Review

Review Date: 22-May-05
Spoiler Rating: Low
Juju Judgment: Just OK

Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Well, the saga is now complete. At last we know how and why, in a galaxy far, far away, two star-crossed twins lost their parents, the Jedi Knights became all but extinct, and an evil lord named Darth Vader obtained a phone sex voice that will endure throughout the ages. As with so many people, George Lucas' 30-year serial about fall and redemption is an indelible part of my psyche, so I doff my hat (or blast shield, whatever) to the conclusion of the greatest myth cycle of my generation. Yet as a self-proclaimed critic and fan of movies that roundly entertain, I cannot call the final chapter of "Star Wars" a triumphant good-bye. "Revenge of the Sith" contains flashes of brilliance and moments of spellbinding conflict, but, alas, falls well short of greatness.

Many people disliked Jake Lloyd's performance as the young Anakin Skywalker in "The Phantom Menace," but "Revenge of the Sith" convinces me of his worth. One of the problems with the last two "Star Wars" movies is that Hayden Christensen renders Anakin without his boyhood self's charming spunk. Although bulked up and beefcaked out, Christensen's antihero still comes across as a puling piss-ant who isn't nearly mature enough to possess any extraordinary wisdom, let alone get married and become a father — all of which he grapples with as "Revenge" opens to a series of drawn-out fight scenes. Embroiled in a war against radical separatists (or so they think), Anakin and his fellow Jedi find themselves protecting the galactic Republic against enemies both open and cloaked, yet the headstrong "chosen one" thinks of nothing but his own interests. These include potentially prophetic dreams about his wife Padmé (Natalie Portman) dying in childbirth, and the embarrassing fact that the Jedi Council continues to treat him with suspicion, refusing to grant him the title of Master.

Anakin's only obvious asset is the love of the truly wise and spunky Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), but with his friend off fighting a new baddie named General Grievous, he turns to the sinister Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) for guidance. Palpatine, who moonlights as a Sith lord and dreams of taking over the universe, is only too happy to tweak the young man's sense of wounded pride and fear, hinting that he alone can elevate Anakin to his full stature and teach him to prevent Padmé's death. Lucas would have us believe that this last incentive to the Dark Side is the most powerful, but it's difficult to accept that someone could care so much for his wife and unborn child and still commit the first of Anakin's atrocities — which, incidentally, is where the movie starts to get good. Up until that point, I couldn't help comparing Anakin unfavorably to Severus Snape, another obnoxious man-child dangerously poised between good and evil who is so much richer and more fascinating in his anguish.

Once corrupted, however, Anakin is interesting because he acts instead of whines, and as all hell breaks loose (quite literally) Lucas gives the audience what it paid to see. After Palpatine declares himself Emperor in what I suspect and hope is a jab at the Bush administration ("this is how liberty dies"), there's a poignant montage showing the Jedi Order being obliterated across the galaxy. This, of course, leads to the long-awaited showdown between Obi-Wan and Anakin, which technically doesn't top the swordfight with Darth Maul in "Phantom Menace" but emotionally stands out as the center of the film (along with an unexpectedly fine closing piece featuring the simultaneous birth of cinematic icons).

Ultimately, I feel the same way about "Revenge of the Sith" as I did about Episodes I and II, even though it has the added pull of nostalgia. Each movie contains a few good scenes, some horrid romantic dialogue, and a welcome passport to worlds of visual wonder; none of them could stand alone without the legacy of the originals of which they aren't really worthy.

Copyright © 2005 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.