Star Wars: Episode III Review (SPOILER ALERT!)

I can't wait any longer. I have to express my opinion about this last (?) Star Wars film before I lose my clear memory of the movie. Just a warning: this review assumes that you have seen the film so, if you haven't seen it, some surprises may be ruined. Proceed at your own risk.

Let me start by making it clear that I enjoyed this movie. After all, how could I not? I even mildly liked Episode II, and that movie wasn't very good. However, due to all the positive buzz around this film, I went into Episode III with very high expectations, and I have to admit that I was let down a bit. But before I get into how I was disappointed, I'm going to concentrate on the positives just to emphasize that, with some reservations, this was a great finale to the prequel trilogy.

What did Lucas do right? Well, except for his usual weaknesses (see below), pretty much everything. As the New York Times reviewer mentions, he expertly combines CGI and normal cinematography, representing the height of his style of filmmaking and transmuting the movie into a work of art. From a visual perspective, Episode III is a delectable treat: vivid, engaging, inviting, and enticing to the eye, leaving the viewer hungry for more. Aurally, it's fantastic as always. Where this film really shines is, believe it or not, the plot. The mix of political intrigue and betrayal is excellent. Palpatine is revealed as the downright malevolent and manipulative monster that he is, twisting Anakin in subtle but deep ways. His grand scheme to destroy the Jedi comes to fruition in a deliciously evil and satisfying fashion, and the phrase "Code 66" is certain to become a permanent part of the Star Wars lexicon. Plus, there's Padmé's memorable line, "This is how liberty dies - to thunderous applause.", a clear reference to the rise of the Third Reich, intended since the original trilogy to be a parallel for the Galactic Empire. For me, the way that Lucas clearly demonstrates the flip-side-of-a-coin nature of the Jedi and the Sith is brilliant, because that's also a theme in Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2, so I was thrilled to see that. Finally, Lucas wraps up the loose ends of the prequels and ties them back into the original trilogy very well. The movie does not adequately explain why the technology of the prequels is, in many ways, more advanced than that found in the originals, but that's a fairly minor, geeky quibble; as a filmmaker, Lucas could do things he couldn't do with the original films, so it's understandable that he created all of these cool technologies that he couldn't have possibly made originally.

Ok, now for the bad. Just as with Episodes I and II, the writing and acting is sorely lacking. Overall, they're both improved from the previous films but still sub-par. Furthermore, Ewan McGregor, the actor who impressed me the most in Episodes I and II, was not at his best in this one, which was a major disappointment. Additionally, the lightsaber battles, although well-choreographed as usual, do not contain the powerful emotions that should have been inherent in them, especially the climactic duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin. After all, Anakin had just lost Padmé, the one thing that mattered to him anymore, and felt that Obi-Wan had turned her against him, while Obi-Wan was confronting a fallen pupil who had betrayed the Jedi and, consequently, his trust and love. In other words, these two people should have been seriously pissed! Instead, it just feels like they are going through the motions, driving towards an inevitable end, with a few brief exchanges breaking up the fight. Maybe my expectations were unrealistic, but I was very upset by the relatively emotionless duel and the subsequently rushed ending. These deficiencies significantly detract from the quality of the film and the enjoyment derived from it.

Nonetheless, Episode III turned out all right, considering its predecessors. Well done, Lucas. Now, stop. I mean it.