After 28 years the Star Wars film saga is coming to a close with Episode III, Revenge of the Sith, a film being hailed as a “masterpiece” by early reviews, and while it is much better than its two predecessors, Episode III still lacks something that the original trilogy had, the surprise factor.
As our story begins Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is seeing his Jedi powers double and his thirst for more and his code-breaking love for Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) will send him down a path to the Dark Side of the Force as he is forced to make a decision between honoring the Jedi code or risking it all to save the one he loves. Star Wars: Episode III is a tragic medieval love story wrapped up in space and stars, instead of dueling sword fights our villains wield light sabers and blasters, and the future is laid out as Lucas eases us into a journey to the Dark Side and the birth of Lord Vader.
If you are any kind of a Star Wars fan then you only need to know that Star Wars: Episode III is releasing on May 19th, a review won’t exactly sway you from seeing the movie, the mere fact that another episode in the saga is being released is more than enough to wet your appetite. For those of you that may be swayed, or are at least interested, in a reaction to the third film let me fill you in, and let me start by saying that you will be happy to know not a word is heard from the Phantom Menace disaster, Jar Jar Binks… everyone applaud.
Episode III is the filler Star Wars, the film that has the indelible duty of filling in each and every gap as everything you know and have learned from the original trilogy must be spelled out and the circle closed. How do the Clone Wars end? How did virtually every Jedi die? How did Darth Vader come to be? How did Yoda and Obi-Wan escape certain death? The list of questions answered goes on and on, and while it is fun to see each answer it lacks the surprise factor that even the two other prequels held.
Something is to be said for surprise, in 1977 Star Wars was light years ahead of its time, but now the story is known through and through. You know what to expect and you know what is going to happen in the end, all that is left is to see it take place. Taking that into consideration, however, it could be compared to hearing of a volcano erupting and then actually seeing the destruction, it is a two way street and for the most part, it is a satisfying journey.
As Revenge of the Sith opens you are quickly reminded of the special effect excellence George Lucas employs as the final battles of the Clone Wars, which had just begun at the end of Attack of the Clones, are coming to pass. Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) is being held captive by the mechanized leader of the droid army, General Grievous, who just may be the coolest bad guy since Boba Fett, and knowing that Lucas gives him much better screen time than Fett ever saw.
As Anakin and Obi-Wan set out to rescue the captive Chancellor we quickly see signs of Anakin’s turn to the Dark Side and our story is laid before us on his return to Coruscant when he learns Padme is pregnant. Soon his dreams become haunted with signs of death and sadness and his desire to save the ones he loves is fueled by the seductive taunts of Darth Sidious pushing him further down the path to the Dark Side, and while Christensen’s performance has improved since Attack of the Clones he still lacks the talent to completely pull off his part as the troubled Anakin. Too often he seems like a whiny little boy rather than a soon-to-be all-powerful Lord of the Sith.
On top of that it seems Lucas can even summon the worst performances out of recent Golden Globe winner Natalie Portman as her emotional outbursts simply seem out of place and cheesy, but that is more a complaint on the dialogue than Nat’s performance. The saving grace of the film in the acting sense is Ian McDiarmid’s performance as the evil Chancellor Palpatine. McDiarmid summons the ultimate portrayal of evil as he coaxes Anakin to the Dark Side and makes his transformation from Chancellor to the evil Emperor. On top of that, he owns the two best fight scenes of the film, as his duel with Yoda is an absolute showstopper.
Acting aside, and beyond the special effects bonanza, Revenge of the Sith is what it is expected to be, a finale to a saga that his seen its share of ups and downs. Being an avid Star Wars fan and also being relatively disappointed in the two earlier prequels I was beginning to wonder if they were even worth it, or if Lucas should have simply stopped after three and let the audience figure the rest out for themselves.
Fortunately, Revenge of the Sith is good enough that it actually makes the first two prequels worthwhile and makes sure that Star Wars does not fade away quietly into the night. While it is not the masterpiece several reviewers are claiming it to be, it is truly the best Star Wars film since The Empire Strikes Back, which, in my opinion, is the best of the six. One thing is also a certainty, after watching Revenge of the Sith you will never look at the original trilogy the same again, and watching all three right in a row almost promises to be an experience in and of itself.
