The Space Opera Strikes Back

Rating: Null/10 (28 July 2005)

The interesting part of Episode III is how blandly the visual effects are presented, and how the action sequences in the first half of the film have so little intensity. Fighter ships sweep in and out between larger battle cruisers and deal with annoying little droids, and I don't care that it's CG  I accept it as valid star ships fighting over Courescant. It's a virtuoso display of Computer Generated Imagery . . . and yet I don't find myself in awe or wowed by the display, but then again it really wasn't the point of Episode III either.
This review is written several weeks after two viewings, and I can't remember any sensation from Episode III to match the thrill of seeing the Millennium Falcon escape from the second Death Star down that tunnel or the canyon sequence from the first Death Star. George Lucas has succeeded all too well in blending visual effects with reality to the point that the epic battles in a galaxy far far away can backdrop a conversation without being distracting. Life and death struggles, mass space battles, and the evil veil of the dark side is as mundane as the morning routine before work.
And in a weird way, the whole beginning of Episode III feels like it doesn't really belong. It feels like left-over issues from the previous film that needed addressing before Episode III could really begin, and to be quite frank, I probably would have liked Episode III a lot more if the entire first 30 minutes were cut and Anakin's fall was more deeply explored. On a related note, I'd of liked the entire trilogy more had the story been more personal to Anakin and not try to chronicle such a wide span of his and Obi-Wan's life.
Enough of that, though, Revenge of the Sith is the film I've been waiting for. While the opening action sequences didn't do much to keep my attention, the exchanges between Anakin and Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid, you rock) had me on the edge of my seat. I literally perked up every time Anakin would step into the same room with the Chancellor. I grinned with way too much delight upon hearing McDiarmid recited the line "Leave us" exactly as he did in Return of the Jedi. When Anakin says he'd like to kill the Sith Lord and Palpatine answers, "I know you would . . ." John Williams cleverly unveils the Emperor's theme, and it sent shivers down my spine.
The seduction to the dark side  that is why I came to see Revenge of the Sith. Screw action sequences, screw Grievious, and the lightsaber fights, I came to hear Yoda cite, "Gone he is, consumed by Darth Vador" and it was good. It was damn good.
Also noteworthy - the scenes that earned Sith a PG13 rating greatly impressed me. With MPAA mis-aimed sensitivity running rampant and the entire horror genre being diluted to PG13 ratings, it was strangely refreshing and satisfying seeing gruesome and haunting imagery in a Star Wars film. Let's face it, the Dark Side of Anakin Skywalker is far more suspenseful and shocking than anything The Ring 2, Cursed, and a number of other PG13 horror flicks had up their collective sleeves. I hereby retract any negative comments I may have made about George Lucas' artistic integrity.
And the score . . . like he did with Return of the Jedi, John Williams saved the best for last. Sith's music is a cunning reflection of the ideas in the films  while its themes didn't particularly strike me right away like Jedi's score, this one snuck up on me and used more subtlety to grow on me. That's not to say Revenge of the Sith's score does not sport the usual John Williams orchestral color and boldness, but at first listen it seems to fall in the shadow of the other Star Wars themes . . . and slowly its unique sound and charms unfold not unlike the Emperor's master plan. I adore the music to Revenge of the Sith, and I can write a full review on the narrative and emotional power within the score.
As I stated earlier Sith is the Star Wars prequel I had been waiting for. It was the joy of returning - truly returning - to that place "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away." And I thank George Lucas for it.