Monday May 23, 2005 arts.michigandaily.com artspage@michigandaily.com 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.