Revenge of the Sith, Return of the Lessons
It’s been such a long time that I had almost forgotten why I liked the original Star Wars, why I was drawn to those movies. Why I still want to watch the original trilogy, why I like them far better than current movies that have a thousand times better special effects.
Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi taught lessons of determination, self sacrifice, patience, responsibility, and balance. They taught these lessons as parables, as myths, with cool heroes, neat space ships and an engaging storyline.
For the same reasons, I really, really, really liked Revenge of the Sith. (When I watch it again, and if it grows better on me and I find more depth to it, I will say that I love it, but not yet.)
I should also like to call this movie Episode 3, because there isn’t as much revenge or sith in this one as there is an explanation of why things became what they became. Its purpose is to serve as an overture to the original trilogy, and it absolutely succeeds in this. It explains, clarifies, and gives meaning to what we are already familiar with. And it does it with respect, nobility, and a return to the operatic feeling of what Star Wars should be.
Return of Memorable Dialogue
“Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is. Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.”
Of course this is Yoda talking. Or Joseph Campbell. Or the Dalai Lama. There are about a dozen moments of this kind of dialogue where I thought to myself, “Thank God George Lucas resurrected his mentors.” Here’s another:
“What if the democracy we thought we were serving no longer exists, and the Republic has become the very evil we have been fighting to destroy?”
That’s Padme talking, finally some good lines for Natalie Portman. In terms of politics, some reviews have mentioned that Lucas threw in some social commentary in this film, to reflect what is happening now in the world, just as he injected some social commentary in the original trilogy to reflect the Vietnam War. If I were to summarize what I learned regarding government in this movie:
Beware the society that easily accepts generalizations or absolutes, that makes quick decisions based on fear or incomplete knowledge, that concedes total power to a handful of men.
Return of Swashbuckling
The action scenes in this movie DANCED, with a choreography that had meaning and intent. They just didn’t throw a million spaceships at each other. Especially in the opening action sequence, the camera focused on specific points of interest and told its own story visually. There is also an originality to the dogfights and space battles that makes this movie stand out on its own. In comparison to the swap meet lightsaber duels in Attack of the Clones, the Jedi weapon in this movie is treated with more respect and meaning. After temporarily losing his lightsaber and being forced to use a laser pistol, Obi-Wan throws away the gun and comments, “How uncivilized…”
In addition to the swashbuckling style of the original trilogy, there are many many shots and sets that will remind you of the original trilogy, strengthening the connection of this movie to the original trilogy.
Return of Purpose and Balance
The previous two movies, Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, seemed as if they weren’t really leading anywhere. Episode 3, from the opening shot, had a purpose, whether it is to explain how Anakin was gradually drawn to the dark side, or how Chancellor/Emperor Palpatine rose to power, or how Obi-Wan literally became a lynchpin in this whole saga. It is both amazing and wonderful to see the ancestry of Luke and Leia, and you can feel it in this movie.
There is also a great balance, especially in the last act, where Anakin becomes Darth Vader while Padme gives birth to the twins. This, in my opinion, is where George Lucas got my respect back. The combination of John Williams’ score with how this last sequence was shot and edited…it’s as good as the best scenes in The Empire Strikes Back. Now that I think about it, I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s the Star Wars version of Yin and Yang. You’ll have to see the sequence for yourself. It’s that good.
Return of Mythology
Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones were convoluted and littered with unnecessary nomenclature and blah-blah, and tried to explain and objectify every aspect of the Star Wars universe. The previous movies tried too much to describe things that were better left indescribable. I hated most the fact that they gave a name, midichlorians (blech), to those things that caused the Force. Metaphorically, a life that is convoluted and littered with unnecessary nomenclature and blah-blah, details that lead nowhere, and tries to explain and objectify every aspect of itself, is closer to hollow than a life filled with ideals and purpose.
In Episode 3, the Force is treated as more ethereal again, more elusive, less easy to grasp. Just like patience, fortitude, self sacrifice, and balance, the movie teaches that these things are harder to come by but worth the effort, and the darker things like anger, fear, and vengeance, are, to quote Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back, “Easier, more seductive.”
There are many lessons that I rediscovered while watching this movie, and I hope that when I see it again I will rediscover more. As detailed as it is, in some ways the movie is unpolished, even raw, like the original trilogy, and I think that’s good. George Lucas kept some things imperfect, kept some things untold, kept some things unadorned. Because of this, the movie is closer to the spirit of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. The movie is closer to why I fell in love with Star Wars in the first place.
It has been a long time since I said this and meant it:
May the Force be with you.