Pirate's Cove

I have said a few times that I wouldn’t write a review of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith till I saw it a second time. I just did that (and will probably go a 3rd time). I also saw it opening day, because, yes, I am that type of a geek. Let me start off with this comment I left over at Absinthe and Cookies (possible spoilers ahead):

I loved it. I was a little bit disappointed initially, but, as a huge long time fan (seen everyone on opening day), I kind of nitpicked it a bit. But, after getting out of the movie, it started to make more and more sense, and seem better and better.

I have since read the book, and plan on going again Thursday. And maybe a 3rd time.

I think what the critics have missed is that Ep 1 and 2 set the tone for Sith. To understand Anakin’s love of Padme, and his fear of losing her and those around him, plus how seductive the Dark Side is. I initially thought it was just too easy, him converting, but it made sense after I got out of the movie.

Was it the best? Nope. A New Hope still is my favorite. But, when I divorce myself from the expectations from IV, V, and VI, I really love it.

Now, I thought it Anakin’s conversion was a little too easy while watching it this time, too. But, it kind of seeps in to my brain that it was supposed to be that easy. Again, everything leads up to this. Remember in Phantom Menace when Yoda was talking about "much fear" in Anakin? Remember Anakin’s dreams of his Mother dying, and how he was afraid of that? It wasn’t that Anakin was angry, but that he had fear buried in his heart. Fear of loss, fear of rejection. Which made him susceptible to the Dark Side, and letting the anger over that loss out.

Could I nitpick the movie? Sure, and probably better then some of the blog reviews I have seen. For instance, near the end, Obi-Wan and Yoda were calling Palpatine "Emperor" just a tad to quick. Consider that in one of the Star Wars books, they identified the designer of the Death Star as human. The same book and character described Vader having had lost his right hand to the Emperor for losing the Death Star. Ok, that was a Clone Wars nitpick. But, I have read every Star Wars book other then the juvenile ones and most of the prequel ones, so I know how to nitpick it.

"Right a better screenplay after 74+ books published post Sith, I would see you do." Thanks, Yoda.

I won’t mention some of the standard ones, like Padme dying during childbirth, despite what Leia said in ROTJ. Oops, just did. Look, we all knew what was going to happen. Anakin would turn to the Dark Side, Palpatine would be unveiled and take full control of the Republic, Luke and Leia would be born, the Jedi would be decimated, and Yoda and Obi Wan would go into seclusion. People were expecting A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, and were disappointed that, on a fundamental level, they didn’t get it. But, those movies, even dark ESB, were about hope. Who didn’t know that things would get better when they saw Empire?

People complained about the dialog in the prequels. But, how depressed would they have been if the dialog was really great? Because the prequels, and especially Sith, were not about hope. They were about tragedy. Lord knows, Lucas could have made it much darker, much more depressing. I don’t blame him one bit for focusing more on the action then on the yap yap.

Once you get past the nitpicking, you realize how damn good a movie it is. I give it out of 4. And I WILL buy it the day it comes out on DVD. Now go, my young apprentices, see the movie. Or see it again.

Apparently, my original attempt to link to Basil’s 5/26 supper got messed up on my end.