The Dark Side has its day
Wednesday morning I had an opportunity to view a pre-release screening of Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith. Of the three "prequel" movies, in my opinion it's the best. But a couple of warnings are in order.
First, it's a downer. I know; anybody who has been following the saga knows that this is the movie when that cute little kid and loveable, if impulsive young Jedi, Anakin Skywalker, goes bad and turns into Darth Vader. But even so, if you've grown to care about these characters, your heart is going to be broken more than once.
And it's not a movie for children- a group of whom are murdered (I won't go into how and by whom), their bodies discovered by Obi Wan and other Jedi in the midst of the collapse both of the Jedi Order and the Republic. Then, there's the process by which Darth Vader comes to need that mask and the respirator and all the other gear that make up his familiar costume. It's heartbreaking, since it happens to a character we've grown fond of in the past two movies- and it's ugly, too.
There are aspects of the plot that aren't very believable. For one thing, the Galactic Senate caves in awfully easily when Chancellor Palpatine declares the Republic at an end, and himself the Emperor. One key scene with Windu- the Samuel L. Jackson character- Anakin, and Palpatine (you'll know it when you see it) has Anakin essentially arguing that the Jedi code must be observed, and Windu- essentially the chair of the Jedi Council, and the exemplar of Jedi values- taking the impulsive, lawless position one would expect from Anakin. The role reversal bothered me, especially since it comes at such a key moment in the development of the plot.
The movie ends with Obi Wan handing the infant Luke to his Aunt Baru on Tatooine, and then going into hiding on the same planet, essentially establishing the situation which obtains at the beginning of the original movie. Leia has been adopted by Senator Organa, portrayed by Jimmy Smits, and taken home to Alderaan. Yoda, of course, goes into exile as well. By the way, the little guy with the Pennsylvania Dutch syntax once again steals the show, giving sound thrashings to people three times his size and doing incredible acrobatics before picking up that cane and limping arthritically away. He makes one entrance into a room past two huge guards that is absolutely hilarious. Judge him by his size, do not!
If you don't mind having your heart broken, and with the cautions above- consider whether you want your kids to see this stuff- I recommend the movie. The plot is much more focused and coherent, and the action moves more smoothly, than in any movie in the whole series since the very first. All in all, it's a worthy end to one of the most beloved cinematic series of all times, and knowing that it's the last of its kind makes this sad movie sadder still.
First, it's a downer. I know; anybody who has been following the saga knows that this is the movie when that cute little kid and loveable, if impulsive young Jedi, Anakin Skywalker, goes bad and turns into Darth Vader. But even so, if you've grown to care about these characters, your heart is going to be broken more than once.
And it's not a movie for children- a group of whom are murdered (I won't go into how and by whom), their bodies discovered by Obi Wan and other Jedi in the midst of the collapse both of the Jedi Order and the Republic. Then, there's the process by which Darth Vader comes to need that mask and the respirator and all the other gear that make up his familiar costume. It's heartbreaking, since it happens to a character we've grown fond of in the past two movies- and it's ugly, too.
There are aspects of the plot that aren't very believable. For one thing, the Galactic Senate caves in awfully easily when Chancellor Palpatine declares the Republic at an end, and himself the Emperor. One key scene with Windu- the Samuel L. Jackson character- Anakin, and Palpatine (you'll know it when you see it) has Anakin essentially arguing that the Jedi code must be observed, and Windu- essentially the chair of the Jedi Council, and the exemplar of Jedi values- taking the impulsive, lawless position one would expect from Anakin. The role reversal bothered me, especially since it comes at such a key moment in the development of the plot.
The movie ends with Obi Wan handing the infant Luke to his Aunt Baru on Tatooine, and then going into hiding on the same planet, essentially establishing the situation which obtains at the beginning of the original movie. Leia has been adopted by Senator Organa, portrayed by Jimmy Smits, and taken home to Alderaan. Yoda, of course, goes into exile as well. By the way, the little guy with the Pennsylvania Dutch syntax once again steals the show, giving sound thrashings to people three times his size and doing incredible acrobatics before picking up that cane and limping arthritically away. He makes one entrance into a room past two huge guards that is absolutely hilarious. Judge him by his size, do not!
If you don't mind having your heart broken, and with the cautions above- consider whether you want your kids to see this stuff- I recommend the movie. The plot is much more focused and coherent, and the action moves more smoothly, than in any movie in the whole series since the very first. All in all, it's a worthy end to one of the most beloved cinematic series of all times, and knowing that it's the last of its kind makes this sad movie sadder still.
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