The International House of Mojo

Gabez wants to be a Kung-Fu master. His plan is to travel to China to learn martial arts and fight for peace and justice. Also I think he saw a Star Wars film once.

And so we come to Revenge of the Sith, the reason, if we’re honest, that we sat through the previous two films; this is when we finally get to see the all important decline from moody teenager to his dark imperial overlord, Mr Darth Vader, where we finally have the link between the original trilogy and the prequels and when, more than with any of the other prequels, we can pretend we’re eight again as we get glimpses of Vader and the Death Star on the big screen (or computer screen if you’re a dirty film downloader) that will make chills run down your spine (unless you downloaded the film in which case you’ll have nothing run down your spine apart from shame).

NOT BY A JEDI

We also get treated to a few revelations in Revenge of the Sith, that, whilst not of “I am your father” proportions, are interesting to know nevertheless. One particular secret we learn makes the Midi-chlorians of Phantom Menace fit in with the Star Wars universe far better - whilst a lot of fans were initially uncomfortable with Lucas’ decision to merge physical science with the meta-physical force, Revenge of the Sith reaffirms the force’s mysterious side with it’s ambiguous take on controlling said Midi-chlorians using the dark side. It also leads onto a delicious idea that links to Anakin’s wish to “stop even people dying” in Episode II, and which fleshes out the dark side of the force in exactly the way a prequel should.

I really enjoyed Revenge of the Sith when I saw it in the cinema for two reasons. Firstly, it’s a great film, and secondly it was my birthday so I was already on a bit of a high (not literally though, before you start writing letters of complaint). Now that I’ve calmed down a bit though, it’s important to try to look through the veil of hype. Yes, it’s probably the last Star Wars film ever. Yes, it’s got great special effects and action sequences. But is it actually any good? Well yes and no is the answer to that. See, trying to separate Star Wars and hype is like trying to separate religion from society or the chicken from the egg - you can’t really do it and your head starts to combust, and there’s no real point in thinking about it anyway. This means that I can’t look at Revenge of the Sith objectively, nor would I want to: with Star Wars you get the whole package, the whole cultural phenomena, the whole hype and special effects. That said, those wouldn’t be worth a jot if there wasn’t a decent film mechanic working behind the scenes, so I suppose away from the hype you can still call Episode III a good film, even though it makes no sense to think of it away from the hype and the rest of the saga.

OH NO!

The film opens spectacularly, which gave me a real buzz in the cinema (again, I’m speaking metaphorically here). Williams’ score, though muted in the last two sequels, is given full reign in the stunning opening battle which has appropriately epic music blaring throughout. Whilst previously we’ve had to put up with some of the original trilogy's themes being played quietly in the background, here, in the centre of the saga, we’re treated to all guns blazing renditions of Duel of the Fates mixed in seamlessly with Yoda and Luke’s themes, which will make you quiver in pleasure like the wild little thing you secretly are.

As mentioned in the Episode II review, the special effects in Episode III are easily the best of the bunch because they look the most realistic, and also because they take second-stage to the plot, which is fantastic in its simplicity and the way it taps into our mythology and fears. The idea of the fall of man is integral to Judeo-Christian society, echoing Adam and Eve’s temptation which itself forms the idea that if we tamper with nature and go against the natural order in a search for more knowledge (of the dark side or the tree of knowledge) then we shall ultimately separate ourselves forever from our only hope of redemption. Compare this idea that’s at the centre of Western society with the pile of wank we had with Episode One - trade embargos and all that - and you begin to appreciate how much better the story has gotten now that we’re at the heart of the saga.

THE CHOSEN ONE

But anyway, I was talking about special effects before I began praising the plot. Whilst Phantom Menace has its sunny daylight, and Attack of the Clones has its fog, Revenge of the Sith outdoes them all with more sunsets than the Clint Eastwood box-set and more thunder-storms than you can shake a light-saber at, presumably reflecting the apocalyptic change that Anakin goes under when he “joins the Dark Side”, as they say. The climatic struggle between Obi-Wan and Anakin is on the best set ever (TM), with plumes of lava dramatically erupting all around the duo as they embark on the best fight ever (TM) since Yoda versus Dooku.

At no point did the film’s plot seem to drag for me, which can often happen in Star Wars films (Like the start of New Hope - man, was that slow) and things just kept on getting better and better with Obi-Wan fighting General Grievous. Thank God George Lucas doesn’t make these films for anyone or anything other than his own creative desire, too; despite essentially being children’s films Revenge of the Sith is appropriately dark and all the better for it. When Palpatine is watching the weird translucent worm display and talking about Sith mythology you know you’re light-years away from the cute bubble of innocence that was Phantom Menace.

SO UNCIVILISED

People have also said that the dialogue is unbelievably rusty in Revenge of the Sith, but to be honest, I actually liked the lines and the way they were delivered. “From my point of view, the Jedi are evil” is perhaps a little simplistic, but it’s with simplicity that the appeal of Star Wars lies, and it is no worse than New Hope‘s “Only a master of evil, Darth!” Vader’s wailing “Noooooooo!” has also been criticised, but people are forgetting the other nos of the saga - Obi-Wan in Phantom Menace and Luke in Empire Strikes Back. People are also forgetting Star War’s roots as a space comic-opera, but luckily Revenge of the Sith never forgets what it is and where it’s from, which makes its messages all the more strong and its moments all the more memorable - and with Star Wars that’s all you want.

4/5 - pure movie magic