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star
wars episode 3 – revenge of the sith the
circle is now complete review by mark newbold
It’s been an eventful twenty-eight years here on earth
since George Lucas unleashed Star Wars on the world on a sunny day in May of
1977. Three years later John Lennon
was shot, three after that Lucas finished his trilogy of original films. Three years on again and Challenger was
destroyed during her launch, three more still and the Berlin Wall fell. In 1991 the Gulf War was fought and in
1997, the same year Star Wars returned to the big screen with the Special
Editions, Tony Blair entered 10 Downing Street, thereby proving that all bad
things come to those who wait – which was exactly how many
felt about The Phantom Menace when it arrived May 19th 1999. Here we had an enigma.
A film so fervently anticipated that it could never live up to the
hype. Episode 1, aimed at those same
seven year olds the original was designed for, was much maligned for just
that reason, and Lucas, quite reasonably, defended his decisions saying that Jar
Jar Binks, the most loathed character in Star Wars history, was a huge hit
with the under tens. We met new
characters and were reintroduced to some old friends (technically, we had
been watching young Ani since the first few shots
of Star Wars). And yet, despite a stellar box office of almost a billion
dollars worldwide, Menace became the most criticised of the four films. And so three years on, under close scrutiny, came Attack
of the Clones. Clearly a different
film – faster, quicker, more intense – this brought
us the teenage Anakin Skywalker, an annoying, whiny and bratty teen who was
instantly unlikeable. In retrospect
the backlash was inevitable, bringing claims of wooden scripts and even worse
acting. But Lucas had always said these
films were made in the style of the great 30’s adventure serials, whereas the
original trilogy had an edgy, 70’s feel to them. Staying true as ever to the vision he
forged ahead. And thank the Force that he did. Revenge of the Sith is not only a technical and design
triumph, it’s a marvel of storytelling too.
Weaving the gap between the two trilogies (no mean feat, and sure to
be helped by the 5 year series that starts in 2007) this is the one we have
all been waiting to see. If a fan had
been sat down on May 18th 1999 and asked what they wanted to see
from the Prequels, odds are they would have said :-
Tick away, it’s all here.
If Phantom was the bread roll and Clones the appetiser, Revenge is the
main course. And what a banquet it is
for Star Wars fans. Kicking off with the end of the Clone Wars, the Battle of
Coruscant rages above the city planet, and following the opening scrawl into
this maelstrom fly Obi Wan and Anakin on a mission to rescue the captured
Chancellor Palpatine (nabbed by General Grievous at the end of the Clone Wars
second season). It’s clear from the
get-go that the two men’s relationship has matured into that of brothers, and
their teamwork soon means that Palpatine is free, although not without its
fair share of mishaps. As the story progresses it becomes clear that Anakin is
unsatisfied with his lot, and he has good cause. He is constantly shut out by the council,
held back by Kenobi and has to hide his love for his wife. On top of this he had the Chancellor
inflating his ego and planting seeds out doubt that blossom at the end of the
film. As Revenge moves forward we feel
his frustrations, see the council’s doubts about both him and the Chancellor
until, in one of the most stunning scenes in Star Wars history Anakin makes
his choice and joins the dark side and Palpatine after the execution of Mace
Windu. From there on in it’s a
downward spiral for Anakin and Padme, as she cannot believe her husband
capable of the terrible things he is accused of, and Anakin always a tear
away from breaking down at his own actions.
Palpatines insistent words and the fear of losing Padme spur Anakin
on, until fate and the precise blade of Obi-Wan Kenobi conspire to trap him
in the guise and armour of Darth Vader.
From slavery as a child, to servitude in the service of the Jedi and
finally, on the cusp of snatching the galaxy from Palpatine, Anakin suffers
eternal torment as a wife murderer and slave of the Emperor. Revenge of the Sith, as well as being grade `A’ eye candy, is a moving tragedy. Those final moments on the platform between
Padme, Anakin and Ben on Mustafar is so painful to watch, after following
their progress in The Phantom Menace, through their teamwork days in Attack
of the Clones, to this – you want to scream at them to talk it out, pull back
from the precipice. But you already
know their fate. Anakin will become
the fearsome Darth Vader, a man ironically cut down by Kenobi to be no more
powerful than any of Sidious’ other apprentices. Obi-Wan will assume the life of a hermit,
training himself in the ways of the Force and watching over young Luke
Skywalker. Padme will give birth to
twins and die of a broken heart. As Lucas always said, none of the other films would truly
make sense until this final piece was slotted into place, and he was
right. The previous episodes are now
cast in a new light, as are the events of the original trilogy. Vader is now a trapped, broken man. A man who believed he murdered his pregnant wife with
the powers he gained in order to save her.
Ben is also broken, crushed by what he was forced to do and weakened
by the burden. Yoda is no longer the
invincible force he once seemed to be, Palpatine is even more diabolical. And of all the Jedi, Qui-Gon is revealed to
possibly be the wisest and most powerful of all, teaching both Kenobi and
Yoda a better way – something Anakin would have done well to learn. As an end to a trilogy this far surpasses Return of the
Jedi. As the end of the Star Wars saga
it’s hard to imagine a better finale.
If nothing else, the Prequel trilogy has thrown a
million new questions out into fandom, and thank heavens for
that. Revenge of the Sith sits comfortably alongside A New Hope
and Empire Strikes Back as the very cream of the saga and, perhaps unlike its
two Prequel predecessors, genuinely hits the mark in excitement, drama and
quality delivery that so shone through the first two Original Trilogy entries. Lucas may have taken three films to rediscover it, but
finally the Force is back. |
