Film review
Hayden Christensen, as Anakin Skywalker-turned-Darth Vader, in what probably is my favorite scene in the movie for some reason, wakes up from an ominous dream; Ewan McGregor, as Obi-Wan Kenobi, looks happy to see us; Natalie Portman, as Padme Amidala, sports a familiar 'do; Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz), my favorite "Star Wars" character, tells the evil emperor: "On it bring, bitch!" (OK, so I made that part up); and Anakin is shown right after his makeover.
Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith
George Lucas has redeemed himself after the last two "Star Wars" movies he put out.
Having had to take refuge in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy for good epic sci-fi because "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones" sucked ass, it's nice to have Lucas back -- and too bad that just when he finally got his groove back, he says he's done making "Star Wars" movies.
As the reviewers have pointed out, in "Revenge of the Sith" there is some cheesy dialogue and some wooden and awkward delivery, but not nearly as much as was the case with "Menace" and "Clones," and "Sith" ties the first three episodes up nicely and delivers us neatly right back to where we began in 1977.
(Speaking of which, I was in the fourth grade when "Episode IV: A New Hope" -- known then only as "Star Wars" because Lucas didn't know whether there would be another "Star Wars" film -- came out, and I was a huge "Star Wars" fan.* The Christmas that I received the regular old TIE fighter instead of Darth Vader's special TIE fighter -- a crucial difference that my mother wasn't aware of or didn't care about -- might be at least partly responsible for the way I am now.)
I won't rehash the plot of "Revenge of the Sith," but will just tell you that unlike its immediate two predecessors, "Sith" is worthy of the "Star Wars" franchise.
There are a few unbelievable elements, such as how R2-D2 never gets hit in all of the crossfire and how a main character is said to die. R2-D2 is overutilized and C-3PO and Chewbacca and the Wookiees are underutilized. Some of the non-human characters look, for lack of a better word, stupid, and some of the characters have stupid names, such as "Count Dooku" and "General Grievous." A few scenes drag on for too long and a few scenes seem too rushed (I really wanted to see more of the Wookiees, even though I suppose we've kind of already been there, done that with the Ewoks).
But any criticisms that I might make of "Revenge of the Sith" don't overwhelm the film, which, as a whole, is enthralling and entertaining. ("The Empire Strikes Back" remains my favorite "Star Wars" film, I think, but I think it's safe to say that "Sith" is better than "Return of the Jedi.")
In "Revenge of the Sith" I saw parallels between what happens to the Republic and what is happening to the United States, of course. The evil Emperor Palpatine turns the democratic Republic into his own fascistic Imperial Empire using the facade of keeping the Republic safe from evildoers while words like "peace" and "democracy" drip off his lips. Sound like anyone else we know? And yes, there is that now-infamous scene in which Anakin Skywalker-Darth Vader remarks -- I paraphrase -- "You're either with me or against me," and Obi-Wan Kenobi responds that such absolutism is a hallmark of the dark side.
But it's hard to draw a complete comparison between Emperor Palpatine and/or Darth Vader and George W. Bush, because the former are clever and the latter is a dumbfuck. (I'd like to think that the dumbfuck thing were just a clever act, but after more than four years of him, it's pretty clear that the dumbfuck thing is no act.) Even Dick Cheney, with his permascowl, doesn't seem comparable to Palpatine or Vader, but seems rather petty by comparison.
Even if you ignore all of the political stuff, however, "Revenge of the Sith" offers up some pretty satisfying sci-fi, and if Lucas indeed never makes another "Star Wars" movie (his original plan calls for nine episodes), at least he ended on a good note.
My grade: A-
*I will admit that I saw the 12:20 a.m. showing of "Revenge of the Sith" early this morning, but I was not in costume.
4:26:15 AM 
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