Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith

—Overview
—Photos
—About this Film pdf
—Spiritual Connections

What can make a good person turn to evil? As long expected, that question is at the heart of what is said to be the final installment after 28 years of the Star Wars series. And while Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith brings a strong conclusion to a spotty prequel trilogy of the Star Wars epic, Anakin Skywalker’s journey to becoming Darth Vader seems somehow unconvincing.

There are compelling reasons for Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) to make the switch to the dark side of the Force. We have seen the seeds for this possibility sown in Episodes I and II, and this film brings those threads to fruition, providing strong spiritual illustrations of how anger, fear and feelings of being disrespected can cloud one’s judgment. His love for Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) and his joy at word of her pregnancy leads to Anakin’s premonitions of her death in childbirth. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), the evil Sith lord (a surprise to nobody other than the Jedi), skillfully plays on Anakin’s fears, telling the young Jedi that only the Dark Side would give him the power to cheat death for another.

Yet there are times in Revenge of the Sith when one can wonder whether series creator George Lucas has forgotten his own work. In the original trilogy, the “Jedi mind trick� was a way a Jedi knight used the power of suggestion to get weaker minds to do what the Jedi wanted. In Revenge of the Sith, there are times when it seems that Anakin Skywalker falls prey too easily to the power of suggestion of others – executing unarmed prisoners, believing the worst about his friends, placing too much confidence in his own abilities.

And when the point of conversion comes, the switch seems unconvincing, despite the many steps that lead to such a decision. And simply digitally altering a character’s eyes does not make for a convincing transformation.

Still, Revenge of the Sith has its great moments. As always, there are excellent computer-generated special effects, light years ahead of what can now seem dated in the groundbreaking original trilogy. The light-sabre battles reach new levels. Although we see glimpses of Jar Jar Binks, the computer-generated character introduced in Episode I: Attack of the Clones, mercifully he does not speak. Another improvement in story from the first two episodes in the prequel trilogy is that Obi-Wan Kenobe (Ewan McGregor) is not the smug, scolding, insecure Jedi master he seems to be in versions I and II. Obi-Wan’s respect for Anakin has clearly grown, yet not enough to prevent the inevitable.

If there is magic in Episode III it results from scenes that call to mind what people loved about the original trilogy – the birth of Luke and Leia tugs on our heartstrings for characters we miss. We see the fight and spunkiness that first endeared us to R2D2. After Anakin’s descent into darkness and his physical mutilation, perhaps the film’s most dramatic moment is when the infamous mask is placed onto his head, and he takes his first breath. The “rebirth� that marks his transition to Darth Vader is complete when he stumbles off a gurney in a manner that calls to mind the first steps of the Frankenstein monster.

Already knowing that Vader will be redeemed at the conclusion of Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, this film may raise questions for some about whether such forgiveness is possible as they view the atrocities committed after Anakin’s turn to the dark side.

The 2-hour and 26-minute film is rated PG-13 for its extreme violence and implied violence, some of it when Anakin again slaughters innocent children (offscreen). “If you’re not with me, you’re against me,� he tells Obi-Wan in their penultimate battle. “Only a Sith deals in absolutes,� Obi-Wan responds.

While the third act of Revenge of the Sith is enthralling, there are slow points in the second act. The dialogue seems stilted at points (especially in the romantic scenes), leading one to wonder whether Lucas’ greatest foe is the Sith or the stiff. One viewer behind me at a midnight screening was either imitating Darth Vader’s breathing or he had begun to snore.

Ultimately, Revenge of the Sith is like its principal character – dark, flawed, very interesting and perhaps worthy of redemption as time will tell.

—Overview
—Photos
—About this Film pdf
—Spiritual Connections