Back in black
Fans, fear not: This episode is a dazzling, dark and fitting conclusion to the saga that began with 1977's Star Wars.
By STEVE PERSALL
Published May 17, 2005
The wait is over and, overall, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is worth it.
A generation after George Lucas reinvented movie adventure, the Skywalker family saga finally has closure. Revenge of the Sith ties up all kinds of threads, but storywise it's the third episode in the six-movie series, which began in 1977 with Star Wars (Episode IV) and was followed by The Empire Strikes Back (Episode V; 1980) and Return of the Jedi (Episode VI; 1983). Then came the weaker prequels, The Phantom Menace (Episode I; 1999) and Attack of the Clones (Episode II; 2002). Lucas still has one foot in Episodes I and II - regrettably in some cases - but the other is firmly planted on the mythic ground that made Star Wars a phenomenon.
Revenge of the Sith should satisfy anyone not holding a grudge about The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Darker, and almost operatic with its looming doom, it contains the payoffs that fans waited for.
Foremost, and this isn't a spoiler, we're finally reunited with the Darth Vader we loved to hate 28 years ago. It's a late meeting, but undeniably effective; the closest that any of the prequels has come to an indelible screen moment.
Bringing young Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) to that villainous point has been a slow process, from spunky kid in Menace to impetuous Jedi protege in Clones. The awareness that this is the final chapter is a benefit; we know Lucas can't hold out on us much longer. Christensen still isn't a convincing bully, more pout than intimidation, no matter how much he furrows his brow. But Lucas cloaks him in dreadful situations until the black helmet goes on, with a mean streak that earned the series' first PG-13 rating.
How mean? Well, one of Anakin's preliminary detours to the dark side of the Force involves killing children, although the deaths occur off-screen and the corpses are uncommonly clean for a mass murder, one of Lucas' few hedged bets. More limbs - human and android - are amputated than probably in all previous Star Wars films. Heads roll, but what else could we expect from someone we know is becoming the nastiest guy in the universe?
Yet, Lucas doesn't ignore the gee-whiz factor that made Star Wars popular, and almost sank it in prequels that should have required video-game joysticks. The opening sequence is a stunner, fully 25 minutes of battling spaceships and buzzing droids. Later, the warfare is more mano a mano with slicing light sabers. Or perhaps mano a machine because even adorable R2-D2 goes medieval on a few bad guys. We already know Yoda's tougher than he looks, but one particular move here will have moviegoers cheering.
It's when things calm down that Lucas' weaknesses are exposed. He's still unable after all these years to compose dramatic dialogue that doesn't sound stilted. Some actors handle it well; the standout performance in Revenge of the Sith is Ian McDiarmid's oily portrayal of the emperor behind all this warfare. Others, such as Christensen and Natalie Portman in their intimate scenes, collapse under ponderous dialogue.
One by one, the events that Star Wars fans have seen coming since the prequels began fall into place. Characters barely considered in the original trilogy are fleshed out, their roles in the Skywalker saga confirmed. More scenes of Samuel L. Jackson as Jedi master Mace Windu would be fun, but unnecessary to the plot. Less of Portman's Padme Amidala would be fine, but Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia must come from somewhere to complete the legend.
Lucas wisely holds back a little on the special effects, or perhaps it's that he has a stronger story to distract us from simply admiring the computer-generated backgrounds. He doesn't tinker with as many bizarre creatures, getting most of his digital kicks with a new villain, the insect-droid Gen. Grievous. Compared with Menace and Clones, Revenge of the Sith is almost restrained.
There's less talk and more action than in the previous two installments, which should please the masses. There are more Wookiees, almost none of Jar Jar Binks, and absolutely no Ewoks. Above all, there's Darth Vader who, like Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, isn't on screen much yet hangs over the entire movie like a shroud.
Lucas saved the best of his arguably needless prequels for last, finally justifying an entertainment empire, and cementing a myth.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the SithGrade: A-
Director: George Lucas
Cast: Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Jimmy Smits, Christopher Lee, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, voice of Frank Oz
Screenplay: George Lucas
Rating: PG-13; sci-fi violence, gruesome images, mature themes that include child murders
Running time: 140 min.