Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Ealasaid/ May 16, 2005/ Movie Reviews and Features

Directed by: George Lucas
Starring: Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Ian McDiarmid,
Rated: PG-13 for sci-fi violence and some intense images.
Parental Notes: This is a much darker film than the previous two episodes, and is not for young children. Anakin’s journey to the dark side is disturbing and the final battle he engages in is graphic and includes dismemberment. This is a strong PG-13 film, so take that into consideration when thinking about taking your kids.

First, a confession: I am a die-hard Star Wars aficionado, a dedicated fan of the film now known as “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope” and the two films which followed. Although I enjoyed bits of Episodes I and II, I disliked them overall for their incoherent writing, Anakin’s whining, the incredibly awful romance dialog of Episode II, and most of all for disappointing my fannish excitement. I went to the press screening of “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” expecting to be disappointed yet again. I am a particular fan of Darth Vader, and I fully expected that Lucas would destroy the greatest villain of all time by mishandling the story of his genesis.
I am incredibly relieved to report that George Lucas is finally back on track. Episode III is a return to the exhilarating sense of adventure that made the previous trilogy great and was sadly missing from Episodes I and II. Although it does have scenes which fall flat, they are at a minimum here and for the most part this is a thoroughly enjoyable, if rather dark, film.
The darkness comes from the ending, which is already known to anyone familiar with the Star Wars franchise. Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is destined to become black-armored villain Darth Vader. “Revenge of the Sith” is the story of how the headstrong young Jedi-in-training turns to the dark side and in the process destroys not only the Jedi order (reduced to just Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda by the time of Episodes IV through VI) but the culture of the Republic. Indeed, now that Anakin has matured from the whiny teenager of Episode II into a conflicted young man, the tragedy of his fall is all the more palpable.
Lucas has always had a talent for staging battles, both between people and between huge armies of space ships, and the fight sequences in this film are glorious. The opening space battle alone makes it worth seeing in a theater — Lucas gives us the huge, sweeping view of the battle and then focuses in on the troubles Anakin and Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) are having trying to rescue Senator Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) from an enemy ship. This is adventure, pure and simple, and it’s easy to get swept up in it. Lucas is truly in his element when he’s creating thrilling sequences like this or giving us glimpses of beautifully imagined alien worlds.
Sadly, Lucas’ biggest failing is his inability to write convincing female characters outside the Princess Leia template from Episode IV. Padme (Natalie Portman) was a delight when she fought and struggled in Episodes I and II, but here she has little more to do than hide her secret marriage to Anakin and stay home awaiting the birth of their child while he goes off and does all the fighting. Sadly, the scenes she is in are some of the worst in the entire film. Lucas’ unconvincing romantic dialog and the utter melodramatic insipidity of these scenes is a reminder of the huge, dreadful romance sequences in Episode II. Fortunately, these scenes are few and far between in Episode III, and while one might wish Padme had a bigger part, it’s good that if she has to be this pathetic she’s staying at home. Her character has great potential for inner conflict, but the awful dialog makes it impossible for the talented Portman to do anything interesting with the character.
Anakin, on the other hand, is a clear-cut and well-written character. He is still as headstrong as always, and his love for Padme leaves him open to manipulation by Senator Palpatine. Although there is a huge war going on at the time the film takes place, it serves mostly as a backdrop to Anakin’s inner conflict, and Chrisensen is finally able to show his acting chops a bit after the teenage angst of the previous installment.
Although this is not a perfect film, it is a good one and full of the excitement and wonder that put George Lucas and his Star Wars films on the map in the first place. The ending, though sad, is not completely heartbreaking because we already know what happens next: good does prevail eventually, in the form of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. The next generation carries on the fight and they succeed where Anakin fails. As a fan, I’m grateful that the franchise is going out on such a high note. As a moviegoer, I’m thrilled to see a film so filled with imagination.