By giving us answers we so much wanted, Lucas saved his trilogy!

Rating: 10/10 (27 May 2005)

Hello! Few weeks ago, I wasn't one of the big fans of Star Wars. After being a bit disappointed of how the first two episodes turned out, I was curious to see how Lucas would finish his trilogy. Hopefully it wouldn't be as bad as TPM or AOTC. Thank god, he has reviewed is directing 101 book.
In any Star Wars movies, visual effects never were the scariest part as they turned out to be the all the time the special f/x of the year. If I'm correct, the biggest problem of all star wars film always been the acting. Of course, George Lucas is not one of the most talented director of actors. He has though a very good comprehension of what visual and spectacular effects are. But more he was making a star wars film, cheaper was the acting (and most of all the speech and feelings). Slowly, he seems to have learn for his past mistakes and concentrate more on the feelings protagonists (including Yoda). Let's say that in some case (the Jedi Holocaust, the immolation, etc.) John Williams' score helps one more time to save the day. Some of the lines gave by the actors look so fake that if it wasn't for the soundtrack, no one would probably believe it. In that case, I exclude Ian McDiarmid and Ewan McGregor spectacular performances. From the beginning where Palpatine orders Anakin to kill a Sith lord, we really feel his hate and his evil tone. No thought on this one.
Back on the soundtrack, I personally think that it is John Williams best achievement in music since Schindler's List and it surely is better than his previous Star Wars performances (including IV, V, VI). I would say that the most touching moment is the theme Anakin's Betrayal (used for the Jedi extinction) which is really emotional. Few people I know cried during that scene which no one really wanted to happened but had to; including myself.
Let's say that visually, I would give it the highest rate ever given to a film. I have never seen such spectacular images in a fantasy film (including 2 years ago LOTR:ROTK). The action never seems to stop (even if sometimes it does to let place to the romance of Padme and Anakin which is a bit better (without excess) than Episode II and conversation between Anakin and Palpatine, where the best lines seems to be)
Now the hardest part... the characters' feelings. OK. A bit better than in the first trilogy and much better than Episode I and II. Again with some lack. I think that the biggest lack was the "you're breaking my heart" from Padme. Thank god for the evil interpretation and look of Hayden Christensen which let us forget what just has been said by Natalie Portman. The most realistic feeling (ok, a bit of cheating) is from a CGI... Yoda. During the extinction of Jedi, we see a clip of Yoda grabbing his heart, feeling pain and suffering and we can almost read in his eyes what is happening. Quite the same look of the young lings in the Jedi temple facing an evil character they always thought to be a friend, another difficult scene to watch.
I'll finish by saying that I really enjoy the final installment of the trilogy and just hope that it will stop there. Everybody is telling me that they hope there will be episodes VII, VIII, IX. In my case I hope not. The whole six episodes were about how a farm boy named Anakin became an apprentice, a Jedi, a Sith lord and came back on the good side of the force. The next trilogy would just do as this one would have been without Revenge of the Sith. P.S. I live in Quebec. I was so disappointed that Revenge of the Sith was rated G. With what I've seen, it should have been a 13 and older (PG-13 for you guys) for the disturbing images. Again, a thank you to George Lucas for having the guts to create it as dark as possible and violent as it should have been.