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More Thoughts on Revenge of the
Sith
Now that I have seen Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith for the third time, I have some further thoughts on the movie. While I enjoyed the move more the third time than the second time, and I loved it the first, there are more problems I discovered with the plot. Of course, yes, it is juuuust a movie as many would tell me. But still, I like talking about it. One thing I cannot understand is when the Empire made the transition (if they did at all of course is a matter of debate) to the non-clone army. Palpatine creates his army from that ocean-planet, I forget what it is called, in between Episode I and II; then, for what appears to be a matter of years, the great Clone Wars are fought between the forces of the Separatists, who seem to be capitalists, and the Republic. And then, as Episode III comes to a close, we see the Separatists crushed, their leaders murdered by Anakin at the Lava planet, and Imperial rule strongly put in place beyond question. There is the 20-odd year interregnum where the audience has no idea what takes place, and we return to the story when Princess Leia is trying to bring the stolen data tapes of the Death Star to Obi-Wan Kenobi and beseech that he return to help Senator Bail Organa in his fight against the Empire. The soldiers, however, in Episode IV A New Hope, seem not to be Clones. When Luke and Ben talk about the "Clone Wars" it is as if they are talking about something from a long time ago in that galaxy far, far away. It is ancient history. But one would think that the rebellion, which is in full swing, would still be considered part of a "Clone War" if clones were still part of the military in the Galactic Empire. While the armor of the stormtroopers in IV, V and VI is different from that of II and III, that does not necessarily mean the troopers of the latter trilogy aren't clones. Finally, there are plenty of uniformed soldiers in the latter trilogy who don't have helmets and are obviously not-clones. How did they come into the service of the Empire? How was their infrastructure so refined in a matter of two decades to create such a brutal, efficient, and loyal military industrial complex that spanned the galaxy? Another thing that bothered me is what happens in Episode IV. If you see the command structure, it is obvious that Grand Moff Tarkin out ranks Darth Vader. He actually has the audacity to order Vader to release that unruly officer who mocks the Force. Then, it is Tarkin who orders Alderaan destroyed; it is Tarkin who makes all command decisions when engaging the rebels. It is not until Episide V that Vader has total command over Imperial forces (which he *executes* at will). Why is it that a man so close to Palpatine in II and III, a man of such great power that Palpatine declares to Yoda will become more powerful than either of the greatest Jedi Masters of the day, is reduced to obeying a pasty British officer like Tarkin? Which brings me to another point. Why is it that Palpatine wants Anakin so bad? Why would he want a man with such Force potential that he admits the protégé will become more powerful than the mentor? Palpatine tells the story of Darth Plagus the Wise, obviously his own teacher, who was murdered because he taught Palpatine everything he knew. The result was Palpatine's treachery. And Anakin isn't short on treachery. He joins Palpatine to murder the Jedi and take over the galaxy...then he tries to convince Padme to join him to overthrow the Emperor...then he tries to convince Luke to join him to overthrow the Emperor. Then, in the end, he does off Palpatine when the Emperor is frying Luke with his lightning fingers. Palpatine must have a death wish. He would have been better off keeping Count Dooku, who was so obviously less powerful than Anakin and Palpatine, and who seemed to be loyal to the regime. And why does that officer insult Vader? Based on what happened in III, one would think that the Imperials would respect a Sith lord. They may not respect the Jedi, and think of them as ancient and weak because they were driven to extinction, but a Sith? How could any of these officers have the balls to question the power, and clairvoyance, of Darth Vader who is obviously close to the Emperor? Talk about your suicide wish. My final thought of the day on this is why is the military hardware of Episodes I - III so vastly superior to that of IV - VI? I know the movies were made years apart, and that has a lot to do with it. But if you look at the incredible marauding force that attacked Geonosis, or Kashyyk, or the fleet that battled over Coruscant, and then compare that to the unprotected Death Star (where was the fleet???), the paltry force that attacked Hoth (a few walkers compared to the devastating forces on Geonosis?), and the Imperial armada that lost at Endor (when the ships in III over Coruscant were so bad-ass with little flying killer droids and all?) The land battle at Endor was pathetic. There was no hardware, only a couple of small AT-ST walkers, and the so-called best troops of the Empire lost to an assault force of teddy-bear Ewoks. Obviously the Empire was a house of cards. |
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Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith....A Review
Revenge of the Sith, the final Star Wars installment, was the first of the prequels I did not see at a midnight showing. I never really enjoyed the midnight showings because of all the dressed up Leia's, Lukes, stormtroopers and Darths. There was too much noise, and I couldn't enjoy myself. So I went to a 10:00 AM show the next day; that show as well was packed, but not as rabidly. Bottom line: I loved Episode III. And yes, there were a few seemingly forced George Bush allusions, allusions which made absolutely no sense in terms of the plot...the lines actually betrayed the "goodness" of the Jedi. Would Jedis not speak in absolutes of good and evil? Could there really be "heroes" on both sides of a Galactic civil war where one side was made up of droids? Obviously the last shot was meant to say that the United States is not the "good guy" in the War on Terror. And when Anakin says "You're either with me, or you're my enemy", I guess I can see a Dark Jedi saying that...however, Bush never said that. And it's really what al-Qaeda and Osama's philosophy is (just look at all the Muslims that they have murdered). But getting beyond THAT, the movie really was great. It starts off with a fantastic, incredible battle over the City-planet of Coruscant. I used to think the Battle of Endor (the space part, not the teddy-bear Ewok part), could hardly be topped, but the opening sequence in Sith kicked ass. After Anakin and Obi-Wan "save" Chancellor Palpatine, the soon-to-be Emperor begins messing with Anakin's mind...filling his head with images of Padme's death as well as nightmares over his mother. Yes, there are strange plot-holes as usual; how could Padme not know she was having twins until she was giving birth? They don't go to doctors in this galaxy far, far away before they give birth? But the transformation of Anakin, while not as subtle as it could be, slowly transforms this once-good boy into military warlord and evil genius. Palpatine, who seems desperate to have an apprentice, slowly shows Anakin his true nature...that he is the Dark Lord of the Sith. Surprisingly, Anakin turns Palpatine in to the authorities, but then saves him while Mace Windu attempts to arrest the Chancellor. We all know that if he wanted to, Palpatine would have wiped the floor with Windu, but he needed to feign weakness so Anakin would strike and turn to the Dark Side. The scene where Windu gets murdered is actually quite troubling. Then we are witness to what amounts to Jedi genocide, where Order 66 is enacted, and all the Jedi across the galaxy, including the "younglings", are butchered. Only Yoda and Obi-Wan survive. I never understood why Palpatine needs an apprentice. In Return of the Jedi, he discards Vader easily in favor of Luke, who has the balls to reject the powerful Emperor. What is the purpose of this apprentice? Palpatine could rule the galaxy easily with his fleets and his armies of clones. Vader is a useful pawn, but he shows he isn't exactly the most loyal man in the world. First he betrays the Jedi, then he tells Padme he will betray Palpatine and rule the galaxy with his wife, then he tries to get Luke to join him and overthrow the Emperor in the Empire Strikes Back. I never understood that. The lightsaber battles are all top-notch. From Anakin and Obi-Wan's defeat of Count Dooku (who I must say dies very disappointingly for a Dark Jedi Master), to the finale duels of Anakin and Obi-Wan and Palpatine and Yoda, including Obi-Wan's duel with the four-saber swinging General Grevious, the fights are breathtaking. The dialog is better in Sith than in the previous prequels. It seems that Lucas finally started to get his sea-legs for movie writing...on the final of three movies. Too bad. The story is very wide ranging, and Lucas succeeds in encompassing it all efficiently. Even the acting of Portman and Christiansen, and even McGregor, are all improved. But it really is Emperor Palpatine, Ian McDiarmid, who steals the show. Palpatine is a cerebral politician, charismatic leader, and treacherous villain. McDiarmid plays him with skill, and depth. It's too bad the Emperor didn't have more of a role in the original trilogy, because now we won't really see him again, except for a small part in Empire Strikes Back, until Return of the Jedi. I am an avid Star Wars fan (though I don't go to the movies dressed as any character), and I really hope that the new rumored tv show comes to fruition. I also wish that someday Lucas will make a trilogy after Return of the Jedi. That would be a problem because the focus of the Star Wars story is really Anakin now, not Luke. Plus, much of the story has been fleshed out for decades after Jedi by the novels that have been written.
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My Star Wars Movie Ratings (Best First)... 1. A New Hope 2. The Empire Strikes Back 3. Revenge of the Sith 4. Return of the Jedi 5. Attack of the Clones 6. The Phantom Menace |
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Best Star Wars Double Entendres... 1. "Luke, at that speed will you be able to pull out in time?" --Wedge Antilles, in reference to Luke Skywalker's speed in his assault upon the emissions hole on the Death Star 2. "OK Kid now let's blow this thing and go home!" -- Han Solo, in reference to the aforementioned emissions hole on the Death Star 3. "Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper"? (NEW!) --Leia, to Luke 4. "You didn't see us in the South Passage, she expressed her true feelings for me." -- Han Solo again, in reference to his and Leia's love 5. "There's a secret entrance on the other side of the ridge." -- C-3PO in reference to the back door of the shield generator on Endor 6. "Get on top of it!" -- Han Solo, to Leia More to come................ |
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The Star Wars Drinking Game Drink When... ANYONE AND EVERYONE... Someone has a bad feeling about this
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