Return of the Jedi

PLOT:

Luke Skywalker, having fashioned himself as a Jedi Knight, initiates a plan to rescue the frozen Han Solo from the vile crime lord Jabba the Hutt with the help of Princess Leia, Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2. Leia infiltrates Jabba’s palace on Tatooine disguised as a bounty hunter and releases Han from his carbonite prison, but is caught and forced to serve as Jabba’s slave girl. Luke arrives the next morning and allows himself to be captured. Jabba sentences Luke and Han to be fed to the monstrous Sarlacc. As he is about to be put to death, Luke breaks free and a large battle erupts; in the ensuing chaos, Leia strangles Jabba to death with her slave chains, Han inadvertently knocks Boba Fett, the bounty hunter who captured him, into the gaping maw of the Sarlacc, and Luke, escaping with his allies, destroys Jabba’s sail barge. As Han and Leia rendezvous with the other Rebels, Luke returns to Dagobah where he finds that Yoda is dying. With his last breaths, Yoda confirms that the evil Darth Vader is Luke’s father, Anakin Skywalker, and that Luke must confront him again to become a true Jedi Knight. He and the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi also reveal that Luke has a twin sister, whom Luke deduces to be Leia.

The Rebel Alliance learn that the Empire has been constructing a new Death Star, larger and more powerful than the first. In a plan to destroy the new weapon, Han is elected to lead a strike team to destroy the battle station’s shield generator on the forest moon of Endor, allowing a squadron of starfighters to enter the incomplete infrastructure and destroy the station from within. Returning from Dagobah, Luke joins the strike team along with Leia and the others, but soon fears that, sensing Darth Vader’s presence, he may be endangering the mission. On Endor, Luke and his companions encounter a primitive yet intelligent tribe of Ewoks and form an alliance with them. Later, Luke confesses to Leia everything he knows about his relationship to Vader and to her, and that he is leaving to confront Vader one more time, believing that there is still good in him.

Luke and Vader board the Death Star and meet the evil Emperor, who reveals that Luke’s allies are walking into a trap. Back on Endor, the Rebels are captured by Imperial forces, but a surprise counterattack by the Ewoks allows the Rebels to fight back. During the strike team’s assault, Lando leads the Rebel fleet in the Millennium Falconto the Death Star, only to find the station’s shield is still up. As a dogfight ensues, the Emperor tempts Luke to give in to his anger and join the dark side of the Force. A lightsaber duel between Luke and Vader erupts, during which Vader searches Luke’s thoughts and learns that Luke has a sister. When Vader suggests she would turn to the dark side instead, Luke cannot contain his anger and viciously attacks his father, slicing off his hand. However, he comes to his senses and, despite the Emperor’s goading, spares his father and declares himself a Jedi. Enraged, the Emperor begins to slowly kill Luke with Force lightning. His son’s agonized pleas for help causes Vader to repent, becoming Anakin Skywalker once more. He turns on the Emperor and casts him down a reactor shaft to his death, but is mortally wounded by the Emperor’s lightning. At his request, Luke removes Anakin’s mask to look into the eyes of the pale, withered man that is his father. Having seen his son with his own eyes for the first, last and only time, Anakin dies, finally at peace.

Back on Endor, the strike team finally destroys the shield generator, allowing the Rebel fleet to launch a final assault on the Death Star. Lando leads the remaining ships deep into the station’s core and fires at the main reactor, causing it to collapse. Luke escapes on an Imperial shuttle with his father’s body before the Death Star explodes, and Lando escapes in the Millennium Falcon. On Endor, Leia reveals to Han that Luke is her brother, and they share a kiss. That evening, Luke returns to Endor and cremates his father’s armor on a funeral pyre. The entire galaxy celebrates the fall of the Empire. During the Rebels’ own celebration on Endor, Luke catches sight of the spiritual figures of Obi-Wan, Yoda, and his redeemed father, who watch over them with pride.

REVIEW:

The final film in the Star WArs saga is a fitting conclusion that warps everything thing up in a nice little package.

All the characters return for this gigantic climax, and we’re introduced to the Ewoks, as well as actually get to meet the Emperor.

Emperor Palpatine, as it turns out, is the one who has been pulling all the strings and more or less runs the universe. Before the prequel trilogy was release, this wasn’t common knowledge. Surprisingly, though, Palpatine is played by the same actor in each film, except for his brief appearance in The Empire Strikes Back. I thought it was a different actor, but apparentl Ian McDiarmid IS the Emperor.

A lot of people call the Ewoks, mini Wookies. When you see them with Chewbacca, you can see why they would say this, but I still don’t think its a good enough reason to call them that. The Ewoks are their own race and are totally different from the Wookies. The only similarities between the two races are that they are both fuzzy/hairy.

In Empire, Vader was let off the leash and wrecked all types of havoc. Sadly, in this one, he is scaled back and for the most part, is a much softre character than he is in the previouis two films, and maybe even in the entire saga.

When we first me Luke Skywalker, he was an insecure, rebellious kid. His first appearance in this film leads us to believe he’s a confident Jedi knight. In the battle about the sand cruiser, his skills shine through.

Han and Leia take a backseat to Luke’s saga, but they are not without their moments, such as their budding romance, Leia’s discovery that she’s Luke’s sister, Han getting released from carbonite, etc.

Jabba’s palace is a disgusting place. It reminds me of the fat kings or grungy gangsters from cartoons. I wonder if those were the influence. Still, its not without it’s impressive points, such as the Rancor and the Sarlacc, as well as the plethora of character alines in Jaba’s throneroom.

So, of course, I have to bring up the addition that Geoge Lucas made to the DVD in an attempt to “enhance the viewer’s experience”. They suck! first off, we have this weird song that was thrown in during the inital throneroom scene. Obviously, thiswas meant to capture the audience way “Cantina Band” does, but it just doesn’t work. Next we have the celebration at end of the film. The idea is good, but it doesn’t fit in with the rest of the film. It is quite obvious that they tacked it on. Finally, before the end credits run, Luke looks over and seen Obi-Wan, Yoda, and his father, Anakin. Originally, he saw the actor that played Anakin in the 3 films, but he has since been replaced with Hayden Christensen. Not to take anything away from Hayden, because I understand the reasoning behind all this, but I honestly think they should have left well enough alone.

The action scenes are just as awesome as the previous films. The lightsabe duel doesn’t have the intensoty of its predecssor, but the stakes are different and that influenced it, I belive. All this aside. This is a bit of a downgrade from its predecessor, but it is still an awesome flick and no one should live their life without seeing it and the other two parts of the “holy trinity.”

4 1/2 out of 5 stars

The Empire Strikes Back

PLOT:

Despite their victory over the Galactic Empire with the destruction of the Death Star, the Rebel Alliance was driven out of their base and forced to establish a new base on the remote ice planet Hoth. Darth Vader, having become obsessed with finding Luke Skywalker, now a commanding officer within the Rebellion, has multiple probe droids dispatched throughout the galaxy, one of which lands on Hoth. While patrolling near the base, Luke is attacked and knocked unconscious by an indigenous predator, called a Wampa. Back at the base, Han Solo announces his intentions to leave the Rebellion to pay off a debt to Jabba the Hutt (much to Princess Leia’s displeasure), but stalls to search for Luke when he doesn’t return. Escaping from the creature’s lair, Luke nearly succumbs to the cold and has a vision of his late mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, who instructs him to go to the planet Dagobah to train under Jedi Master Yoda.

Han finds Luke and provides shelter before they are rescued the following morning. Meanwhile, the Imperial probe droid locates the Rebel base on Hoth, and Vader orders an attack while the Rebels prepare to evacuate and disperse. The Imperial forces eventually overpower the Rebels and capture the base. Han and Leia escape on the Millennium Falconwith C-3PO and Chewbacca, but are unable to enter hyperspace due to technical difficulties and evade pursuit in an asteroid field, where Han and Leia begin to grow closer to each other. Vader turns to several notorious bounty hunters, including Boba Fett, to assist in locating the Falcon. Meanwhile, Luke escapes from Hoth with R2-D2 and crash lands on Dagobah, where he meets a wizened little green creature who reveals himself to be Yoda. While undergoing intensive training, Luke has a premonition of Han and Leia in danger and, against Yoda’s wishes, leaves to save his friends, promising to return to complete his training.

With Imperial forces off their trail, Han’s party set a course for Cloud City, a floating gas mining colony in the skies of the planet Bespin run by Han’s old friend, Lando Calrissian, unaware that they have been tracked by Fett. Shortly after they arrive in Cloud City, Lando turns them over to Vader to be used as bait in a trap for Luke, insisting that he was forced to do so to prevent occupation of his city by the Empire. Vader intends to hold Luke in suspended animation via carbon freezing, selecting Han as a test subject for the process. Before Han is frozen in carbonite, he and Leia profess their love for each other. Han’s frozen form is given to Fett, who plans to present him to Jabba the Hutt. Lando later repents and helps Leia and the others escape, insisting that there is still a chance to save Han. Unfortunately, Fett makes off with his quarry before they get a chance to confront him, forcing them to make an escape on the Millennium Falcon.

Meanwhile, Luke arrives in Cloud City and falls right into Vader’s trap. He and Vader engage in a lightsaber duel within the carbon-freezing facilities, eventually bringing them to the city’s central air shaft. Gaining an advantage, Vader cuts off Luke’s dueling hand along with his lightsaber. With Luke cornered and defenseless, Vader goads Luke to rule the galaxy alongside him, making the horrifying revelation that he is Luke’s father. Unwilling to join Vader, Luke casts himself into the air shaft and finds himself hanging on an antenna on the underbelly of the city. He makes a desperate call to Leia, who senses Luke’s distress aboard the Millennium Falconand manages to get him to safety. Its hyperdrive finally functional (thanks to timely repairs by R2-D2)the Falconescapes. Aboard a Rebel medical frigate, Luke is fitted with an artificial hand while Lando and Chewie set out on the Falcon to locate Han.

REVIEW:

It doesn’t matter how many times I see this film, it gets better everytime. I refer to it as the crown jewel of the saga. If you don’t see any other film in the saga, this is the one you need watch. In my opinion, it is THE BEST MOVIE EVER MADE!!!!

Now that I’ve made that point very clear, allow me the chance to do an actual review here.

The Empire Strikes Back picks up shortly after the events of Star Wars. Having said that, there is just a different feel to this film. Similar to many sequels, everything seems to be in the right place for greatness, but even more so here. We have Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire hellbent on extracting revenge from Luke Skywalker and the rest of the Rebel Alliance. Then we have Luke who is growing into a man and needs to be trained in the ways of the Force. Han Solo and Leia both have some added depth to their characters and moved up from supporting characters to featured stars. The special effects are infinitely better than in the previous film, and the story is much better executed. These are not knocks against he first film, but rather signs of growth and improvement that make this film superior.

One thing I especially love is how Darth Vader is actually the villain here. In Star Wars he doesn’t really do anything except kill Obi-Wan. Return of the Jedi has him being the Emperor’s bitch. Here he runs the show.

I can’t review this particular film without bringing up the immortal scene where Vader tells Luke he is his father (fitting that I review this on Father’s Day). This is a powerful piece of cinema that provides a twist that affects the climax and resolution of the entire series (don’t forget the mention of “another” by Obi-Wan). I wasn’t old enough to see this in theaters when it was released, but I can just imagine the reaction when that revelation was made. I bet you could hear a pin drop in theaters around the world.

This film also brings us the greatest of all the Jedi, Yoda. If you’ve seen the prequel trilogy, then you know that Yoda was a complete bad-ass, before his self-imposed exile, as well as an impressive teacher. Is it any wonder that Obi-Wan sent Luke to him, besides that fact that there are no Jedi left besides him. Granted, Yoda is more comic fodder in his initial appearance, but the wisdom he spouts after he reveals who he really is puts Confucius to shame.

As with the first film, George Lucas decided he just had to “enhance the experience” by making slight changes in the special edition. Now, these changes are subtle for the most part, such as there being windows in the Cloud City instead of it being a pure white hallway, but changes like this are nothing more than waste of time and money. They don’t enhance it for me. I prefer the original, but don’t really care either way.

Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carri Fisher reprise their roles as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia respectively. Luke has shown tremendous growth sicne the last film, as I mentioned before. Han is still on the run from bounty hinter , Princess Leia is still leading the Rebel Alliance, and attempting to hide her feelings for Solo, not very well, mind you.

Aside from being both the token black guy and big name actor, Billy Dee Williams brings a new character to the universe, Lando Calrissian. Lando is a friend of Han’s, who apparently was the previous owner/pilot of the Millennium Falcon, but now instead of hustling in poker games, he’s a legit politician. Billy Dee is pretty nice casting for Lando, and he pulls off the swerve nicely. Too bad that his character gets a bad rap. Fans think of him as a villain for betraying Han and even after the events of Return of the Jedi,they don’t care to forgive them. Fanboys can be so fickle, sometimes.

As you can see, I’m very passionate about this film. Whenever it comes on TV, no matter how far in or what I’m watching at the time, I stop and watch. If you haven’t seen this masterpiece yet, then you should. You probably won’t have the extreme feelings I ave, but you will realize that you’ve just watched one of the greatest films of all time, not to mention a clinic on how/what sequels should be done.

5 out of 5 stars

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 II: Attack of the Clones

PLOT:

Ten years have passed since the invasion of Naboo, and the Galactic Republic is experiencing a crisis. Former Jedi Master Count Dooku has organized a Separatist movement against the Republic, making it difficult for the Jedi to maintain the peace. The Republic contemplates creating an army to assist the Jedi, prompting Senator Padmé Amidala, former Queen of Naboo, to return to Coruscant to vote on the matter. Upon her arrival, she narrowly escapes an assassination attempt. Shaken by the close call, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine assigns Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker to protect her. That night, another attempt on the Senator’s life is made, though Obi-Wan and Anakin foil the plot and subdue the assassin, who is permanently silenced by her mysterious employer when the Jedi force her to reveal vital information. Returning to the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan is assigned to investigate the identity of the assassin’s killer, while Anakin is assigned to escort and accompany Senator Amidala to her homeplanet of Naboo. Anakin, who has grown infatuated with Padmé, relishes the opportunity to spend time with her, though Padmé resists her feelings toward him, as that would go against the moral codes of their careers as a Jedi and a senator, respectively.

Obi-Wan’s investigation leads him to the remote planet of Kamino, where he discovers that an army of clones is being secretly produced for the Republic. Obi-Wan deduces the clones’ template, a bounty hunter named Jango Fett, is the killer he’s looking for. After unsuccessfully trying to capture him, Obi-Wan tracks him down to the planet Geonosis. Anakin, meanwhile, has grown troubled with recurring nightmares about his mother, whom he had left behind on Tatooine when he set off to become a Jedi, in grave danger. In defiance of his orders to remain on Naboo, Anakin convinces Padmé to accompany him to Tatooine to save his mother. There he finds her abducted and beaten by Tusken Raiders, and she dies in his arms. Anakin succumbs to his grief and rage, slaughtering the entire Tusken community.

On Geonosis, Obi-Wan learns it was Nute Gunray who authorized the assassination attempt on Senator Amidala, and that the Separatists are in development of a new droid army. Obi-Wan relays this information via hologram to Anakin, who transmits it to the Jedi Council, though Obi-Wan is captured mid-transmission. While Anakin and Padmé head to Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan, Chancellor Palpatine is granted emergency powers to organize the clone army and send them into battle. Shortly after arriving on Geonosis, Anakin and Padmé are captured and sentenced to death along with Obi-Wan. Preparing for what could be their final moments, Padmé finally reveals her feelings for Anakin. The three are pitted against savage beasts, though they manage to hold their own before Jedi Master Mace Windu arrives with a team of Jedi to assist them, engaging and decapitating Jango Fett in the brief battle. After a heated struggle, Jedi Master Yoda arrives with the clone army and collects the surviving Jedi.

As a large battle erupts between the Republic’s clone army and the Separatist’s droid forces, Count Dooku attempts to escape. Obi-Wan and Anakin corner him in a hangar and engage him in a lightsaber duel, but he outmatches and defeats them with his mastery of the dark side of the Force, cutting off Anakin’s arm in the process. Yoda engages Dooku in a fierce duel, though Dooku manages to escape once more, taking the plans for a new “ultimate weapon” to his Sith master on Coruscant. The Jedi are now uncertain of what will become of the Republic, now that the Clone Wars have begun. Chancellor Palpatine oversees the launching of massive clone trooper forces. Meanwhile, Anakin, with a new cybernetic arm, secretly marries Padmé on Naboo, with C-3PO and R2-D2 as witnesses.

REVIEW:

I’ve noticed that a trend in trilogies is for the second film to be the best of the 3. Attack of the Clonesfits that stereotype perfectly.

As good as Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menacewas, it was rooted more in drama, rather than action. Having said that, critics of the first film said there was no romance. To this day, I don’t understand why there just needed to be a romance, but they got their wish with this film as Anakin and Padme share a forbidden love. Aside from the love story, we get lots more action and more wondrous, vintage Star Wars creatures and locales, such as Kamino, a watery planet inhabited by tall, white creatures with very long necks (and 6 pack abs).

Critics have panned the acting in this film, especially Hayden Christensen, who plays Anakin. I find it hard to disagree with them. Christensen, though, is like Keanu Reeves and Ryan Philippe, devoid of emotion and depth. Having seen Hayden in other works outside of these films, I know that it his talent that is lacking, and not the character or script. Still, he doesn’t totally suck in the role. After all, Anakin is slowly but surely turning to the dark side. The one spark of emotion we get is in his most emotional scene following the death of his mother, and even that is barely a tilt one way or another from normal.

Natalie Portman returns as Padme Amidala, who is now a Senator, rather than queen. It must be some kind of weird custom on Naboo for the women to have those weird hairdos, because her hair, although tones down from the first film, is still constantly being mutated into weird shapes. She obviously has some real acting talent, and as the film goes on, we start to feel as if she’s human and not a droid like R2-D2 and C-3PO. It seems as if she was uncomfortable in the early scenes, but as she gained confidence with her character, her acting gets better. This could also have something to do, or not, with her wardrobe that shows her bare midriff.

Ewan McGregor comes into this film with a full beard as an attempt to put the fans more in the mind of Alec Guiness’ Obi-Wan. I’d say this was a mistake, but it actually makes him look older and more believable than he was in the first film.

The highlight of the film for me, has to be the lightsaber/force battle between Yoda and Count Dooku. Longtime Star Wars fans know Yoda best as a feeble old muppet creature who is very wise. This battle with Dooku, albeit short, is impressive, because we really get to see that he can use the skills he teaches young Jedi. Also, we get to see the other Jedi knights in action, including Mace Windu.

Yoda has a line in Return of the Jedi, I believe that says, “action, adventure…a jedi craves not these things.” Well, if you’re watching this film, then you crave action, adventure, a little romance and a little comedy. That’s a nice little mixture, isn’t it? No wonder this is the best of the prequel trilogy.

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