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!)

 Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the CGI COLORS! a review by JediTeen

I recently watched the remaining Star Wars movies that I hadn't seen: Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. I liked Attack of the Clones better than I expected, though! It is the second movie in the three film prequel trilogy of Star Wars, directed by George Lucas. 


Attack of the Clones is set ten years after The Phantom Menace. Someone is trying to kill Senator Amidala (Natalie Portman), and two Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan Mcgregor), and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) chase a shapeshifter through the galactic capital of Coruscant to investigate. Before she dies, the shapeshifter says the name of the bounty hunter she is working for: Jango Fett. Obi-Wan goes to investigate a remote star system where Jango Fett is, while Padme (Amidala) is left in anakin's care. Anakin and Padme fall in love, while Obi-Wan figures out that Jango is being cloned. The president of the planet tells Obi-wan that they have been comissoned to make a clone army for the republic. 


Meanwhile, Anakin is having nightmares about his mother being tortured, so he and Padme go back to his home, Tatooine, in order to save his mother, only to find that he is too late; his mother has been tortured by the Tuscan raiders, and is dying. After her death, he is enraged and murders the Tuscans. He then tells Padme that he wants to become all powerful and prevent death. 


Obi-Wan gets trapped by Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) on the planet of Geonosis, and Anakin and Padme come to rescue him, only to be thrown into an arena with vicious beasts. When they are surrounded by separatist droids, Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson), and a troop of Jedi come to rescue them. Anakin and Obi-Wan fight Count Dooku with lightsabers and are rescued by Yoda. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) reveals himself to the audience as Darth Sidious, who is secretly behind the war. Yoda declares that the Clone War has begun, and Anakin and Padme are secretly married with the droids C-3PO and R2-D2 as witnesses. 


I thought that this movie had more action than The Phantom Menace which I appreciated. The only major inconsistency in the plot remains the fact that Obi-wan is too young. The soundtrack features a lovely new love theme from John Williams. The lightsaber battles are impressive. 


CGI and bright colors were excessively used in this film, as well as a wide variety of worlds from the bustling city of Coruscant to the remote desert of Tatooine. 


Christensen's delivery of the dialogue was wooden, while Portman's girlish voice didn't fit with her authoritative attitude. However, I was pleased with the performances of McGregor, Lee, and McDiarmid. I also appreciated that Jar Jar Binks hardly appears, and that instead, C-3PO is the comic relief. The worst scene in the film is a goofy scene with Anakin and Padme in a field, and well, you don't need to know the crazy love story.... 


I can't even imagine Darth Vader coming from the adolescent Anakin. 


Watch this for the story of Obi-Wan Kenobi. The film is rated PG, and I would recommend it for ages 11+. 

The Phantom Menace: A Movie To Watch Twice With A Snack   

By JediTeen

 

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is full of visuals. It is also full of mistakes. It lacks action and comedy. George Lucas made The Phantom Menace in 1999, as the first film in a three film trilogy to tell the backstory to the original Star Wars trilogy. It has  many technological and visusal advances, but there are some inconsistent spots that I will discuss later. 

 

In the story, Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), Luke Skywalker's father, is not the center of attention, because he is only nine years old.  Instead, the story focuses on two Jedi knights named Qui-Gon (Liam Neeson), and Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor). Obi-Wan is Qui-Gon's apprentice. Another central character is Queen Amidala of Naboo, who is trying to solve the trade crisis on her planet. Thew trade federation has formed a blockade around the planet. On Naboo, the two Jedi rescue a Gungan named Jar Jar Binks, and get Amidala past the blockade, but their ship is damaged. 

 

They arrive on the desert planet of Tatooine for repairs, and Amidala sends her handmaiden Padme (PAD-may) [Natalie Portman], and an astromech droid named R2-D2 with Qui-Gon and Jar Jar. They meet Anakin, a slave and an excellent podracer, and his mother. The Qui-Gon gets the ship repaired, and frees Anakin when he wins a bet with Anakin's master, Watoo. Anakin has created his own podracer as well as a protocol droid named C-3PO. Anakin wins the podrace, and goes with Qui-Gon to the republic's capital of Coruscant, where the Jedi master Yoda refuses to train him. Yoda thinks that Anakin will turn to the Dark Side of the Force, but Qui-Gon believes that he is the chosen one who will bring balance to it. 

 

Senator Palpatine becomes the new Supreme Chancellor, and Padme reveals herself as the true Queen to the Gungans, and persuades them to help her fight against the federation's droid army, while Padme and the Jedi search for the federation viceroy. The Jedi are cornered by the Sith apprentice Darth Maul, who kills Qui-Gon before Obi-Wan kills him. Upon his death, Qui-Gon asks Obi-Wan to train Anakin. Meanwhile, Anakin is left in the cockpit of a fighter,where he triggers the autopilot and deactivates the droid army. Obi-Wan is given permission to train Anakin, and Padme gives a gift to the Gungans. 

 

After the long explanation of a complicated plot, I present you with the pros and cons. I enjoyed the visual effects, the diversity of the planets, and Ewan McGregor's performance as Obi-Wan. Qui-Gon is a good character, and I admire Amidala's strength as a leader. The podrace and the lightsaber battles are well done. As always, John Williams delivers a good soundtrack. I like the use of familiar worlds and characters, such as Tatooine, Jabba the Hutt, Tuscan Raiders, the droids, and Obi-Wan and Anakin. I appreciate thew subtle use of females, such as the droid at the beginning, Amidala's handmaidens, and female pilots. 

 

Cons: I think that Anakin should have been older and already shown hits of the Dark Side, and Obi-Wan should have been ten years older than he was. I am also wondering why Qui-Gon didn't disappear when  he died. The aspect of balancing the Force doesn't work with the good-overpowers-evil element of Episode 6. Jar Jar Binks made me laugh three times, but that's all that he should have been used. Some scenes lack action, and with Qui-Gon and Darth Maul both dead, they seem to be rather unnecessary characters, especially because Yoda should have trained Obi-Wan directly. 

 

One last thought is that the first time I saw The Phantom Menace I was bored, and I had hardly any emotional reaction to it. This time, however, I understood the plot, and I liked it much better! So unless you hate this movie, it may be necessary to watch it twice within a few months, (and make sure you have a snack) then wait 30 years to show your kids.

 

 

 

Star Wars Re-awakens: by Jedi Teen

WARNING: SOME PLOT SPOILERS IN REVIEW

            Yesterday, I watched Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens for the second time in the theater. I found that I liked it even more the second time through than I initially did, and in my opinion, it is definitely the best Star Wars film since 1983. Writer/director J. J. Abrams took on the project after Star Wars was bought by Walt Disney studios. Many of the actors from episodes IV, V, and VI, returned to be in the movie, and composer John Williams returned to write the score.

            This movie centers on a new generation of characters. Rey (Daisy Ridley), a scavenger from the planet Jakku who is waiting for her family, Finn (John Boyega), an ex-stormtrooper, Poe (Oscar Isaac), a resistance pilot, and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), a Jedi apprentice turned evil, all have their own motives in The Force Awakens. Finn helps Poe escape the First Order, the evil government that has originated from the remnants of The Galactic Empire, and when their ship crashes on Jakku, Finn meets Rey, and they steal the Millennium Falcon, and encounter Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and Chewbacca. A small droid, BB8, has a map that leads to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who has mysteriously disappeared. The team must fight the First Order numerous times in order to destroy their massive weapon, and keep BB8 safe. When the audience learns that Kylo Ren is Han Solo’s son, they will be alarmed. In the end, R2-D2 has the missing piece of the map, and Rey goes to find Luke. The movie leaves many hints that Rey is Luke’s daughter, because she is so strong with the Force. Leia (Carrie Fisher) has become the general in charge of the Resistance.

            I will say that this movie far exceeded my expectations. Although there is nonstop action in the film, Abrams succeeds in developing characters. Although Kylo Ren turns out evil, I am left with a desire for him to redeem himself in a future movie. At the end, I am left wondering what will happen to Rey and Luke. And I found myself truly worried about Finn’s survival. I even enjoyed BB8.

           

            The score was wonderful, as usual. I liked how Rey got a new theme, and how the music around the First Order sounded similar to the Imperial March from episode V. I liked how the CGI was minimal, the sets were real, and the transitions were old school, just like those of episodes IV, V, and VI. Episode I lost this feel, and Episode VII brought it back.

            I also liked the small throwbacks to the original trilogy, such as “I have a bad feeling about this,” and “Do you have a trash compactor?” I love how Rey uses a Jedi mind trick on a Stormtrooper, and especially how she uses a lightsaber. I love seeing a strong female character in Star Wars. I love Finn’s humor element, and Poe’s heroism and his appreciation for Finn.

            This film is rated PG-13 for action and shooting. Depending on your child’s maturity level, I would say that some 10-12 year-olds will be ready for this, but I would recommend it for ages 10+. You will see this movie.

Return of the Jedi: Fantastic Farewell for Now (by Jedi Teen)

(Note: Please read my previous reviews of Star Wars episodes 4 ad 5 {New Hope and Empire})

We’re back with the final installment of the Star Wars trilogy. Three years after The Empire Strikes Back and six years after Star Wars: A New Hope the final installment of the trilogy, Return of the Jedi was released.

           

Directed by Richard Marquand with George Lucas as the executive producer, this movie picks up where The Empire Strikes Back left off, with Han Solo (Harrison Ford) still frozen in carbonate. Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) must go to Tatooine and rescue Han from the palace of the evil gangster, Jabba the Hutt, a massive slug, which is really a gigantic puppet. When Leia gets Han out of carbonate, he has hibernation sickness and can’t see. Jabba is still mad at Han because he has never paid off his debts. Han says that he will pay now, but Jabba doesn’t give him the chance. Jabba turns Leia into a slave girl with a metal bathing suit, and Han, Lando, Luke, C-3PO, R2-D2, and Chewbacca fight to get out of Jabba’s palace, while Leia strangles Jabba with her chain. After a long and brilliant sequence, the rebels escape.

Luke keeps his promise to Yoda and returns to Dahgobah to complete his Jedi training, but Yoda has grown old and weak. He says that Luke already has all the training that he requires and that to truly be a Jedi he must face Darth Vader again. After Yoda’s death, Luke goes outside and talks to the ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi who tells him that he has a long lost relation (if you want to find out, watch the movie).

The rebels meet and decide to send a strike team to the forest moon of Endor. There is a new incomplete Death Star that they must destroy, and the Emperor is on it, overseeing the construction process. This new space station has a shield on the moon, and Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, and the droids go down to the moon to destroy the shield. Lando takes the Millennium Falcon and the fleet plans to attack the Death Star, but the rebels must get the shield down in order for the attack to commence. They meet tribes of Ewoks who think that C-3PO is a god. They are small and furry, much like walking teddy bears. When Imperial troops arrive on the moon, the Ewoks help to bring down the Empire. Luke goes to fight Vader and the Emperor, with very surprising results!

This movie is wonderful from the beginning scroll to the end celebration with the Ewoks. You should definitely see this movie, because I couldn’t give away everything I would have liked to tell. You should watch the whole trilogy in order, 4, 5, and 6. No matter what you think, in order to truly love these movies, think about story, not special effects when compared with the prequels.

I will once again mention the “shiny version”. This version’s changes are mostly musical, with different music and more CGI members in the Jabba’s palace scene. At the very end, instead of the Ewok celebration, you hear different music and you see people celebrating all across the galaxy. I personally prefer the “non-shiny version” because I am a purist.

The music in this movie is written by John Williams, and besides the normal themes, there are two new ones. The first is an Ewok theme; the second is music for an important talk between Luke and Leia. Although there is not as much original music in this score, it is still a very good soundtrack, although not as good as Empire or New Hope. The amazing Han and Leia love theme, and Leia’s theme are hardly used at all, and the Imperial March has a bit of a new twist, but it is far less developed than it is in Empire. The “Battle of Endor” music is good and original, except for the part with the second Death Star run, in which the music mimics that of the first Death Star run.

This whole trilogy is very good, so I suggest that you watch it, if you haven’t seen it already. If you think the special effects are old and clunky, ignore them. Look for character connections, good story, and the best movie soundtracks ever. You cannot escape your destiny; watch these movies, and you will have 6+ hours of fun.

           

The Empire Strikes Back: The Galaxy's Best Star Wars Movie (by Jedi Teen)

(Note: Please read my previous review of Star Wars: A New Hope)

            Three years after the release of Star Wars: Episode 4, A New Hope, the second movie in the trilogy, Episode 5, The Empire Strikes Back came out in 1980. It is easily the best movie in the trilogy (although my favorite is episode 4, but Empire runs a close second) with the same awesomely retro but really sort of cool special effects as the first movie, only just a bit better. This was the same year that the popular video game, Pac-man was released, which made for an awesome year, because I love Pac-man. If you liked episode 4 at all, this is definitely worth seeing.

           

The movie was directed by Irvin Kershner, with George Lucas as the executive producer. After the scroll, you see one of the Empire’s remote probes land on the ice planet of Hoth where the rebels have set up a new secret base. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) are all at the rebel base. A snow monster attacks Luke and hangs him by his feet. After he escapes, he sees the ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi who tells him that he must go to the Dagobah system and learn from Yoda. At the moment, Luke can barely move, let alone go to some strange place and learn from a Jedi master, but Han once again rescues him in time for Luke to fight in a stunning battle with the Empire’s gigantic four-legged metal walkers. Because of their size, they are very slow and clunky. The rebels can use harpoons to wrap around their legs and bring them down. Just like in the run on the Death Star in the previous movie, we once again see that the small can defeat the large.

           

When the battle is over, Luke goes off to Dagobah to learn from Yoda with R2-D2, while Han, Leia, Chewbacca and C-3P0 get onto the Millennium Falcon and discover that the hyperdrive is broken, and they can no longer go into light speed. They have to fly into an asteroid field and back out, and they decide that they need to find a safe place to land and fix the hyperdrive.

           

Meanwhile, Luke is learning from Yoda, a 900 year old small and strange looking creature with large ears who has been training the Jedi for centuries. Now Yoda is the only Jedi left, except for Luke who is not a fully trained Jedi.

           

Han and Leia go to Cloud City, a mining colony in the clouds where they meet Han’s old friend Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) who has betrayed them to the Empire. In the end, however, Lando ends up helping Leia and Chewbacca when Han is frozen in carbonate and captured by bounty hunter, Boba Fett.

           

When Luke is in training, he sees a vision of Han and Leia in Cloud City and decides to go rescue them even though Yoda tells him to stay and complete the training. After promising Yoda that he will come back, Luke sets out for Cloud City, and gets trapped by Darth Vader, who wants to turn him to the Dark Side of the Force. In a lightsaber duel, Luke loses his hand, and almost falls off Cloud City. Leia and Lando rescue him, and the movie ends with a cliffhanger, because Han is still frozen.

           

Once again, I should mention the “shiny version”. Aside from the digital remasterization, (my own word) there are very few changes made to The Empire Strikes Back. In the snow monster scene, you see the monster eat Luke’s Ton-ton, and at the end, you see Darth Vader’s shuttle to show how he gets from Cloud City to his spaceship.

           

In the John Williams soundtrack, there are several new themes, the Imperial March, Yoda’s theme, and a new love theme for Han and Leia. It is a brilliant soundtrack and a brilliant movie. You must see it. It is your destiny.