Everyone knows the old saying about the important part of the trip not being the destination, but the journey getting there. That couldn't be any more true for the latest and reportedly last, but really only the third "Star Wars" film, "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith." With the original film -- that debuted in 1977 -- being Episode IV and which was followed by the fifth and sixth installments ("The Empire Strikes Back' and "Return of the Jedi"), we've now come full circle. Following the more temporally recent parts I and II -- "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones" -- we now get to see the moments leading up to the beginning of the original film.
Accordingly, anyone who's half-paid attention to the storyline now knows that this is the episode where our former hero -- that being young Anakin Skywalker -- turns over to the dark side and becomes Darth Vader. That's an obvious and necessary given considering the release order of the films, and while it will please those who camp out for days and weeks to see the first screening of the film, it has a bit of a detrimental effect. In short, since we pretty much know who's going to live (since they appear at one point or another in the original trilogy), some if not all of the suspense is gone from the overall film as well as its various battle, action and fight scenes.
While most people realize that the good guys usually live in most Hollywood films, they also like to have that tiny, nagging worry in the back of the instinctual parts of their minds that there is some danger and unpredictability for the characters they're watching. Here, and by default, that's all but missing. Throw in actors and actresses who can't hide the fact that they're performing on a blank blue screen draped soundstage rather than a real set (the latter occurred far more often in the original trilogy) and what little that's left of the suspense simply evaporates away.
Thus, the traditional element of watching the film -- to be taken on a ride of uncertainty -- is MIA, meaning that for the non-fan viewers, it's hard to get into the picture as we don't really care about the characters and there's no mystery of where the story is headed. Yet, that's where the "journey getting there" material comes in to save the day. Writer/director George Lucas may not be able to write dialogue to save his life and his direction of drama leaves a lot to be desired, but he's fashioned an overriding story arc through his six films that's nearly Shakespearean in its theme.
Namely, that's about the deadly combination of fear and power and how they can corrupt even the best intentions and people. Since we know that Anakin will eventually turn into Vader, the fascination is in seeing how it occurs -- that's the journey part -- and the result is nothing short of tragic. While certainly nothing new in cinema -- or real life, for that matter -- it's a powerful story element and that certainly makes the pending transformation interesting. Here, our hero is torn between two allegiances -- and the allegations they make each against each other and with which they try to influence his decision making -- and his fear of losing his wife (about whom he has dreams of her dying during childbirth).
Thus, the stage is set for tragic betrayal, corruption, death, evil and more and all of those elements are clearly present. Yet, for all of that powerful material he's lobbed up into the air above him, Lucas doesn't quite spike it across the net for the perfect and conclusive kill shot. Had he brought in a more competent director of things non-action (as he did in "Empire Strikes Back") or hired a skilled screenwriter to polish the clunky dialogue, we might have had a mini-masterpiece on our hands.
Alas, that's not the case (although the results clearly aren't a train wreck). Since lead actor Hayden Christensen has proven that he can really act -- in "Shattered Glass" and "Life as a House" -- one can only perceive that there's something about Lucas' direction of him that makes him come off as wooden in these films. Of course, the likes of Hamill, Ford and Fisher didn't deliver Oscar-caliber performances in the original trilogy, but at least their characters were full of life, spunk and attitude, something clearly missing from the performers here. While Christensen is better than in the past two releases -- and gets to do a lot of glowering -- he, or at least Lucas' control over him, isn't quite up for the task at hand in playing this tragic figure.
Ewan McGregor is about the same as in the past films (and the few extra years of aging at least make him look a little more like Alec Guinness from the original picture) as is Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz and completely computer-generated, thus making him fit in better with his similarly constructed surroundings). The likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee and Jimmy Smits reprise their roles from the last two films, while old favorites R2-D2, C-3P0 and Chewbacca show up to provide continuity with Episode IV (while returning composer John Williams re-introduces some of the original score for the same effect).
The biggest disappointment, however, is with Natalie Portman (an Oscar nominee in "Closer") who reprises her role from the past two films, but has been changed from a spunky heroine to a wimpish pregnant wife. She might still look beautiful (even with the Princess Leia hair buns in one scene), but her character has been diminished to the point of being nothing more than a necessary plot catalyst (who still has to speak incredibly clunky dialogue). At least the universally despised Jar-Jar Binks only makes a very brief cameo appearance.
Visually, the film is nothing short of incredibly impressive, with most every scene filled to the brim with an array of great-looking special effects. Yet, and has occurred ever since "Return of the Jedi" introduced the concept, some of them are filled with far too many multi-layered visuals that simply overwhelm the viewer (and necessitate multiple viewings in slow motion just to see what all is occurring or passing by on the screen). In short, while it may be fun to look at, a lot of it is just spectacle over substance. And oddly enough, the last climatic battle sequence between Anakin and Obi-Wan (on a far too symbolic lava planet obviously designed to parallel Hell) is the least convincing visually and certainly isn't as enthralling as the opening battle and rescue sequence (thematic issues aside).
While I realize this film has to be much darker and far more grim than any of its temporal predecessors, the thing that's still missing -- and was also the case in "Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones" -- is a sense of wonder, fun and simple if perhaps a bit goofy at times entertainment. The original film -- and to an extent, its sequels -- exuded all of those elements, whether through storytelling or memorable characters. Here, just like the last two offerings, everything feels more artificial and calculated, as if the fun and joy of a startup had been clamped down upon by a serious corporate entity that's taken over. The intentions of wowing the viewer are the same, but the results are not.
Clearly not as fun, exciting or unpredictable as the entries in the original trilogy but certainly better than its immediate predecessors in the second, "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" will obviously appease diehard fans looking for the concluding segment of the full-circle journey, and has enough going for it for everyone else to earn a rating of 6 out of 10.
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