From Anakin To Vader

Rating: 10/10 (13 March 2013)

Oh boy, it's the moment we've all been waiting for. Ever since the prequels got started, the very thing we wanted to see from the get go is how Anakin Skywalker became the man in the black mask with the voice of James Earl Jones. Now, we get the answers we have long craved. With this film, the loose ends are knotted, the circle is complete, and the entire Star Wars saga becomes one solid storybook. Revenge of the Sith is by far my favorite of the newest trilogy, and it's not because it has it's balance of darkness and silliness, it's because it ties so flawlessly into the original trilogy and makes the two trilogies comes together like peanut butter and crackers. Here, we see why Obi-Wan and Yoda go into hiding, why Padme is not in the original films, why Luke and Leia are separated at birth, how the Jedi get wiped out, why Palpatine looks like he has a shellfish allergy, and why Anakin gets sealed away in a shiny black iron lung like a can of green beans.
Anakin has a lot of decisions to make throughout the coarse of the film. After defeating Count Dooku once and for all, he is constantly tempted by the scheming Chancellor Palpatine, who secretly wants Anakin to be Dooku's replacement. After being tormented by visions of Padme dying in childbirth and his trust of Jedi Order splitting down the middle, Anakin becomes stressed and gives into his inner demon to become Darth Vader. I think Hayden Christensen has matured greatly since Clones, and even if many say he is still whiny, he is whiny for a reason. I mean, come on, you would be whiny and desperate too if you were having visions of a loved one in pain. I also think Hayden's take on Anakin parallels that of a tragic figure in literature, someone like Achilles or Macbeth or maybe Anakin's inspiration to begin with, movie star James Dean. The supporting characters are also top notch in their respective roles. Ewan Macgregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi gets more Alec Guinness like ever minute of the film. Ian McDiarmid's Palpatine is chilling and hideous, very much like demon from the Underworld. And Natalie Portman (pre Black Swan Oscar winner) delivers an over the top, yet tear jerking performance as the tragic Padme, who unfortunately meets her demise at the end of the picture.
What makes Padme so tragic is that Anakin turned to the dark side to save her, and out of his own anger and impulsive actions, choked her, causing her broken heart to break even further which makes her loose the will to live. By the end of the film, Anakin, who has been deep fried on the planet Mustafar and put in a suit of armor, realizes that on his own intentions to save Padme have ultimately backfired, and on his quest to save her from death, he caused her death, and that, in my book at least, is reminiscent of a great Greek tragedy. Now, Anakin, who has long since been dubbed Darth Vader, has nothing left. The Jedi have been wiped out by the newly born stormtroopers. His wife was killed at his own hand as he desperately tried to save her. Now, his only purpose is to serve as Palpatine's lumbering henchman, a henchman who would be force choking many Jedi for the next two decades before A New Hope. It's a sad fate for a sad character like Anakin Skywalker, who would spend the next 26 years or more living in a life support suit and fighting for redemption.
Revenge of the Sith really is the darkest out of the series, even a bit darker than the grand Empire Strikes Back. From the moment Anakin beheads Count Dooku to the moment Order 66 is initiated to the moment Anakin bursts into flames and becomes a human spare rib, it's surely some intense material for a Star Wars flick. No wonder it got a PG-13 rating when it was first released. And to think that in 7 years, Disney will have distribution rights to Revenge of the Sith. A little too extreme for the mouse house if you ask me!
I also must say that Sith has the best lightsaber duels out of any other film in the saga. I love when Anakin and Obi-Wan take on Dooku, I love when Obi-Wan takes on droid General Grievous, I love the final fight between Vader and Obi-Wan, but I think my favorite has got to be the duel between Mace Windu and Palpatine. I personally think it's Samuel L. Jackson's crowning moment out of the prequels.
All this and more is the reason why I think Revenge of the Sith is the real trophy out of the prequels. Sure, it has it's groaning moments, like the scene where Anakin and Padme are expressing their love for one another, but this one has got it where it shines. A lot of people who disliked Phantom and Clones really digged this one as well, and in their eyes, it made the entire prequel trilogy worth wild. Tune in next time, and we'll have a look at the original films.