Revenge of the Sith

Almost 30 years ago, my friend Bal dragged me to see a movie in Westwood that I hadn't heard anything about. It was Star Wars, just a couple days after it opened. The movie started, and it had me from the get-go. Moving music. Effective sound effects. Dazzling graphics. Humor. Droids. Jawas. Hyperspace. Cantina. Flying cars. Aliens. It had everything I could possibly want, and more. But what it really had, was heart. Luke Skywalker. He was every kid who ever looked at the stars and thought, "I want to go there!"

Sure, there was the rebellion, and the Death Star, and Darth Vader, but the real story was the coming of age of Luke Skywalker. Lucas followed the Heroes Journey, taught to him by the master himself, Joseph Campbell.

Alas, Joseph Campbell is gone, and so is the heart of Star Wars.

Revenge of the Sith is an incredible feat of moviemaking. Stunning graphics and action. Familiar music and sound effects. The nostalgia of seeing the events that led up to Luke Skywalker's story. But no heart. Great moviemaking, but not great storytelling.

Star Wars followed Luke Skywalker. You identified with him, wanted to be him, saw the universe through his eyes. Revenge of the Sith doesn't have that.

Revenge of the Sith jumps around, from the Emperor, to Anakin, to Obi-wan, to points here and there. There's no one character that I cared to identify with. Watching Anakin's fall from grace is like watching a wound fester. You know what's going to happen, and it's not pretty.

Can't Lucas afford someone who can write dialogue? Can't he find a story doctor? It didn't even have any of the great lines that the first trilogy had. I've seen Lucas eating at the mall a couple of times, and I just wanted to sit down across from him and ask, "What were you thinking?" But I never do.

Nonetheless, it's not a boring movie. It's just not a captivating movie. Not a moving movie. It has plenty of eye candy, and humor, and action, and lots of moments that make you go, "Ah ha! That's how that came about." I liked seeing Obi-wan picking up Vader's fallen light saber, knowing what its destiny was to be.

So, overall, I found it to be better than the last two movies, but not as good as the original trilogy. If you enjoyed Star Wars, though, it's worth watching to get the backstory to Star Wars. See it on the big screen.


Blog Tag: Reviews