Review: STAR WARS EPISODE III

Obi-Wan Kenobi: Ewan McGregor
Anakin/Darth Vader: Hayden Christensen
Padme: Natalie Portman
Chancellor Palpatine/Emperor: Ian McDiarmid
Mace Windu: Samuel L. Jackson

Written and Directed by: George Lucas
Running Time: 140 minutes
Rated: PG-13 (for sci-fi violence and some intense images)

According to Mr. Lucas, this is the end of the line. The ride is over and its time to find another series to occupy our time. The third and final Episode of the Prequel series was over six years in the making and it all came to an end with ‘Revenge Of The Sith’ which was the most anticipated film of the trilogy because of the return of the Dark Sith Lord, Darth Vader. For those counting, this will be Vader’s first big screen appearance (while brief) since 1983, which is over twenty two years ago in Episode IV (Return Of The Jedi). Does this film deliver the goods and finally make up for what was a sub par prequel? I’ll tell you this much. It looks amazing, the effects and sounds are on par with any other movie you’ve likely ever watched so far. The film actually had a good storyline that outshines the previous two prequels and knits the ties very well to lead into Episode IV. It’s actually a good movie, but its nowhere near ‘The Empire Strikes Back’, but I would have to say on par with ‘Return of the Jedi’ in terms of quality and overall product. It’s a decent film, by far the best of the Prequels and one worth checking out if you enjoyed the previous two as it’s a good last chapter to tie out this new trilogy.

Back for the final installment is the same cast from the second prequel, but this time with new roles and develops that add to a complex story that had been ongoing since Episode I. I found that the performances in Episode III were average and not much better than what at you’ve seen in Episode I or II. Many of the actors in this movie are capable of much more, but were tied down and practically handcuffs by adolescent dialogue that made Team America look like an Oscar winning script. When Anakin does actually make his turn to the dark side and gets into a really fowl mood, he really began to excel… but even that was short lived as it only happened at the end of the film. Ewan McGreggor was again good as Obi-Wan, but suffered from a lacking of screen time this time out, and took a backseat to the story that was going on with the Chancellor and Anakin. Speaking of that, I did actually find the political subtext was quite interesting, but it’s a shame that Lucas doesn’t really dig deeper and just leaves it and moves on to the action. The ethics of ‘light’ and ‘dark’ isn’t particularly explored either, and is left rather simplified, even for children which will leave some rather left out of the story.

As usual, the special effects are off the charts impressive, but that was never a problem with this franchise. If you’re also a sucker for a good lightsaber fight, you will not be disappointed this time out. There are five enormous saber duels, and more limbs are cut off in this film then there are in all the other five Star Wars films combined. The duels are dark, fierce and at times rather cruel but what else would you expect from a film that is all about the Sith administering some big time revenge? My hat’s off to the folks at Industrial Light & Magic, as they’ve again outdone themselves and pretty much every other FX-company on the planet. With some impressive space battles right off the bat, they did their best to make the film look impressive… it’s just a shame there is no special effects capable of hiding bad writing.

The main storyline is Anakin’s turning over to the Dark Side of the Force and betraying Obi-wan and the Jedi. Did I find the cause for this betrayal believable? Not one bit. In order for one to buy Anakin’s motives for turning against the Jedi, one must go out of their way to completely suspend disbelief. It was a hard hurdle for me to get over, but if you believe the reasons for Anakin’s decision to turn, then you’re in for a treat as the rest of the movie is one heck of a ride. The action is fast and furious, and the hatred and anger present in many of the character drives each duel as you hang on each swing wondering when someone will loose a limb, or their life. The duels were quite good, especially the final battle between Kenobi and Vader. Something that will leave an impression the next time you view the original trilogy.

What I did like about this film was the background information that came from the Chancellor/Emperor. Ian McDiarmid nearly stole the show as the Dark Sith Lord who filled Anakin/audience in on the history of the Sith and his upbringing and training to be the Sith Lord he became. It was interesting to finally get a little background on the Sith rather than just the usual, ‘they’re evil… let’s kill’em all’ tirade we’ve always heard. It was these parts of the movie that I found most interesting, as well as the parts that managed to knit together the two trilogies with several little touches. You can actually notice see the design of each spacecraft evolving towards the ships that we’ve known to love in the original trilogy. In one scene, Padme is wearing familiar buns on her head. The explanation for why C3PO is unable to recognize his former master is little half-assed, but plausible I guess. The final scenes also closed out the trilogy with a sense of hope (hence the title of the next chapter) and clearly made the clear link, but left the audience wanting more.

One thing I must mention is that this film has a PG-13 rating for a reason. Sith is Extremely violent, and this might be a film too graphic for any child under the age of 13 to handle. Limbs are hacked off right left and center, and in one case someone is decapitated. There are some people who are electrocuted as in Return of the Jedi, and then there is the part when Anakin turns into a crispy critter and literally burns alive. Such images could leave young minds unable to get a good night’s rest, so I urge parents to exercise extreme caution when taking young kids in. I would strongly recommend leaving any kids 11 and under at home, this is not a good film for them. If you think your kid can handle it, that’s fine but if they can’t don’t force them to endure what are some rather frightening scenes. There is ever one scene that I would classify as ‘spousal abuse’ and if that is not the kind of thing you want your child to see, then you might want to hire a babysitter for the night and leave them at home.

Overall, ‘Revenge Of The Sith’ compared to the previous prequels is a step above and a clear improvement. When compared to the original series however, I only rank it as average at best. It has good action and some really good lightsaber moments, but again bad writing and handcuffed acting prevent this movie from elevating from being a good film into a great motion picture event. Chances are if you liked the other prequels, this movie is going to rock your world. If you didn’t like the prequels, then this film will just be more of the same anddrive you even more insane. One thing is for sure… Lucas went out with a bang in his last film on his Space Opera, and while it wasn’t a classic by any means, it had a lot of good moments to it and that made it fun to check out. If you’re not a diehard fan, this might be worth waiting until it hit DVD. If you are a fan of the story, then grab the popcorn and enjoy the last chapter of the story… and have a good time.

Rating: 7 (Out of 10)