Fantastic Prequel or Flawed Sequel?
Hey Guys,
Welcome back to the lab! Hope you are all keeping well and safe.
Now here at the lab, we are big Star Wars fans (I mean who isn't right?). Some of the films have been amazing, some… less so. So today on Let's Talk About… We thought we would go back and speak about an episode that some consider to be a masterpiece and others consider a shambles (With our opinion right at the end).
That's right. We're talking Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith. Let’s get into it.
Star Wars Episode 3 was released in May 2005. It was the third and final film in the prequel trilogy and the final Star Wars film to be helmed by George Lucas. Starring Hayden Christiensen, Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman (Amongst others) it was released to fairly positive reviews at the time. With critics saying it was a large improvement over the first two prequel films. But does that mean it's a good film from a fan's perspective?
Well… yes but to an extent.
Now by no means is this a perfect film, but it's still strong and by far the strongest of the three prequel movies. It has strong performances all round and great story moments. The film starts with an epic space battle, Obi Wan and Anakin Skywalker have to battle the skies to get to a to save Chancellor Palpatine. Immediately this film throws you into the action and asks the audience to keep up with the pace. It's a strong opening, allowing us to see our heroes in the middle of a mission and being able to see how they handle it.
Yet it's after the first act where the movie starts to falter, once the mission is over the audience get many scenes of people in a room and talking politics, which isn't very exciting. The middle act deals with Obi Wan having to go alone on a mission and Anakin, well being a baby about it. For me, the middle act is the weakest in the film. You don't feel much tension or excitement from it, you’re instead waiting for the film to get to the third act to start seeing Anakin's descent into Darth Vader. It also doesn't help that Lucus primarily uses greenscreens in this film instead of using practical sets.
The use of GreenScreens in these films are effective and smart. There's no denying that fact, being able to create anything without needing to have the physical set on paper seems like a good idea. That doesn't mean it works, if anything it's the opposite. There are many scenes where the viewer is taken away from what is happening because it is clear that the scene is heavily relying on CGI and it doesn't work. It just takes away from the authenticity of this world. The use of a mixture of Practical sets and CGI (Like in the sequels) would have worked far much better.
What does work (For us) is the Final Act and its performances. The final act focuses on the descent of Anakin Skywalker and the rise of Darth Vader. Not only does Anakin kill Mace Windu, but he also helps the chancellor (Revealed to be Darth Sideous) to commit Order 66. The wiping of the Jedi Order. This scene is one of the strongest not just in this movie, but in Star Wars. Anakin walking up the Jedi Temple steps, Clones behind him and then cutting to a montage of the fall of the Jedi is emotional and powerful. It works, whatever your stance on the Jedi may be, you can't help but feel sorry for them. Seeing them killed one by one is heartbreaking. Especially since the score for this scene (Aswell as the film) is so powerful.
John Willaims once again returned to compose for the film, and makes one of the strongest soundtracks in the franchise. His use of the score helps to heighten the emotions throughout the movie. With tracks such as ‘Battle of the Heroes’ and ‘Anakin Vs Obi-Wan’ the viewers are fully gripped into the movie. The score for this film is truly a masterclass.
Now it would be remiss of me to speak about this film and not mention the final battle between Obi-Wan & Anakin. Starting off with a confrontation between Anakin and Padme, this is where we get to see the characters such as Padme and Obi-wan react to what Anakin has done, yet they still hold onto hope and try to redeem him. They anxiously try to get through to him yet its to no avail. As a child, this scene was everything. It felt like my childhood up until that point had been building to that moment. The acting, the story, the score. It all builds to that moment. Whilst the fight itself does feel very choreographed that doesn't mean that it isnt effective for hardcore fans.
Kudos should be given to the cast of this final act, in particular those of McGregor and Christensen. For me these are the two standouts of this film and the fact they are both returning for the Obi-Wan limited series is very exciting indeed. The film culminates with Obi-Wan winning the battle and a heartfelt speech about him being like a brother. The heartbreak in McGregor's voice whilst also having the hatred and anger from Christensen only heightens how good a performance they are giving in this final act. Just because I highlighted the final act in particular doesn't mean they are awful in the rest of the film, but there are moments that are questionable when paired alongside the use of CGI (Such as the Balcony Scene between Anakin and Padme).
The film does finish in a way that perfectly leads to A New Hope, With Vader being reborn to how we know him to look, and Obi-Wan watching over Luke on Tattoine. The ending of the film is great and helps to finish a strong final act (Except for Darth Vaders "Nooooo").
For me personally, I do enjoy this film a lot, whilst it is not the strongest film ever made, that does not make it enjoyable. The use of story moments and soundtrack help to make this film the strongest of the three prequel films. It is the heavy use of CGI and some lines of dialogue that let it down.
7.5/10.
There we have it, another lookback!
What do you think? Do you agree or Disagree?
Until the next post,
Stay Safe, Look out for each other,
Harry x