Movie Review: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Aug 28, 2017 14:56:36 GMT -5
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Post by Sgt. AWOLaLot on Aug 28, 2017 14:56:36 GMT -5
This is the first Star Wars review I've done, and I plan to get to all of them (hopefully before The Last Jedi comes out). I didn't start with the Originals though or Disney's efforts, as some might expect. Revenge of the Sith just happened to be the one I was in the mood to watch. As far as Star Wars is concerned, everything that could be said about them (good or bad) has been said. But I'm adding my own words anyway. And I actually like Revenge of the Sith. My reasons will be found below.
Written August 24th, 2017
"It's been a while, but it's time to write another review. I've been planning to write reviews on the Star Wars films, considering they were such a large influence on me growing up. These reviews may be longer than others in the past simply because I may include content from the lore/Expanded universe (showing my complete nerdiness in the process), as well being more in depth with the music since I’m very intimate with John Williams’ scores. Despite what you might expect though, my first Star Wars review won’t be for any from the Original Trilogy or even Disney’s two films. The film I watched today was my favorite from the prequel films (which is a good film on its own right), Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) was directed and written by George Lucas (sometimes for better, sometimes for worse) and stars Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Ian McDiarmid, Natalie Portman, and Samuel L. Jackson. It tells the story of how the Galactic Republic is transformed into the Galactic Empire due to Palpatine’s manipulation. It also shows the fall of the Jedi Order and Anakin Skywalker’s turn to the dark side, becoming Darth Vader. While I do like the prequel films for what they are, Revenge of the Sith is a step up from the previous two. This is the story that fans were waiting for and that George Lucas wanted to tell, and overall I think he delivers.
The film opens with the 20th Century Fox Fanfare (oh how I missed it in The Force Awakens and Rogue One), after which we are given those famous words “A Long Time Ago” in blue text and the opening crawl. Then we are shown what is to this day my favorite opening scene from all the Star Wars films and one of my favorite opening shots of all time: the Venator-class Republic Star Destroyer flying over Coruscant as taiko drums (War Drums) play a primal 2 note pattern (but with 3/4 time signature) in the background. As far as establishing scenes go, this one to me is brilliant because it shows so much in just a few seconds. The fires of war have spread across the galaxy and have even reached the Republic’s capital. Even with the advanced technology, the basic elements of war haven’t changed. Then Anakin and Obi-Wan’s fighters fly into view and when they drop below the Venator we are shown the chaos taking place above Coruscant. While many people would pick the opening from A New Hope as their favorite (which is rightfully one of the most iconic scenes of all time), there’s something about this one that has always resonated with me. George Lucas may be a very flawed writer, but there plenty of times in the prequels where his visual sense was perfect.
The rest of the opening sequence is exciting too as we follow Anakin and Obi-Wan on their mission to rescue Chancellor Palpatine. There’s space combat, droids getting cut down, a lightsaber duel, and an exciting conclusion where Anakin lands half a ship on Coruscant. This is also where we’re introduced to General Grievous, a cyborg Separatist general who can use a lightsaber. As far as villains go though, Grievous is a letdown. He’s portrayed as a coward who will run as soon as circumstances turn against him, and this is the portrayal they chose for the 2008 TV show as well. The lightsaber battle with Obi-Wan is lackluster too, though the final chase and fist fight are pretty entertaining. Still, this is really toned down compared to how he was in the 2003 series. In that version, he went into battle with no fear. He took on 5 Jedi at once and killed 2 of them (3 if you include the one he crushed) and captured the Chancellor personally while adding two more Jedi to his kill count. It’s my favorite version of Grievous by far.
Anyway, the most important moment in this sequence is when Anakin defeats Count Dooku in a duel and Palpatine tells him to kill Dooku (and we hear a hint of his evil voice). Anakin faces an important choice: follow the Jedi Code and not kill an unarmed prisoner or succumb to his dark side and get revenge for losing his hand. He chooses the latter and thus his turn to the dark side truly begins.
After the rescue of the Chancellor, we get the slowest section of the film until the Battle of Utapau. There are important events that occur though as the Jedi’s distrust for the Chancellor reaches a high point and Palpatine continues to manipulate Anakin. It also contains both one of the best scenes in the film and the worst. The worst is a scene with Anakin and Padme at Padme’s apartment. It starts out with Padme talking about where she will keep their baby (she does not know yet there are twins), which is fine. But then we get some cringe worthy love dialogue, to say the least. Thankfully it’s the only truly bad moment in the film. On the flip side the best scene is the Opera House scene. Anakin has been having visions of Padme dying at child birth. This is coupled with the fact that the Jedi Council wants him to spy on the Chancellor, which causes Anakin’s distrust to grow. In this scene, he sits down with Palpatine and is told the story of Darth Plagueis the Wise, a Sith Lord who could cheat death. The acting in this scene is very good, especially from McDiarmid, and it’s riveting to see how Palpatine manipulates Anakin.
And that’s one plot line that this film (and the Prequel Trilogy as whole) did do right. Palpatine’s rise to power and his manipulation of Anakin really is a riveting part of the story, even if the execution isn’t always great. While the politics in the Prequels was one thing fans didn’t like, they did serve a purpose and it goes back to when Palpatine told Queen Amidala to call for a vote of no confidence against Chancellor Valorum. Palpatine is intelligent and cunning, and knows how to play chess with people through the art of manipulation. While Darth Maul may have been waisted and Dooku was under-utilized, Palpatine truly was a great villain in the prequels. Other great scenes include when Palpatine reveals to Anakin he knows the Dark Side of the Force and the scene where Anakin must choose between saving Palpatine or letting Mace Windu kill him. Anakin’s desperation to save Padme and his distrust for the Jedi come to fruition, convinced the Jedi are planning a coup. They really are some of the best Star Wars moments, and the darker tone was a welcome addition.
Another part of the film that was well improved is the dynamic between Anakin and Obi-Wan. In the opening sequence, we do get a sense that they are friends that have been through a war together. While it might not feel as natural as Han and Lando, I could still feel it. One small moment I liked is in the elevator talking about R2 messing with the elevator, to which Anakin says, “Hey, no loose wire jokes.” I also liked the scene where Obi-Wan tells Anakin, “You deserve to enjoy your glorious day with the politicians,” after their mission. These scenes, along with the Clone Wars TV show in mind, make it that much more tragic when they meet for their final lightsaber duel. These scenes also contain some of my favorite lines of the entire film. “You’ve turned her against me!” “You have done that yourself.” “You will not take her from me!” “Your anger and lust for power have already done that.” Some of the dialogue is still awkward, like the infamous high ground line, but the writing is still better than the previous two films.
As for Anakin and Obi-Wan’s duel, it’s my favorite from the entire saga. A lot of people say this duel was over the top and didn’t have the emotion of the Original Trilogy. But people seem to forget, this is a duel where Anakin and Obi-Wan are in their prime. Also, with them having been master and apprentice, they must have sparred several times as Anakin improved his skills. I also like how you can see the difference in their styles. Obi-Wan practices Soresu (Form III), a defensive combat style that focuses on outlasting an opponent; which can be seen since Obi-Wan is on the defensive for most of the duel. Anakin practices Djem-So, which shares some similarities to Soresu but is more aggressive and focuses on overpowering an opponent. I also like how there’s a progression in how they fight. When it starts the saber movements are very fast and intense. But towards the end their movements are slower and not as precise. I also liked how this duel and the duel between Yoda and Sidious were edited together. It was done very well actually, and didn’t feel jarring or distracting. The whole sequence is about 11 minutes, and it’s one of my favorite action sequences in the saga. And the ending is of course heartbreaking as Obi-Wan defeats Anakin and watches him burn. I think the scenes in this film, along with their friendship being expanded in the Clone Wars, make the scene where Obi-Wan tells Luke about his father and the fall of the Jedi even more special.
As far as the acting goes, it’s kind of a mixed bag. Some of the performances are very good, with others being just ok. Now Hayden Christensen has gotten a lot of hate for his portrayal of Anakin. While I don’t think Christensen is a great actor, I do think he gets more of the blame than he should. A lot of an actor’s performance is also due to the script they’re given and what the director wants. There are some moments in this film where his speech pattern sounds monotone or off. He was better than in Attack of the Clones though, especially after he turns to the dark side, and I think with a better director he could have given a solid perforamance overall. Natalie Portman’s performance is kind of wooden too, but again a lot of this is due to Lucas’ writing.
Now Ewan McGregor and Ian McDiarmid on the other hand… They are hands down one of the best parts in the prequel trilogy. Ewan MacGregor is excellent as a young Obi-Wan, bringing a restrained but noticeable cool factor to Obi-Wan while keeping the classiness that Alec Guinness had in the Original Trilogy. While the Obi-Wan movie isn’t official yet and McGregor hasn’t been approached, I think chances are high we will get to see him return to the Star Wars universe. And while Obi-Wan is my favorite character from the prequels, Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine is a delight to watch. This was Palpatine’s trilogy as much as it was Anakin’s, and seeing McDiarmid turn from the manipulative politician into an evil Sith Lord was fantastic.
The special effects aren’t that bad either. Sure, the CGI has aged, but it doesn’t look any worse to me than what we see in modern blockbusters. I do wish there were more practical effects, but Lucas and Industrial Light and Magic were one of the first to see what CGI was capable of. They created entire worlds, showed large scale battles, and did a lot of other amazing things with it. While practical effects do look better and they remains my preference, I have to give credit to ILM and Lucas for pushing CGI forward.
Then of course there’s the music. Revenge of the Sith is my favorite prequel score, and I think that’s because I love the more militarized and tragic music that Williams wrote. I already mentioned the taiko drums at the beginning of the film, but right after that we hear a French horn playing the Force theme with snare drums, giving it a militaristic edge. This illustrates the militarization of the Jedi Order and the fact they are now soldiers fighting in a war. The rest of the Battle Above Coruscant cue is great too, and one of my favorite action cues from the prequels. Another great action cue is the Heroes Collide/Yoda vs. Sidious cue. It starts with the Battle of the Heroes theme played in fast tempo, after which we hear a callback to The Clash of Ligthsabers from The Empire Strikes Back (when Vader throws objects at Luke and Luke falls through the window). “I Am the Senate”/The Death of Mace Windu is another great cue where we here the Force theme being played with a darker edge, as now the Jedi Order is in danger of being destroyed. We also here the Emperor’s theme as Palpatine reveals himself.
The softer and darker cues are also excellent.One of my favorite moments is the Padme’s Ruminations cue. This played when Anakin is sitting in the Jedi Temple, thinking about Padme and if he should stop Windu from arresting Palpatine. It starts with a double bass and some synthesized instruments (one of the few times Williams uses synthesizers in Star Wars), and leads into a haunting electronically manipulated female voice. One can also hear Anakin and Padme’s love theme at one point. This track and the scene it accompanies are excellent.
Then there’s Anakin’s Betrayal/The Great Jedi Purge. Williams goes all out with the drama and sadness, and writes one of the saddest cues of his career. It’s one of my favorites from him as we here beautiful string writing, a lamenting choir, and a melancholy French horn. This theme later appears when Padme declares Anakin is breaking her heart. One more sad cue I’ll mention is the “I’m So Sorry” cue when Obi-Wan tells Padme what Anakin has done. It plays a repeating motif on a clarinet and strings, before building to a climax when we see Anakin on Mustafar.
The Star Wars Prequels get a lot of hate, and I suppose a lot the criticisms are warranted. I like them for what they are but agree they aren’t as good as the Originals. Even so, I think Revenge of the Sith is a legitimately good film. The writing is noticeably better, Hayden Christensen’s acting is better, Williams’s music is top notch as always, Ewan McGregor and Ian McDiarmid are excellent, and there is a compelling story happening here. Some things could have been done better, some plot holes were created (how does Leia remember her mother…), and there’s still some bad dialogue, but there’s more than enough good things in the movie to overshadow the bad. And I am thankful to the Prequels for resulting in things like Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which expanded a lot of the characters (and the clone troopers), because they really add to the lore and actually elevate Revenge of the Sith even more."
Written August 24th, 2017
"It's been a while, but it's time to write another review. I've been planning to write reviews on the Star Wars films, considering they were such a large influence on me growing up. These reviews may be longer than others in the past simply because I may include content from the lore/Expanded universe (showing my complete nerdiness in the process), as well being more in depth with the music since I’m very intimate with John Williams’ scores. Despite what you might expect though, my first Star Wars review won’t be for any from the Original Trilogy or even Disney’s two films. The film I watched today was my favorite from the prequel films (which is a good film on its own right), Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) was directed and written by George Lucas (sometimes for better, sometimes for worse) and stars Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Ian McDiarmid, Natalie Portman, and Samuel L. Jackson. It tells the story of how the Galactic Republic is transformed into the Galactic Empire due to Palpatine’s manipulation. It also shows the fall of the Jedi Order and Anakin Skywalker’s turn to the dark side, becoming Darth Vader. While I do like the prequel films for what they are, Revenge of the Sith is a step up from the previous two. This is the story that fans were waiting for and that George Lucas wanted to tell, and overall I think he delivers.
The film opens with the 20th Century Fox Fanfare (oh how I missed it in The Force Awakens and Rogue One), after which we are given those famous words “A Long Time Ago” in blue text and the opening crawl. Then we are shown what is to this day my favorite opening scene from all the Star Wars films and one of my favorite opening shots of all time: the Venator-class Republic Star Destroyer flying over Coruscant as taiko drums (War Drums) play a primal 2 note pattern (but with 3/4 time signature) in the background. As far as establishing scenes go, this one to me is brilliant because it shows so much in just a few seconds. The fires of war have spread across the galaxy and have even reached the Republic’s capital. Even with the advanced technology, the basic elements of war haven’t changed. Then Anakin and Obi-Wan’s fighters fly into view and when they drop below the Venator we are shown the chaos taking place above Coruscant. While many people would pick the opening from A New Hope as their favorite (which is rightfully one of the most iconic scenes of all time), there’s something about this one that has always resonated with me. George Lucas may be a very flawed writer, but there plenty of times in the prequels where his visual sense was perfect.
The rest of the opening sequence is exciting too as we follow Anakin and Obi-Wan on their mission to rescue Chancellor Palpatine. There’s space combat, droids getting cut down, a lightsaber duel, and an exciting conclusion where Anakin lands half a ship on Coruscant. This is also where we’re introduced to General Grievous, a cyborg Separatist general who can use a lightsaber. As far as villains go though, Grievous is a letdown. He’s portrayed as a coward who will run as soon as circumstances turn against him, and this is the portrayal they chose for the 2008 TV show as well. The lightsaber battle with Obi-Wan is lackluster too, though the final chase and fist fight are pretty entertaining. Still, this is really toned down compared to how he was in the 2003 series. In that version, he went into battle with no fear. He took on 5 Jedi at once and killed 2 of them (3 if you include the one he crushed) and captured the Chancellor personally while adding two more Jedi to his kill count. It’s my favorite version of Grievous by far.
Anyway, the most important moment in this sequence is when Anakin defeats Count Dooku in a duel and Palpatine tells him to kill Dooku (and we hear a hint of his evil voice). Anakin faces an important choice: follow the Jedi Code and not kill an unarmed prisoner or succumb to his dark side and get revenge for losing his hand. He chooses the latter and thus his turn to the dark side truly begins.
After the rescue of the Chancellor, we get the slowest section of the film until the Battle of Utapau. There are important events that occur though as the Jedi’s distrust for the Chancellor reaches a high point and Palpatine continues to manipulate Anakin. It also contains both one of the best scenes in the film and the worst. The worst is a scene with Anakin and Padme at Padme’s apartment. It starts out with Padme talking about where she will keep their baby (she does not know yet there are twins), which is fine. But then we get some cringe worthy love dialogue, to say the least. Thankfully it’s the only truly bad moment in the film. On the flip side the best scene is the Opera House scene. Anakin has been having visions of Padme dying at child birth. This is coupled with the fact that the Jedi Council wants him to spy on the Chancellor, which causes Anakin’s distrust to grow. In this scene, he sits down with Palpatine and is told the story of Darth Plagueis the Wise, a Sith Lord who could cheat death. The acting in this scene is very good, especially from McDiarmid, and it’s riveting to see how Palpatine manipulates Anakin.
And that’s one plot line that this film (and the Prequel Trilogy as whole) did do right. Palpatine’s rise to power and his manipulation of Anakin really is a riveting part of the story, even if the execution isn’t always great. While the politics in the Prequels was one thing fans didn’t like, they did serve a purpose and it goes back to when Palpatine told Queen Amidala to call for a vote of no confidence against Chancellor Valorum. Palpatine is intelligent and cunning, and knows how to play chess with people through the art of manipulation. While Darth Maul may have been waisted and Dooku was under-utilized, Palpatine truly was a great villain in the prequels. Other great scenes include when Palpatine reveals to Anakin he knows the Dark Side of the Force and the scene where Anakin must choose between saving Palpatine or letting Mace Windu kill him. Anakin’s desperation to save Padme and his distrust for the Jedi come to fruition, convinced the Jedi are planning a coup. They really are some of the best Star Wars moments, and the darker tone was a welcome addition.
Another part of the film that was well improved is the dynamic between Anakin and Obi-Wan. In the opening sequence, we do get a sense that they are friends that have been through a war together. While it might not feel as natural as Han and Lando, I could still feel it. One small moment I liked is in the elevator talking about R2 messing with the elevator, to which Anakin says, “Hey, no loose wire jokes.” I also liked the scene where Obi-Wan tells Anakin, “You deserve to enjoy your glorious day with the politicians,” after their mission. These scenes, along with the Clone Wars TV show in mind, make it that much more tragic when they meet for their final lightsaber duel. These scenes also contain some of my favorite lines of the entire film. “You’ve turned her against me!” “You have done that yourself.” “You will not take her from me!” “Your anger and lust for power have already done that.” Some of the dialogue is still awkward, like the infamous high ground line, but the writing is still better than the previous two films.
As for Anakin and Obi-Wan’s duel, it’s my favorite from the entire saga. A lot of people say this duel was over the top and didn’t have the emotion of the Original Trilogy. But people seem to forget, this is a duel where Anakin and Obi-Wan are in their prime. Also, with them having been master and apprentice, they must have sparred several times as Anakin improved his skills. I also like how you can see the difference in their styles. Obi-Wan practices Soresu (Form III), a defensive combat style that focuses on outlasting an opponent; which can be seen since Obi-Wan is on the defensive for most of the duel. Anakin practices Djem-So, which shares some similarities to Soresu but is more aggressive and focuses on overpowering an opponent. I also like how there’s a progression in how they fight. When it starts the saber movements are very fast and intense. But towards the end their movements are slower and not as precise. I also liked how this duel and the duel between Yoda and Sidious were edited together. It was done very well actually, and didn’t feel jarring or distracting. The whole sequence is about 11 minutes, and it’s one of my favorite action sequences in the saga. And the ending is of course heartbreaking as Obi-Wan defeats Anakin and watches him burn. I think the scenes in this film, along with their friendship being expanded in the Clone Wars, make the scene where Obi-Wan tells Luke about his father and the fall of the Jedi even more special.
As far as the acting goes, it’s kind of a mixed bag. Some of the performances are very good, with others being just ok. Now Hayden Christensen has gotten a lot of hate for his portrayal of Anakin. While I don’t think Christensen is a great actor, I do think he gets more of the blame than he should. A lot of an actor’s performance is also due to the script they’re given and what the director wants. There are some moments in this film where his speech pattern sounds monotone or off. He was better than in Attack of the Clones though, especially after he turns to the dark side, and I think with a better director he could have given a solid perforamance overall. Natalie Portman’s performance is kind of wooden too, but again a lot of this is due to Lucas’ writing.
Now Ewan McGregor and Ian McDiarmid on the other hand… They are hands down one of the best parts in the prequel trilogy. Ewan MacGregor is excellent as a young Obi-Wan, bringing a restrained but noticeable cool factor to Obi-Wan while keeping the classiness that Alec Guinness had in the Original Trilogy. While the Obi-Wan movie isn’t official yet and McGregor hasn’t been approached, I think chances are high we will get to see him return to the Star Wars universe. And while Obi-Wan is my favorite character from the prequels, Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine is a delight to watch. This was Palpatine’s trilogy as much as it was Anakin’s, and seeing McDiarmid turn from the manipulative politician into an evil Sith Lord was fantastic.
The special effects aren’t that bad either. Sure, the CGI has aged, but it doesn’t look any worse to me than what we see in modern blockbusters. I do wish there were more practical effects, but Lucas and Industrial Light and Magic were one of the first to see what CGI was capable of. They created entire worlds, showed large scale battles, and did a lot of other amazing things with it. While practical effects do look better and they remains my preference, I have to give credit to ILM and Lucas for pushing CGI forward.
Then of course there’s the music. Revenge of the Sith is my favorite prequel score, and I think that’s because I love the more militarized and tragic music that Williams wrote. I already mentioned the taiko drums at the beginning of the film, but right after that we hear a French horn playing the Force theme with snare drums, giving it a militaristic edge. This illustrates the militarization of the Jedi Order and the fact they are now soldiers fighting in a war. The rest of the Battle Above Coruscant cue is great too, and one of my favorite action cues from the prequels. Another great action cue is the Heroes Collide/Yoda vs. Sidious cue. It starts with the Battle of the Heroes theme played in fast tempo, after which we hear a callback to The Clash of Ligthsabers from The Empire Strikes Back (when Vader throws objects at Luke and Luke falls through the window). “I Am the Senate”/The Death of Mace Windu is another great cue where we here the Force theme being played with a darker edge, as now the Jedi Order is in danger of being destroyed. We also here the Emperor’s theme as Palpatine reveals himself.
The softer and darker cues are also excellent.One of my favorite moments is the Padme’s Ruminations cue. This played when Anakin is sitting in the Jedi Temple, thinking about Padme and if he should stop Windu from arresting Palpatine. It starts with a double bass and some synthesized instruments (one of the few times Williams uses synthesizers in Star Wars), and leads into a haunting electronically manipulated female voice. One can also hear Anakin and Padme’s love theme at one point. This track and the scene it accompanies are excellent.
Then there’s Anakin’s Betrayal/The Great Jedi Purge. Williams goes all out with the drama and sadness, and writes one of the saddest cues of his career. It’s one of my favorites from him as we here beautiful string writing, a lamenting choir, and a melancholy French horn. This theme later appears when Padme declares Anakin is breaking her heart. One more sad cue I’ll mention is the “I’m So Sorry” cue when Obi-Wan tells Padme what Anakin has done. It plays a repeating motif on a clarinet and strings, before building to a climax when we see Anakin on Mustafar.
The Star Wars Prequels get a lot of hate, and I suppose a lot the criticisms are warranted. I like them for what they are but agree they aren’t as good as the Originals. Even so, I think Revenge of the Sith is a legitimately good film. The writing is noticeably better, Hayden Christensen’s acting is better, Williams’s music is top notch as always, Ewan McGregor and Ian McDiarmid are excellent, and there is a compelling story happening here. Some things could have been done better, some plot holes were created (how does Leia remember her mother…), and there’s still some bad dialogue, but there’s more than enough good things in the movie to overshadow the bad. And I am thankful to the Prequels for resulting in things like Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which expanded a lot of the characters (and the clone troopers), because they really add to the lore and actually elevate Revenge of the Sith even more."