redemption for Lucas?

Rating: 8/10 (19 May 2005)

It's finally here the movie that Star Wars fans have been waiting for since 1977. Director George Lucas finally delivers the episode in the saga that tells the complete story of how Jedi Knight, Anakin Skywalker, turns to the dark-side of the force and becomes the evil Sith Lord, Darth Vader. There was a lot "riding" on this film for Lucas. Especially considering the critical reviews for the two previous installments in the saga. So, did Lucas deliver? Mostly.
Out of the three prequels, Sith is definitely the best. The story takes a much darker turn in this installment and earned the first PG-13 rating for the entire series. Character and plot development is much stronger this time around. So was the acting. Still, there are weak moments throughout. Lucas, once again, shows us that dialogue writing is not one of his strong points. Hayden Christiansen (Anakin Skywalker), shows the most improvement in his acting abilities, but still has a difficult time conveying the needed emotion to make some of the scenes work. This is especially noticeable in his scenes with Natalie Portman (Padme Amidala). He did, however, make up for it with the scenes in which he gives in to the dark side of the force. He shows just the right amount of anger and frustration to make his transformation into Darth Vader believable.
Actor Ian McDiarmid steals the show in this movie. He is finally able to "let loose" in his portrayal of Senator Palpatine. It's especially evident when he conjures up his altar-ego, Darth Sidious. Ewan McGregor (Obi Wan Kenobi), who has been the most consistent in his portrayal throughout the prequels, continues to shine in Sith.
The action scenes were pretty spectacular, for the most part. I did think that the opening space battle scene was a little too "cartoonish." It seemed as though they were trying to capture the same mood and "coolness" of the excellent animated Clone Wars series. However, there's only one problem with that this is not a cartoon and, therefore, cannot be treated as such. Instead, it comes across as amateurish and lackluster, in my opinion. The rest of the action sequences throughout the movie were done quite well, though.
Without giving too much away I'll just say that, all-in-all, I was very pleased with this installment. I definitely want to see it again. However, I did have kind of a weird feeling after the movie was over. Due to the darkness of the movie and the way it ended, it leaves you feeling a little morose and melancholy. Of course, we all know what happens in the next three films that allow Vader to redeem himself, but Sith leaves you with a feeling of hopelessness. Even though you know that it ends with Anakin turning to the dark side of the force, you still hope that he doesn't turn his back on Obi Wan and the Jedi order. I think this is exactly what Lucas was hoping he would accomplish with his audience. It's also kind of sad that there will be no more Star Wars movies. Lucas does have plans for future television excursions using the Star Wars saga, but this was the last of the feature films, as far as Lucas is concerned. In some ways, it is the end of an era ------ LUCAS SHOWS HIS TRUE POLITICAL COLORS? On another note, there is one piece of dialogue near the end of the film that I felt was quite interesting. It is as follows ANAKIN: "If you are not with me, then you are my enemy." OBI WAN: "Only Sith Lords deal in absolutes." In the context of all six Star Wars films, this is a completely false and misleading statement. For it has always been the Jedi that deal in absolutes, not the Sith. The Jedi have always seen the world in "black and white" or "right and wrong" issues. To them, there is a clear distinction between good and evil. To add this piece of dialogue to the movie doesn't make any sense.
There has been some speculation that Lucas added this to try and draw a comparison between the evil Sith and the current American administration since Bush had clearly stated at one point that "if you're not with us, then you're against us." However, if this is in fact the case, it just goes to show how ignorant Lucas is about the current political atmosphere in the United States and in the world. For, like the Jedi, the Bush administration is a defender of Democracy and freedom. It is the left-wing political faction that would like to over-throw Democracy in favor of a more socialistic government controlled by the liberal elite. You could also call it an "empire" controlled not by the people, but by political opportunists that would like to strip away our freedoms in favor of a more controlled regime.
My point being, with a movie like Star Wars, I'm looking for an "escape" into fantasy, not preaching from a left-wing neophyte. In this respect, no thank you, Mr. Lucas.