Movie Review - Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
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2005 / 140 Minutes / PG-13
Reviewed by Ben Heckendorn
Since it’s going to be a bit hard getting into this movie over opening weekend (I had to get my tickets for the midnight showing back in April) it’s possible that you might actually read this review before you see the movie! (ARGH!) But don’t worry, I won’t spoil anything you probably don’t already know.
Alright, down to brass tacks: This flick is much better than “Attack of the Clones” (which I thought was fairly enjoyable upon first viewing, but with a pretty hokey romance) and light-years ahead of “The Phantom Menace” (which bored me to tears upon first viewing and is still basically just a big tech demo with a good lightsaber fight at the end) Instead of going into the plot of “Sith” too much and ruining the surprises let’s just suffice to say:
You will see just about every character (except Jar-Jar) kick some major ass. R2D2 in the opening sequence alone is such a badass you’d practically swear he could take out Darth Vader if he wanted. Yoda fights again, also in uber badass mode as are Obi-Wan and Anakin.
Hayden Christenson and Natalie Portman both act fairly human in this one and not like cardboard cut-outs as they did in the prior and first installments. You actually get a sense that they’re in love and a couple, though the occasional cheesy bit gets through such as “You’re so beautiful” “It’s because I’m so in love” “No, it’s because I’m so in love with you.” “Then love has made you blind!” or some such nonsense. That scene starts well enough, with Anakin just watching Padme comb her hair, but then they have to TALK. Oh well, still beats the hell outta “I hate sand!” and “Yippee!”
OK enough about acting, how about ACTION! This is easily the most violent of the Star Wars movies (hence a PG-13) Instead of just CGI droids actual real people fight each other this time, with more severed limbs than you can shake a severed limb out. And then of course there’s the ultimate fate of Anakin, which while not quite as, hmm, eviscerating as I’d hoped is still dark enough to stick with you after you leave the theatre.
On that note this is easily the darkest of either trilogy… Case in point: It’s no secret that all the Jedi get killed, but it even includes the Jedi-in-training kids! (seen in “Clones”) It’s basically a holocaust of Jedi, told in montage form in the film once the Emperor turns on them. (Come on – that is NOT a spoiler)
The editing is good, the trademark Lucas thing of having multiple fights happening at once all intercut together is here in force and there’s even some nice quiet moments of reflection, such as Padme pausing as she’s about to confront a twisted Anakin near the end or the moment of breathing after Darth first puts on his mask. Pretty much all the plot twists and turns are all wrapped up, leading nicely to Episode 4 without TOO much head-scratching or unresolved issues (Unlike the shit-tacular Matrix sequels) Finally, the ending shot is about as perfect a bookend to this trilogy / intro to the next as a person could hope for.
Alright, onto the crappy parts - luckily there’s not too many. As stated Padme and Anakin spit out a few groaners (and kids) but for the most part their stuff is good, specifically their confrontation at the end. It kinda makes you wonder what George was thinking when he wrote part 2, but whatever. Maybe he snuck Lawrence Kasden over to his ranch one weekend to write some stuff, who knows? The Emperor / Chancellor guy is a little over-the-top in some scenes, one in particular approaches Ed Wood-dom (you’ll know when you see it) Finally Darth Vader’s final line of dialog (of I think 4) is a little hammy but I guess understandable considering the hell he went through.
So I’d recommend it – if you at least tolerated the first 2 this is certainly a step up so you shouldn’t be disappointed. Quality-wise in my opinion it’s probably behind “Empire”, with the original “New Hope” still being my favorite. One last thing - the digital photography in this one looks great, whereas I found a few spots in “Clones” to be a little grainy (ie, the fireplace scene) Go future of cinema!
