Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith

Watching the last Star Wars movie gave me a weird, kind of sad feeling. Because even though the movie kicks ass, it does signal the end of an era, the end of a journey that started almost thirty years ago, which took us to places we could not even have dreamed of, and which has now been concluded. And even though the series goes out with a bang, it still means there will be no new Star Wars movies in the cinema. Period. That is, until the inevitable rerelease in a special, even more digitally enhanced version a few years from now.

What all this means, however, is that we now have a complete story. After seeing Revenge of the Sith, you will know why Anakin gets turned into Darth Vader, what happened to all the Jedi Masters and lots of other things you may have been wondering about when you saw the three original movies all those years ago. When Sith starts, Anakin is still one of the good guys. In the absolutely eye-popping first minutes of the movie he and Obi Wan Kenobi are engaged in all out space war with General Grievous and his lackeys, who have kidnapped Emperor Palpatine and made a run for it. They rescue him, and after this Palpatine and Anakin start bonding. The Jedi Masters see this as an excellent way for Anakin to start spying on Palpatine, who they feel cannot be trusted, but Anakin is conflicted. He does not feel fully appreciated by the Jedi's and starts feeling closer and closer to the emperor, who presses all the right buttons in their relationship. Especially since he offers help for a disturbing dream Anakin has been having and which has been troubling his mind for some time now.

If you have seen the first three movies, you know where this will lead. But even though the outcome of this movie is already public knowledge, you will still be riveted by what's happening on the screen. George Lucas has always said that Episode 3 would be the best one of the new trilogy, and he wasn't lying. Everything in the other two movies has just been leading up to this, a movie that is almost like a Greek tragedy, with heroes falling, empires crumbling and evil rising. In the midst of all this we have a hero who is misguided, blinded by love and a will to do things right, who is manipulated into doing unspeakable things that will eventually lead towards the loss of his soul. It's not an easy role, and many people were worried if Hayden Christensen would be able to pull it off. Rest assured though, Christensen has grown into the part of Anakin and manages to give it all the depth he needs. In Episode 2 he at times looked like a kid who had his candy taken away from him, but in this new movie he is a man you don't want to mess with. He and Nathalie Portman are still not really able to make the romantic scenes feel natural (in the romantic moments they look and act as if their parents-in-law are in the room with them), but when it comes to showing anger and rage, Christensen is perfect! That's mostly because he is able to mix the fury with confusion, and you can see from his bloodshot eyes that he feels inner turmoil and does not know how to deal with what is going on. He longs for an arm around the shoulders from Obi Wan and the other Jedi's, but their detachedness only drives him more into the arms of the Emperor. He's an imposing figure, but at the same time also a sad one, and even though you know all along that he will turn into the ultimate cinema Bad Ass, you almost wish that there would be some way to make his descent into the depths of evil stop. It's especially sad because you can remember what Anakin was like at the beginning of the first movie, an innocent little boy who was fond of racing his pod around the tracks, and also because you know what will happen to Vader in the end. There's plenty of emotions on Anakin's side of the movie, showing that with a little better guidance even the romantic parts could have worked.

This is not just Anakin's movie though, because Obi Wan also shows great strength. He is a wise man now, and extremely skilled, and you can see how he is becoming a truly great hero that would make a great character in a spin-off movie (that's only a thought, not a suggestion!). Next time you watch the original trilogy, you won't just be seeing Ben Kenobi as an old, mysterious man, but your mind will flash back to the moment when he went mano a mano (er... roboto) with General Grievous, or to the brutal final battle with Anakin. That's the great thing about this movie. There are so many things filled in now, that the next time you watch the original movies it will all be a far richer experience. You will know why Yoda decided to go in exile, you will understand why Ben is so intent on keeping Luke Skywalker on the good side, and you will also know more of the tragic history of somebody like Chewbacca. You can complain about Lucas making these first three movies, but the fact that it has deepened the story so much, makes me feel that it has been all worthwile. Without altering the story of the originals, it's emotional impact has increased massively.

I'm gushing, but I cannot help it. Sitting in the packed theater, filled with people who were all sitting there with their mouths wide open (I checked, I looked over my shoulder several times), I felt like I was not just watching a movie, but more experiencing something truly special. The words Movie Magic are misused a lot, but they are the only way to really describe how watching this movie felt to me.

However, the movie is not without it's flaws. Beside the aforementioned problems in the romantic area, there were a few other things that didn't sit quite right. First of all, I'm not really sure about that General Grievous. Yes, he is a bad mutha, but he was too abstract for me to feel any real threat coming from him. I never felt that this was an epic character that will go down in movie history like Darth Vader did, and even though his big battle with Obi Wan is extremely cool, he never made any real impact. There were more digital creatures that were more annoying than cool, like some allies of Grievous that sounded like they came straight out some kids cartoon. They were not Jar Jar annoying, but still felt out of place. And I know that it fits their character, but at times the Jedi warriors could have used a little bit more empathy. Yes, they are the cool and levelheaded warriors that always save the world, but they are so strict and cold against each other that I wouldn't want to go to any of their office parties, running the risk of dying of boredom there. That being said, Samuel L. Jackson's Mace Windu really shows his stuff this time around, and Yoda has another epic fight on his hands that will make you cheer for him.

Even though the movie is very serious, there is some comic relief, which comes in the form of R2D2. The little robot tags along on one of the missions and had the crowd at the showing that I attended roaring with laughter. It's a shame that he does not really play a big part anymore later on in the movie, but his early scenes cement his status as one of the fan favorites.

So, you have your emotion, you have your action, you have your battles, your comedy and your tragedy... What more could you want from a movie? I think Revenge of the Sith is a perfect end to the Star Wars saga (the cinema-part of it at least) and Episode 3 comes very close to the best we have ever seen happening in the Star Wars universe!

****½

Comments

[Megan Frye]

THEIR WERE PARTS IN THE MOVIE I DIDN'T GET. LIKE TWOARDS THE END WHEN ANIKEN WAS TURNING EVIL AND THEY WERE ON THAT VOLCANO PLANET WHY DID HE CHOKE HIS WHIFE
WHEN HE WAS TRYING TO SAVE HER FROM DIEING AND HE JUST ENDS UP KILLING HER?

Sincerely
megan frye

[Yakir Zayv]

I think Anakin's emotions got the best of him. Yes, he wanted to save Padme. But now she was telling him she didn't want him after what he did (turning, killing children) and he becomes so angry he goes after her.

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