Saw Revenge of the Sith today. Stellar! (No pun intended) Truly amazing, worthy of all the praise it’s been getting. Mind, in the cosmic sense of things, it doesn’t make up for the horrendous first episode, or the lackluster second, but it is certainly a fine work in its own regard.
I was not going to see this movie dubbed into Russian, so I had resigned myself to the hope that it would still be playing when I go home in September. Fortunately, one of the theaters here decided to run it in English, with Russian subtitles, a very rare occurrence. I jumped at the chance, and saw it in a theatre filled with a whopping ten people. It was like having a private showing on opening weekend!
Of course there are problems, like the less than masterful script and lack of acting ability. The scenes are all very short, which helps get our mind on the next sequence instead of mulling over the often woodenness of the one previous. Even Natalie Portman and Ewen McGregor are sometimes left wanting, but I blame the words that they have to work with. George Lucas is much better at creating a world and a story than the little details like dialogue and delivery. Even with these disappointments, the movie is still an exhilarating experience.
When we first learned who would play Darth Vader, I was not very satisfied with the choice of Hayden Christensen. And in Attack of the Clones, I felt justified in my dissatisfaction. In the last installment, however, I can see that it was an appropriate choice. His physical features, especially his face, do a fine job of incarnating the modern “Man in the Synthetic Mask.” While he doesn’t have the acting range to truly explore the depths and distances that are his emotional journey, his best expression is perhaps the most important - anger.
Interestingly absent are any intriguing supporting characters beyond the already deified pantheon (Yoda, Padme, etc.). The action by and large focuses on Obi-Wan and Anakin. The original feels like much more of an ensemble piece than episodes two or three. Perhaps this has a lot to do with the horrible mistake of Jar-Jar Binks. And now that I think about it, there is very little humour at all. Essentially, I was hoping for a Han Solo style character to emerge during the prequels, but none ever did. I guess that just makes the original Han so much more unique.
The graphics are incredible. It gets to the point that you don’t even really notice the amazing visuals stretched out across the screen. Instead of saying, “Wow, look at the phenomenal special effects city in the background,” I found myself thinking, “Oh yeah, and that’s the city behind them.” We’ve come a long way since “Tron.” And that is also very much to Lucas’ credit. The worlds, the cities, the creatures, are all so seamlessly woven in that we don’t notice them, we simply accept them as being a banal part of the film. I can’t help but think that with “Matrix,” “Lord of the Rings,” and “Star Wars,” we have gone through a revolutionary 5 years that have broken a special effects barrier. They have not only raised the bar, they have changed the rules of the game.
The world, the characters, and the story of Star Wars have deeply permeated our culture, and have, for many of us, filled the space that in earlier times was taken up with folklore and mythology. These later play a decreasing role in American (and indeed global) social consciousness. Whereas the stories of John Henry and the Greek Gods once gave us anchors for concepts and lessons on human nature, Star Wars indelibley shapes our understanding about the “Light Side” and the “Dark Side,” or the struggle between selflessness and selfishness. I would be very interested to see, 50 years from now, the influence that this film series has had on the collective culture of the modern world. And no, I don’t think I’m overstating that. In short: good movie, go see it.
