Star Wars, Episode III

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Revenge Sayuth the Sithuth
by Michael Flanagan

HUGE

Wow. I left Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith with a different feeling than I have left any other Star Wars film. For the first time in 28 years, I didn't want to be a Jedi. This is due in part to the fact that, if I were a Jedi I would most likely be shot in the back (repeatedly) by a coworker. And if I weren't shot in the back, I would either (1) see my best friend with a lightsaber and say, "hey, man, how's it--" before he cut me in half, or (2) live through devastation, only to go into solitary confinement for 20 years until it was time to train my bitchy replacement before I die and become an old geezer ghost.

Jedidom is not a preferred state of being in this movie. In this movie, just like we thought, everybody dies. In really bad ways. And really bad things happen to the people who don't die. Sure, you can use the Force, but what good is that if you get your hand chopped off, electrocuted, thrown out a window, and plummet to your death?

It's things like that which make me second-guess my 28-year long desire to be a Jedi. Fall in love one time and you destroy the universe? So what we're talking about here is no women, ever, and on top of that, you're wrapped up in manipulative political nonsense in a universe run by a tyrant, but a tyrant that everyone loves and keeps giving more power to. Oh, and said tyrant also knows everything about you, can shoot electricity from his hands, and has plans to build the Death Star. The best you can hope for is that someone on the construction crew decides it would be a good idea to install a ventilation shaft, just in case you ever need to ventilate anything.

It was a weird feeling, leaving Star Wars this way. But a great feeling, too. The destruction of the Republic, the annihilation of the Jedi, and the rise to power of the Empire are so well done as to be compared to Shakespearean tragic proportions. This is the part of the saga in which our protagonist, Anakin (no longer Luke...weird) falls. And damn how he falls! Anakin Skywalker's turn from Jedi Knight to Darth Vader is actually, with a little dramatic license, quite believable. Some of what Palpatine says and does might have actually convinced me, as a Jedi, to think about some of his points. Because they're right. Much of what he says, especially the stuff about the fear of those who have power, rings absolutely true. The problem is, he uses his correct assessments for manipulation, rather than improvement.

Best moments: Mace Windu's death. Damn! Yoda knows Chewbacca. Awesome. Yoda's fall--sad in a "that's the last time he'll ever have a lightsaber" kind of way. Ewan McGregor as Obi Wan, throughout the entire freaking prequel trilogy, is the best. Palpatine--only he manages to top McGregor in this movie. For the first time in all these years, someone is more evil than Darth Vader. We knew he probably was in Jedi, but really he was an angry little old man with bolt fingers. But he was Darth Vader's boss, so he had to be bad. Now, we know why. I'd rather meet Darth Vader on the street any day.

So I've written sentimental reviews of the original trilogy, praiseful reviews of the first two episodes, and now I write this with pure joy. It's done, and as a saga, it's a cinematic accomplishment like no other--these six films will be long remembered, and the love scenes, Jar Jar, Jake Lloyd, "Noooooooooooo," and all the other complaints will soon be forgotten. George Lucas has shaped a generation, maybe two, in the ideas of good and evil in mythology. Hey, I thought parts of The Odyssey sucked too. That doesn't change its place in literary history. And as for Star Wars' place in the future of cinema...meesa like dees.

And so it is done.

by Christian De Matteo (May 2005)

HUGE

Awesome. That's about it. I had tears welling in my eyes by the end, finding out exactly how Luke and Leia got to where we first met them in A New Hope 28 years ago. I was on the edge of my seat, my jaw dropped as things happened to Jedi that I never ever would have imagined seeing on a screen. PG-13? Absolutely; Lucas is lucky he didn't get an R rating.

And Vader? Even more frightening than I thought he was as a child.

This film is Lucas' triumph. It's brilliant, terrifying, horrible, and awesome all at once. The film is overwhelming, a tour de force of action, light saber battles, and brutal, brutal war. Hayden Christenson was, after all, perfect casting for Anakin. We see where Luke gets his bitching-ass whiny personality from, except now it's just a little scary: What if Obi Wan hadn't come along to train him? Where would he have turned? Maybe to the Dark Side.

Emperor Palapatine, however, is who owns this film. This is a story of the Devil, and few actors have ever portrayed a devil character with the cool, creepy seductiveness that Ian McDiarmid brings to Palpatine. He is freaking awesome. Scary as hell, serious as a heart attack, and, well... geez, he sounds awfully convincing sometimes.

The scene at the performance when Anakin sits down and Palpatine tells him the Tragedy of Darth Plagus is chilling. Ian McDiarmid should get an Oscar nod for this performance. No one has ever made the Dark Side so damn appealing, just as it should be.

And Wookies! Holy Crap, Wookies! Including, my childhood hero, Chewbacca! We finally get to see Lucas' Wookie planet and on it, get to see Yoda kick ass... which he does through the whole movie. We now see why Yoda was as revered as he was... he was one helluva bad ass Jedi.

Revenge of the Sith is heartbreaking. It's heartbreaking because, as Everclear said so well, it all goes wrong again. Here the idyllic (slightly annoying) world of The Phantom Menace is destroyed so far that not a single semblance of it remains. We see now why The Phantom Menace had to be the type of film it was, kid-oriented, a little silly, goofy at times... because this was the Smurf Universe that had been reached. Not a great time to watch, but a perfect time to live in. By Attack of the Clones, things are going wrong, but there's still goodness prevalent and the Jedi have no doubt they can maintain order. Now, here during the Revenge of the Sith, we find our optimism misplaced in the mire of ill founded trust and naiveté, and things will never again be the same. Blood is shed in even the most taboo ways. War is hell, war is profit, war is good for bad. And only the truly good can fight for it to end.

I'm in love with Star Wars, as much today as I was twenty years ago when my father made sure I watched it on our newly gotten VCR. Lucas has completed the cycle and it's amazing.

Am I still mad at him for changing the originals, as I stressed in my article many months ago? Yes I am. Do I still HATE Jar Jar Binks? With a passion. Do I still have continuity issues with the complete cycle of six films? Yes.

But is Revenge of the Sith one of the best Sci-fi movies ever made.

You bet your ass it is.

Thank you George Lucas... now give me my originals.

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Before & After: updates & previews

May 20, 2005 Joe De Matteo:
BOX OFFICE HISTORY: LARGEST NORTH AMERICAN SINGLE DAY GROSS!
     Revenge of the Sith is the first movie to have a single day opening gross n North America that is over $50,000,000. More amazingly, this was on a Thursday, Shrek II's single day gross of $44.8 mil. had been a Saturday. A warning of great things to come was the mind-blowing, and record breaking, mid-night showing's gross of $17,000,000
     A Very impressive end to this wonderful series or two trilogies, which started 28 years ago.
     Of course, I take my hat off to the genius of George Lucas, but to him personally I say, "Thank you for so many great hours of viewing and reading and talking about this great story of the push and pull of Good and Evil.
     Mr. Lucas had created a Sci Fi masterpiece that depicts, in the most entertaining way the great human struggle. To Quote Yoda, "There is no try, do or do not". Well, George, you did it.

Incoming Information...

As gathered by Michael Flanagan (July 2004)

The official title is Revenge of the Sith. It's got a scarred Anakin, who, yes, becomes Darth Vader. in the suit. with the voice. There are wookies. Lots of Wookies.

Oh, and as to what Lucas says of the title: "...the Sith ruled the universe for a long time until the Jedi came along and got rid of them."

I was in pain during some of the "darker" moments of Episode 2. Episode 3 is going to be 2 hours of pain. Gut-wrenching, yousa gonna die pain.

Here's what Lucas says, from cinescape.com:

While George Lucas has hinted that things will be getting grim in EPISODE 3 of his STAR WARS prequel trilogy, he’s now putting a little more kick in his teases.

In ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY'S STAR WARS cover story, Lucas said, “If you were a studio, I’m sure you would say, ‘This is way too dark. You’re going to alienate your audience.’ But what can I do? That’s the story.”

While that might sound like what we’ve heard before, consider what we now know, and bail now if you haven’t seen EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES.

Lucas has said that while EPISODE II was began to show hints of darkness, the real deal came in EPISODE III. And what does EPISODE II already have Anakin Skywalker doing? Killing children, along with a few hints of some truly grotesque happenings to Shmi Skywalker before Anakin got there.

So if EPISODE II is kind of dark, EPISODE III has got to be Darth Vader black.

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Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

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The Rumor Mill &
Trivia Section: IMdb

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

The Star Wars, Episode III Store

The Rumor Mill & Trivia Section: IMdb

The Rumor Mill &
Trivia Section: IMdb