"That's a nice-a donut."

Thursday, May 26, 2005


Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Some 23 years in the making, the final installment in the iconic Star Wars saga is finally out. This is the film that many fans have been waiting for; the one in which we finally see Anakin Skywalker's descent to evil and to the dark side to fulfill his destiny of becoming Darth Vader. Certainly many people - from the most persistent haters to the greasiest fanboys - will come into Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith with trepidation, as the first two films in the prequel trilogy (The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones) are generally universally regarded as being inferior to the classic originals. But suffice to say, for the most part, George Lucas has succeeded in creating an admirable finale.

Right off the bat, Lucas throws us into some intense action. Anakin (Hayden Christensen) and Obi Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) are in the midst of a space battle while attempting to find and rescue the kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). Eventually they are led to General Grievous - a powerful skeleton-like creature - and Count Dooku - the Sith apprentice of the mysterious Darth Sidious (who has been seen as the Emperor-like figure in a holographic form in the previous two films). Grievious and Dooku are leaders of a growing group of separatists from the powerful Galactic Republic. Meanwhile, Padme (Natalie Portman) - who is secretly married to Anakin - tell him that she is pregnant with his child. He is overjoyed, but begins having nightmares that she will die during childbirth. These nightmares overwhelm him and become an obsession. On top of this, he is appointed to the Jedi Council by Palpatine - whom he trusts and has become friends with - but is not granted the rank of "Jedi Master." Despite the fact that the Jedi are supposed to be selfless, Anakin has often been arrogant and consumed with want for more power. The nightmares and his disappointment eventually come to a boil. Of course as those of us who have seen the original trilogy know, destinies are fulfilled, hearts are broken, and a galaxy is changed forever.

The movie is an improvement over the previous two, but that is not to say that it doesn't still have some flaws. Most of these are variations on the same problems with Menace and Clones - sometimes shoddy dialogue, acting that won't be winning any prestigious awards anytime soon, and a few pacing problems. One issue with the plot is that not enough time is spent dwelling on Anakin's mindset prior to his descent and subsequent transformation. Also, the fate of Padme seemed rather inconsequential. The Anakin/Padme love angle is more of a backstory in Revenge of the Sith compared to Clones. As such, Padme is given less time on screen - and when she is on screen her performance isn't anything special.

Some of the acting is actually very good though. McGregor finally gets a real chance to shine, and Christensen shows some signs of life too. But McDiarmid is fantastic as the very evil chancellor. This is, without a doubt, the role that he was born to play. I love the satanic look he often has on his face and the terrifying grin that he sometimes gives to other people. His voice enunciation is top notch as well. The fight scenes are also excellent. If you like lightsaber battles then you are in for a real treat. There are several major one-on-one fights, highlighted by Anakin and Obi Wan's confrontation. The chaotic second half is well done, especially after the crescendo when thing really hit the fan. Things are helped along by John Williams' score which, while mostly just made up of variations on what he created for the original back in 1977, does a fine job of capturing the essence and emotions of the film. Lastly, I would be remiss to not mention the Wookiees as well - lots of them!

The last couple shots of the movie are very emotional and do a good job of bridging the gap into the original trilogy (starting with "A New Hope" in Episode IV). Whether or not people who turned their backs on the other prequels will like it, or whether it will stand the test of time of course remains to be seen. But, for now, it is a very worthy edition to the Star Wars series. I put it on about the same level of Return of the Jedi, behind The Empire Strikes Back and A New Hope.

The Verdict: A-.

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