Revenge of the Sith, the darkest of the Star Wars movies, and the only one rated PG-13.
The first 25 minutes are fantastic! An epic space battle, two heroes mounting a rescue, a lightsaber duel, an escape foiled and then made, an incredible piece of piloting, and all flavored with an ongoing exchange of wisecracking dialogue.
Then the movie loses me, at least on repeat watchings. This proves my point about never watching the movies on TV. I need the skip forward button on the DVD, because there are too many scenes in a row that are just talking, and Anakin's whining gets on my nerves.
Give me a real man, and Obi-Wan is that. He's the picture perfect Jedi Knight, flawed and yet awesome, as he faces danger and uncertainty to the best of his considerable abilities. And he's even hotter than Ep. II.
Palpatine's evil is SIMMERING, and Ian McDiarmid sets my teeth on edge with his smarmy smiles. They're so perfect! I'm sure I'm not the only person who watches this while saying, "He's LYING! Why don't the Jedi know?"
Of course, the Jedi are hampered by the darkening of the Force, and their own shortsightedness. Master Yoda is old and cranky, and Mace gets too stubborn for his own good.
They do kick fanny with the lightsabers, though!At long last we see the transformation of Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader, and IMO he gets what he deserves. He betrays his brotherhood, kills his pregnant wife, slaughters innocent younglings, tries to kill his best friend and mentor, and wants to take over the galaxy. A good start to the greatest villain of our time! He was never as heroic as I thought he should have been, but at least he's as EVIL!
The opening sequences and then the ultimate lightsaber battle, that of Obi-Wan vs. Anakin, show the extreme of the light and dark of this film. At the beginning, Anakin and Obi-Wan are the best of friends, like brothers, working as an unstoppable team doing the nearly impossible.
By the end, they are fighting to the death. One betrayed, the other the betrayer. One broken hearted, the other chicken fried, both to suffer until their respective deaths.
It's the journey from the opening to the climactic duel that bothers me. Anakin's reasons for turning seem so weak. Padme would never have wanted him to save her at such a cost, and she says so. Besides, he's not doing it for her; he's doing it for himself. "I can't live without her," he tells Palpy, his new best friend. His only friend.
In the novel, the storyline is fleshed out a little more, and seems a little more plausible. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it.
All in all, it's a good movie, and a good conclusion to the saga.
Up next? Do I dare review Ep IV? *The Greatest Movie Ever Made? Maybe. I'll think about it!
* Thanks to Viridian Saber for the edits!
6 comments:
leia19886
Someone get this big walking carpet out of my way ...
date Posted: Feb 21, 2009 4:50 PM
By the end, they are fighting to the death. One broken hearted, the other chicken fried
ha ha on the chicken fried. IMO Obi-Wan was not only left broken hearted, but wondering
" what if" if only I had done this or that.
Nice review. I agree about watching DVD vs TV. I do that with almost every movie
I watch;)
Hope you had a wonderfull day
Leia
The Viridian Saber
Virtual Unrealities (A victim of Order 66.)
date Posted: Feb 21, 2009 6:03 PM
Revenge of the Sith, the darkest of the Star Wars movies, and the only one rated PG-13.
Oooh, PG-13!! So evil!! :^O
The first 25 minutes are fantastic!
To me, they're the most fantastic 25 minutes of the whole Saga! First time I saw ROTS I literally climbed out of my chair and cheered! The heroes are mired in a desperate battle to rescue the poor, helpless chancellor, the villians are awash with dark, murky intentions, the fight rages, the action blares, some of the greatest Jedi in the history of the Order do what they do best, and with extreme prejudice...makes my heart beat faster just thinking about it! :O
And he's even hotter than Ep. II.
We agree there. :x :x
I'm sure I'm not the only person who watches this while saying, "He's LYING! Why don't the Jedi know?"
I'm pretty sure, too. X-(
At the beginning, Anakin and Obi-Wan are the best of friends, like brothers, working as an unstoppable team doing the nearly impossible.
And the transformation is quick and powerful. Astounding stuff.
In the novel, the storyline is fleshed out a little more, and seems a little more plausible. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it.
Oh yes. The other novelizations are somewhat...lacking...but Matthew Stover's book is simply awesome. As a good friend of mine once said, "I laughed and I cried..."
All in all, it's a good movie, and a good conclusion to the saga.
And does good = okay in this instance, too? Because to me, ROTS is the best of all the SW movies. The most powerful, at least.
Up next? Do I dare review Ep IV? The greatest movie ever made? Maybe. I'll think about it!
*chanting* Do it! Do it! Do it! :D
ewanandhaydenfan5
I Have You Now!
date Posted: Feb 24, 2009 9:20 AM
ROTS is what drew me into my SW obsession. The way Ani's fall played out - it was just so sad, though I agree that the storyline should have been more fleshed out like it was in the novel. It's my fav of the entire saga - it adds a richness to the OT and to Ani's redemption.
And he's even hotter than Ep. II.
Yeah he is!
I gained more respect for Obi-Wan in this movie. He suffered deeply at Anakin's failure yet he continued to be the consummate Jedi.
JediMelindaWolf
Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try.
date Posted: Mar 03, 2009 8:32 AM
I liked the dialog between the two epic battles. I like how they set Anakin up for his fall. If I was sitting beside GL while he was writing, I may have made a suggestion or two. But, then again, it is not my story. It is his. (of course, there's something to be said for constructive criticism.)
I am so enjoying these trips down memory lane, even if I'm taking a backward approach. Come to think of it, it's an interesting avenue down which to travel.
;)
MTFBWY :)
Gidrea Lightsky
The Galaxy According to Gidrea
date Posted: Jan 30, 2010 9:37 AM
This just popped up on the most popular list, a nice re-read for me! LOL
(Captain) Jack Sparrow
date Posted: Jan 30, 2010 11:15 PM
Yeah, same here! :^O
Sooooo...when are you going to start cranking out the blogs again? :p
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