The last of the new trilogy and hopefully the last Star Wars movies Lucas directs, Revenge of the Sith is without doubt the best of the new bunch but isn’t on a par with New hope never mind Empire. Word of warning - spoilers ahead. Considering everyone watching the film knows the outcome and who lives/dies it’s still a good film to watch mostly due to it’s darkness. There’s a beheading, wife beating (ok…strangling) and probably the scene that got most gasps at the cinema was the killing of the child jedi’s (although I couldn’t help laugh at the use of ‘younglings’ throughout the rest of the film - it just sounded so false).
The special effects are stunning although there’s maybe too much in certain scenes - the opening space battle for example requires 3 or 4 watches to catch everything that’s happening. Even then the feeling of ‘falseness’ is throughout the film as scenes are ruined by the overuse of special effects - the final battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin is a prime example. I was enjoying the fight and the lava looked amazing. Then both Jedi jump onto small robots in the middle of the lava flow - rather than enhancing the battle it made it feel more like a computer game or a battle of between graphic artists and cgi modellers in an attempt to outdo each other.
I also had a few issues with the structure and storyline, namely:
Anakin’s move to the dark side has been gathering pace throughout Episode II & II but when he gives into dark side it’s sudden and with ease - did not sit well with the rest of the film
Palpatine was so obviously the dark lord - it should have been fairly obvious to the Jedi but again this was glossed over
Obi-wan - why did he not kill Vader when he was so near death. Considering he had wiped out all the other Jedi’s this seemed the weakest point of the film
Speaking of the other Jedi’s they died very easily. Too easily. Made a joke of their position in the Star Wars universe.
The actors in the film did a pretty good job. Ewan McGregor was pretty good (much better than Episode I) although some of his dialogue was pretty sucky. Same can be said for Hayden Christensen. The best was undoubtedly Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine. The evil pored out from him at all times - great to watch. Christopher Lee was underused and yet again a good character in Dooku (like Darth Maul in I) was lost to easily.
It will be interesting to watch IV, V and VI again - I’ve not seen them in years but I feel the 6 episodes will not gel well at all. R2D2 for example is like a super droid in II & III compared with the last three films - I guess he got old. I’ll be treating the Star Wars films as two separate trilogies - one a great space story, the other a good tale and a good use of new technology.
Hopefully seeing Revenge of the Sith tonight and in preparation I’ve watched Episodes 1 & 2 again.
Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace
Oh dear. I really struggled to sit through this film. Stilted dialogue, uninspiring acting and laughable interaction between the real and CGI actors. If we hadn’t seen episodes 4,5 and 6 I really doubt that anyone would have signed up a follow up based on this. Out of 5 I’d give it a 2. Taxation of trade routes - is that the best they could come up with? Pah!
Episode 2 - Attack of the Clones
I liked this film. Maybe it was after the high expectations of Episode 1 and the subsequent let down but even watching it yesterday after at least 18 months or so from the last viewing I still enjoyed it. Far better plot, more action and better use of the main characters. A geek pleasing Yoda fight, more darker tones and more impressive CGI than the first one - no Jar Jar. Dialogue still painful, especially the love scenes between Anakin and Padme. 3.5 out of 5.
Which leaves Revenge of the Sith. Most websites are reporting that this is the best of the three and based on trailers alone this does look to be a cracking film. I still have doubts though - maybe the lack of expectation will again increase the enjoyment.
With the news that there is to be a Star Wars TV series (been watching Battlestar George?) and the immenent Episode 3 you may have missed the release of Star Wars Revelations by Panicstruck Productions. This is an independently made 45 minute production that captures all that’s good and bad about Star Wars, namely:
Great special effects - the CGI used in this film is impressive, most impressive
Good use of sound
Crap storyline
Poor dialogue
Questionable acting ability
That’s maybe a little harsh as the CGI is amazing for a free film but to ’star’ in the film it looks like you had to be American, fat, ugly and have facial hair…and that’s just the girls. Seriously though it’s well worth a download at around 250Mb just for the CGI alone - best to grab the torrent though as most of the mirrors aren’t reliable.
The movie trailer for the third (or sixth depending on your viewpoint) Star Wars film has been released. Looks like an exclusive download for the moment only, but the torrent can be found here.
As for the content, looking good and a lot darker but this is the movie that details the birth of Vader. Roll on next May.
Monday sees the release of the Star Wars boxset. To get in the mood have a look at the making of the new Darth Vader helmet for the upcoming Episode 3. Just under 2 mins, just over 5 meg but a nice glimpse at not only the helmet but of a green screeen fight scene between McGregor and Christensen.
