The last of the prequels. Let's just get this over with, shall we?
What I liked/loved:
The Music
Look, aside from Ewan McGregor, John Williams’ score is the
only constant positive of these films.
He knows how to create memorable cues and solid themes throughout. So, even though the story clearly left some
with a bad taste in their mouths, the score never disappoints. Listen to “Battle of the Heroes” and tell me
I’m wrong.
Palpatine
I really don’t think that Ian McDairmid gets enough credit
for bringing Palpatine to life. He’s the
really bad guy, and McDairmid plays him with such subtlety that not recognizing
his talents would be a shame. And while
I’ll go into more detail about how his not so subtle hints that he knows more
about the Sith than a politician probably should, he just nails it. Repeatedly.
He’s not some one-dimensional baddie that monologues and has cheesy
motives. He’s playing the long game
here, and he finally gets his payoff in this film; bringing down Anakin – which
I’ll elaborate on more later, as it really wasn’t that hard – and ascending to
the role of Emperor with little resistance.
And I do mean little…green…resistance.
The Opening and
Climactic Battles
Ever since Obi-Wan mentioned the Clone Wars in Hope, everyone wanted to see what that
looked like. Well, there was kind of a
tease in Clones, but in this flick,
we get a great opening sequence to show it off.
What you think is just a nice flight by a Republic gunship, turns into a
single shot flight through a full scale battle. It’s over a minute long, but it
feels like five, at least. In fact, it
doesn’t last long enough. By the time
our protagonists take over the story, you’re just longing for more space
battle. You get a little of it, but then
it gets mired in the rescue of an unconvincing prisoner, Palpatine. However, the battle everyone wanted to see
from the time Obi-Wan and Vader fought in Hope
gets a ridiculous setting. Not only is
the choreography for the final throw-down between the Jedi master and his
recently-turned evil padawan incredible, but it’s backdropped by an entirely
volcanic planet. Then, as if that wasn’t
enough of a treat, we get to see Yoda and Palpatine duke it out…in the Senate
chamber! Who would have ever thought
that when the Senate was revealed in Phantom
that we’d see the attempt to overthrow Palpatine go down in that very
arena. Both scenes play out flawlessly,
and are arguably the best of the prequel trilogy. In fact, Vader’s immolation scene actually plays
out almost heartbreakingly. You actually
feel for Anakin, instead of just saying, “You get what you deserve, you angst-y
cry-baby.” Most of that has to do with
Obi-Wan’s grief over Anakin’s betrayal and fall, but it’s a fitting conclusion
to Anakin’s story, and a nice way to see exactly how and why Vader is “more
machine now than man; twisted and evil.”
The Art Direction
The new worlds of the film are incredible. Yes, seeing Chewbacca was unnecessary, though
nostalgic. However, seeing his homeworld
of Kashyyyk was a treat. Also, Obi-Wan’s
confrontation with General Grievous on Utapau was fantastic. Obi-Wan’s steed – a creature known as a Boga
– is also a win for the artists on these films.
On the flip side of Obi-Wan’s mode of transporation, Grevious’ bike is
pretty sweet. And while I have my own
issues with Grievous, his ability to wield multiple lightsabers is
fantastic.
Some of the Dialogue
Look, it couldn’t get much worse than Clones. Okay, yes, I know
that the Twilight abominations make Clones look Oscar-worthy, but let’s not
kid ourselves – Clones had terrible
dialogue. “Jedi business; go back to
your drinks.” Remember that gem? So you could really only go up from there. Most of the dialogue wins come at the hands
of Obi-Wan and Palpatine. McGregor is
the best of the prequels, undoubtedly, delivering the most memorable lines in
just two words in each film – this one’s standout was “So uncivilized.” Palpatine so easily manipulates Anakin with
perfectly timed nuggets that are just the gentle push he needed to make him
fall. And Yoda is just a boss. And I do have to say that I really like how
Padme sums up the formation of the Empire – “So this is how liberty dies…with
thunderous applause.” I’ll spare you the
political soapbox, but it’s kind of timely.
And it’s quite possibly the only line of dialogue delivered by Natalie
Portman that isn’t terrible.
Rapid-Fire
Miscellaneous Items
- R2-D2 flying. Again.
- The japor snippit necklace tied the trilogy together in a subtle way.
- Seeing just a bit of Alderaan.
- The nostalgic binary sunset at the end.
“Questions That Need Answering”
Why does Grievous cough?
Or is his breathing apparatus improved upon with Vader’s helmet?
Does Padme know she’s carrying twins? Why doesn’t Anakin pick up on it?
Why does Mace tell Anakin to wait in the Council chamber
while he goes to arrest Palpatine?
How does Palpatine get his lightsaber back? It went flying out his office window.
Why does Yoda go into exile?
Is it a “do or do not” thing?
Why take Luke to Tatooine to his (sort of) family? Wouldn’t that be like a homing beacon for
Vader?
What I loathed:
Anakin
I will say this, Hayden Christensen improved incrementally
from Clones. That being said, he wasn’t trying to be the
lead in a romance film in this one, but rather played the part of angst-y
teenager turned overconfident Sith apprentice aptly. Not what fans wanted, but not as bad as his
last attempt at bringing cinema’s best villain ever to life. That being said, you still just want to punch
him in the nose throughout the film.
He’s like a child, sitting there talking to Palpatine. It works only because Palpatine is a master
manipulator, but you’d think that an aspiring Jedi would be able to wake up and
smell the Sith all over him. And
honestly, Anakin didn’t deserve the right to off Count Dooku. If anyone should’ve had that pleasure, it
should’ve been Obi-Wan. But again, it’s
allegedly just part of Palpatine’s scheme. Then there’s the whole spy for the Council,
just go ahead and fess up about it to the person you’re supposed to be spying
on, and just tell him everything. It’s
childish, and again, and indictment of Obi-Wan and the Council, if you want to
point fingers. His appointment to the
Council was illogical, and his reaction to not being granted the rank of master
should have been grounds for expulsion from the Order. Then there’s his terrible turn. His dark side pledge to Palpatine lacked
gravity and ceremony. It’s like the
words were there, but there was no heart behind them. From there, he doesn’t speak much, but when
he does, it’s cringe-worthy and funny for all the wrong reasons. More on those words later, but suffice it to
say that fans didn’t get a full payoff with Anakin in this film. However, as I’ll detail again later, he only
had so much to work with.
Natalie Portman
Much was the same problem with Ms. Portman in this
film. She just didn’t have much to work
with. I’m glad they toned down her
ridiculous hair for this film, but they filled her mouth with equally
ridiculous lines. Again, more on that
later. But for someone who had recently
landed an Oscar nomination – for Closer,
which was terrible – she was supposed to be the performance that would bolster
the prequels’ reputation, right?
Wrong. Again, she only had so
much to work with, but it’s almost as if she didn’t care. Her role of expectant mother and wavering
politician is just awful. I wanted to
love her in this, because even though she had little to no chemistry with
Christensen, you’d think she could hold her own with the other actors. Nope.
She pales in comparison to any of them – though, she really only shares
the screen with Obi-Wan when Anakin isn’t around. It’s no wonder she lost the will to live –
which is about as anti-feminist as Lucas ever got with her character, but
necessary because he wrote himself into a corner. But apparently she’s made a comeback from
these movies. Though you can argue
whether she deserved it or not, she does have an Oscar on her shelf now.
The Sith Reveal
and the Jedi Oblivion
I know that sitting in the audience has its disadvantages,
especially when watching prequels. It’s
like you want to shout at the screen, “He’s right there! How are you so
blind?!” This was my feelings toward how
Palpatine finally reveals himself to Anakin, despite having had dealings with
the Jedi on many occasions throughout the war and before. I’d like to think that it’s just him being a
master manipulator and hiding in plain sight, but Yoda was the only one who
ever suspected anything at all with him.
And it’s like he just had to reveal himself to Anakin because enough
time had elapsed. Then Mace’s reaction –
“a Sith lord?!” – just seemed like a “Duh” moment. Right under their noses the whole time. It’s almost as if they willingly ignored his
hints. And as if that wasn’t enough, how
this old man is able to off Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar, and Saesee Tiin – admittedly
background characters, but still, they survived Geonosis and the Clone Wars
since – so effortlessly, speaks to their total underestimation of
Palpatine. The fact that Mace was able
to disarm him was actually quite impressive.
It’s really too bad that brat showed up.
Otherwise, well, order would have been restored. Balance, if you will. I know it didn’t happen that way, and I knew
Windu would be the one Jedi that would have to have a pivotal death – he’s
Samuel L. Jackson, for crying out loud – but I really thought that it would’ve
been more glorious and noble. And I
wasn’t a fan of Palpatine’s transformation.
Honestly, I thought it would’ve worked better had that happened during
his confrontation with Yoda. The whole
thing just worked out too well. Again, I
know Lucas just assumes that the audience knows that Palpatine has been
planning this down to the very order number from day one, but it’s still too
tidy. Or sloppy, if you’re talking about
the Jedi – the supposedly in-tune with the Force people.
The Rest of the Dialogue
If I could just forget about anything that Anakin and Padme
say to each other, I would. But I can’t,
so it bears mentioning here. Seriously,
their scenes together are how I imagine a Nicolas Sparks space romance would
play out – predictable and lazy. Their
final words to one another culminate in the half-hearted, cheesy “Anakin, you’re
breaking my heart.” Yes, that
happened. And for all of Palpatine’s
nuanced, tactical dialogue, Anakin’s just appears childish in response. Then when he turns, his confrontation with
Obi-Wan should’ve been left strictly with the lightsaber duel. “If you’re not with me, then you’re my
enemy.” Really, George? Is that the best you’ve got? Clearly Vader had time to think about
choosing his words more carefully in the thirty years between stories.
Rapid-Fire
Miscellaneous Items
- The buzz droids.
- Grievous. I just thought his was a fill-in character.
- Anakin and Padme’s “secret” marriage. Really? Is there no TMZ on Coruscant?
Another one down.
It’s certainly a step in the right direction, and probably the best
conclusion to a maligned prequel trilogy that anyone could’ve hoped for. However, it’s certainly not without its
flaws. Still, it’s entertaining. And the PG-13 rating helped, I think. How were you supposed to make a PG film about
the fall of the Jedi and the ascent of Lord Vader? That being said, Lucas should’ve – and by
many accounts, could’ve – went the route of just overseeing these films the way
he had the balance of the original trilogy.
But instead, apparently he wanted these films to be his swan song,
before he sold the franchise to Disney and laughed all the way to the bank with
$4 billion. Though, he was charitable,
at least, and gave a good chunk of that away.
Tax write-offs probably didn’t hurt.
I digress. It’s not a perfect
movie, but I still liked it. Didn’t
quite love it.
Warning:
controversial…
Here’s where it falls in my rankings (best to worst):
- –
- –
- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- Episode I: The Phantom Menace
- –
- Episode II: Attack of the Clones
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