flying is for Droids
I saw Revenge of The Sith last night at midnight PST. SPOILERS. SPOILERS. I'M NOT KIDDING. SPOILERS.
While drinking wine with one of my cousins back east, giggling, story telling and toasting, she was quick to point out "There's no such thing as retroactive abortion." A pearl which carries weight over into the entertainment industry and never quite made it to the lucasfilm camp. While Revenge Of the Sith is an epic installment for which i've waited 20 years, it falls short in offering a geek like me enough closure to move on past the star wars saga. I am tempted to explain it's lacking areas with what has now become standard lucasfilm practice; is there more material on the way within the next year? Without knowing for sure, I can only comment on the movie i saw and not the one lucas is sure to abort and recreate on a retroactive basis.
Of all the disappointments, the movie is still top notch in terms of animation and comic book action scenes. A thumbs up, but partially because i've been waiting for this movie since elementary school. In fact, i'm unsure if my upward thumb comes from a youthful love of the story itself or just a simple enjoyment of sci fi fantasy action flicks with B-level dialogue.
One glaring missed opportunity and royal disappointment in Revenge of The Sith is that of the Padme/ anakin skywalker story-line. Whereas Luke and Leia's mother could have represented a Galactic heroine, the natural mother to 2 freedom fighters, she is instead portrayed as subdued and average. It's true that in the first two episodes, Padme's personality exudes that of leia's mother. Even as a young girl, she's an intelligent spitfire of a queen, fostering revolutionary ideas for the betterment of a democratic galaxy in a state of peace and prosperity. Dodging negativity while remaining acutely knowledgeable and opinionated. However, her clandestine marriage to Anakin Skywalker and subsequent pregnancy have put her into a state of submission. In Revenge of The Sith, Padme is simply tame. Like the senate and general public, Padme hangs on the obviously evil sith lord, as he announces "the first galactic empire" during a state of chaos. Padme does have one good line "so this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause" - but the concept to which she alludes is quickly negated when anakin convinces her of a jedi plot against the republic. Her unfounded mistrust of Obi-Wan after her dubious observation paints Padme as a flat gullible sheep, while Obi-Wan points out the obvious link between the chancellor and "the sith lord we've been looking for." Suddenly Leia's personality in episodes 4, 5 and 6 are not in sync with the Padme who birthed her. Padme's subservience to the men around her subtracts from the potential story and character arc which are so crucial to the first trilogy (episodes 4, 5 and 6). In Episode 3, Padme believes (and heeds) everything Anakin tells her, her arc is barely a liberty bell curve. Revenge Of The Sith is lucas' worst portrayal of female prowess to date.
In addition to her regular expressions of fear, Padme rarely appears in scenes other than that of her home, waiting for Skywalker's return from a long day at work as a jedi. Her pregnancy is showing, yet her romance with Anakin has not yet been discovered. So as the Observer, somehow I'm supposed to suspend disbelief long enough to accept that in an enlightened galaxy, far far away, where a little green man named yoda speaks in convoluted clauses devoid of conjunctive morphemes, (bordering on broca's aphasia, he is) a pregnant woman who suddenly abandons her strength of character goes unnoticed. Without as much as a glimpse of Padme's life without Anakin, we observe her only as subservient. To then imply that her peers would not notice her intimate relationship with anakin is inconsistent with Padme's social role as told in episodes 1 & 2. And, like every tame woman, padme fosters fear to the point of self destruction.
While Revenge of The Sith abandons all hope for feminine strength, perhaps it is a lack of power-femininity which serves to perpetuate the ensuing rule of The Empire. Problem is, we'll never know.
Other Problems/ Feedback (some actually positive, i swear)
Overall, and this will get edited because that is how i operate, not unlike lucas i guess, i'll go with a thumbs up level grade of C for Revenge of The Sith. An average orgasm after years of foreplay. I was hoping to make love for at least 2 hours, but instead feel kind of like a piece of meat. i need a shower. but will definitely go back for more. why not.
While drinking wine with one of my cousins back east, giggling, story telling and toasting, she was quick to point out "There's no such thing as retroactive abortion." A pearl which carries weight over into the entertainment industry and never quite made it to the lucasfilm camp. While Revenge Of the Sith is an epic installment for which i've waited 20 years, it falls short in offering a geek like me enough closure to move on past the star wars saga. I am tempted to explain it's lacking areas with what has now become standard lucasfilm practice; is there more material on the way within the next year? Without knowing for sure, I can only comment on the movie i saw and not the one lucas is sure to abort and recreate on a retroactive basis.
Of all the disappointments, the movie is still top notch in terms of animation and comic book action scenes. A thumbs up, but partially because i've been waiting for this movie since elementary school. In fact, i'm unsure if my upward thumb comes from a youthful love of the story itself or just a simple enjoyment of sci fi fantasy action flicks with B-level dialogue.
One glaring missed opportunity and royal disappointment in Revenge of The Sith is that of the Padme/ anakin skywalker story-line. Whereas Luke and Leia's mother could have represented a Galactic heroine, the natural mother to 2 freedom fighters, she is instead portrayed as subdued and average. It's true that in the first two episodes, Padme's personality exudes that of leia's mother. Even as a young girl, she's an intelligent spitfire of a queen, fostering revolutionary ideas for the betterment of a democratic galaxy in a state of peace and prosperity. Dodging negativity while remaining acutely knowledgeable and opinionated. However, her clandestine marriage to Anakin Skywalker and subsequent pregnancy have put her into a state of submission. In Revenge of The Sith, Padme is simply tame. Like the senate and general public, Padme hangs on the obviously evil sith lord, as he announces "the first galactic empire" during a state of chaos. Padme does have one good line "so this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause" - but the concept to which she alludes is quickly negated when anakin convinces her of a jedi plot against the republic. Her unfounded mistrust of Obi-Wan after her dubious observation paints Padme as a flat gullible sheep, while Obi-Wan points out the obvious link between the chancellor and "the sith lord we've been looking for." Suddenly Leia's personality in episodes 4, 5 and 6 are not in sync with the Padme who birthed her. Padme's subservience to the men around her subtracts from the potential story and character arc which are so crucial to the first trilogy (episodes 4, 5 and 6). In Episode 3, Padme believes (and heeds) everything Anakin tells her, her arc is barely a liberty bell curve. Revenge Of The Sith is lucas' worst portrayal of female prowess to date.
In addition to her regular expressions of fear, Padme rarely appears in scenes other than that of her home, waiting for Skywalker's return from a long day at work as a jedi. Her pregnancy is showing, yet her romance with Anakin has not yet been discovered. So as the Observer, somehow I'm supposed to suspend disbelief long enough to accept that in an enlightened galaxy, far far away, where a little green man named yoda speaks in convoluted clauses devoid of conjunctive morphemes, (bordering on broca's aphasia, he is) a pregnant woman who suddenly abandons her strength of character goes unnoticed. Without as much as a glimpse of Padme's life without Anakin, we observe her only as subservient. To then imply that her peers would not notice her intimate relationship with anakin is inconsistent with Padme's social role as told in episodes 1 & 2. And, like every tame woman, padme fosters fear to the point of self destruction.
While Revenge of The Sith abandons all hope for feminine strength, perhaps it is a lack of power-femininity which serves to perpetuate the ensuing rule of The Empire. Problem is, we'll never know.
Other Problems/ Feedback (some actually positive, i swear)
- While Luke's emotions almost take him over to the dark side in Return of The Jedi, it is increasingly difficult to feel Anakin's pain in Revenge of The Sith. I'm not sure this is a dialogue problem as much as it is both a written and editorial problem - Anakin's transformation is rushed. With all the build in episodes 1 & 2 about Anakin's quest to invent machinery to help him cheat death, and emphasis on his engineering talents, Revenge of The Sith places him as a costumed Vader within 2 minutes. Suddenly he's in a black costume, his voice changes, he has breathing apparatus and some sort of electronic panel on his chest. We learn nothing about what this contraption does. All these fucking years - 20 plus years - and lucas leaves the geeks in the dark. Let us in on it, George!
- nice philosophy in this episode, which was largely missing in episodes 1 & 2. Multiple allusions to the role of fear and how it negatively affects the ability to know ourselves. Intuition is clouded by fear. Fear is a path to the dark side. Some levels of fear are healthy, but not stunting. Cheating Death is a dark concept while embracing death is the path toward enlightenment (the force). Yoda readily admits failure and indicates faith in the force by way of great patience and willingness to go into exile. The force is willing to endure suffering to reach peace, the dark side remains afraid of pain, contriving ways to avoid inevitability. Palpatine lures Anakin with a speech about cheating death. Anakin will later find out, when he "kills" Obi-Wan in episode 4, that indeed he could have learned how to harness the force even after death - Anakin just wasn't asking the right questions, and possibly not enough of them. One of my favorite lines only one day after the film's release: "Only a Sith deals in absolutes."
- And in true lucas retro-abortive form, an overt implication in The Empire Strikes Back acts as a segue to the entire plot of the star wars saga, and is ignored (and altered) in Episode 3. Obi-Wan does not know Luke and Leia are twins, as indicated by his comment to Yoda in Empire about Luke as "the only hope," To which Yoda replies "There is another." However, Lucas' latest ammendment shows Obi-Wan present at the birth of both Luke and Leia. Wouldn't he remember by the time Empire rolls around that Luke has a twin, and wouldn't his super-jedi-buddhist-psyche at least intuitively lead him to believe Leia was not in close proximity to Luke....? It's weak to ask this question as it's right there in front of us. As a kid i thought Obi-Wan didn't know about Leia. As an adult I find out he knew the whole time. Oh well. At least there's still American Graffitti.
- don't worry, jar jar doesn't speak. Revenge of The Sith relies on our old favorites, chewbacca, r2d2, a little 3po - but not a new insertion of comic relief fit for your happy meal. Nice use of abbot/ costello between Obi-Wan, Anakin and R2D2. Those old warm fuzzys came right back the minute i heard the word "wookie" and that's not just because Ralph Wiggum uses it well in an old simpsons episode.
- Any time Samuel L Jackson says anything, at anytime, he should follow it with "motherfucker."
Overall, and this will get edited because that is how i operate, not unlike lucas i guess, i'll go with a thumbs up level grade of C for Revenge of The Sith. An average orgasm after years of foreplay. I was hoping to make love for at least 2 hours, but instead feel kind of like a piece of meat. i need a shower. but will definitely go back for more. why not.
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