The Force is back in this one
In the previous installment, the Clone Army (a.k.a. Stormtroopers) proved useful in thwarting the Separatists, resulting in Chancellor Palpatine’s (Ian McDiarmid) appointment of the Clones as the grand army of the Republic. Events that transpired between Episodes 2 and 3 were depicted in the Clone Wars animated series, where future installments are already in the works (and probably released long before you’ve read this). It’s not essential viewing, but you wouldn’t want to miss the most spectacular action sequences in the Star Wars canon, live-action included. Episode 3 closes the Clone Wars chapter, brings to light the true intentions of the Chancellor, and reveals major turning points in the lives of beloved Star Wars characters. It’s no secret to many who have seen the original trilogy that Anakin (Hayden Christensen) will be seduced by the Dark Side, Padme (Natalie Portman) will give birth to the heroes of Episodes 4-6, and the Jedi, save for Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz), will be destroyed.
Now this is what I’m talking about! After what seemed like four hours of blindly groping about in the dark, director George Lucas finally regains his groove from three decades back. He brings back the original installments’ fun spirit in Revenge, with more wisecracks and less political droning. Anakin and Obi-Wan probably never smiled this much in the last two episodes combined. This makes the characters more relatable and likeable, especially the once-obnoxious Anakin, who’s now more thoughtful and calmer, no doubt grizzled by the toils of war. There are more meaningful and exciting developments in Revenge’s story, instead of nonchalantly plodding through nostalgic landmarks from the original trilogy. They also did a great job patching up the plot contrivances from previous Episodes, and even managed to make them a little cooler (e.g. Anakin finds out that his divine birth wasn’t necessarily divine after all).The script is still patchy (the love scenes are still groan-inducing), but when it works, it’s brilliant, especially during the scenes where Palpatine gradually tempts Anakin to his side. Best of all, Lucas finally stops putting McDiarmid into fleeting cameos and gives him the limelight befitting a true movie villain. His performance is absolutely mesmerising and it’s an utter waste that Lucas didn’t use him more in the last two movies. They could have benefitted from a little more McDiarmid.
The only big criticism I can throw at it has to do with how much of a fan service the movie is. Though strung together with some impressive action sequences, particularly the opening space battle, newcomers who can’t tell a Jedi from a Wookie will be dumbfounded by the myriad of characters, settings and subplots already established in prior sequels. But fans will feel relieved that their beloved series managed to close on such an unexpectedly high note.
- BMF
Read my embarrassing Episode 3 rant from 2005 here. |
