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Episode III Review - KPN Troutrooper
The Path to the Dark Side is Paved with Light Side Intentions
"Revenge of the Sith" is the final piece of the Star Wars epic hexalogy and is Lucas at his Lucasian best. Lots of flashy battles, a smattering of wooden and disjointed dialogue, heavy emphasis on events. Unlike every other episode, we're spared whimsical "comedic relief": yes, Jar Jar makes a cameo and Threepio is his prissy self, but that's as close to sophomoric characters as Lucas gets in RotS. As a stand-alone movie, this would be intense, but ultimately disappointing, unfulfilling. However, the Star Wars movies should never be taken independently (save perhaps Episode IV, but even that is better when viewed as part of the whole), so we must look at how RotS adds to the series. In this regard, RotS makes every other movie in the series better. Episodes I and II make far more sense, and the foreshadowing in RotS makes the foreshadowed events in Episodes IV-VI more emotionally engaging.
For me, the best part of the movie is seeing the Chancellor-cum-Emperor's strategy play. He already has the trust of the most powerful Jedi, who happens to be a rebel, and control of both armies, but he can't solidify his power with the Jedi Council intact. And he certainly cannot attack the Jedi Council himself; he is not powerful enough to take out all the Jedi Masters himself, and he would risk losing Anakin's trust if he attacked unprovoked. So Palpatine maneuvers the Jedi Masters off Coruscant (save one), then he reveals his true nature to Anakin. The soon- to-be Emperor plays (preys) upon Anakin's fear of losing Padme, seducing him with the secret of immortality (harkening back to AotC in which Anakin says, "I will even learn how to stop people from dying."). The stage is set for Palpatine to assume control of the Republic. Though he almost dies in his duel with Mace Windu, everything goes according to his plans: Anakin falls to the Dark Side, the Jedi Council members are slaughtered one by one, and he is able to honestly say that the Jedi tried to assassinate him. He might have wanted General Grevious to slay Obi-Wan, but he probably knew Obi-Wan would dispatch the weakened Separatist Army commander. From a purely stragetic point of view, this played out beautifully.
An unexpected consequence of seeing Anakin's fall from grace is the sadness I feel when seeing Darth Vader in the original trilogy. Until now, we never truly knew why Anakin fell, we only had bits and pieces from the many canonical novels and comics to base our assumptions on. Seeing him sell his soul in order save the one he loves and then failing is unimaginably tragic. As I watched Episode IV after seeing Episode III, I pitied Vader. Instead of the menacing Dark Lord, I saw Anakin, mutilated, charred, and suffering. The mystery of his anger is forever gone, our fear is forever replaced by pity.
I don't think Lucas can receive enough credit for using the settings to manipulate the audience. John Williams's thematic score subtlely cues us in on who we should be watching, the colors of the clothes overtly signify a person's persona, even the colors on the walls and in the sky are clues for our subconscious to take in. For example, when Palpatine is telling Anakin the story of Darth Plaguious, there is an overwhelming sense of foreboding: Palpatine and Anakin are wearing black, their luxury box seats are darkened, and there's an ominous purple light cast upon the scene by the opera. The parting shot of Alderaan is an isolated castle abutting snowy mountains: the lone holdout against overwhelming and impossible odds. None of this is sappy, audience-demeaning emotional manipulation, it's just another way Lucas helps the audience understand what side each character is on.
The movie is far from perfect, though. Although the acting in Episode 3 was the best of the prequels, the one actor who had to step up his game did not. Hayden Christensen's vapid monotone sucks any emotion in the scene. I suppose he was trying to convey a sense of inner confusion, angst, and frustration while trying to maintain an outward appearance of Jedi calm and serenity. Instead, we get an emotional vacuum. Ian McDiarmid is spectacular as the ultimate schemer, and Ewan McGregor seemed to enjoy this movie more than the other two prequels as evidenced by Obi-Wan's fun- loving demeanor (until, of course, Executive Order 66). The dialogue is wretched, a stomach-churning warning to all would-be screenwriters. The action sequences lack any verve or suspense because we know what happens, an unfortunate result of release the prequels after the sequels. Lucas saved his best fight scene choreography for last, but ultimately, fancy footwork and snazzy saber spins cannot overcome predetermination.
Many of these criticisms come from seeing what a truly transcendental epic can be, namely Lord of the Rings. I know Lucas is not JRR Tolkein as a writer and he never match Peter Jackson's ability to coax greatness from his actors, but we as an audience have seen what (near-) perfection is in an epic and expect that from Star Wars. Possibly an unfair comparison seeing as how Lucas has always thought of his moneymaker as a popcorn flick, but considering the impact Star Wars has
had on movies and society, the comparison will always be made.
We now take our first steps into the wilderness. Lucas has said repeatedly that he will not film Episodes VII-IX. There is a chance he will, but slim is that chance. People mourned the loss of Star Wars after Return of the Jedi, but many figured Lucas would make the prequels. After all, we saw Vader's salvation, we had to know how he fell. But now, Anakin Skywalker's story is complete. What else is left? The books stretch decades into the future, so Lucas would have to either weave a movie into the books or ignore some/most/all of the expanded universe. Besides, George is no youngling--he turned 61 a week before Episode III was released--and even if he started on Episode VII tomorrow, we wouldn't see a finished product until his mid-60s. Figure another three years for Episode VIII and three more for Episode IX, and Lucas is in his seventies. Not impossible, but, other than more boatloads of money, why would he force that schedule upon his aging self? No, I love Star Wars, but we've come to the end by coming full- circle in the story. The occasional Star Wars-related thing will come out--more books, some TV specials, re-editing and re-release of the movies, etc.--but this will be the final movie. The revealing of Anakin's sad fate coincides with sad conclusion to an unforgettable series. A great end worthy of remembrance in every movie lover's archives.
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