'Sith' Ends Series On A High Note
in EntertainmentIssue date: 6/16/05
Well, George Lucas has finally gotten it right, and it only took him three tries. After the widely-criticized Phantom Menace (which unleashed the cinematic abomination known as Jar-Jar Binks) and much maligned Attack Of The Clones (which unleashed the cinematic abomination known as Hayden Christensen's acting), Lucas has released a movie that delivers on the promise that the prequel trilogy once held: the story of how Darth Vader came to be. Revenge Of The Sith is a cinematic success, combining excellent visuals with a compelling story.
To be sure, though, not all is right here. Those who remember Attack Of The Clones' chief problem (the love scenes) will find hints of it in this film. The movie still stops dead whenever Natalie Portman (playing Senator Amidala) and Hayden Christensen (playing Anakin Skywalker) are onscreen together; they stumble on dialogue no human would ever, ever say. Their love story strains the suspension of disbelief of fans who are willing to believe that everyone in space speaks English, and that traveling through the galaxy takes a few hours, tops. Thankfully, these moments are much fewer than those of its predecessor.
The main thrust of this movie is Skywalker's turn to the dark side, and this is actually done well. Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) expertly plays on Skywalker's fears, turning what was once a relatively good Jedi into a lord of darkness. Christensen does an adequate job portraying a young man wracked with fear, open to taking the road of the dark side to "protect" those he loves. Ewan McGregor successfully channels Alec Guiness as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin's friend and mentor, and shows wonderfully the sorrow that Kenobi feels when his apprentice turns away from him. Indeed, McGregor was the sole bright spot of the previous movies and he continues his string of good performances here. Natalie Portman is largely absent, but is annoying in her (limited) screen time. One is forced to ask, though: why was she so bad in this trilogy, when she is generally accorded to be an actress of superb talent?
To be sure, though, not all is right here. Those who remember Attack Of The Clones' chief problem (the love scenes) will find hints of it in this film. The movie still stops dead whenever Natalie Portman (playing Senator Amidala) and Hayden Christensen (playing Anakin Skywalker) are onscreen together; they stumble on dialogue no human would ever, ever say. Their love story strains the suspension of disbelief of fans who are willing to believe that everyone in space speaks English, and that traveling through the galaxy takes a few hours, tops. Thankfully, these moments are much fewer than those of its predecessor.
The main thrust of this movie is Skywalker's turn to the dark side, and this is actually done well. Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) expertly plays on Skywalker's fears, turning what was once a relatively good Jedi into a lord of darkness. Christensen does an adequate job portraying a young man wracked with fear, open to taking the road of the dark side to "protect" those he loves. Ewan McGregor successfully channels Alec Guiness as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin's friend and mentor, and shows wonderfully the sorrow that Kenobi feels when his apprentice turns away from him. Indeed, McGregor was the sole bright spot of the previous movies and he continues his string of good performances here. Natalie Portman is largely absent, but is annoying in her (limited) screen time. One is forced to ask, though: why was she so bad in this trilogy, when she is generally accorded to be an actress of superb talent?
