Fans, I think this time, the bearded wonder hit the nail on the head! Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith fills in all the gaps, treats the eyes and serves up the action solidly for 2 and a half hours.
First, I'm not gonna try to be funny like the pro-publications and make the ridiculous "you'll never guess who darth vader is" comment most articles I've read have. I'm also not gonna go "fanboy" and gush over the film like it's some kind of sci-fi cocaine addict. The movie is not without its problems, but as a fan I can say that this was the most satisfying Star Wars experience since Empire Strikes Back. Since most fans can't stand to have things revealed to them before they see it, I'll make things as vague as possible.
The clone wars have been raging for several years. Seperatists forces backed by the droid army and their leader, sinister alien / droid hybrid General Grievous are leading hit and run strikes against the clone army led by the Jedi of the republic. Most recently, Grievous has kidnapped the senate leader, chancellor Palpatine and is holding him aboard his heavily armed flagship. Obi-Wan Kenobi, now a general and an official Jedi Master has been given the task to hunt Grievous down, rescue Palpatine and come closer to discovering the true identity of the Sith master and the one behind the war. Anakin Skywalker, no longer a padawan learner, is quickly growing into his Jedi powers without necessarily learning the responsibility they come with.
Who cares about the plot though, right? Right, exactly, not us. After the all-too familiar title scroll the audience is propelled into space behind a couple of Jedi fighters dodging explosions and careening between opposing factions' massive capital ships as they bombard each other with ballistics. RotS combines the ground battles seen in Empire, the space dogfights seen in Jedi and the sword play not seen anywhere before. The film had humour in places both welcome and not and since the obligatory love story is central to Anakin's eventual fall to the Dark Side audiences are hammered with several gag inducing lines like "Anakin, you're breaking my heart" and an un-characteristic emotional outburst from the fully masked and caped Darth Vader.
Being the superfan of the franchise that I am, I was most impressed with the seamlessness with which this chapter ties into A New Hope, a film made over 20 years ago on a shoestring budget. The weapons, ships, locales and characters are all recognizable as precursors to the visual elements used in the original trilogy. My inner geek was screaming with joy when the Tantive IV left orbit and Senator Organa (Jimmy Smitts) marched through those familiar white hallways, the same halls that would eventually be the setting of Vader's first memorable entrance and those that would see Princess Leia's capture.
Probably the most talked about, but never seen, saber duel in cinematic history is finally put to film. Obi-Wan Kenobi versus Anakin Skywalker. The fight that explains Vader's need for the mask, breather and being more machine than man. It's a high intensity fight that lasts nearly 20 minutes. The combatants make use of their Force abilities as well, jumping to impossible heights or propelling their opponent away with a wave of a hand. My only real complaint was that many of the camera angles used were too close to really admire the choreography and stunt work that went into the fight. Often times, all you can see are the bright white blades striking each other and filling the screen. Still, it was very much worth the wait and blows away anything that has been done in any other Star Wars live action film.
After all is said and done, I still prefer the original trilogy, and i guess always will. It was a part of my childhood, a time when the special effects were a magic few people understood. In a way, I've dulled my own view of the movies, constantly looking for behind the scenes footage instead of trying to enjoy the ride. Revenge of the Sith doesn't send me back to the days of action figures and dart guns, but it still gave me a few chills and will guarantee my attendance to multiple shows over the next few weeks.
