Revenge of the Sith: Star Wars is Part of Childhood
The final part of the six film saga Revenge of the Sith was a film I had to see. The previous prequels were films that got wildly mixed reactions, from critics and fans alike. Some loved them while others despised them (count me mostly in the former category)
Revenge opens with the Clone Wars nearing end after several years of a costly civil war. The Republic forces led by the Jedi seem on the verge of total victory over Count Dooku’s (Christopher Lee) Separatist movement.
Dooku’s right hand droid is General Grievous (voiced by Matthew Wood) a hulking piece of machinery trained in the Jedi arts.
The Jedi Council, led by Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) and Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz), mistrusts Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), who has stayed in office far longer than is natural through a variety of resolutions that have given him greater power.
Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is a close friend of Palpatine – who appoints him to the Council as his representative. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) asks Anakin to keep an eye on the Chancellor, while Palpatine makes a similar request of Anakin to watch the Council.
Anakin doesn’t know who to trust and his problems become exponentially worse when his secret wife, Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) tells him she’s pregnant. He begins to have nightmares about her dying in childbirth and vows he won’t lose her.
That sets the stage for what is a great film. As Anakin makes his inevitable journey towards the dark side of the Force, it’s hard not to feel depressed.
He is not a bad man, just misguided – and his fall from grace reaches a near Shakespearian level as he torches the Jedi Temple, but cries in doing so. You’ll never be able to watch Darth Vader the same way again.
As with all Star Wars films (even the much beloved originals) the acting is shaky as is the dialogue. But there are some terrific lines of dialogue, such as when Padme bemoans “This is how democracy falls, to thunderous applause”. That is certainly a line that will be remembered.
I’m not going to go step by step thru the plot machinations because it’s a joy to see how it unfolds and I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. Obviously everyone who saw Parts IV, V, and VI will know the broad strokes of how things must play out, but the devil (and fun) is in the details.
If you’re a fan there’s a good chance you will not be disappointed, even if you hated The Phantom Menace or Attack of the Clones (or both).
So where does it rank in the six part saga? It’s really tough to say, since I’ve only seen it once and I’ve had years to absorb the other films, but my first blush thought is near the top. If I ranked the saga I’d say –
1. The Empire Strikes Back
2. Revenge of the Sith
3. Star Wars: A New Hope(the original)
4. Attack of the Clones
5. Return of the Jedi
6. The Phantom Menace
Bottom line? George Lucas did what he set out to accomplish to do nearly 30 years ago. Create a modern myth for the world. Hats off to him for inventing the masterful saga, which is Star Wars.
