an intelligent review

Rating: 10/10 (27 May 2005)

the movie opens with a couple of dancing Jedi star fighters. not a lot is around them but their movements are strangely hypnotic and you wonder what there mission might entail. the much larger starship they are dancing around wisps out of the way and you get your first glimpse at what is the heart of the move: WAR! a dazzling onslaught of technological imagery blends ever so delicately into dramatic brilliance in the 20 minute opening that you can only sit and marvel in the film's splendor.
the ships of course are piloted by our heroes, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. they find the kidnapped chancellor and commence with a rematch with Dooku. Obi Wan is quickly immobilized, but this time Anakin's powers have increased considerably. Dooku does not realize this at first and chastises the young prodigy. you can see the equations working away as Dooku whispers sweat nothings about channeling his anger for the advantage of power. you can see conflict in Anakin's eyes that wants the innocence stripped away. "kill him" the chancellor purrs as Dooku is betrayed in front of everyone, used as a pawn for the progression of the evil empire. more inner strife. is this wrong? forget the Jedi way Aanakin. this self righteous arrogance has been a symptom of Anakin's psychological hairline crack since he was a child. even then he made less than humble self proclamations. it has always been clear that this narcissistic implantation should never have been fed with training in the Jedi arts. Palpatine has been playing on this chord for years with Anakin. if this melody of instability is the cake, then Padme is the icing that brings the whole thing crashing down.
Padme is pregnant. Anakin is the father. he foresees her death in childbirth. he can't fail again the way he let his mother die in his arms. he would do anything for the secret love of his life. we have all made these proclamations before to our love ones. we toy with the idea that we would do anything for them, even give up our own live's on their behalves. here Anakin meets every mate's nightmare - the potential premature mortality of his wife, his first love, the only female he has ever known intimately.
the Jedi are now suspicious of the chancellor, whose stay in office has expired. something is out of place, something feels strange. if they can just get an inside source to verify just what the chancellor does behind closed doors then perhaps they can gain some insight into this mystery. Anakin is asked to cooperate. but in cooperating he is also asked to do something that is not very Jedi at all, justified meekly that he should go along because the galaxy is at war. the rift between the hierarchy of Jedi masters and our young falling hero was already widening with a series of snuffs. why are they doing this to me? sometimes unavoidable situations arise that even the craftiest of intellectuals would balefully succumb to. the Jedi, out of necessity, have attempted to turn Anakin into a spy.
Anakin is finally forced to choose his allegiance in a scene that in effect decided the fate of the galaxy. Mace Windu, the venerable Jedi master swordsman that he is, out-duels the evil chancellor after it is learned from Anakin that he is in fact a Sith Lord. but Anakin intervenes. his last ditch Jedi conservatism and the treachery that through Darth Sidious was the only way to save his love from certain doom leads Anakin is the catalyst. his act at this pivotal scene breaks him for good. there is no turning back now, even if he wanted to. but it gives him an excuse to save Padme as well as a new venue that promises to feed his bloated ego further than ever.
this is where the movie goes from darkly toned to event horizon blackness. the Jedi are exterminated as if they were a disease, shot in the backs by the all too obedient clone troopers they had been leading. Anakin turns from a young prodigal Jedi to a deranged murderer. from Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader. what follows is a heartless and psychotic purge of goodness that would shame the devil.
so now the stage is set for the two battles that we have all been waiting for. Anakin vs. Obi Wan and Yoda vs. the Emperor. the a vs. o battle is desperately more saddening. i do not currently have children but i could sympathize with Obi Wan's heartbreak anyway knowing that he had failed. the last time he saw Anakin he told him he was proud of him. the next time he saw him was on a surveillance video murdering Jedi children who had been hiding behind seats in the council room. and now instead of becoming the one who would bring balance to the force, Obi Wan is forced to face this monster of a person, this ruthless murderer, this Sith Lord who he loved as a brother because killing Sith is part of being a Jedi. the battle ends in grueling fashion as Obi Wan gains the upper ground and Anakin is forced to make what would prove to be a jump that was far too risky. Obi Wan slices his legs off and leaves him there to burn in volcanic fire as Anakin screams that he hates him between moans and snarls. it is gut wrenching cinema. the look on Obi Wan's face says it all.
to watch everything unfold is horrifying and gratifying at the same time. it is the story of how a monster is born. it is a story of how someone falls from grace, about how tyranny rises, about how evil can pervade even the most intimate aspects of life. and it is brilliant story telling by George Lucas. it is America's contribution to literature. it's the modern myth.