Monday
May 23, 2005
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Ale TidiSganSMily
BACK WITH A
'REENGE'-ANCE
LUCAS'S PREQUELS COME TO A TRIUMPHANT
CLOSE WITH AWE-INSPIRING VISUALS
By Adam Rottenberg
Daily Arts Editor
1FILM R EVI EW
After three of the most wildly popular films
of all time and two of the most loathed, George
Lucas has finished his work on the theatrical "Star
Wars"films. Fans will debate
for years whether or not the
prequel trilogy tarnished not Star Wars
only the "Star Wars" name, Episode 111:
but also Lucas's own legacy. Revenge of
But now that the final chapter the Sith
is playing across the country,
"Star Wars" fans can breathe At the Showcase
a bit easier. and Quality 16
That said, "Revenge of the 20th Century Fox
Sith" is not the best movie in
the series, but it recaptures the
magic that was absent from the previous prequels.
In other words: It doesn't completely suck. From the
beautiful computer-generated imagery that perme-
ates the film to the breathtaking light-saber duels,
this feels like a "Star Wars" movie again.
The younger generation that never got a
chance to experience the originals on the big
screen (excluding the "Special Edition" re-
releases in 1997) can finally experience that vis-
ceral moment in the theater.
"Revenge of the Sith" provides the transitional
chapter between the two trilogies. It's fittingly
violent, earning the series' first-ever PG-13 rating
to mirror the dark transformation of Anakin Sky-
walker (Hayden Christensen, "Shattered Glass")
from an idealistic young Jedi into the villainous Sith
lord Darth Vader.
The plot picks up a few years after the events of
"Attack of the Clones" and throws viewers rightinto
the action. After all the political diatribes and ram-
blings about midichlorians, Lucas finally remem-
bers what his fans really want: action. Unfortunately,
he's still unable to completely throw the plodding
themes away, and the film suffers greatly from these
moments of "deep" political thought.
The rhetoric is laid on thick in the film's dialogue
("Either you're with me, or you're my enemy"), but
it's not clear whether or not Lucas intends his film
to be a comment on the current political landscape.
Either way, it makes the movie lag and is often
cringe-worthy, but it merely mires down "Revenge
of the Sith" instead of crippling it.
Worse yet, there is no chemistry between Chris-
tensen's Skywalker and Natalie Portman's ("Clos-
er") Padme. Every time the two appear on screen
together, the film loses gas. The melodramatic
romantic dialogue doesn't help, either. This rela-
tionship is pivotal in Anakin's fall from grace, yet
it never feels remotely believable. In fact, most of
the dialogue in the movie sounds like a seven-year-
old fan playing with his action figures and creating
conversation between the toys on the fly.
Still, Ewan McGregor ("Big Fish") manages to
instill the cast with some much-needed acting prow-
ess. And although he does little more than channel-
ing the late Alec Guinness, McGregor's Obi-Wan
"Fear the power of the Sith ... fear the power of my mullet."
Kenobi epitomizes the Jedi and provides the neces-
sary foil for Anakin.
But "Revenge of the Sith" rises above the poor
writing and cardboard performances to deliver hun-
gry thrills and spectacle. Everyone going to see the
movie knows how it's goingto end, but they can still
enjoy the ride. And no film in the series has been as
action-packed as this one. The special effects have
finally caught up to Lucas's vision, and the viewer
becomes immersed in dazzling locales and futuris-
tic technologies. The fiery finale on the lava planet,
an evocative visualization of hell, perfectly encap-
sulates "Episode Ill" as powerful eye candy.
Constant light-saber battles and stark visuals
should be more than enough to draw in even the
most casual "Star Wars" fan, yet "Revenge of the
Sith" delivers beyond just those simple promises.
It offers a storyline that's more complex than the
simple black-and-white, good-versus-evil tale of
the original. While it's not completely successful in
creating a conflicted and tortured fallen hero, Ana-
kin's descent into the Dark Side is still difficult to
watch for any ardent fan. Here is a man who every
viewer knows becomes the embodiment of evil, yet
his transformation creates the tragedy that Lucas so
desperately wanted to display.
And so it ends - at least until the eventual
digitally re-mastered re-releases of the prequels
hit the big screen. Fans who have stuck with this
disappointing second trilogy will be rewarded
with a film that reminds them exactly why they
fell in love with "Star Wars" in the first place.
If this is truly where the saga ends, then "Star
Wars" will maintain its place as a series that
transcended its cinematic medium to become a
part of the American consciousness.
.J. .1. .. jr.. ....... .
Eager 'Wars' fans chime in
By Suhael Momin
Daily Arts Writer
Following 1999's "The Phantom Men-
ace" and 2002's "Attack of the Clones,"
fans and casual moviegoers alike had
serious concerns about whether George
Lucas, the special-effects-wizard-turned
director who transformed American pop
culture with tales from a galaxy far, far
away, had lost his touch. Yet, last Wednes-
day night, as enthusiasts lined up to watch
the 12 a.m. screening of "Star Wars Epi-
sode Il: Revenge of the Sith," there was a
1 sense of optimism.
Visiting from East Lansing, Michigan
State University senior Brendan Dennis
had faith, predicting that "Episode III"
would be "the best of (the prequels)," and
that Lucas was "going to come out on top
with this one." Eastern Michigan Univer-
sity junior Andrew Renaud was willing
to forgive the shortcomings of Episode I
and Episode It. "This one is what it's all
about," he said.
Renaud, impersonating an imperial
guard - the masked troops draped in
red that stand vigil within the Emperor's
chambers in "Return of the Jedi" - came
to see the movie with John Davis, a local
clad as Chewbacca. For them, the con-
cerns about Episodes I andll were of little
importance. Recalling the original tril-
ogy, Renaud mentioned that in fact, "The
writing and acting were never really stel-
lar." Davis had faith that Hayden Chris-
tensen, who also starred in "Attack of the
Clones," would excel as a Sith lord. "The
Dark Side fits him well, as an emotionless
person," quipped Davis.
Dressed as a Jedi Knight, EMU junior
Christopher Good hoped the film would
"answer all the questions" and preserve
the story's continuity across six films.
Pointing out that Lucas altered scenes
and dialogue in the DVD versions of the
original trilogy to reflect revelations made
within the first two prequels, Good sug-
gested that the movie hinged on its ability
to maintain the storyline's continuity.
A small minority of those in attendance
were not devoted fans. LSA senior Steph-
anie Fajuri, who hasn't seen the original
trilogy since she was young, was drawn to
the premiere because of the hype. "(I'm)
just along for the ride," Fajuri said.
Over two hours later, the credits rolled
as the final chapter of Lucas' six-film saga
came to an end. LSA alum Jonathan Lee
said he thought it was "just as good as
the original ones," and that "it provided
everything that you needed to know, so
everything makes sense ... it filled in a
lot of gaps." Still, he complained about
the dialogue. Citing a comment by Sky-
walker's wife, Padme Amidala - "Hold
me like you did by the lake on Naboo"
- Lee said there were points in the film
which were "really, really not good."
LSA junior Peter Troyan, who saw
the film later on opening day, had sim-
ilar sentiments.
While he "didn't think it was a particu-
larly well-made movie," he thought that
it fit well within the greater story. "(The
prequels were) just a build-up for Ana-
kin's transformation," he said.
As the "Star Wars" theme blared and
Jedis streamed out of the theater, there
was an aura of satisfaction. For the dedi-
cated fans who came to witness the birth
of Darth Vader and see the critical film
connecting two halves of an epic tale,
there was vindication.