Hot topic!!! OK, sorry, but I'm cleaning out my old notes...
I think I liked this one more than II, where I kept wondering where the joystick was, and at least as much as I, which I loved - too bad III had no Liam Neeson. The movie does a decent job of linking to the previous two movies and the classic trilogy. Things that did not make much sense in the rest of the trilogy here *almost* do. If only they had been given more time!
Example. I do believe in what Palpatine says about the mysterious Sith who could manipulate midichlorians to create life. It was brilliant, it would give a meaning to the dratted midichlorians and explain how Anakin was born from Shmi without a father. Too bad it is just one line, and we never really know whether it was true.
It could have been explored more... just like the bare mention of Qui-Gon at the end, though it opens a series of delightful possibilities about Obi-Wan falling again under the slightly wacky wing of his old master!
And by the way, another interesting thing which is only hinted at. What is under Grievous' armour? Was he another human given a metal case like Vader, an early experiment?...
And then, of course, some things are just plain inconsistent. If Padme dies giving birth (a stroke of genius showing this alongside Vader's "birth"), how can Leia in Empire remember her real mother? Unless it is a prenatal memory... And what's about Dooku killed in the beginning at Isengard, er, sorry, in the Federation ship? Lately all his bad guys are hurriedly disposed of at the beginning of the III instalment... But then again, Shmi suffered the same fate in II, another fascinating character disposed of in a stupid misogynistic way for plot reasons.
However the initial battle, I think, is pure Star Wars, and give us a wonderful picture of the bond that has grown between Anakin and Obi-Wan and which should be the theme of the movie. This said, I admit I have a problem with Anakin, which undermined my full enjoyment of it. Alas, I can't get over my dislike of the actor. But here I also cannot buy his dilemma.
Let's see. What are the reasons for Anakin turning to the Dark Side? The main one is fascinating. Among so many speculations about what Palpatine would use to convince him, the desire to conquer death had never crossed my mind. Not only this, too, ties in well with his dreams in the previous episode, but it recalls similar myths like Orpheus or Prometheus or Dr. Frankenstein. The two times where he is seen crying (may be one was enough...) are really powerful.
Fact is, it should have been motivation enough, and worthy of a grown man, young, yes, but thoughtful and intelligent. Lucas instead muddled the waters with other reasons that feel plain dumb to me.
1. Anakin repeatedly says he should not do this and that, he tells everybody he is confused... then he throws a tantrum when he is not made a Jedi master? So he's stupid, on top of it all!! I can feel his growing tension and conflict, but among many good reasons for turning bad, being jealous of the other masters betrays an immaturity that to me feels too much even for him.
2. Anakin tells Mace Windu that Palpie is Lord of the Sith, then acts all appalled when Mace reacts drastically, and sees it as proof that Jedi are bad. But...? It was HIM who told Mace that Palpie was the greatest threat in the Galaxy... and seemed to believe it himself... what did he expect? I'm confused...
3. Anakin is bitter towards the Jedi because of their opposition to "bonds" and thus to his love for Padme. This idea makes no sense to me in the first place. Then Obi-Wan should not love Anakin as a brother, or Luke as a father, and ultimately... how the hell do Jedi reproduce??? But then again, another weak point of the trilogy is the muddled ethics of Jedi. I'm sorry, but there ARE absolutes for Jedi, there have always been. Anakin's statement "If you are not with me you are against me" is obviously wrong; but then, so is Obi-Wan's answer; "Absolutes are for Sith," since a moment later he says "Palpatine is evil." Sounds pretty absolute to me. I found in this an attempt to preach modern moral relativism, which takes away a lot from the universal message of the story.
However...
The final apocalyptic duel was all that I had ever imagined and more. It was even realistic (and solved a logical problem in the way we fans had pictured it - you can't live if you fall into lava): the heat is so fierce that Anakin catches fire while he is still out of the lava. I can't help nitpicking this too: I cannot imagine Obi-Wan just staying there and leaving his friend to die a horrible slow burning death. He could have thrown his light saber and ended his suffering. BUT, Obi-Wans' cry "You were my brother! I loved you!" broke many hearts in the audience.
And then, the final scene. It was worth having Owen and Beru introduced in such a stupid way in II (once again, how much better they could have been tied in!), to have them here in a scene that totally blew me away. I'm so glad that I always stay away from spoilers, or it would not have had such an impact on me!
Bottom line: lots of good ideas not tied together, wonderful scenes, a lot of work for fan fiction writers because the world wants to know more about Bail Organa or Obi-Wan's iguana! |