Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith (Part One) (2005): A

Spoilers Alert. If you want to go into “Episode III” knowing as little as possible (if that’s possible), best to leave this unread until you see the film.

“The circle is now complete.”; Darth Vader, “A New Hope”

28 years ago, George Lucas released what he’d hoped was the first in a trilogy of science-fiction adventures with “Star Wars.” Everything pointed to disaster. What happened is a phenomenon the likes of which we’ll never see again in cinema, as a beloved franchise arose, the artistic focus of studios at a time of tremendous creative flux changed forever, and a new paradigm in moviemaking- both artistically and financially- was achieved. This year, the whole story can now be told, and the franchise which has grossed over 3 billion worldwide can be viewed in its’ entirity, with no storytelling rock unturned and no revelations left to tell (on the bigscreen at least; further TV projects are being developed). This will be a review both objective and subjective about “Sith” and the series as a whole, and will look at how “Sith” changes the focus of the original trilogy and brings focus to the first two prequels, which to many, left much to be desired.

“Laugh it up, fuzzball.”; Han Solo, “The Empire Strikes Back”

If you find yourself busting a gut in “Sith’s” first few minutes, don’t be alarmed. Despite being- as advertised- the darkest of the “Star Wars” films (yes, even darker than “The Empire Strikes Back”), George Lucas gets the ball rolling with a pitch-perfect blend of dramatic action and subtle comedy as Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor, who has matured gracefully into the role over the course of the prequels and is sensational in this film) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christiansen, underrated in “Episode II,” delivering the dark goods here with surprising gravitas) attempt to rescue Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) from the clutches of Count Dooku (Christopher Lee, in a pivotal but brief cameo at the start) and General Grevious, the vicious multi-light-saber-wielding half machine/half-monster fans were introduced to in the brilliantly-crafted animated “micro-series” “Clone Wars,” which- for many fans (including myself)- was even better than “The Phantom Menace” and “Attack of the Clones” at being a sly and exciting “Star Wars” adventure like the ones in the original trilogy. Don’t expect “Men in Black” or “Galaxy Quest” like highjinks, though; it’s still a “Star Wars” movie, with Obi-Wan and Anakin facing hair-raising obstacles to make their way to where Palpatine is being held on Grevious’ ship (which they’ll have to safely guide to a crash landing later), while R2-D2 (more than just Kenny Baker now, he’s a CG character in a lot of scenes) is forced to balance his duties in helping Anakin and Obi-Wan while also keeping himself safe. Not an easy thing for the astro-droid to do, the results sometimes along the lines of a silent comedian like Buster Keaton- plucky, determined, funny, resouceful, sometimes frustrated- and reason enough for audience applause. This is a return of the R2 we know and love, not that he ever really went away (he’s got a great moment in “Menace” when he’s first introduced), but his resourcefulness brings to mind more the original trilogy (and “Empire” in particular) than his obvious tactics in “Clones,” which are more cliche. As always, leave it to R2-D2 and his protocol droid counterpart C-3PO (the great Anthony Daniels, the only actor to not only appear in all six “Star Wars” films- a distinction he shares with Baker- but also lend his voice to the essential “Clone Wars” series as well) to add levity to the drama going on around them, including a reaction by 3PO about his fate that might seem out of place given the weight of what’s happening around them, but is altogether hilarious in its’ own right. I think I’ll miss them most of all.

(By the way, to discover the origins of these characters from a writing standpoint, I highly recommend Akira Kurosawa’s “The Hidden Fortress,” about two comic companions watching a battle unfold around them during the age of samurais in Japan. This was Lucas’ acknowledged inspiration for his beloved droid friends, and though I haven’t seen the entire film yet (the DVD I was watching screwed up in my player about halfway into it), it’s a great entertainment from a master.)

“So this is how liberty dies…with thunderous applause.”; Padme Amidala, “Revenge of the Sith”

Much has already been made about the eeire parallels between the events in “Sith” and the current political climate in the United States, both of which are lead by individuals whom many- though not the majority apparently, given the results of November’s election- feel have overstayed their term of office (G.W. Bush, “Star Wars’” Senator Palpatine), both of which are embroiled in a war built on a lie many feel didn’t need to be fought (the War in Iraq, “Star Wars’” Clone Wars). For me, I’ll save my own feelings on those parallels- which are obvious, though done with subtlety and intelligence- for another time (namely, a Yahoos With a Microphone commentary); for now, I’ll leave those arguements to the political and social commentators in the news media more knowledgable than myself on political matters, if not “Star Wars,” who’ll surely twist the meaning to their own agenda as they tend to do. Well, I will say this…

...here’s why I believe George Lucas when he says he wasn’t out to make an allegory about modern times in this final “Star Wars” film- because he so finely laid the groundwork for what we see here- and have been seeing on a political front in the prequels- back in 1977’s “A New Hope.” Think about it- in “Hope,” the Jedi are long decimated, Emperor Palpatine (I’m not giving anything away here, right?) dissolves the Senate, and the Rebel Alliance (the beginnings of which are shown here as it’s created by Senator Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits), who’ll later adopt Leia; the role Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) has in the formation of the Rebellion is rumored to be a deleted scene on the forthcoming DVD) is continuing to fight against the Empire. This is stuff we knew coming in. What we came to the prequels to find out- at least I did- were the “hows” and “whys.” Now, if that’s somehow paralleled with what’s going on in the world- and I’m not pretending it doesn’t- call it coincidence, and keep in mind the fact that most movies- including the original trilogy- are inevitably reflections of the times that they were made. Lucas has had this story in his head for about 30 years (maybe not the details, but the general outline, as he’s stated in the past); if any modern thinking has made its’ way into it, we shouldn’t be shocked.

(All that said, it is still very much a movie of the time which it was made, and one exchange seems ripped directly from this time in the world. When Anakin is telling Obi-Wan- before their fateful battle on the lava planet of Mustafar- how he has brought peace to the former Republic/now Empire, he tells Obi-Wan, “If you’re not with me, then you’re my enemy,” to which Obi-Wan replies, “Only a Sith deals in absolutes.” It’s impossible to deny that this dialogue isn’t a reflection on the current political climate we find ourselves in.)

Now, all the political upheavel that’s been going on in the galaxy in the prequel trilogy has been a bitter pill for fans of the series expecting movies more like the action-adventures (with a little character and plot to go a long way) of the original trilogy- “A New Hope,” 1980’s “The Empire Strikes Back,” and 1983’s “Return of the Jedi”- than what we’ve gotten with the creatively-underwhelming (in many opinions, not my own) prequels. I for one have been intrigued by it- it’s unusual for the genre, and in the way it’s written to play out makes for some fascinating and unorthodox touches. Who knew we would get a “Star Wars” political thriller, and- if you’re interested in those types of story- who knew it would make such interesting viewing (“Clones” was most interesting on this front). I love that all the while Palpatine is manipulating the main characters- Padme, the Jedi, the Senate- through their passions and feelings to where he grows more powerful politically as Chancellor Palpatine, and as his alter ego- Sith Lord Darth Sideous- orchestrating the mass secession of systems- and the start of the Galactic Empire- that will lead the galaxy into the Clone Wars, a conflict he prolongs through his control of one side (as Sideous), while occasionally feeding information- both accurate and false- to the other side (as Palpatine), all in the pursuit of his eventual “end game”- wiping out the Jedi Order, leaving the Sith- and himself- to run an oppressive dictatorship with those who would oppose him with no warriors powerful enough to dethrone him. Of course, all this would be terrifically drab to follow were it not for the subtlely seductive and menacing performance by McDiarmid, 38 when he first appeared in “Jedi” as the Emperor, who gives a memorably intelligent and devious performance- in the most important role to have work- in “Episode III” as we finally get to the dark soul of the character, and see what made him and his thinking so tantalizing for Anakin. If this “Phantom Menace” was not so multi-layered as McDiarmid and Lucas make him here, the prequel trilogy- and “Sith” especially- would have failed. And if he had been too obvious in his manuevering- to the Jedi, to the Senate- audiences wouldn’t have believed his success in destroying the Republic. Well played Ian and George. Well played.

Continued in Part Two.

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