Amazingly, George Lucas gets Revenge of the Sith almost entirely right. Even the actors appeared to be trying this time out. Yes, the dialogue is still woeful for the most part but all involved seem to be invested in making the best of it. And this makes a difference.
The movie is surprisingly good. It has the vibe of Star Wars, whatever that means. And yet it also feels different than the five other films. The word 'pregnant' is used (Anakin's reaction is priceless); people are seen sleeping together; people weep. And Jar Jar is seen but once, in a crowd, for maybe a second.
I did not expect the final duel between Obi-wan and Anakin to be shocking, but it was. Wow, I thought, that is just brutal.
There is one astoundingly bad moment in the film: you can't believe anyone ever thought it played well. But it is mercifully brief and is gone.
Really good movie. Considering my deep ambivalence to these first two prequels, I'm surprised by how caught up I was in this one. So many good things in it, deft little nods to the old films. Fun stuff.
About Me
- Paul
- Paul Guest is the author of four volumes of poetry and a memoir. His debut, The Resurrection of the Body and the Ruin of the World, was awarded the 2002 New Issues Poetry Prize. His second collection, Notes for My Body Double, was awarded the 2006 Prairie Schooner Book Prize. His third collection, My Index of Slightly Horrifying Knowledge, was published by Ecco Press/HarperCollins in 2008. His fourth collection, Because Everything Is Terrible, was published by Diode Editions. His poems have appeared in Harper's, The Paris Review, Poetry, Tin House, The Kenyon Review, and elsewhere. His memoir, One More Theory About Happiness, was published by Ecco in May 2010 and selected for the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Program. The recipient of a 2011 Guggenheim Fellowship and a 2007 Whiting Writers' Award, Guest lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.
8 comments:
which part did you think was the bad part--but dont give spoilers to the folks who havent seen it. i thought any time padme and anakin spoke to each other was horrible, but other than that, i liked it too.
Yeah, the 2 young lovers were bad. But I thought less bad, less zombie-like.
The part I'm referring to is when Vader takes his first uncertain steps, which was cool, then his, umm, reaction to some bad news....
Your take is my take, Paul. I kept thinking, "Now THIS is a Star Wars movie!" Ep. 1 & 2 weren't. I am in total agreement with you on the ... ok, no clever spoilers .. the moment you're talking about. HOW did that get past the screening audience intact? Oh, well ... the movie looked (and sounded--wasn't the score great?) fantastic; I'm so glad he pulled the last one off. And I just loved all the references to the originals.
I need to see it again---perhaps I was too critical, expectations too high.... My wife absolutely loved it, but the choppy verbal exchanges drove me nuts, especially at the beginning. No doubt the acting was better, though, and that fight scene between Obi-Wan and Anikan, especially the way it concludes---very powerful. And perhaps just like it happened in realy life... ;~)
I agree! (I guess the Vader moment was a little Frankensteinish, maybe a little too much?)
I actually enjoyed the movie quite a bit, but can't stop quoting some of my favorite (worst) lines in the movie:
"Hold me again like you did at the lake at Naboo."
"I'm only beatiful because I'm so in love. No, you're beautiful because I'm so in love."
See, I really liked the Frankenstein vibe (in the trailer, Vader's arms were bolted down, a detail I liked, but it wasn't in the movie); it's the beat that scene closes on that's mind-boggling....
I especially loved the Princess Leah hair in the first scene, which sweetly knocked me back to the 70's.
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