A Review by Phil Calabro
2005, 20th Century Fox/Lucasfilm, Dir. George Lucas - Starring Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Jimmy Smits, Anthony Daniels, Christopher Lee, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, Silas Carson, voice of Frank Oz
(*breaths heavily, hums Imperial March*)
28 years have finally passed, and the Star Wars saga has come to a triumphant end. Now, by triumphant, I don't just mean satisfactory or practical - much like the last two entries - but pretty damn good. It makes me sit back and wonder: why did it take George Lucas so long to do this? Perhaps it was the differences in subject material that he had to deal with, from the awkward beginnings in Episode I and the tiring dialogue in Episode II - but Episode III presents a multitude of dilemmas and choices that the characters must face. If the movie had been presented terribly, Lucas would have failed to make a serious connection with 'A New Hope'. That wouldn't have been good. Instead, 'Revenge of the Sith' is a dark and mysterious finale to a classic story - it is done with great care, to show a remarkable descent of young Anakin Skywalker from the Jedi council to the Dark Side of the Force. Certainly the movie suffers from its wooden acting and bad dialogue, but the mood and moments given by Lucas and his crew have not just let me forget about them, but redeem them in a way. It's no doubt that Episode III is the best since the original trilogy, and one of this year's best films overall.
We left off Episode II at the marriage of Anakin Skywalker (Christensen) and Senator Padme (Portman), after the young Jedi had his hand sliced off by the evil Count Dooku (Lee). In a mission to save the senate head Chancellor Palpatine (McDiarmid) from Dooku, he and Obi-Wan Kenobi (McGregor) head over to their mothership and save him. But Palpatine sees something deeper in Anakin, which he could use to his own evil expenses. Little does the Jedi council know that Palpatine in fact the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious - and he plans to get Anakin as his new protege. In order to do so, he hired him as his personal assistant to the council. Eventually, the council themselves start suspecting that Palpatine and Anakin are up to weird things, but little do they know that they will become part of an elaborate plan to kill all Jedis and establish an intergalatic empire to destroy the democracy of the Republic. Slowly, Anakin gets drawn into the selfishness of the Dark Side, hoping to gain personal strength by impressing his peers. Obi-Wan must face him to end the madness.
Ewan McGregor, as I agree with my colleague Jack Moore, has a great knack for transforming himself into an earlier stage of Alec Guiness' Obi-Wan. His age has become a weight for the job, and that affects his chemistry with Anakin Skywalker. At least McGregor has some sense of delivering lines in a non-prosaic fashion - all of which Hayden Christensen somehow can't do. Every line uttered by our protagonist sounds limp and lifeless - with no apparent talent. It's not that Mr. Christensen couldn't be a good actor, but he shows no effort, and it hurts him. Much of this is due to terrible scriptwriting on Lucas' part, but in retrospect, you've learned never to expect the entire world from him. Natalie Portman also joins the ranks for lifeless acting, even with her incredible skills she has no chance of really delivering the lines. She is, however, very believable in the final scene, where tears may begin to flow in the audience. Ian McDiarmid is poetic and inherently evil; he knows a damn good bad guy when he sees it. Palpatine is easily the most hated character of the cast, and he makes sure that no audience member actually wants him to live by the end. McDiarmid is terrific in the role, and it's no surprise why he's been playing it for 22 years.
What hurt Episode II the most was a lack of action - which is what Episode III makes up for in spades. This is not your average low-budget CGI, this is the best possible. Lucas succeeds on a large-scale basis with 'Star Wars' because he has taken the time to make the galaxies in the story his own, creating breeds and employing them properly. Detail is key here, and Lucas never stops short. The lightsaber battles are spectacular, with at least five large ones happening altogether. There was never a moment without a satisfied smile on my face - every second was saber-pounding, swashbuckling adventure that reminds me of the Indiana Jones serials with a CGI punch in the face. As for the connection between Episode III and IV, every bit (with the exception of Han Solo, but that was considered) is explained in detail. The entire story is accounted for, with cheers and jeers galore. Everything memorable, from the crowning of Darth Vader to the battle between Yoda and Palpatine (a terrific fight indeed), is here in this big package. The time has finally come from Star Wars to see a good farewell.
As it rides off into the sunset, or starfield, or whatever, 'Star Wars - Episode III' will be remembered as a masterpiece. It sparkles the eye and imagination with stunning visuals, gripping battles, and a story to bring tears and grins to people's faces. After the disappointment of the last two episodes, I'm satisfied to see the saga finish off so magnificently. As Master Yoda would say, an incredibly kickass movie this is.
