Summer Filmic Gorging, 2005, Week 1

Technically, the Summer movie season started a few weeks ago with the release of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but having missed that little film, let's skip ahead to the meaty stuff.

Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. There's not much else to say about it to begin with other than it's probably the most anticipated movie for most people this year. Really, I've anticipated it, but not as much as I'm looking forward to other films. Seeing that it's going to go down in movie history as one hell of an achievement, expectations were pretty high. The most critically acclaimed of the prequels (which isn't saying much), Sith promised to be the one all Star Wars fans had been waiting for: epic space battles, lightsaber duels, and the death of a million jedi all contained within one compact storyline. Well, compacted across three movies.

Before I get to the point, I'll mention what I loved, loved about this movie. The action, the effects, the villain, the settings, the design, the audacity of George Lucas to stretch his imagination across three films, and the sheer majesty of the opening trumpets. Oh, and one can't forget Yoda. He's the real reason we come to watch these movies anyway, right?

Acting-wise and dialogue-wise, Sith was a disappointment. There were no horribly scripted,"I hate sand." monologues to be found, but Hayden Christensen was not given much to work with. I particularly liked his scenes with Ian McDiarmid and Ewen McGregor, but for some reason whenever he was in a scene with Natalie Portman, it was like watching marionettes. No chemistry existed between these two, and if it weren't for the fact that they proclaimed their love to each other often, I'd never know they were supposed to have feelings for each other. Any one of those scenes really halted the momentum of the film, especially since there were so many short scenes to begin with. The longest extended sequences, thankfully, were action-packed and gripping from the get-go. Much of this rescued what could have been tedious and turned it into something stunning.

What made Sith most stunning compared to its forebearers were the effects. It wasn't the explosions or the fantastically designed ships that caught my eye, but the characters. General Grevious, Yoda, and even Obi-Wan's reptilian steed were incredible achievements of art and science. Honestly, I was disappointed the Grevious of Cartoon Network's presentation of The Clone Wars didn't show up, but the wheezing, hacking, and lurching half-creature, half-droid construct in the film was a compelling villain. Yoda's computer-generated counterpart never looked better to my eye and it's sad to know that we'll never see another lightsaber duel with our "little, green friend." All great visuals serve to further the reality of any movie and George Lucas finally found what he was no doubt imagining when the first film was print to film.

Unfortunately, there were glaring plot holes that wrack my mind now that I've had time to reflect. I can't discuss without ruining most of the movie, but if anyone wants to chat about it, you know where to reach me.

Overall, I was impressed and saddened. Knowing this movie is the last in the saga is depressing, but the achievement itself is something that all involved can be proud of. I enjoyed it while it lasted and only hope that some day, someone will take up the reins that George Lucas has set aside.

Overall Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars