Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (8/10)
Ok, breathe. This is my first review of any Star Wars movie, and I really want to get it “right”. Yes, I am a big Star Wars fan and geek in general. I’ve seen all of the prequels on opening day, but I’m not die hard and hopeless by thinking that the first two were great in terms of being a film. Unfortunately, neither is Revenge of the Sith. Don’t get me wrong - I love the story of Star Wars and I love the experience of watching Star Wars movies - especially watching the 3 prequels. But as films, when you start critiquing them, the 3 prequels come up short.
First, I’m going to start with what I didn’t like, so I can end on a good note and say goodbye to Star Wars. I will try not to let some of the reviews I’ve read cloud my judgement, but I will agree with some of them. I didn’t like the script and direction of the actors. Most people think that the acting isn’t good. These prequels are actually good lessons for people to see how important direction and script writing is. I’ve seen almost all of the cast perform remarkably in other movies - even Hayden Christensen, who was great in Shattered Glass. Lucas should not have directed these movies and should have gotten good help writing the screenplays. The Empire Strikes Back, for which he didn’t write the screenplay at all and did not direct, is proof positive to support my argument. The dialogue in RotS (Revenge of the Sith) is just bad, bad, bad. The timing of most of the story is way off and often too fast and confusing. Senator Palpatine’s makeup is horrendous. The voices of the droids sound like smurfs or somethinge else equally cartoonish. I also thought Anakin’s transformation to the dark side and as Darth Vader was done too quickly. He should have started the transformation at the end of Attack of the Clones.
Ok, I’m done. Now for the good stuff. When you look at the story as a whole, it is a really good epic tragedy. Seriously, I think the story is very much like Shakespeare in that regard. You really start to see the struggle Anakin has in trying to keep the one thing in the world he loves so much, which is his wife, Padme (Natalie Portman). He is faced with either keeping her alive by going to the dark side, or doing what is right and losing his wife. Ultimately, Anakin’s selfishness and fear win over. I also really liked the way that the sets and props started to transform into the look of the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope. In general, the way things tie together is done very nicely and was satisfying for me. Other things I liked were: General Grievous, the special effects, and Yoda kicking some butt.
I agree with what everyone has been saying: “this is the best of the prequels”, but I still think it could have been done better. However, if you are a Star Wars fan and are old enough to remember being a part of even one of the first 3 episodes, then you will really enjoy Episode 3, Revenge of the Sith.
Add comment May 29th, 2005