Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (Needs Help From the Light Side) OR "Help From The Light Side Revenge of the Sith Needs."

As I stated in my last post, I recently watched Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith for the first time. It was both better and darker than I expected. I was prepared for certain intense scenes, but not for the overall dark tone of the film. In this third and final installment of the prequel trilogy, writer/director George Lucas takes an unexpected turn away from the lightheartedness of episodes one and two. 

 

In the plot, we finally figure out why Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) became Darth Vader, although the transformation is abrupt. He is having nightmarish visions about his secret wife, Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) dying in childbirth. Determined not to loose her the way he lost his mother, he turns his back on his Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and listens to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). Palpatine has secretly been behind the Clone Wars, and he is trying to seize control of the government. He wants to kill all the Jedi, and he asks anakin to kill the Jedi in the temple, and when he is done, he is asked to kill the separatists. He says that he will do anything if Palpatine will help him save Padme. 

Anakin meets Padme on the volcanic planet of Mustafar, where Padme tries to convince him to turn back to the light side. Yoda has told Obi-Wan that the Sith are too much of a threat to keep alive. Obi-Wan doesn't want to kill Anakin, but he engages him in a lightsaber battle on Mustafar. Meanwhile, Yoda battles Palpitine and tries to escape alive. Obi-Wan defeats Anakin in the battle, and returns to the ship to be with Padme, who is about to give birth to twins. Anakin is rescued by Palpatine and rebuilt into a machine-like man and dubbed Darth Vader. Palpatine reorganizes the republic into the empire, and declares himself emperor. Padme dies after giving birth to Luke and Leia. Bail Organa takes Leia to Alderaan, and Obi-Wan takes Luke to Tatooine to live with his aunt and uncle.  

I had to close my eyes when Anakin killed people, and also when he was burned by the lava. This film is rated PG-13, and I, being 13 and 1/2, agree with the rating. I think that anybody, including adults should close their eyes for those scenes. The overall tone was rather depressing, with Padme's brokenhearted love and Anakin's evil deeds. But the ending is hopeful, with the birth of a new generation, who are prominent in Episode IV. I liked that we move away from the radical colors of Episode II and return to a traditional Star Wars look. I complained about the edge-of-reality CGI in Episode I, but this CGI is truly phenomenal. Some of the landscapes afre so realistic, that I asked my dad if they were even CGI at all. 

 

Christensen's and Portman's  performances have improved, and McDiarmid and McGregor remain good. Although, as I said in the title, "Revenge of the Sith needs help from the light side," or, as Yoda would say, "Help from the light side Revenge of the Sith needs." May the Force be with you. (And don't turn evil!)