Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Directed by: George Lucas
Rated PG
140 Minutes

Review by Giraldo Barraza




And so the saga ends. Revenge of the Sith is George Lucas’s final installment of the Star Wars saga, and it appears there was something left in the tank after all. Following the disappointment of Attack of the Clones, I was afraid that the Star Wars films would end with a whimper. Instead, it appears obvious that Lucas’s prequel ideas were predominantly focused on this final chapter regarding the fall of Anakin Skywalker to the dark side, because Episode III comes the closest to recapturing the magic of the original trilogy. This film has much more confidence than the previous two installments, likely because this is the only one with concrete ideas and emotions. Lucas may not have known how to get here, but I’m glad we finally arrived at the destination. This chapter is a fitting and surprisingly poignant end to the saga. Though still marred by over-baked elements, it is a fantastic, swashbuckling piece of entertainment.

At long last, the two major storylines of the prequel trilogy collide. The ascension of Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) to the emperor’s throne and the fall of Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) intertwine fully here, and the results prove disastrous for the entire galaxy. Tantalizing hints are finally allowed to blossom, and some of the finest scenes feature the Chancellor’s seduction of Anakin to the dark side. After an incredibly clunky and awkwardly paced opening battle (evoking memories of The Phantom Menace’s tedious opening sequence), these two characters are allowed time to contemplate the lingering moments of The Clone War. Feeding off of Skywalker’s doubts and fears, Palpatine manages to seek his talons into Anakin and becomes the master puppeteer; tugging at Anakin’s heartstrings to solidify his own grasp on the galaxy. This film is Palpatine’s time to shine, and he emerges from the shadows to complete his insidious plot against the Jedi and the republic.

Director of Photography David Tattersall’s camera work in this trilogy seem best suited for Sith’s somber tone. The gaudy brightness of Episode I and the oversaturation of Episode II behind him, the prevalence of dark environments of Episode III suit his high contrast style well. Alas, there are still too many computer-generated elements that appear to be lit, colored, or generally enhanced with photoshop rather than by any cinematographer’s lamps or lanterns, and the results are many sequences with that persistent artificial ambiance that visually plagues the prequel trilogy. That fault, however, lies with the big man upstairs, Lucas himself.

Despite his faults as screenwriter (once again), Lucas has created a multi-layered story, albeit one where good dialogue is not one of the aforementioned layers. He also awkwardly eschews certain characters to the background while introducing both new and old characters in an effort to dazzle the audience into submission. Count Dooku is relegated to a mere cameo in this film after casting a shadow of evil upon Episode II, and Padme Amidala is reduced from strong leader to a mere vessel for the pending Skywalker children. Also all but gone is the grating Jar Jar Binks, but it goes without saying this decision is appreciated by all. In Dooku’s stead is General Greivous, a diseased cyborg leader with the grim reaper’s appearance and Doc Holliday’s lingering cough. The suppression of Anakin’s wife is softened by the reappearance of original trilogy favorite, Chewbacca. The first appearance of the beloved Wookiee is sure to bring a smile to the viewer’s face, and his alliance with Yoda is sure to warm even the most cynical of hearts. Although enjoyable, it reinforces a flaw of the prequel trilogy, that the galaxy is a small damn place where we keep seeing the same faces over and over again. However, these are now old arguments, and we couldn’t expect Lucas to forsake these bad habits.

Unlike the previous two episodes, Lucas has provided much more than lightsabers and visual effects. The symbolism of Episode III is rich indeed, and so well handled I wonder if Lucas ceded control of the director’s chair over to someone else on certain days. The difference in style is that striking. Anakin’s fate is rich with imagery of hell and damnation, and his very flesh is metaphorically consumed by the fiery hatred that claims his heart and mind. While that is an obvious allegory, Lucas impressed me with another scene. The single best sequence in the entire prequel trilogy is a two minute piece with no dialogue mid-way through the film. Anakin is at a pivotal moment of choice, and at stake is his beloved Padme. They gaze in each other’s direction across the capital city, unaware that they both ponder their future from different points of view. Padme faces the right side of the frame towards the setting sun, symbolically showing a hope for a brighter future. Anakin faces the left side of the frame, suggesting his unwillingness to look ahead and instead dwell on the past. The agony is apparent as the audience realizes their differences will carry them down two separate paths of destiny. Lucas wisely made this subtle meditation the true moment of choice for Anakin, instead of the literal choice later between Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) and Palpatine. From that point on, the entire film is on a sliding slope towards calamity. One watches with a clear sense of dread, knowing that nothing can stand in the way of the galaxy’s collapse and the immolation of Anakin’s soul as a consequence of his Faustian deal with the devil.

In spite of Lucas’s best efforts, the one big problem is that few of these brilliant touches allow Sith to stand on its own merit. Most scenes evoke memories of previous installments; including the reappearance of Chewbacca and of the Blockade Runner, the ship seen in the opening moments of Star Wars. For any future viewers, I will continue to recommend against watching them in sequential order, suggesting instead to view the original trilogy and then the prequels as a backstory. This preserves the drama of Episodes IV-VI, and displays Episodes I-III in their true light, as a side dish to the main course.

So did this trilogy have to be shown? Oddly, the politics of the Nixon era that inspired Emperor Palpatine are more relevant now than they would have in the late 1970s. History does have a tendency to repeat itself, so perhaps the repetitious “poetry stanza” approach by Lucas to the prequel trilogy wasn’t such a mistake after all. Alas, there were no pivotal moments of drama to match the original trilogy. A general sense of good and evil have been made more complex and murky with this trilogy. Right and wrong may be a personal point of view, but the important thing to recall is the saga’s theme is redemption and hope. These are ultimately fables about having faith in this world that surrounds us and binds us to each other. The force can be with us, always.