the Hero gets to the Office/Egg Chamber does a real fight ensue (gunbattle or fisticuffs in most action movies, or simply a meeting of the minds in Aliens).
And speaking of Aliens, the final scene in the egg chamber, when Ripley decides to flame the eggs, is a Parting Shot gone wrong. Rather than ending the fight, she only enrages the Queen, who had just been defeated/intimidated. Ripley could have left her on the planet to blow up with the reactor, but instead "revives" her enough for the climactic Queen-vrs-Mech Loader scene.
RR
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