Revenge of the Sith
It’s 4:30 in the morning. I just got home from seeing Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith.
I met up with my brothers, Nicole, Dan, and some other friends at the Regal 14 in Harrisonburg tonight around 10:00 and stood in line for two hours for the midnight premiere. The atmosphere in the parking lot was not unlike the revelry before a rock concert. When the opening crawl burst onto the screen–accompanied by John Williams familiar first movement–everyone in the audience cheered.
The film opens with a fireworks show of a space dogfight–a scene that could fit easily into episodes I or II. In many respects, the first part of the film is similar to the first two prequels: several stiff beats and plenty of comic relief. But much to my amazement, the story actually picks up and pulls you along at a much more natural pace than Star Wars fans have come to expect over the past several years.
One of the most surprising aspects of the film to me was the acting. Hayden Christiansen (as Anakin Skywalker) actually outshines Ewan MacGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi! No doubt Ian McDiarmid (Palpatine) deserves a portion of the credit for that reversal from episode II. The scenes between Anakin and Palpatine are so enthralling, you might forget for a moment that you are watching a Star Wars prequel.
One would think that a prequel doesn’t have much to offer in terms of information–we all know exactly how it ends. But Lucas and his creative team do an excellent job of putting poetic twists on the story in such a way that you will never look at the original trilogy the same way again. But more importantly, this film achieves the goal of all great dramas–the audience actually feels the emotions that the actors are portraying–something the other prequels failed to do. We both hate and empathize with Anakin.
Another aspect worth noting is the political innuendos vaguely linking the neo-conservative movement to Emporer Palpatine. No doubt many Rebublican fans will deny any such an implication is even suggested in the film, but it’s as plain as day to the blue state rebels. Anyone who is familiar with George Lucas’ political leanings will know that this is at least within the realm of possibility. True, there is a large difference between the Patriot Act or a filibuster ban and Palpatine’s exponential usurpation of democratic power, but the moral of the story is still there. Throughout history, the works of art that are remembered are generally going to be the ones that have something to say about the culture in which we currently live. MASH wasn’t really about the Korean War any more than Citizen Kane was about Charles Kane. And who really believes all those sci-fi alien invasion B-flicks of the 1950s were actually about extra-terrestrials? I seriously doubt that A New Hope would have been nearly as popular as it was if it had premiered in the sedated social/political climate of America in 1989.
In the interest of full disclosure, non-fans should know that I’m writing this review as a a Star Wars fan, not under the pretense of “objective criticism” (as if there really is such a thing). The original trilogy was a big part of my childhood. Trying to imagine pop culture in early 80s without Star Wars brings to my mind Bedford Falls without George Bailey. I might not even have gone to film school if I hadn’t seen that behind-the-scenes-special on TV about the making of Return of the Jedi.
What it boils down to is this: if you didn’t like any of the other five movies, you would be foolish to waste your time or money on this one. However, if you’re a faithful fan of the Star Wars universe, if you grew up with it and couldn’t wait to see episode I back in ‘99 like I did, the chances are pretty good that you’re going to like (or possibly even love) this film. It’s a space opera, a political fable and a Shakespearian tragedy all rolled up into a satisfying grand finale worthy of the name Star Wars.