Revenge of the Sith

Lucas has slotted the final link in the chain into place. This is the bridge between the new trilogy and the original. This is the film we were all relying on to justify the existence of the prequels. Was it all just a cynical money making exercise or were the first two prequels laying the ground for an amazing finale that would make us forget how dire they were?

I had mixed feelings about going to see Revenge of the Sith. In theory it had all the ingredients to be a great film. Like most people I knew what was going to happen before I saw it and that meant that I knew that this film had a potentially brilliant plot. The prospect of seeing Anakin falling to the darkside and turning into one of the great iconic villains of cinema should have been enough to have me down there on the first night. Add in the prospect of watching the rise of the Empire and the Jedi being wiped out and it seems increasingly strange that I left it so long to get around to watching it but there is another side to the story. I sat through "Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones". They weren't quite the worst films I've ever seen but they were contenders. OK they had one or two good points and granted the original trilogy was brilliant but was I really going to go and see a film just because it had Star Wars in the title? Yes. Of course I was. Stupid question really.

The good news is that I didn't leave the cinema feeling ripped off and cheated. In fact the Revenge of the Sith is a much better film than I had dared to hope even in my more optimistic moments. Anakin's fall to the dark side is cleverly done and some of the action sequences come close to genius. From the dramatic space battle of the opening sequence to the final fateful dual between Obi-wan and his doomed pupil on a hellish world, the conflicts rarely disappoint.

Episodes I and II left me feeling that special effects had been used to cover up lazy film making but I don't deny that they had some visually impressive moments. The special effects in Revenge are even better. CGI is used skillfully in the various battle scenes. Especially the big space battle and the "order 66" montage, which shows the Jedi being wiped out.

The only new major villain seemed a bit irritating at first. As if the Trade Federation droids weren't annoying enough already now they've decided to introduce one who wheezes for no apparent reason. General Grevious turns up early on and he seemed like a bad omen for the rest of the film. Thankfully my first impressions were wrong or at least too harsh. He turns out to be some kind of cyborg which justifies the wheezing and more importantly he soon pulls out four light sabers and treats us to an enjoyable fight sequence.

Revenge is a much darker, edgier film than Episodes I and II. In fact with the exception of The Empire Strikes Back it is the darkest film in the sextiligy. Star Wars has thrown off that annoying, cutesy, fun-for-all-the-family, cartoony vibe that sneaked in with the Ewoks and reached its nadir in Jar Jar. Not that your little brother won't love it but this is a battle that the dark side wins and that is reflected in the whole feel of the movie. Anakin's attack on the Jedi Temple is much more brutal than anything that Vader goes on to do. OK he does blow up an entire planet but the more hands on approach of cutting up children with a light saber seems more callous.

The new trilogy is basically about Anakin turning into Darth Vader. It ties up some other loose ends and fills in some of the historical background but essentially it is about how Anakin goes from being that annoying kid in the Phantom Menace to being the asthmatic leather fetishist megalomaniac that we all know so well. Surprisingly the gradual transformation does seem convincing and it holds our interest even though we all know how it ends. Even more surprisingly Hayden Christensen plays it reasonably well. His acting seems to have improved since the last film. Maybe he has taken some classes or maybe this film just suited him more. Either way there is a definite improvement.

The struggle for Anakin's soul between the Jedi and Palpatine mirrors their struggle for control of the galaxy itself. Ian McDiarmid gives the best performance of the film as Chancellor Palpatine. It is a role that might have tempted some actors to ham it up a bit. The Emperor could easily have turned into a pantomime villain but he comes across as a believable tyrant. Cunningly manipulating Anakin and drawing him into his trap.

Ultimately it is love and the fear of loss that makes Anakin turn to the dark side. That makes sense it fits in with what we know about him from the previous films. For example he massacred a group of Sand People to avenge his Mother's death. The only problem is that there is no chemistry between Hayden Christiansen and Natalie Portman. At times their romance feels tacked on even though it is actually essential to the plot. To be fair to them it isn't entirely their fault. The wooden dialogue is a real problem throughout the film but it is easier to forgive in the heat of battle. It is only during the scenes that focus on Anakin and Padme that it really grates. A note of unintentional humour enters into the final confrontation when Padme tells Anakin "you've changed". That's what Women say when their boyfriends have missed an anniversary or they haven't taken them anywhere nice in a while. When their husband's been butchering children it seems a bit trite.

Unlike Episodes I and II The Revenge of the Sith is a worthy prequel to the original Star Wars movies. It nearly justifies the existence of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. In fact I'll go as far as saying it does as long as nobody expects me to watch them again. Revenge neatly ties in to the original. At the end the scene is set for Luke, Han, Cheiwie and the rest of them to do battle with the Empire. It isn't a flawless film. Some of the acting is patchy and some of the dialogue is so bad it's funny but this film has regained some of the spirit that made Star Wars so popular in the first place. It has a universe you can totally immerse yourself in, interesting characters, epic space battles, light-saber duels, the epic struggle between good and evil. Also it has Wookies in, a whole planet of them, which is surely reason enough to go and watch it. If you are a fan you've probably seen it already but if you've been unsure about seeing it perhaps wanting to hold onto your happy memories of the original without having them sullied by another dodgey prequel I advise you to take the risk. This is what you've been waiting for a Star Wars prequel that lives up to its name.