Wait a minute, how'd this happen? We're smarter than this!

Rating: 6/10 (17 June 2005)

Did I like this film? Growing up in the 80s, I remember the passion and intense love that I had for the original Star Wars films. I remember being able to watch them everyday, all day, and never growing tired of the story, the characters, or the beautiful imagery. Sadly, I cannot say the same about these newer episodes. They have been created for a different generation than mine. A generation that would rather see bold explosions, intense fighting, and stunning CGI over a powerful story and decent acting any day. It is sad, because while Revenge of the Sith did answer some of the questions that I always wondered with the original three films, it did fall prey to this change of dynamic. Lucas is a brilliant storyteller. He has redefined and rebirthed the science fiction genre into ways that I will always be grateful, but his inability to control his actors, to have them work for him instead of fight him, have plagued these newer three chapters. Here you have these intense action sequences in which Lucas' eye has perfected, but then you have these moments where our central characters are all stuck in a paper bag, unable to free themselves with acting. It is pathetic, and I do believe it is what has placed these final three chapters behind the original.
The story dynamics of this film had changed as well. In the original, there was a sense of far, far, away lands and ferocious creatures lurking around each corner, but in these newer chapters, I felt confined and looking at only familiar beasts. But, I do not want to dwell entirely on the comparisons between the new and old, while it does influence this review and sensation of the film, it is not what made me so neutral about the Revenge of the Sith. The story dynamics was a big element that I felt was missing from this film. New worlds, the vast depth of the Republic seemed to be absent. I wanted to see how the other worlds were reacting to the dark change, but all I saw was how Anakin, Obi-Wan, and the glowingly weak Yoda reacted. I wanted to see the ripple of effect throughout the planets, but instead we were forced to see how dumbfounded the illustrious Jedi didn't see this sinister move coming.
This leads me to my second point. The power of the Jedi. I realize that Lucas wanted to show the birth of the Dark Lord, but it felt like he really dumbed down the power of the Jedi. For those that will argue that the "Dark Side" was too powerful, I just don't buy it. With the power of modern technology that was so boasted throughout the film, the Jedi overused their powers of procrastination to wait until the final moments to realize that something bad was going to happen. This was embarrassing, and while I normally rejoice when good succumbs to evil in films, I do not get happy when they allow evil to win by default. It was embarrassing and pointless.
There is no doubt in my mind that Lucas' vision cannot be matched in Hollywood. From the intense CGI battles to the impressive worlds (the small handful) that he takes us to, Lucas proves that he can be imaginative and color coordinated. Though when it comes to directing and storytelling, he seems to be lacking in both categories. This was a beautiful film, but the story left so much to be desired. I wish that Lucas had done to this series what Harry Potter has done with its film adaptations  a new director for each film. I would have liked to see different storytellers use Lucas' technology to bring the true darkness into the final chapter. Imagine David Fincher, Darren Aronofsky, Alfonso Cuarón, or even Christopher Nolan dipping their hands into this story. Imagine the dark shadows that would have truly been cast. I believe that with this change the power of the "Dark Side" would have been the evil cloud that I so wanted, instead of this cartoonish escapade that Lucas created.
Overall, I thought that this was an average film. From the beginning of these new films (Episodes I, II, and III), I just haven't been jumping up and down. I don't know if it is because of my religious dedication to the original films or just the lack of story with these new ones that was so relevant in the original, but I haven't been overjoyed. The actors seemed like they were playing for the paycheck and notoriety. Nobody, except for the CGI created Yoda, seemed excited about being involved with this production. The originality was devastating, especially near the end where the birth of darkness comes out yelling "Nooooooo", but strangely sounds more like "Kaaaahhhhhnnnnnnnn". All I wanted was a dark finale to a great vision, but instead I witnessed a cartoonish ending with terrible acting, which proved to be mostly "armless". HA! Go back to The Empire Strikes Back if you are looking for the darker chapter to this overpowering series.
Grade: *** out of *****