Thursday, October 30, 2008

Movie Review: Revenge of the Sith


Repost:

The following entry has a major Star Wars Episode III spoiler. Proceed no further if you have yet to see this movie.


I've never felt more constrained and held-back after watching a movie of this magnitude and epical proportion than watching Revenge of the Sith tonight. Being surrounded with somewhat 'lesser-fan(s)' or viewers who had no idea what was going on certainly did not help to elevate my quiet mood. Hopefully, this entry will help me get IT out of my system.

There is no better way to explain all the events that transpired in the classical Starwars Trilogy than the episode I watched tonight. People have always said Anakin's portrayal in Episodes I and II lacked substance and the movies itself lacked a good plot or excellent character development. I say "be patient" as the stories itself were meant to unfold in Episode III. If you'd expected to see everything explained and shown for in I and II then there's no point in making III, IV, V and VI subsequently, no? Bigger is the pity to all who failed to see the bigger picture and title that is STARWARS in plain sight itself.

This movie tonight is by far the saddest I've watched in a long time. Not because by itself, this movie is a sad and touchy one. But because an avid fan myself who knows Starwars well, I feel for the loss of the characters in the movie, I feel for the sadness they feel, I wished for something good to happen in order to ease their suffering and now I know why Episode IV was named A NEW HOPE. Indeed, George kept his promise to all who knows Starwars like I do because afterall, he made the prequel trilogy for US.

The turning point of Anakin's road down to damnation started when he sliced off Windu's right hand and presented Lord Sidious with a window of opportunity to strike him down and threw him off the building. Hence, the 2nd highest ranking Jedi Master of the Council was overthrown. It's also clear now how Sidious/Palpatine's disfigurement occured. Now, we all know how confused and misguided Anakin was when he thought killing Dooku when both of his hands were sliced off with him kneeling for mercy before Anakin was right but preventing Windu from striking down Sidious and quoting to abidfe by the Jedi Code on Windu made him a better Jedi.

Anakin did kill Padme as was told to him by Sidious fron a certain point of view. If he hadn't fall so far from grace, Padme wouldn't have given up on him or her life, for that matter, and would have gone on to live. This proves Yoda's wisdom on the quote always in motion is the future, hard to see it is.

The 3rd saddes part of the movie was when Anakin inadvertently killed Windu and submitted to Sidious for apprenticeship. At least, from a viewer's point of view, I know he did not choose to leave the Jedi path but was forced into leaving it. He left it by enforcing his beliefs in the Jedi Code, trying to prove to Master Windu of his repented ways only to enforce it in a very, very bad time.

The 2nd saddest part of the movie occured when Palpatine declared that "the Jedis are now enemies of the Republic" and executed Order 66 among the clone troopers throughout the galaxy. Order 66 was an encryption command tutored into each clones in its infancy and training stages to terminate all Jedis upon sight. In the movie, you start to see all the great Jedi Masters and Knights got stabbed in the back like some paltry animals, one by one. Ki-Adi-Mundi, Saesse Tinn, and Plo Koon were among the many purged. The sickest part was when Anakin walked into a training room full of younglings or Jedi apprentices. One of them comes up to him asking him what's to be done when the Temple was being overrun. Being Darth Vader, he slaughtered these children.

And the saddest part of the movie was when Anakin's legs and hands were cut off by Obi-Wan in a spectacular final fall-out between the two legendary swordsmen. Even when decapitated and consumed with fire from the lava, he could still summon enough energy and anger in him to scream I HATE YOU at Obi-Wan. Don't think for a second that Obi-Wan was anything but glad at what he did to Anakin. He was afterall, like a brother to him and he, like a father to Anakin. The transformation of decay of Anakin's body was well-defined and excellent to the finest details.

Ultimately, it's the ending mood of the movie which captivates me the most. I can almost swear I felt the emotions of Bail Organa, Yoda and Obi-Wan flowed through the widescreen. The helplessness state they were in. The feeling of failure and guilt, of loss and betrayal, of fear and suffering. Padme died in the way I never imagined she could have. Her last words were so unsettling and unfulfilling for a woman of her stature, calibre, dignity and respect. I know there is still good in him, but still... And Luke and Leia never saw their beloved mother ever again. Now I understand why Leia's memory of Padme was always a sad one where she seemed sad, distant...she was always crying.

Among the many good stuffs from this final installment is I get to see Kashyyyk and Alderaan, know Yoda is stronger than any of the Siths including Anakin (I think), know how the Jedis were so quickly and systematically wiped out, know how Vader got his name and how Anakin's body was shattered, know how C3-P0 and R2-D2 came into the hands of Captain Antilles aboard te Tantive IV, got to see the moment the Galactic Empire was formed, Luke came first before Leia, Padme's dying words, how Obi-Wan managed to gain immortality to be at Luke's side during later years after his own death, how a younger Grand Moff Tarkin looked like, how X-Wings came about, how TIE Fighters came about, and how the twins were seperated and the important figures behind the plan.

All in all, I dare say that this is one movie I dare not watch again because of the emotional theatrics it plays on me, over and over again, hours after the movie ended. I may not dare to pass up a chance to watch it again either.

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