War! The Republic is crumbling under attacks by the ruthless Sith Lord, Count Dooku. There are heroes on both sides. Evil is everywhere.
In a stunning move, the fiendish droid leader, General Grievous, has swept into the Republic capital and kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine, leader of the Galactic Senate.
As the Separatist Droid Army attempts to flee the besieged capital with their valuable hostage, two Jedi Knights lead a desperate mission to rescue the captive Chancellor.
The Battle above Coruscant to free Senator Palpatine:Visually stunning to say the least. Kinda harks back to A New Hope's opening sequence where an view of open space pans down to show a huge space battle. The largest in the saga by far.
Here is where we get our first look at Obi Wan and Anakin. Anakin displays how far he has come with his excellent flying and sabre skills.
Eventually our 2 heroes manage to infiltrate the Invisible hand flag ship where Count Dooku and General Grievious are holding Senator Palpatine 'hostage'.
We also get our first look at General Grievious, the new super villain of the saga. Personally I do not think he kicks ass quite like Vader,Maul or even Dooku. He kinda reminds me of the head grasshopper in a Bug's Life.
Dooku duels (or should it be tri-uels?) with Anakin and Obi Wan once more. Dooku easily brushes off Obi Wan but Anakin proves to be more than a match for the Sith Lord. With Count Dooku at his mercy, Anakin lops off his head at the behest of Palpatine although that is not the jedi way.This scene plants the seeds of Anakin's eventual turn to the dark side much like the scene where he killed the entire village of Tusken Raiden's in the previous installment.
Of particular note in this sequence is how R2D2 is now a Terminator type droid who fights off the various battle droids. WTF? He was largely immobile in most of the previous episodes but now he kicks ass? hahaha..
And the voices of the battle droids? Eeeks! Comic relief at it's most flat. Amusing but utterly silly.
Anakin love PadmeArrgh! A toe curling,hair standing love those two have. Some of the most corny, Hallmark lines ever. No where close even to the chemistry between Han Solo and Leia in the original trilogy. And this so-called love is the catalyst for all the hate and anger that is filled up inside Anakin? He fears losing her and falls into Palpatines mind games. And Padme for her part loses the will to live in the end. Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman are wasted in their roles based on their performances in their other films. They could have played their roles better to make their characters more sympathetic (for want of a better word) to the audience.
*sigh*
*groan*
PalpatineThe one time Senator who eventually rose to become the Emperor of the Galactic Empire is played brilliantly by Ian McDiarmid. I guess it is a role that requires a thespian who can portray the rise of an unassuming senator who is eventually revealed to be Darth Sidious, the one responsible for the Clone Wars. I just think Ian does well in the role and really makes it his own as the Machiavellian chancellor. His intonation,nuances and expressions just sell his part so well. Although he does become a kind of caricature later on when he is fully revealed as Dark Lord. From then on end it is overacting...
KashyyykThe home planet of the mighty Chewbacca. I was very much looking forward to seeing this planet. Too bad George Lucas did not invest much screen time to show us the daily lives and the weaponry of the Wookies like he had done with the Gungans on Naboo (now that is a name for a planet!) and the Ewoks on Endor. What we got instead was Kashyyyk as just another planet in the various battle fronts of the Clone Wars.
However the loyalty showed by Chewbacca and Tarfful towards Yoda when Order 66 is given really shows the integrity the wookies possess which is on display later on in episodes 4 to 6. The visual contrast of a 2 foot tall Yoda and the 7 feet tall wookies was cool. A nice touch was while the Jedi were being exterminated, was of Yoda dropping his gimer stick, clutching his chest, and resting against a wall. It really brought home the dire situation the Jedi order was in, as well as paralleling well with the scene of Obi Wan in A New Hope as he did likewise as Alderaan was blown to oblivion by the Death Star.
Mace Windu vs PalpatineThis is the pivotal scene where Anakin finally becomes Darth Vader and Mace dies at the hands of Anakin and Palpatine. In this scene Palpatine holds back his Force lightning to appear weak and at the mercy of Mace Windu as Anakin appears. Anakin is conflicted as to who to side with, Mace who seems intent on killing the Sith Lord, or Palpatine who appears all weak and helpless(and also holds the secret to saving Padme's life). The conflict in Anakin's mind shadows that of Luke and Darth vader himself when they had to choose between Good and the Dark Side. As we all know by now Anakin chooses to save Palpatine and cuts off Mace's arm. Mace is then Force Lightning-ed (is that even a word?) out the window to his death. Anakin kneels before Palpatine and submits to him to be his disciple.
Jedi GenocideWell... we had heard about how the Emperor with the help of his apprentice Darth Vader had orchestrated the demise of the jedi order. To actually see how it played out on screen is quite another thing. It just seemed too easy how one by one the Jedi were exterminated. I mean these Jedi's are powerful and nifty with their light-sabres. A single Jedi can take on an entire army armed with just their wits and a lightsabre. To see them gunned down and crashing into trees/spaceships without much of a fight is kinda anti-climatic. And to see that Anakin/Darth Vader was not directly involved in most of it from a storyline point of view was kind of a let down too. But good visuals and maybe that was the only way George Lucas could convey it without making Episode III into a 3 hours long epic..
Bush AdministrationIt is difficult to go into Star Wars mythology without drawing comparisons to the current political climate. Much like the original trilogy was a comment on the Vietnam War, the latest trilogy(especially episodes 2 and 3) are said to be an indictment of the Bush administration post 9/11. The basic storyline of Sith speaks of how a democracy slowly but surely evolves into a dictatorship under the looming impending threats of the Separatists. In the end the senator gains full and lifetime control of the 'Senate' due to the impending threats as he gradually rises to Chancellor, and is granted emergency powers to deal with the Separatists threat which he never relinquishes ultimately, and then the creation the Galactic Empire.
In order to ensure our security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire, for a safe and secure society which I assure you will last for ten thousand years. An empire that will continue to be ruled by this august body, and a sovereign ruler chosen for life . An empire ruled by the majority . . . Ruled by a new constitution . . .
-Palpatine's speech to the senate to much applause
To which Padme says
,"So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause . . . "DuelsThe last third of Sith are the fateful duels between Yoda and Darth Sidious, and the climatic duel between Anakin Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi.
The battle between the Yoda and Sidious is most memorable for Yoda's use of the Force to throw the Emperor's Red Guards against the wall with a mere flick of his wrist, which was greeted by wild applause by the audience. Yoda kicks ass man! In a way this duel between them surpasses the one in the previous episode where Yoda faces off against Count Dooku. But I cannot help but feel that Yoda is made out to look kinda weak in both duels. In both confrontations the Sith Lords effortlessly hurl objects at him, but Master Yoda, the most powerful Jedi of all time, has to focus his energy to repel these attacks! Huh? In the end Yoda loses a grip(quite literally) and falls down to the floor of the Senate and has to be rescued by Bail Organa. 2 duels, lost both. All that crap about putting your feelings aside being the Jedi way. And both times Yoda succumbs to a supposedly lesser foe.
The face-off between Anakin and Obi Wan is what we have waited 28 years to see! And we get it here on the fiery planet of Mustafar (feel like making an indian curry joke here but thought better of it). But first Anakin has to speak to his beloved Padme Amidala. Seems that Anakin has changed and that now 'he is going down a path she can't follow'. Anakin feels betrayed by her lack of loyalty. With perfect timing Obi Wan appears at the doorway of the Naboo Cruiser just to further drive home the point. Padme denies all knowledge of Obi Wan's presence (Obi Wan had snuck aboard the NABOO Cruiser earlier to follow Padme as only she knew where Anakin was and was not about to reveal Anakin's whereabouts to anyone, not even Obi wan). Anakin starts to Force choke Padme for her seeming betrayal. Anakin turned to the Dark Side to save her life and now he chokes her?? And what does Obi Wan do to save this lady heavy with child being choked to near death by the man she loves? He gives Anakin a stern rebuttal!
Let her go, Anakin.
Let her go!
which he does.
They then face off. The battle is furious. Anakin is on the offensive for most of it. He is indeed powerful. All Obi Wan can do is repel his attacks and wait for an opportunity to use Anakin's hate and power against him. The battle is long and takes place in various perilious locations. The lava planet of Mustafar provides lots of dangerous scenarios our 2 heroes have to battle through including fighting on a pipe across a lava river, swinging on cables (across a lava river again),under lava rain, on a floating tower (floating on guess what, a lava river), a small floating platform and even on the back of a worker construction droid.
Finally Obi Wan lands on solid upper ground as Anakin is left on the floating platform. Obi Wan warns Anakin not to try to get off the platform to face him as he has 'the higher ground'. Anakin the all powerful Chosen One decides to try anyway. He is quickly despatched as Obi Wan cuts his young apprentice at the knees, then cuts off his left arm in the blink of an eye as he flies through the air.
Then it is speech time as Anakin frantically tries to pull himself up using only his mechanical arm.
Obi Wan:
You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would, destroy the Sith, not join them. It was you who would bring balance to the Force, not leave it in Darkness. Anakin:
I hate you! Obi Wan:
You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you. Obi Wan looks in horror as Anakin becomes engulfed in flames. Obi Wan can't watch him as he struggles to climb the embankment, covered in flames!
The duel itself was ferocious and epic in it's own right but what I would have liked to have seen was a little less action and more conversation between them. These are 2 people who have spent much of their adult lives together. As close to brothers as anyone can be. Now one of them has turned to the Dark Side. What made the battles in the Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi work so well was the psychological aspect of the fights more than the actual physical battles. It was a classic tug-of-war between good and evil, as the good guy tried to redeem his fallen evil counterpart and the dark lord attempted to turn his young idealistic foe to evil. As the battle wore on both views seemed to converge as hate and love collided in spectacular form. Blurred were the lines between good and evil so in the end you did not know who to root for. Granted in Sith much of the groundwork had been done before the actual duel, so that we knew why Anakin had turned. But both Anakin and Obi Wan had a backstory which was not effectively utilised to make their duel seem like more than it was. It became little more than the usual humdrum good vs evil battle (see Darth Maul vs Qui Gon/Obi Wan, Yoda vs Count Dooku,Yoda vs Darth Sidious, Count Dooku vs Obi Wan/Anakin), visually spectacular but all sizzle and no steak.
The EndAnakin is re-constructed. Padme is operated on to save the babies as she is 'dying'.
No reason is given why Darth Sidious chooses to save Anakin's/Darth Vader in his defeated, charred form rather than to leave him to die and to take on a new apprentice. It would have more sense to know why he chose to save Anakin,although we all know right from the beginning that Anakin becomes Darth Vader in robot form in the end.
Padme loses to will to live. Apparently she is heart broken and sees little point in living now. All that despite having two healthy twins that need her as a mother and the emergence of the Galactic Empire which she has vowed to fight against to restore the Old Republic. Ok...whatever...
The twins; Luke and Leia are delivered. I always thought Leia was the older of the twins but Luke came first here. Hmmm...
And Padme despite being close to death manages to look up from her deathbed to smilingly name them as they are shown to her without much fore-thought. Right..
Padme then dies after asking about Anakin's fate.
Anakin is now in the Darth Vader suit we have all come to love and know. He seems surprised to Padme's demise although he did have a 'little' part to play in it. He uses the Force to hurl and destroy the entire operating room.
"Nooooooo...!"
The decision is made to split up Luke and Leia as they are the only hope for the future of the Rebellion.
Strong the Force runs, in the Skywalker line. Hope, we can . . . Done, it is. Until the time is right, disappear we will.
Leia is adopted by Bail Organa and wife of Alderaan as they have always wanted a daughter and will love her.
Luke is taken by Obi Wan to his only family, Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen, on Tatooine where Obi Wan will keep a watchful eye from afar on Luke as he goes into hiding.
Yoda exiles on the swamp planet of Dagobah until the 'time is right'.
Alderaan almost reminds me of the set of Sound of Music with all the hills and mountains as a backdrop.
The twin sunsets on Tatooine rings back to the opening scenes on Tatooine with the young Luke in A New Hope. Pure brilliance.
Now the circle is complete!Review ratings: 4 and a half lightsabres out of 5
