Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith
—Overview
—Photos
—About this Film pdf
—Spiritual Connections
A dark lord rises and the tragic downfall of a hero is made complete, as is a series of films that have enraptured audiences worldwide for almost thirty years now. The current trilogy which came to a close in Episode III has enraptured us at times, but has also enraged us. To say that fan reactions to Episode I and II were mixed is, well, unnecessary to even mention, if you are breathing and interested enough in Star Wars to be reading this review. Yet in Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith, director and creator George Lucas does what some might have considered impossible: He has taken the bloodied and beaten pieces from the first two episodes, and melded them perfectly with the original trilogy.
Perfect is a scary word to use. To elaborate, it isn’t this film that is perfect. It was Lucas’ ability to meld together the silly showcases which were the last two films and the great pulp storytelling of the original trilogy which was miraculously perfected. Episodes I and II seemed to revolve around set pieces. A pod race here and a slightly tweaked light saber duel there were the centerpieces of those films. In Episode III the story is what drives us to the inevitable conclusion. And the actions and reactions of a small cast of characters which the viewer actually cares about are what hold the set pieces together, as opposed to the set pieces being strung together by some mandatory plot developments. An example: Seeing two Jedi Knights fighting Darth Maul in the first Episode was neat. But…who was Darth Maul, and why are they fighting? Yet when Obi Wan and Anakin, Master and Apprentice, come head to head, their conflict is deep, and the audience feels the purpose behind each swing of the saber.
Episode III is a tragedy. Again, no one breathing could really enter into this film without knowing some of the overarching details. Yet just as countless crowds flocked to see Titanic, despite knowing the boat would sink, countless fans will take theaters by storm to finally see for themselves how Darth Vader came to be. Part of the tragedy felt in this film is its inevitability. We all know that Darth Vader must arise. We all know that the Jedi order must be slaughtered. Yet none truly knew just how those events came to pass. In that way the viewer is at an advantage over the characters in the film. We are privy to the future of the galaxy, while they are forced to live out the present course.
Spoiler Warning!
Yet Anakin is not entirely stuck in the present. He has premonitions about the future. He sees visions of his love, Padme, dying in childbirth, and he seeks to guard against that happening at all costs. It is his very passion to protect his love that ultimately turns him to the dark side, and ironically, it is his conversion to the dark side which ultimately kills his lover. There is much which can be said of the spirituality of these themes, and of the Star Wars universe in general. It is news to no one that the “Force� which is so prevalent throughout this series, and the path with which to follow this Force, is very eastern mystic in nature. To attain great power in the Force, one must empty themselves and become one with the Force. Yet Jedis seek to serve others with their great power, while those of the dark side empty themselves as well, they take their anger and hatred and empty it in surges of great power against others.
Watching Episode III invokes shades of CS Lewis’ great work The Screwtape Letters, in which readers get inside advice on how demons, or Satan himself, works to turn people away from God. Viewers see Darth Sidious, the Sith Lord, coddle and tempt Anakin Skywalker, manipulating everything possible in order to pry him away from the Jedi order. The ultimate turning point comes when Darth Sidious convinces Anakin that turning to the dark path will ultimately save a love, or even prove the love he has for Padme. Just as the Evil One uses even the purest appearances to draw one away from the Light, so Sidious uses love to manipulate Anakin into a new creation of hate. It is frightening to know that one can be doing something terribly wrong, but be doing it for the “right reasons�. This is the central strength behind the best parts of this new Star Wars trilogy.
Maintaining shreds of evidence of Episodes I and II, complete with zero romantic chemistry between the leads, and maintaining the excellent look and feel of the character and imagination-driven original trilogy, Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith strikes a remarkable balance. It also asks many questions worth asking. What makes someone a hero? What might someone hold on to so hard that it could destroy them? Just why do dark things tempt humankind? These are some of the great questions of life and faith. And these are some of the great foundations of the Star Wars Universe. Ultimately, Star Wars remains such a huge phenomenon because those elements of humanity we all relate to shine through in a fantastic and imaginative way.
—Overview
—Photos
—About this Film pdf
—Spiritual Connections
—Photos
—About this Film pdf
—Spiritual Connections
A dark lord rises and the tragic downfall of a hero is made complete, as is a series of films that have enraptured audiences worldwide for almost thirty years now. The current trilogy which came to a close in Episode III has enraptured us at times, but has also enraged us. To say that fan reactions to Episode I and II were mixed is, well, unnecessary to even mention, if you are breathing and interested enough in Star Wars to be reading this review. Yet in Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith, director and creator George Lucas does what some might have considered impossible: He has taken the bloodied and beaten pieces from the first two episodes, and melded them perfectly with the original trilogy.Perfect is a scary word to use. To elaborate, it isn’t this film that is perfect. It was Lucas’ ability to meld together the silly showcases which were the last two films and the great pulp storytelling of the original trilogy which was miraculously perfected. Episodes I and II seemed to revolve around set pieces. A pod race here and a slightly tweaked light saber duel there were the centerpieces of those films. In Episode III the story is what drives us to the inevitable conclusion. And the actions and reactions of a small cast of characters which the viewer actually cares about are what hold the set pieces together, as opposed to the set pieces being strung together by some mandatory plot developments. An example: Seeing two Jedi Knights fighting Darth Maul in the first Episode was neat. But…who was Darth Maul, and why are they fighting? Yet when Obi Wan and Anakin, Master and Apprentice, come head to head, their conflict is deep, and the audience feels the purpose behind each swing of the saber.
Episode III is a tragedy. Again, no one breathing could really enter into this film without knowing some of the overarching details. Yet just as countless crowds flocked to see Titanic, despite knowing the boat would sink, countless fans will take theaters by storm to finally see for themselves how Darth Vader came to be. Part of the tragedy felt in this film is its inevitability. We all know that Darth Vader must arise. We all know that the Jedi order must be slaughtered. Yet none truly knew just how those events came to pass. In that way the viewer is at an advantage over the characters in the film. We are privy to the future of the galaxy, while they are forced to live out the present course.
Spoiler Warning!
Yet Anakin is not entirely stuck in the present. He has premonitions about the future. He sees visions of his love, Padme, dying in childbirth, and he seeks to guard against that happening at all costs. It is his very passion to protect his love that ultimately turns him to the dark side, and ironically, it is his conversion to the dark side which ultimately kills his lover. There is much which can be said of the spirituality of these themes, and of the Star Wars universe in general. It is news to no one that the “Force� which is so prevalent throughout this series, and the path with which to follow this Force, is very eastern mystic in nature. To attain great power in the Force, one must empty themselves and become one with the Force. Yet Jedis seek to serve others with their great power, while those of the dark side empty themselves as well, they take their anger and hatred and empty it in surges of great power against others.
Watching Episode III invokes shades of CS Lewis’ great work The Screwtape Letters, in which readers get inside advice on how demons, or Satan himself, works to turn people away from God. Viewers see Darth Sidious, the Sith Lord, coddle and tempt Anakin Skywalker, manipulating everything possible in order to pry him away from the Jedi order. The ultimate turning point comes when Darth Sidious convinces Anakin that turning to the dark path will ultimately save a love, or even prove the love he has for Padme. Just as the Evil One uses even the purest appearances to draw one away from the Light, so Sidious uses love to manipulate Anakin into a new creation of hate. It is frightening to know that one can be doing something terribly wrong, but be doing it for the “right reasons�. This is the central strength behind the best parts of this new Star Wars trilogy.Maintaining shreds of evidence of Episodes I and II, complete with zero romantic chemistry between the leads, and maintaining the excellent look and feel of the character and imagination-driven original trilogy, Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith strikes a remarkable balance. It also asks many questions worth asking. What makes someone a hero? What might someone hold on to so hard that it could destroy them? Just why do dark things tempt humankind? These are some of the great questions of life and faith. And these are some of the great foundations of the Star Wars Universe. Ultimately, Star Wars remains such a huge phenomenon because those elements of humanity we all relate to shine through in a fantastic and imaginative way.
—Overview
—Photos
—About this Film pdf
—Spiritual Connections
8 Comments:
I am glad to hear the movie is better then the first two. I have been bracing myself to see them. It is on the top of list for this weekend.
How can you comment this movie without talking about the close connections of the Galtactic Empire and your Empire? Or how the fake enemies as Greivous-Hussein are just excuses to gain more power? Or how people that talks about acting in the name of love (or, in the name of Jesus) do nothing but violence and murder?
Cesar-
I have now heard some of the ideas going around that this movie is a thinly veiled attack on President Bush and his policies in Iraq...a very interesting idea, I must say...well readers, what do you think? Did Lucas attempt to timestamp his Star Wars universe by applying themes of today, or do things that happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away go around and come around???
I would say that acting in the name of Love/Christ does not always result in violence and murder. I believe it was in the name of love that my parents nurtured me and raised me...with little to no murderous intent. However, I do think you may be referring to acts of power, or politics, committed in the name of love, that have resulted in violence. Yes, those events have occurred and are occurring. But, I'd encourage you to look at Christ, and not the U.S. government, for your true model of love. Did Christ lead a campaign of violence and murder? "I came that you might have life, and have it to the full."
When is the last time a truly evil empire liberated prisons of children, rebuilt schools and fixed (or built) water systems? Assuming some of his recent comments are accurately quoted, Lucas may well have been attempting to draw a parallel between the events of this film and our war against terrorism, but it just doesn't fly. It does resemble the rise of Adolph Hitler, and that makes it worth watching.
If our country faces a Darth Sidious-style threat, it is from the political left and the moral relativists Lucas apparently worships. My feelings for Ep. III were permanently marred when Obi Wan utters the line, "Only a Sith lord deals in absolutes." What an absurd, ridiculous, stupid, idiotic, moronic line! Worse, it belies the whole premise of the series. How does one have "good" Jedi knights and "evil" Sith lords if there are no absolutes. Sorry, George, but it is YOU who have turned to the dark side.
Lucas is definately making a political statement, and I don't think it needs to be interpreted as good (leftists, including myself) vs. evil (Bush & cronies). The statement had much more to do with the fall of democracy to an empire. By refusing to listen to the other side and going ahead with pre-emptive war-mongering all over the globe, as well as a host of other mis-aligned policies (repealing environmental regulations that promote good stewardship to the earth God has given us, cutting programs that help the poorest of the poor, allowing torture in the interrogation of political prisoners, etc.), Bush is rolling back democracy and, as Padme says "This is how democracy ends: to thunderous applause" (not a direct quote). The Patriot Act: need I say more about the deterioration of democracy in this country?? I do not think Bush = evil, nor do think Lucas was trying to make it that black and white. The implications of the film are more political than assigning labels of good or evil.
I haven't gotten around to seeing it yet, but ed's review made it that more tempting to catch it while it's still at the box office. My concern about the film, and all three of the prequels, is the overall visual aesthetic of the prequels compared to the original three films. I mean, isn't lucasfilm going to attempt to make a few more billions by releasing a complete dvd box set with all six films in the future? And won't you and everyone else be bummed watching three modern day special effects masterpieces, followed by three special effects masterpieces of the late 70's and early 80's? Just a thought. Okay, peace. -ABlack
PS- Ed, I've got a crisp ten dollar bill for ya' if you can magically change that levitating Dr.Pepper into a Tab.
Great movie with great effects and a great plot.
i love it xxx brap
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