More technical-driven than passionate storytelling, but deal with that later.

Rating: 7/10 (22 May 2005)

Long ago (1977, actually) in a collective imaginary far, far away... there was simply STAR WARS, a marvelous popcorn ride that introduced a whole generation of moviegoers to the fantasies, the dreams and the magic of cinema. Then came a superior, much darker and deeper sequel titled THE EMPIRE STRIKE BACK. Still the best of the series, in my opinion. It was the first I remembered "seeing" in a theater as a boy, awakening to the wonders of movies. This was 1980. RETURN OF THE JEDI completed the circle, a necessary conclusion that turned out to be bland (it didn't push the envelope) and was shot by the numbers. Anyway, sci-fi and SW buffs closed the book on this original trilogy and lived to tell the story with a smile.
14 years after 1983, Lucas announced a prequel in the works and renamed the previous blockbusters we grew to admire. Hence, the Anniversary Edition. Now STAR WARS was lengthly titled STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE, it had a terrible song number, Greedo shooting at Solo first, and a Jabba The Hut scene that was plain dreadful. ILM digitally restored and "improved" the looks of the visual effects and sounds, something that ultimately didn't match with the standard raw material. It detached our initial perspective from those familiar images.
It is our problem if we fell in love with the early prints of the first trilogy, said the creator and owner of these films. I swore I wasn't going to watch the final entry of his created galaxy. Guess I did that in vane, didn't I? This doesn't come from a fanatic of STAR WARS but movies in general. Don't get me wrong, I celebrated the arrival of EPISODES I, II & III. At the end, the origins of Darth Vader were more technical-driven than passionate storytelling. The action never failed to my expectations, though. Yes, THE PHANTOM MENACE was targeted for the kids we are no longer. Hated Jar Jar Binks. And, granted, THE ATTACK OF THE CLONES had superior light-saber battle sequences but lacked to cook up a meaty story, let alone an intimate romance. My first impression of THE REVENGE OF THE SITH is that there's no real story besides the connecting elements left to transit the concluding chapters.
In EPISODE III, the plot dealing with the true nature of evil and the effect of making life-turning decisions are, indeed, a force to be reckon with. Sadly, it had to be softened with plot-holes and lame dialogs, undeveloped characters (e.g. Padme Amidala, Chewbacca and a handful of Jedis) and detached emotions shown both in front and behind the cameras. SIN CITY had a similar effect to it. Had Lucas made one single prequel using the key scenes and elements plus the pivotal duels that lead Anakin Skywalker's transformation into Lord Darth Vader... now we're talking. That would have been the real deal! But that is just me asking too much or too little, for that matter.
Either way, I cheered and goose-bumped at the opening credits as always. The space battle scenes were awesome at the beginning, so was the action that followed it. R2D2 was fantastic, too. Honorable mentions goes to Anakin's "made" scene right after a quick but inevitable confrontation between Jedis and the Senator. Also giving me the chills were Yoda and the Emperor destroying the Senate against each other, add an unforgettable knight duel between a master and an apprentice, and, last but not least, the birth of Darth! This is why movies are meant to be seen on the big screen, a total event for fans alike. Flawed? Yes, but deal with that later. It is STAR WARS time!
Some say this is the end. With the marketing background of LucasFilm Ltd., I don't think so. A live TV series in discussion? You bet. A 3-D transfer of the complete saga? Both sound interesting and should be fun to catch up. Personally, can't wait for a edit-the-recent-episodes-the-way-you-want-them DVD in the near and/or possible future. I want a pristine DVD version of the original releases, I mean STAR WARS and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. They're no longer your movies, they belong to Joe the moviegoer. Lucas, you have the final word. Thanks. And time to move on!