DJ Scotty
11-17-2005, 07:35 PM
THE SAGA IS COMPLETE.
And so goes the marketing hoopla splashed on this long-anticipated DVD release -- probably the most anticipated release of the pre-Christmas season next to Chris Nolan's Batman Begins; in my mind, there is little doubt that it is indeed George Lucas who spurred this recent Hollywood trend of introducing prequel stories to explain franchises already established with his prequel trilogy idea for the Star Wars legacy. Since Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, we have seen the likes of Exorcist: The Beginning, Batman Begins and will soon see the likes of Superman Returns -- although many will argue that Batman Begins and Superman Returns are more "reinventing" methods for these franchises rather than prequel tales; of course, this is going to be undoubtedly true with regard to Superman Returns as the Man of Steel's story was told in detail in the 1978 original and really needs no prequel introduction of any kind -- it will indeed reinvent the franchise without the help of the late great Christopher Reeve, which I personally think is a mistake.
But say what you will of these prequels today, Lucas has wildly built a rather exciting trilogy structure to tie in the characters we know and love so much from those classic "last three episodes" such as Luke, Han, Chewie and Vader, and while the buildup has been slow and a bit painful at times in terms of pacing and sappy love story backdrops (Attack of the Clones comes to mind here) the end result has paid off, as Revenge of the Sith opens with a bang, grabs you by the throat early and doesn't let go until the very end, bringing full circle the events leading to the original Star Wars as best and as close as possible; of course, the culmination of Anakin Skywalker ultimately becoming the black caped master Jedi Vader is what everyone was waiting for, and Lucas delivered in a somewhat "rushed-feeling" but eye opening end sequence. To be honest, what felt wrong about that whole sequence was that I simply couldn’t picture Hayden Christensen under the black cape as that hulking, heavy-breathing evil master Jedi; and I still cant, no matter how many times I watch it. What makes up for that little shortcoming was the effective use of special effects to punctuate the scene where McGregor cuts off Christensen's legs in their final lightsaber duel amidst the volcanic explosions and he begins to slip into the lava -- this was made vividly shocking through his glowing red eyes and scalding, hairless scalp which hinted at Vader's looks when he is unmasked by Luke in a later film. I thought this was the most effective realization of that final sequence. Don’t get me wrong -- it was a goosebump moment when the suit is fitted over Skywalker's burnt shape and he rises up on the table and speaks through the mask with that voice we all know and love -- the "yes, master" never sounded so cool. There was just something about Christensen being imagined behind that mask, helmet and cape that seemed a slight bit off-putting.....
And so here is the most exciting (in my opinion) entry into the prequel trilogy, after we had to sit through the decent Phantom Menace and then the better-than-decent Attack of the Clones which included some awesome and eye popping lightsaber fight moments (such as the one between Christopher Lee and Yoda at the end) but dragged on and on and on and on and seemed like it would never end because of the sappy, nauseating love story between Christensen and the lovely Portman intertwined within every other scene. Here, in Episode III, we have Christensen not playing such a whiny, ridiculously over-hammy infant as he did in Episode II; the character has matured, as his hair has become fittingly long to coincide with his turning to the Dark Side, and although he still rattles off cheesy, sappy lines from time to time during this, the performance is much more enjoyable than in Episode II as his rage and anger is encapsulated in the final showdown between him and his mentor, rather expertly bridging this rage that drives him to the Dark Side of the Force. And oh my Lord does Natalie Portman look even more delicious in this than she did in Episode II as if that were possible....she's one of the hottest phillies prancing around in Hollywood that can find a spot in my stable any time she wishes...
Gone are the drawn-out plot mysteries here as well, as Lucas, as aforementioned, starts things off with a bang via a monster space battle sequence and begins what seems to be action scene after action scene where lightsabers are being whipped out almost every moment and basically provides fans with what they want most. While there are moments during Episode II that can pretty much put you to sleep (those romantic interludes between Portman and Christensen are of note), that doesn’t really happen in this final installment. We are treated to a wicked lightsaber duel between Christopher Lee and Christensen (which begins with McGregor too but he is put out of commission during the fight by Lee and Christensen takes over) where Christensen's powers as a Jedi have increased to the point that he ends up cutting Lee's hands off with his lightsaber and then his head with two sabers -- it was a pretty cool moment. We also unfortunately witness the demise of Samuel L. Jackson's Master Jedi character who is eliminated during a duel with the Chancellor (who ends up becoming the evil master of the Dark Side) because of interference by Christensen's character who is struggling with the concept of good and evil as the Chancellor attempts to win him over to the Dark Side by promising him powers beyond imagination. Christensen plays this struggling lead role quite effectively here -- as I said, much better than his whiny performance in Episode II -- as we get glimpses of his "changing characteristics" from beneath the hood during his transition to "Darth Vader" with shots of his glowing red eyes and anger-contorted face. Lucas worked this in effectively in my opinion. And so it is here in Episode III that the Chancellor ends up being the Sith Lord the Jedi’s have been searching for all along -- once considered a peaceful, honest and government-minded man, the Chancellor is now unmasked as the power-wielding evil master, who has already turned Christensen onto the Dark Side, the clone army against the Jedi as they ultimately become the infamous Storm Troopers for the Dark Side, had his face disfigured during the fight with Samuel L. Jackson's Jedi Master character and even engages in a wild, over-the-top lightsaber fight sequence with Yoda. Lucas really went all-out on this last one.
Also of great importance in the world that is Star Wars and an aspect which Lucas didn’t gloss over (but is somewhat rushed at the end along with the Darth Vader creation sequence) was Portman's pregnancy -- which, of course, ties in the birth of Luke Skywalker and his sister. The film concludes with these births and their subsequent adoptions, as Portman dies during childbirth (as Christensen had been having nightmares about all along and was promised the power of the Dark Side would be able to save her life) and while rather abrupt in execution when you watch the film from beginning to end -- as the children are given to Jimmy Smits' character as well as McGregor's and then suddenly the credits hit the screen -- it was an effective way of Lucas getting the whole "Padmae-gives-birth-to-Luke Skywalker-and-his-sister" aspect stuffed in there during the picture's typical lengthy running time.
But the highlight of the whole project has to be the final confrontation between Anakin and Obi Wan before Anakin becomes Vader; the execution of the scene is shiver-inducing, as Anakin wants nothing more than to kill his mentor as his ways of thinking via his new evil master have clouded his mind into believing the Jedi’s are evil -- and Obi Wan wants nothing more than to stop his new evil-minded apprentice and kill him if need be for turning on the Jedi Order. The battle is awesome, as the two of them duke it out flipping, jumping and swinging sabers at each other while the volcanic unstable foundation they are fighting on comes apart. Christensen, towards the last moments of the fight, warns McGregor that his time is over, leading us to believe that Christensen is in a position to kill McGregor at the end of this battle -- but it is the more seasoned Jedi Master who ends up slicing off Christensen's legs with a lightsaber and then, in anger for turning to the Dark Side, lets him slide into a pool of volcanic molten lava without trying to save him as Christensen hisses "I HATE YOU!" while his eyes glow red and we enter the pre-Vader moments of his life. Lucas helps us understand the legend behind Vader's creation and how he came to be, as the now-evil Chancellor arrives after the lightsaber fight between Christensen and McGregor to find Christensen still barely alive. He is taken back to the Chancellor’s secret hideaway (where it is hinted at here the creation of the infamous Death Star weapon is already in progress) and the special mechanical life support suit is fitted for Anakin -- transforming him into Darth Vader. The rest, as they say, is history (or, in this case, future?)...
CONTINUED IN PART II OF THE REVIEW...
And so goes the marketing hoopla splashed on this long-anticipated DVD release -- probably the most anticipated release of the pre-Christmas season next to Chris Nolan's Batman Begins; in my mind, there is little doubt that it is indeed George Lucas who spurred this recent Hollywood trend of introducing prequel stories to explain franchises already established with his prequel trilogy idea for the Star Wars legacy. Since Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, we have seen the likes of Exorcist: The Beginning, Batman Begins and will soon see the likes of Superman Returns -- although many will argue that Batman Begins and Superman Returns are more "reinventing" methods for these franchises rather than prequel tales; of course, this is going to be undoubtedly true with regard to Superman Returns as the Man of Steel's story was told in detail in the 1978 original and really needs no prequel introduction of any kind -- it will indeed reinvent the franchise without the help of the late great Christopher Reeve, which I personally think is a mistake.
But say what you will of these prequels today, Lucas has wildly built a rather exciting trilogy structure to tie in the characters we know and love so much from those classic "last three episodes" such as Luke, Han, Chewie and Vader, and while the buildup has been slow and a bit painful at times in terms of pacing and sappy love story backdrops (Attack of the Clones comes to mind here) the end result has paid off, as Revenge of the Sith opens with a bang, grabs you by the throat early and doesn't let go until the very end, bringing full circle the events leading to the original Star Wars as best and as close as possible; of course, the culmination of Anakin Skywalker ultimately becoming the black caped master Jedi Vader is what everyone was waiting for, and Lucas delivered in a somewhat "rushed-feeling" but eye opening end sequence. To be honest, what felt wrong about that whole sequence was that I simply couldn’t picture Hayden Christensen under the black cape as that hulking, heavy-breathing evil master Jedi; and I still cant, no matter how many times I watch it. What makes up for that little shortcoming was the effective use of special effects to punctuate the scene where McGregor cuts off Christensen's legs in their final lightsaber duel amidst the volcanic explosions and he begins to slip into the lava -- this was made vividly shocking through his glowing red eyes and scalding, hairless scalp which hinted at Vader's looks when he is unmasked by Luke in a later film. I thought this was the most effective realization of that final sequence. Don’t get me wrong -- it was a goosebump moment when the suit is fitted over Skywalker's burnt shape and he rises up on the table and speaks through the mask with that voice we all know and love -- the "yes, master" never sounded so cool. There was just something about Christensen being imagined behind that mask, helmet and cape that seemed a slight bit off-putting.....
And so here is the most exciting (in my opinion) entry into the prequel trilogy, after we had to sit through the decent Phantom Menace and then the better-than-decent Attack of the Clones which included some awesome and eye popping lightsaber fight moments (such as the one between Christopher Lee and Yoda at the end) but dragged on and on and on and on and seemed like it would never end because of the sappy, nauseating love story between Christensen and the lovely Portman intertwined within every other scene. Here, in Episode III, we have Christensen not playing such a whiny, ridiculously over-hammy infant as he did in Episode II; the character has matured, as his hair has become fittingly long to coincide with his turning to the Dark Side, and although he still rattles off cheesy, sappy lines from time to time during this, the performance is much more enjoyable than in Episode II as his rage and anger is encapsulated in the final showdown between him and his mentor, rather expertly bridging this rage that drives him to the Dark Side of the Force. And oh my Lord does Natalie Portman look even more delicious in this than she did in Episode II as if that were possible....she's one of the hottest phillies prancing around in Hollywood that can find a spot in my stable any time she wishes...
Gone are the drawn-out plot mysteries here as well, as Lucas, as aforementioned, starts things off with a bang via a monster space battle sequence and begins what seems to be action scene after action scene where lightsabers are being whipped out almost every moment and basically provides fans with what they want most. While there are moments during Episode II that can pretty much put you to sleep (those romantic interludes between Portman and Christensen are of note), that doesn’t really happen in this final installment. We are treated to a wicked lightsaber duel between Christopher Lee and Christensen (which begins with McGregor too but he is put out of commission during the fight by Lee and Christensen takes over) where Christensen's powers as a Jedi have increased to the point that he ends up cutting Lee's hands off with his lightsaber and then his head with two sabers -- it was a pretty cool moment. We also unfortunately witness the demise of Samuel L. Jackson's Master Jedi character who is eliminated during a duel with the Chancellor (who ends up becoming the evil master of the Dark Side) because of interference by Christensen's character who is struggling with the concept of good and evil as the Chancellor attempts to win him over to the Dark Side by promising him powers beyond imagination. Christensen plays this struggling lead role quite effectively here -- as I said, much better than his whiny performance in Episode II -- as we get glimpses of his "changing characteristics" from beneath the hood during his transition to "Darth Vader" with shots of his glowing red eyes and anger-contorted face. Lucas worked this in effectively in my opinion. And so it is here in Episode III that the Chancellor ends up being the Sith Lord the Jedi’s have been searching for all along -- once considered a peaceful, honest and government-minded man, the Chancellor is now unmasked as the power-wielding evil master, who has already turned Christensen onto the Dark Side, the clone army against the Jedi as they ultimately become the infamous Storm Troopers for the Dark Side, had his face disfigured during the fight with Samuel L. Jackson's Jedi Master character and even engages in a wild, over-the-top lightsaber fight sequence with Yoda. Lucas really went all-out on this last one.
Also of great importance in the world that is Star Wars and an aspect which Lucas didn’t gloss over (but is somewhat rushed at the end along with the Darth Vader creation sequence) was Portman's pregnancy -- which, of course, ties in the birth of Luke Skywalker and his sister. The film concludes with these births and their subsequent adoptions, as Portman dies during childbirth (as Christensen had been having nightmares about all along and was promised the power of the Dark Side would be able to save her life) and while rather abrupt in execution when you watch the film from beginning to end -- as the children are given to Jimmy Smits' character as well as McGregor's and then suddenly the credits hit the screen -- it was an effective way of Lucas getting the whole "Padmae-gives-birth-to-Luke Skywalker-and-his-sister" aspect stuffed in there during the picture's typical lengthy running time.
But the highlight of the whole project has to be the final confrontation between Anakin and Obi Wan before Anakin becomes Vader; the execution of the scene is shiver-inducing, as Anakin wants nothing more than to kill his mentor as his ways of thinking via his new evil master have clouded his mind into believing the Jedi’s are evil -- and Obi Wan wants nothing more than to stop his new evil-minded apprentice and kill him if need be for turning on the Jedi Order. The battle is awesome, as the two of them duke it out flipping, jumping and swinging sabers at each other while the volcanic unstable foundation they are fighting on comes apart. Christensen, towards the last moments of the fight, warns McGregor that his time is over, leading us to believe that Christensen is in a position to kill McGregor at the end of this battle -- but it is the more seasoned Jedi Master who ends up slicing off Christensen's legs with a lightsaber and then, in anger for turning to the Dark Side, lets him slide into a pool of volcanic molten lava without trying to save him as Christensen hisses "I HATE YOU!" while his eyes glow red and we enter the pre-Vader moments of his life. Lucas helps us understand the legend behind Vader's creation and how he came to be, as the now-evil Chancellor arrives after the lightsaber fight between Christensen and McGregor to find Christensen still barely alive. He is taken back to the Chancellor’s secret hideaway (where it is hinted at here the creation of the infamous Death Star weapon is already in progress) and the special mechanical life support suit is fitted for Anakin -- transforming him into Darth Vader. The rest, as they say, is history (or, in this case, future?)...
CONTINUED IN PART II OF THE REVIEW...