George Lucas has come full circle by completing his Star Wars mega epic with Revenge of the Sith, a marked improvement on the earlier prequels and paving the way to the storylines of the classic trilogy. Sith is really the episode where most filmgoers could start and not miss too much storyline. Previously, The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, were padded with exposition on the Anakin Skywalker’s formative years, and there is no doubt Sith is better than both prequels combined. While this comeback film isn’t quite as good as any of the original trilogy, it is a successful realization of Anakin’s descent into the Dark side as Darth Vader.
Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), rescue kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) from warring Separatists led by Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) and General Grievous, a humanoid robot whose features foreshadow Darth Vader. As Anakin returns home to his now pregnant wife, Senator Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman), he has recurring nightmares of her impending death. Desperate for any means to protect his love, he comes under the influence of the Chancellor who has continued to consolidate his control of the Senate. Palpatine describes the powers of the Dark side as a means to help Anakin save his wife. Anakin’s ambitions are also frustrated by a denial to join the Jedi Council headed by Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) and Yoda (voiced by the winning Frank Oz). As Obi-Wan pursues Grievous, the Jedi Knights, supported by massive Clone armies, are spread thin in the galaxy. Anakin searches his emotions even as he suspects an ultimate evil is among them in the form of Darth Sidious. Alerted by Anakin of possible treachery by Palpatine, Windu and a handful of Jedi Knights come calling in what proves to be a major turning point that severely tests Anakin’s loyalties. Subsequently, the Jedi Knights are vanquished through a series of calculated moves and directives to the Clone troops as Darth Sidious grows stronger and Anakin becomes his deadly enforcer. This young man who is prophesied to be “the chosen one who will bring balance to the force” is instead the one who brings darkness to the Republic (at least until the next generation). While Obi-Wan and Yoda are among the few to survive, each must face their Dark side counterparts, and the formation of Darth Vader and the future of the Republic in the newly born Luke and Leia foreshadow the next film, A New Hope.
The story opens with so much eye candy that the screen becomes one busy video arcade. Industrial Light and Magic does a smashing job of effects work as always, but the problem is that while the technology is vastly improved, the screen becomes almost too busy. The dramatic scenes do not complement the action because there is a lack of emotional involvement for the audience. The pacing at times is a bit jarring in jumping from scene to scene.
The main theme rests on depicting Anakin’s fall to the Dark side. At times the transformation is unconvincing. Although Portman and Christensen are talented stars, they lack the experience and directorial support to overcome a simplistic script littered with pedestrian dialogue. Ian McDiarmid comes off best as the subversive Senator Palpatine who may not be who he seems. Ewan McGregor lends a distinguished turn as a mature Obi-Wan with a twinkle of Alec Guinness. An effective Samuel L. Jackson preferred his character to go out in a blaze of glory, and it is his action scene where the entire movie pivots and the tone of the story takes a decidedly menacing turn.
Speaking of acting, one only has to look at the original trilogy to appreciate the chemistry of Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford whose acting skills improved with each film not coincidentally as Lucas began to employ strong directors (Irvin Kershner and Richard Marquand) to compliment his visual production style.
The last hour, which is the best, has a Francis Coppola (Lucas’ mentor) influence as sequences alternate in operatic grandeur similar to the climaxes in the Godfather films. These concluding set pieces elevate the film to dramatic heights and recall Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in which sequences cut back-and-forth between life changing events. Yoda’s battle with Sidious (whose appearance is not unlike the devil of The Exorcist) and Anakin and Obi-Wan’s duel with Anakin alternate in epic grandeur. Also, Vader’s Frankenstein-like ‘birth’ and Padme’s child bearing contrast with almost mythic proportions.
The colorful musical score by John Williams links many familiar themes with an updated edge, and the choral background is effective in the climax. The set designs and costumes are top notch. Some of the camera shots are striking particularly in an overhead view as Anakin enters the Jedi temple.
The film is certainly more intense and violent than any previous Star Wars film and earns its PG13 rating. It is ironic that Lucas (and Spielberg), who almost single handedly forced the MPAA to create a niche rating with PG13, now returns to that territory.
Lucas has propelled his original trilogy into new territory. By playing on the audience’s emotional attachment to the characters and story, the original trilogy takes on a wholly different context. Now and forevermore, lines of dialogue and subtle nuances will take on deeper layers of meaning, and that makes these originals more interesting to watch all over again! Lucas also does a good job of matching and referencing links between Sith and A New Hope right down to the hairstyles, spaceships, and costumes. Even old favorites like a young Chewbacca make a brief, but memorable appearance. Through it all in every episode are robots C-3PO and R2-D2 (who acquits himself well). It would be interesting to see audience reactions watching the series chronologically as intended. Perhaps, Lucas may show the films on television with restored footage as a colossal event like Coppola’s Godfather Saga. How about The Star Wars Saga?
Certainly, moviegoers have put Lucas on a higher standard than most filmmakers, perhaps unfairly. Because we want the film to be perfect, it suffers from the lofty standards set by the original films. Without a doubt, Lucas was on the right track with Sith. If only he trusted a strong director of actors and a top screenwriter to improve the dialogue, he would have the makings of a classic to rival The Empire Strikes Back. Was Lawrence Kasdan (who wrote these characters in the original trilogy) too busy to lend a hand?
*** out of **** stars (add ½ * for the last half hour)
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