Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith

PLOT:

The Galactic Republic is on the verge of collapse as a result of the Clone Wars, which have been waged between the Republic and the Separatists for three years. In a surprise move, General Grievous, commander of the Separatist Droid Army, kidnaps Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and attempts to escape. During a battle over the planet Coruscant, Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker lead a mission to rescue the Chancellor, who is being held captive on Grievous’s flagship. There they confront Count Dooku in a lightsaber duel; at the end of the duel, Anakin hesitantly kills Dooku at Palpatine’s urging. The Jedi free the Chancellor and attempt to escape the battle-torn flagship, but Grievous traps them inside and escapes. Anakin pilots the collapsing flagship to safety on Coruscant. There, Anakin reunites with his wife, Padmé Amidala, who reveals that she is pregnant. Anakin is overjoyed with this news until he begins having recurring nightmares of Padmé dying in childbirth, similar to the visions he had of his mother before she died. Anakin resolves to prevent these visions from coming true.

Palpatine, concerned about the Jedi’s motives, places Anakin on the Jedi Council to be his eyes and ears. Meanwhile, the Jedi Council has begun to suspect Palpatine of corruption and orders Anakin to spy on him, while also denying the young Jedi the rank of Jedi Master out of additional distrust of him. Under Palpatine’s influence, Anakin begins to grow distrustful of his fellow Jedi, and is intrigued when Palpatine mentions the power to prevent death, an ability only gained through the dark side of the Force. Obi-Wan, meanwhile, is sent to the planet Utapau where he engages and kills General Grievous. Back on Coruscant, Palpatine reveals himself to Anakin as the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, who has been controlling both sides of the war. Anakin reports Palpatine’s treachery to Jedi Master Mace Windu, who engages and subdues the Sith Lord in a lightsaber duel. Believing that Sidious is his only hope to save Padmé, Anakin intervenes and literally disarms Windu before he can execute Sidious, allowing the Sith Lord to kill the Jedi Master. Palpatine takes advantage of Anakin’s emotionally drained mind to submit him to the dark side and becomes Sidious’s new apprentice, Darth Vader.

Darth Sidious initiates a pre-programmed directive within all clone troopers to kill their Jedi commanders, while Vader kills all the Jedi within the Jedi Temple, Knights, Padawans, and Younglings alike. Obi-Wan and Yoda survive the extermination, and meet up with Senator Bail Organa, who brings them to the Jedi Temple while Palpatine reorganizes the Republic into the Galactic Empire, with himself as Emperor. Vader, meanwhile, heads to the volcanic planet of Mustafar, where he slaughters the remaining Separatist leaders. Within the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan witnesses security footage of Anakin’s massacre as Darth Vader. Yoda tells Obi-Wan that they must kill the Sith Lords if they are to restore peace. Obi-Wan begs Yoda to send him to kill the Emperor, but Yoda tells him to confront and kill Vader; Obi-Wan isn’t strong enough to face the Emperor and he must accept that the friend he had known and loved as a brother is gone forever.

Obi-Wan meets with Padmé, who refuses to believe that her husband has fallen to the dark side. She travels to Mustafar to be with him, unaware that Obi-Wan has secretly stowed aboard. Once she confronts Vader, however, she realizes that Obi-Wan was telling the truth. Spotting Obi-Wan within her ship, Vader accuses Padmé of betraying him and uses the Force to strangle her into unconsciousness. Obi-Wan and Vader engage in an epic lightsaber duel across the volcanic facility and over a river of lava. Finally, Obi-Wan gains the upper hand and, acting on a critical misjudgment from his former friend, swiftly dismembers Vader. Vader slides down a bank of volcanic ash and bursts into flames, while Obi-Wan picks up Anakin’s lightsaber and leaves him to die. Obi-Wan escorts the injured Padmé to the asteroid Polis Massa where he regroups with Senator Organa and Yoda, the latter of whom has gone into self-imposed exile after dueling Darth Sidious to a stalemate. Meanwhile, Sidious finds his maimed apprentice and takes him back to Coruscant to revive him.

Padmé gives birth to twins, a boy named Luke and a girl named Leia, and dies, but not before insisting to Obi-Wan that there is still good in Anakin. Meanwhile, Sidious has Darth Vader rebuilt in black cybernetic body armor to keep him alive. When Vader asks for Padmé, Sidious tells him that she died as a result of Vader’s anger. This revelation breaks what remains of Anakin’s spirit, and he screams in torment. He is last seen at Sidious’ side, overseeing the construction of the Death Star. With Anakin’s children the last hope for the galaxy, Obi-Wan, Yoda and Organa agree that they should be hidden and separate from one another. Leia is taken to Alderaan to be raised by Organa, while Obi-Wan takes Luke to Tatooine to live with his uncle Owen and aunt Beru.

REVIEW:

I really don’t think there has been a movie charged with having to accomplish as much as this one. It had the unenviable task of filling in the time span between Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars. During this time, it had to be explained how Yoda and Obi-Wan ended up being the only remaining Jedi and how they ended up in exile, how did Anakin become Darth Vader, how did Palpatine age so much and become the Emperor, how did the Death Star get built, and a multitude of other questions. Many of these questions are answered, but the last 20 minutes or so seem rushed into trying to tie up all the loose ends that weren’t answered already.

On more than one occasion it has been said that Hayden Christiansen has ruined the saga with his bad acting. I won’t go so far as to say that, but he is very robotic and unfeeling in his delivery. Having said that, it is my belief that George Lucas picked him as Anakin for this very film. The lack of humanity is perfect for Anakin’s turn to the dark side.

Ewan McGregor brilliantly portrays the conflict Obi-Wan feels as he must face his pupil and possibly kill him. His empassioned exlamations after chopping off his limbs says it all. I think the original Obi-Wan Kenobi, Alec Guiness would be proud of McGregor’s turn with this character.

Natalie Portman doesn’t really have much to do in this picture except walk around hugging Anakin everytime he walks into the room. That is, until he chokes her into unconsciousness before the climactic battle with Obi-Wan. As the film draws to a close, though, she gives birth to Luke and Leia, and shows off her real talent for emotional depth as she portrays the pain of Anakin breaking her heart and giving birth to twins.

Samuel L. Jackson had it written into his contract that when Mace Windu died, he wouldn’t die as “a bitch”. From what I’ve read and know, Windu is quite the master swordsman, so his final battle with Senator Palpatine was no surprise, though I don’t think being shot of a window by Palpatine playing ‘possum as a ploy to get Anakin to defend him was how he wanted to die.

I think of all 6 Star Warsfilms, this is the one that spends the least amount of time in space. That doesn’t take away from the great battles that are had, though. Yoda vs. the Emperor, Obi-Wan vs. General Grievous. Mace Windu vs. Senator Palpatine, and of course Obi- Wan vs. Anakin.

While many characters make their last appearance here (Count Dooku, Viceroy Gunnry, Padme), we are introduced to some new ones (General Grievous, Darth Vader, the Wookies), some that will be very prominent as the saga moves forward.

As the film concludes, we see Anakin getting fitted with his Darth Vader apparatus, as Padme is giving birth. As the helmet goes down and locks into lace, you can hear the strains of the “Imperial March” and then with a lock and a hiss, there is a moment of silence followed by Vader’s unforgettable breathing pattern. I tell you this gives me chills every time, especially when I saw it in theaters. Those same chills came to me when James Earl Jones took his rightful place as Vader’s voice.

As far as the prequels go, this and Clones battle for the honor of being my favorite. I wish the ending wasn’t so rushed and crammed. To me, it makes it seem as though they just wanted to get everything done and out of the way in those few minutes. The lightsaber duels are epic, especially the climactic battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin. I would have liked to have gotten a bit more Padme, but that’s just my personal preference.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

PLOT:

The Galactic Republic is in a period of decline, with its bureaucracy bloated and corrupt and its economy deteriorating. In response to a taxation on trade routes, the greedy Trade Federation organizes a blockade of battleships around the small planet of . Hoping to resolve the matter, the Supreme Chancellor dispatches two Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to negotiate with Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray. Unbeknownst to them, the Trade Federation is in league with the evil Sith Lord Darth Sidious, who orders them to invade Naboo with an army of battle droids and kill the Jedi. Narrowly evading death, the two Jedi stow aboard landing crafts and escape to Naboo. There Qui-Gon saves local Gungan outcast Jar Jar Binks from being trampled by a Federation tank. Indebted to the Jedi, Jar Jar leads them to the underwater Gungan city of Otoh Gunga, where the Jedi unsuccessfully attempt to persuade the Gungans to help the people of Naboo, though they are able to obtain a transport to reach the city of Theed on the surface.

Queen Amidala of the Naboo is captured by the Federation army, but is rescued by the Jedi. The Queen escapes Naboo with the Jedi on her personal starship, which is damaged on its way through the blockade surrounding the planet, forcing them to land on the nearby desert planet Tatooine for repairs. Qui-Gon ventures into the settlement of Mos Espa with Padmé, one of the Queen’s handmaidens, to a junk shop to purchase a new hyperdrive generator. There they meet a young slave child named Anakin Skywalker, who takes an immediate liking to Padmé. After spending time with Anakin and his mother, Qui-Gon senses a strong presence of the Force within him, and suspects he may be the Chosen One who will bring balance to the Force. Qui-Gon makes a bet with Anakin’s owner to enter him in a Podrace, and that if Anakin wins, he will be freed. With Qui-Gon’s guidance, Anakin manages to win the race and joins the group to be trained as a Jedi, but he is forced to leave his mother, who Qui-Gon was unable to release, behind. Before they leave, they are attacked by Darth Sidious’ apprentice, Darth Maul, who was dispatched to capture the Queen. After a brief fight, they manage to escape.

The Jedi escort the Queen to the Republic capital planet of Coruscant so she can plead her people’s case to the Galactic Senate. Qui-Gon, meanwhile, attempts to persuade the Jedi Council to train Anakin as a Jedi, but they refuse as Anakin is too old and has too many attachments, which would risk him turning to the dark side of the Force. Within the Senate, Senator Palpatine of Naboo convinces the Queen to move for a vote of no confidence in the Supreme Chancellor so they can vote for a new, stronger Chancellor who will help end the conflict. However, she grows frustrated with the lack of action by the Senate, ultimately deciding to return to Naboo with the Jedi.

Back on Naboo, Padmé reveals herself to be Queen Amidala, the other “Queen” having been a decoy for her own protection. The Queen convinces the Gungan people to form an alliance against the Trade Federation. While the inept Jar Jar leads his people in a battle against the droid army and the Queen moves in to capture Viceroy Gunray in Theed, Anakin commandeers a vacant starfighter and joins the dogfight against the Federation droid control ship in space, using his skills with the Force to destroy it, which deactivates the entire droid army. The Jedi, meanwhile, encounter Darth Maul once more and engage him in a two-on-one lightsaber duel. Qui-Gon is mortally wounded in the battle, but Obi-Wan manages to kill the Sith apprentice. With his dying breaths, Qui-Gon tells Obi-Wan to train Anakin. Senator Palpatine is elected as the new Supreme Chancellor, Viceroy Gunray is sent to stand trial for his crimes, and the Jedi Council reluctantly allows Anakin to become Obi-Wan’s apprentice. At a grand ceremony, Queen Amidala presents a gift of appreciation and friendship to the Gungan people.

REVIEW:

I’m a die hard fan of the Star Wars franchise, so you knew I was going to eventually get around to reviewing these films, right?

There are some out there that say this is the worst film of the franchise. I’m not sure if I agree or disagree. If I were to agree, it wouldn’t be to say that it sucks, but rather to say that of the 6 films it is the weakest. With that in mind, I don’t subscribe to what critics have said and continue to say about these prequels.

There are some inconsistencies between this and statements made in the “holy trilogy”, but I’m not gonna throw myself into a tizzy about those.

From the moment you hear the first chord, you know that John Williams’ timeless theme has been retained, but when the climactic fight scene comes near the film’s end, Williams outdid himself with “Duel of the Fates”. His music really captures the audiences imagination as well as provides the perfect atmosphere and excitement for such a climactic moment in the film. Not to be undersold, his score for the rest of the film is typical John Williams, brilliant, to say the least.

As with every other film in the franchise, there is lots of action mixed with scenes of dialogue here and there. The excitement is nonstop and fits perfectly wit the other films. Now that I’ve said that, I must mention the CGI overkill.

I don’t hide my distaste for CGI. I believe it should only be used when necessary, such as giant robots transforming, natural disasters, etc. The aliens, spaceships, and podracers were all obviously CGI. As much as I want to bash them for this, I have to remember that this is a George Lucas film, and his company is one of the companies that really knows how to use CGI. Still, I think they could have done a better job of hiding the CGI-ness of it.

The whole purpose of these prequels was to let us in on Anakin’s rise to jedi status and his eventual turn to the dark side which led to him becoming Darth Vader. I really love how this film handles his youth and doesn’t try to rush into anything. They show Anakin as a young boy, and with the exception of Vader’s trademark breathing after the credits roll, there is no mention of what we already know about his future, unless you count Yoda’s prophecy.

It is good to see some major characters in younger forms, such as the beginning stages of C-3PO, R2-D2, Jabba the Hutt, Emperor (Senator at this time) Palpatine, and Yoda. The acting is top notch. I read a credible critics review that said this film was ”…all action and lacked romance.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t go into an action film expecting to see a love story, but it has everything else you would expect from a sci-fi/action film. Don’t listen to what the critics and obsessive Star Wars fans say, this is a good picture. See if you can spot Kierra Knightley.

4 out of 5 stars