Revenge of the Sith - with details
I took my second pass at ROTS yesterday. Within our group we had differing opinions and I found that you just never know what's going to work or not work for everyone. So regardless of what I post here, go out and make up your own mind about various scenes or the movie as a whole.
Remember - today there is no mercy. I am blogging spoilers.
Spoiler space here just in case you're still undecided.
Too late!
The opening scroll opens with "War!" and informs us that Palpatine has been kidnapped by Count Dooku and General Grevious. Two jedi have been sent to rescue Palpatine. We go straight into a space battle which looks great but it's hard to follow Anakin and Obi-Wan. When the two jedi land, they go into a big fight scene with battle droids. This goes on slightly too long because battle droids are uninteresting and you might as well shoot BB's at tin cans if that's high drama to you. (This is really just a filler scene designed to look cool. It did look cool.)
When Anakin and Obi-Wan find Palpatine he's just waiting for them. Count Dooku comes in and we get an encore lightsaber duel between the three of them. Different results this time as you might imagine. Christopher Lee brought great acting and character nuances to this role and it's a shame to lose one of the more interesting bad guys.
Marriage hasn't made any kind of mellowing impact on Anakin. He's still torn and conflicted on how to use his jedi powers. The dark side beckons.
The next 45-60 minutes are about well known plot points. Anakin & Padme's pregnancy, the plot to overthrow the jedi, Anakin's struggle to resist the dark side, and the fall of the republic. Stuff happens. Bad dialouge happens. Still acting happens. Special effects are the movie during this time.
Obi-Wan is sent off to find General Grevious and bring him down. General Grevious is part alien and part robot. He has been trained in jedi combat by Count Dooku. His only role in this movie is to show us the technology to create Vader exists and to show us that if two lightsabers are cool then more must be better. (Maybe, maybe not but Obi-Wan is cool and there goes boring Grevious.)
Now we're finally at the Star Wars that we've waited for. It's too bad the script, directing, and acting didn't all fall into place because what should have been an emotional tear jerker turned out to be a flat and scripted. Since I'm ignoring the first part of the movie, let's just go into what worked and didn't for me in the final 45.
Good:
Yoda. The greatest CGI actor ever created. Now I did cry when Yoda felt the destruction of the jedi through the force and knew who was behind it. How that Yoda can have such emotion is amazing but Yoda Rocks!
Obi-Wan/Ewan McGregor. McGregor is a great actor. He gives 100% into this movie and makes Obi-Wan a fully rounded character. Obi-Wan's grief is real as he realizes Anakin has turned to the dark side. Even in the end, Obi-Wan is conflicted about killing his friend.
The fall of the jedi. I thought this was done well and showed how unexpected the betrayal was.
Bail Organa/Jimmy Smits. I only wish Bail Organa had a larger role. His character really tied in with the original Star Wars and why Leia became a Senator and a rebel.
Emperor Palpatine/Iam McDiarmond. Another great performance.
Alderaan.
Owen & Beru.
Not Good:
Mace Windu was more of a street thug than a jedi. What happened to the great performance by Samuel Jackson in the last two movies?
Anakin & Padme's love scenes. Bad diaglouge, no chemistry, who are these people and why are they together?
Extended battle scenes that look great but take away from the plot.
The birth of Luke & Leia.
The overall lack of emotional involvement.
I just didn't enjoy the music as much in this movie. I felt it was one of John Williams less impactful scores and there were no stand our or memorable new themes.
What you need to know if you have small children.
It just depends on your kid. Ms. Kitty's 11 year old nephew was traumitized by Anakin's destruction & rise into Darth Vader. Younger children that are attached to Anakin might also be upset. I don't believe that it's the violence but that the violence happens in a horrible way to someone they care about. Other children in the theater were okay with what happens.
Obi-Wan really does a number on Anakin. Limbs go flying.
The younglings die.
The jedi die.
Padme dies.
My overall thoughts as an original Star Wars fan:
The storyline is resolved in the way in should be.
I liked the movie but didn't love it. I've seen it twice now and I'll probably go see it again.
It could have been so much better and that's the tragedy.
I think I liked "Attack of the Clones" better but this movie is better than "Phantom Menace."
"Empire" is still the best of the 6.
Remember - today there is no mercy. I am blogging spoilers.
Spoiler space here just in case you're still undecided.
Too late!
The opening scroll opens with "War!" and informs us that Palpatine has been kidnapped by Count Dooku and General Grevious. Two jedi have been sent to rescue Palpatine. We go straight into a space battle which looks great but it's hard to follow Anakin and Obi-Wan. When the two jedi land, they go into a big fight scene with battle droids. This goes on slightly too long because battle droids are uninteresting and you might as well shoot BB's at tin cans if that's high drama to you. (This is really just a filler scene designed to look cool. It did look cool.)
When Anakin and Obi-Wan find Palpatine he's just waiting for them. Count Dooku comes in and we get an encore lightsaber duel between the three of them. Different results this time as you might imagine. Christopher Lee brought great acting and character nuances to this role and it's a shame to lose one of the more interesting bad guys.
Marriage hasn't made any kind of mellowing impact on Anakin. He's still torn and conflicted on how to use his jedi powers. The dark side beckons.
The next 45-60 minutes are about well known plot points. Anakin & Padme's pregnancy, the plot to overthrow the jedi, Anakin's struggle to resist the dark side, and the fall of the republic. Stuff happens. Bad dialouge happens. Still acting happens. Special effects are the movie during this time.
Obi-Wan is sent off to find General Grevious and bring him down. General Grevious is part alien and part robot. He has been trained in jedi combat by Count Dooku. His only role in this movie is to show us the technology to create Vader exists and to show us that if two lightsabers are cool then more must be better. (Maybe, maybe not but Obi-Wan is cool and there goes boring Grevious.)
Now we're finally at the Star Wars that we've waited for. It's too bad the script, directing, and acting didn't all fall into place because what should have been an emotional tear jerker turned out to be a flat and scripted. Since I'm ignoring the first part of the movie, let's just go into what worked and didn't for me in the final 45.
Good:
Yoda. The greatest CGI actor ever created. Now I did cry when Yoda felt the destruction of the jedi through the force and knew who was behind it. How that Yoda can have such emotion is amazing but Yoda Rocks!
Obi-Wan/Ewan McGregor. McGregor is a great actor. He gives 100% into this movie and makes Obi-Wan a fully rounded character. Obi-Wan's grief is real as he realizes Anakin has turned to the dark side. Even in the end, Obi-Wan is conflicted about killing his friend.
The fall of the jedi. I thought this was done well and showed how unexpected the betrayal was.
Bail Organa/Jimmy Smits. I only wish Bail Organa had a larger role. His character really tied in with the original Star Wars and why Leia became a Senator and a rebel.
Emperor Palpatine/Iam McDiarmond. Another great performance.
Alderaan.
Owen & Beru.
Not Good:
Mace Windu was more of a street thug than a jedi. What happened to the great performance by Samuel Jackson in the last two movies?
Anakin & Padme's love scenes. Bad diaglouge, no chemistry, who are these people and why are they together?
Extended battle scenes that look great but take away from the plot.
The birth of Luke & Leia.
The overall lack of emotional involvement.
I just didn't enjoy the music as much in this movie. I felt it was one of John Williams less impactful scores and there were no stand our or memorable new themes.
What you need to know if you have small children.
It just depends on your kid. Ms. Kitty's 11 year old nephew was traumitized by Anakin's destruction & rise into Darth Vader. Younger children that are attached to Anakin might also be upset. I don't believe that it's the violence but that the violence happens in a horrible way to someone they care about. Other children in the theater were okay with what happens.
Obi-Wan really does a number on Anakin. Limbs go flying.
The younglings die.
The jedi die.
Padme dies.
My overall thoughts as an original Star Wars fan:
The storyline is resolved in the way in should be.
I liked the movie but didn't love it. I've seen it twice now and I'll probably go see it again.
It could have been so much better and that's the tragedy.
I think I liked "Attack of the Clones" better but this movie is better than "Phantom Menace."
"Empire" is still the best of the 6.
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