The true prequel

Rating: 8/10 (21 May 2005)

We've got a real, worthy prequel to the Star Wars trilogy on our hands now. You're welcome to banish all memory of episodes I & II from your mind; THIS is the movie we Star Wars fans have all been waiting twenty years to see. THIS is the movie that began unspooling in our heads the moment Lucas announced plans for a prequel trilogy back in '96. And it delivers.
Now, it is, tragically, impossible to overlook the fact that Hayden Christensen still sucks. It's been said, but it remains as true as ever: he lacks the gravitas to step into Darth Vader's suit. Too bad. And while we're finding fault, yes, George Lucas still has utterly no concept of how to write dialogue, particularly romantic exchanges (the one such moment in this picture borders on the laughable, unfortunately). But these are tertiary points: we of the Star Wars camp are in this to watch the republic collapse, and to watch Anakin fall, and these events get all the dramatic grandeur that they deserve. The circumstances of Anakin's transformation are by turns poignant and shockingly horrific, as they should be, and in particular the scenes which depict Palpatine slowly, mercilessly preying upon Anakin's weaknesses, the "seduction scenes" if you will, are among the strongest in the entire Star Wars saga.
It's very good, and I intend to see it again. I expect, actually, to love it maybe as much as I love the original trilogy within a few years. It could happen. Final word: I recommended episodes I & II with great trepidation, insisting that their content was so largely caught up in weird interior political nuance that only the purest-of-heart Star Wars fan would derive enjoyment from them; Episode III I have to imagine could be stumbled upon by a casual fan of the original trilogy and be very warmly received. That's about the strongest praise Lucas could hope to get, at this point.