Film Review on Special Effects

Rating: 8/10 (4 October 2013)

Film Review
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is the third part of the prequel trilogy to George Lucas' epic space opera of the 1970s and 1980s. The film depicts how Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader, the infamous black-clad villain of the original trilogy, and how the grand Republic becomes an empire ruled by a ruthless Emperor. Due to the fact that the film comes nearly three decades after the original Star Wars, the creators of the film had an opportunity to create Star Wars films with modern special effects. However, because the plots of the newest trilogy precede those of the original trilogies, the directors were limited in the implementation of special effects related to new and imaginative technology. The directors had to implement modern special effects in other aspects of the movie. The modern special effects in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith are the most notable difference between the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy. Enhanced depictions of environments, planets, characters, and fight scenes shows longtime Star Wars aficionados an improved visual of that "galaxy far, far away" and the modern appearance of the film appeals to a new generation of fans.
Yoda is among the most symbolic of Star Wars characters. His unorthodox sentence structure and power with the force has endeared him to fans of young and old. Revenge of the Sith gives life to Yoda with modern special effects. The portrayal of Yoda with computer graphics animation is a drastic improvement compared to the casting of Yoda with puppets in the original trilogy. In fact, a host of returning characters had their appearance enhanced by computer graphics: namely, the droids C3PO and R2D2 and wookies. The capital planet of the Republic, Coruscant, was not shown during the prequel trilogies but Revenge of the Sith makes heavy use of Coruscant in its story line and portrays it with modern special effects that dwarf the quality of the artwork used for Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back and the Death Star in A New Hope. The modern special effects of the film allow the appearance of Coruscant to amaze the imagination of the viewer. Further, the war scenes of Revenge of the Sith were enhanced by the modern special effects available to the producers such as the space dog fight at the start of the film and the various depictions of the Clone Wars on planets such as Kashyyk.
The most distinguished special effects of Revenge of the Sith were implemented in the scene involving the duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader on the volcanic planet of Mustafar. The volcanic chaos provides an appropriate backdrop to the climax of the film in which Obi-Wan leaves Darth Vader for dead in the most poignant moment in the Star Wars franchise. The special graphics depicting the raging volcano provide a visual that acts as a catalyst to the imagination of the viewer which nearly causes the viewer to forget the dire consequences of the duel. Detractors of the special effects of Revenge of the Sith condemn the new graphics of the light sabers wielded by the Sith and the Jedi. The late film critic Roger Ebert loathes childishly, "A word, however, about the duels fought with light sabers. When they flashed into life with a mighty whizzing thunk in the first 'Star Wars' and whooshed through their deadly parabolas, that was exciting. But the thrill is gone" (Ebert). In my opinion, the depiction of light saber duels in the original trilogy was limited due to the lack of modern special effects. The duel between the elder Obi-Wan and Darth Vader in A New Hope brutally lacks imagination whereas the light saber duels of Obi-Wan with Darth Vader and Yoda with Darth Sidious in Revenge of the Sith have artistic appeal due to the addition of the smooth and versatile graphics of the new light sabers. Additionally, critics have proclaimed that new technology was not introduced in Revenge of the Sith. Phillip French of The Guardian speaking critically of the film says, "Special effects have greatly advanced since 1978, but technology needs imagination after it has made an initial impression. Imagination is not the strong suit of Revenge of the Sith" (French). As I have already mentioned, the implementation of new technology in Revenge of the Sith was hampered by the reality that it preceded the original trilogy timeline.
The prospect of using modern special effects is likely among the primary reasons George Lucas aspired to create another Star Wars trilogy. The puppet characters and artwork scenes of the original trilogy were replaced with advanced computer graphics that enhanced the portrayal of the Star Wars story. The addition of modern special effects is by far the most striking distinction between the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy. Perhaps, Disney intends to revolutionize our view of Star Wars once more with its latest rendition of the franchise in 2014.