I personally think that one of the main reasons for this mainstream acceptance of genre films is because of a little film that debuted almost thirty years ago, "Star Wars." There are not many people who haven't seen these films at least once. For as long as I can remember, I have been in love with Star Wars. I remember watching the first film at the tender age of four, though my memories of it are spotty at best. I have a better memory of "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi," which I watched in the theater at the ages of four and seven, respectively. My brother and I were drenched in Star Wars, from countless action figures to bed sheets to Band-Aids to lunchboxes to PEZ dispensers. One Halloween, we donned Star Wars costumes from the local TG&Y. I was C3-PO and my brother was a Stormtrooper. By today's standards, those "costumes," which consisted of nothing more than a mylar poncho with the name of the character and its picture on the front, are quaint at best. But for my brother and me, they transformed us into those characters. Because we loved Star Wars.
And I have ever since. Yes, even 1999's "Episode I: The Phantom Menace" and 2003's "Episode II: Attack of the Clones." Many folks I've talked to find the first two prequel films to be lacking. I often hear the complaint "they're not like the originals." An understandable argument when made by a generation for whom the original films were modern myths, transmitting truths of good versus evil, heroism versus selfishness, and light versus darkness. But as a more than casual fan of Star Wars, I have to disagree with those fans looking for the prequels to be just like the originals.
Which is why it will come as no surprise that I was thoroughly entranced--and disturbed--by the sixth and final installment in the Star Wars saga, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. I watched the film this morning with a youthful and excited group of filmgoers at the Grand Theater here in Lafayette. The following is my review of the film. Let me warn you now that I am not a believer in "spoiling" movies or books for other people. I detest it when people do that to me and so I will not do it to you. I will, however, address the quality of the film, its story, and whether or not the young Jedi hopefuls in your life should be taken along to see it.
In many of the countless interviews he's done since deciding to return to the Star Wars universe in 1999, George Lucas has referred to the six-film Star Wars saga as one twelve-hour movie. He's also likened the saga to a single poem comprised of six stanzas or parts. As all of us know, very few stanzas of a poem mean much outside of the context of the other stanzas. So it is with each Star Wars film when seen outside of their accompanying trilogies. Many have complained that the first two prequels were boring and uninteresting. But that's because those people have looked at the prequels individually, instead of seeing them as part of their particular trilogy and of the overall poem that is the Star Wars saga. And that was hard to do, without being able to see the third stanza. With today's release of Revenge of the Sith, the poem--and the saga--is complete. Two days ago, I began my own "Six Days of Star Wars," the plan being to watch a film a day. Thus it was that I went into Revenge of the Sith today well-versed in the first two prequels.
I highly recommend that you rent and watch "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones" before watching "Revenge of the Sith." While the film can be watched without the other two films, think "entire poem" here and go watch 'em. Revenge of the Sith is an amazing entry into the Star Wars saga, and a more than fitting end to the "twelve-hour movie" that Lucas began in 1977. This movie, perhaps more than any other in the series, has had the most pressure on it to deliver. For Episode III had to show us how the Republic becomes the evil Empire, what became of the Jedi knights, and most importantly, how Anakin Skywalker, father to Luke and Leia, falls completely do the dark side of the Force and becomes everyone's favorite baddie, Darth Vader.
Revenge of the Sith more than delivers on all counts, though it still leaves room for fertile imaginations to piece together the intervening two decades between sagas. The film starts as Jedi knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker fight in the final, major battle of the Clone Wars, which began in Episode II, aptly-named "Attack of the Clones." The conflict has torn the galaxy asunder for three years, during which time both of our heroes have become known as legendary warriors. Anakin and Obi-Wan's valiant efforts bring the war to an end, but the Separatists second in command, the cyborg General Grievous, escapes. Obi-Wan's mission is to find the general and prevent him from continuing the conflict, while Anakin is tasked by the Jedi Council to discover the true agenda of Chancellor Palpatine, who is the leader of the Republic. Both heroes' missions toss them headlong on disparate paths which ultimately make them the characters we know them to be in Episode IV: A New Hope. When those paths intertwine one final time, the results are horrible and tragic.
Which brings me to the warning I think many casual Star Wars viewers need to be given: this movie is dark, grim, tragic, and even disturbing. I'm not easily disturbed, but this movie managed to make me cringe more than a few times with sadness and disgust. The special effects are amazing, bringing worlds and settings to life that are far grander than anything seen in the other Star Wars films. The fight scenes and battles are remarkably done, and both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda are shown to be the most skilled and, dare I say, "bad-ass" Jedi in the entire Star Wars saga. But none of the eye-candy takes away from the story, which is well-written and acted. And no amount of lightsaber duels and blaster shoot-outs can diminish the terrible events that befall those whom we've come to care about in the prequel trilogy: Anakin, Obi-Wan, Padme, Yoda, Mace Windu, and yes, even good ol' 3-P and R2.
Giving vibrant and wonderful life to these roles and the hellish chaos they're cast against are returning actors Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker), Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Natalie Portman (Padme Amidala-Skywalker), Sir Ian McDiarmid (Chancellor Palpatine), Frank Oz (Yoda), and, returning for one last time to Star Wars, James Earl Jones, providing the voice of Darth Vader. The stand-out performances for me belonged to Christensen's Anakin, McGregor's Obi-Wan, McDiarmid's Palpatine, Portman's Padme, and Frank Oz's Yoda. Each one of these actors brought these characters to life in new ways, effectively completing them as the saga draws to a close. Personally, I though McGregor and McDiarmid stole the show as Obi-Wan and Palpatine, respectively, but that's just me. Obi-Wan Kenobi has always been one of my two favorite Star Wars characters, both in the prequels and the originals, Darth Vader being the other favorite. McGregor really makes us love and feel for Obi-Wan Kenobi, and we get the sense of the sadness of the character that Sir Alec Guinness brought to the elder Obi-Wan in the original trilogy. And Ian McDiarmid, who George Lucas almost didn't hire, is hands-down THE greatest movie villain of all time. Maybe I'm just gushing, but the man is extremely talented, playing the two roles he's given in the film with equal gusto and strength. You won't see a more diabolical or fiendish bad guy this summer. He gives Hannibal Lecter a run for his money!
By now, you must be wondering, "do we get to see enough of Vader?" Well, I'll say this: Anakin becomes Vader fairly early on in the film, but the Vader we're more familiar with comes along a little later. Confused? Don't worry, you'll get it, and now you have something to ponder before the film. Darth Vader is truly terrifying and evil in this film, though you get the sense that Anakin is doing what he thinks is right. This makes his fall all the more heart-breaking. Speaking of breaking, should you take your child to see this? Should you go see this if you're squeamish? Well, Revenge of the Sith is rated PG-13 for a reason. It's sad to say that many kids in today's violence-saturated culture see worse than this film shows in video games and on television, but that shouldn't deter you from thinking twice about taking the kiddies to see this movie. There are a lot of decapitations, limbs are cut off left and right, and there's a lot of murder. And what becomes of Anakin at the film's climax is unsettling to say the least. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this film takes our heroes into Hell itself, a planet of lava called Mustafar. The place is black and red, roiling with lava and death. It is here that some of the most disturbing imagery is seen in the film. Is it anything kids haven't seen today? Probably not, but it's a safe bet they've never seen it in a Star Wars film. Be sure to let them know there are some scenes where it's okay for them to hide their faces or cover their eyes.
To sum up, Revenge of the Sith is an excellent ending to the Star Wars saga. Its story is tragic and horrific, but the requisite Star Wars battles and otherworldly vistas are there perforce. That said, there's a level of violence and darkness that your tiny Star Wars fans may not be used to, so consult your personal Force before letting them see the film. Finally, I thought I'd end by letting you all know a little about the future of Star Wars. Sadly, George Lucas has said that Revenge of the Sith is the last Star Wars film. But he's recently revealed that two years hence, a live-action Star Wars television series will debut, chronicling the adventures of the fledgling Rebel Alliance in the wake of the birth of the Empire in Revenge of the Sith. So though we will likely never see our favorite Star Wars characters again, Lucas is gearing up to give us some new adventures and new heroes. I for one am excited about weekly Star Wars with "real people," as we said as kids. It can't get here soon enough. May the Force be with you! Obi-Wan Kemeauxbi
Obi-Wan Kenobi and former apprentice Anakin Skywalker do battle against a hellish backdrop in THE lightsaber duel to end lightsaber duels in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Image courtesy of Star Wars.com
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