I'm not sure even another decade will make it worth rewatching this again. There are a few nice bits, but, like chocolate chips sprinkled in a past-its-expiry-date casserole from the bowels of the fridge, it's too little against the wobbly plot, crappy dialog, and bad acting by (and/or direction of) Hayden Christensen (primarily, though not exclusively).
Full review: http://letterboxd.com/three_star_dave/film/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-of-the-sith/
I blame the cynicism and sense of decline in America squarely on our societal disappointment in the Prequels. 'Nuff said.
Score: 1 star out of 5
Bonus Episode III links (to wash that taste out of your mouth):
– Honest Trailers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l5eZp8Ae9c
– How It Should Have Ended: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2ScVx4mRDE
I happened to be in California when this came out. Google booked out the multiplex on Shoreline for midnight screenings. I remember coming out afterwards and commenting something like "well, I was really happy when it ended". Dreadful movie.
This is an a interstellar civilisation with incredibly advanced technology, and one of its principal citizens goes psychotic and perverts the entire government because he's worried his wife will die in childbirth? Really?
+Colm Buckley That aspect of it didn't upset me so much — people have done pretty nasty things for far less justifiable reasons. Anakin was already damaged goods from his mom's death (and his abandonment of her, and his vengeance-taking over her death), so reacting to perfectly legit nightmares / visions of her death (esp. if Palpatine is sending said visions) … seems plausible. Ish.
Now, why Anakin wasn't diagnosed with PTSD by the Jedi and removed from active duty is quite another question.
(If the question is, why does anyone die of childbirth in such an advanced society, esp. if they're on the capital world in a freaking penthouse suite — well, (a) visions, and (b) wonder how many deaths of that sort Anakin grew up with as a slave on the backwater planet of Tatooine.)
Fair points, sir. I've seen the movie exactly once, so might be missing some nuance.
Well, I've now seen it, it appears, exactly twice. But much more recently.
(Really, as far as I can tell, +Margie Kleerup saw it in a deserted theater a week or two after release; I subsequently bought a used copy of the DVD (hence the scratches that cause a couple of minor scenes to drop out) for $5, and haven;t watched it since then until last night. Though there was a fair amount of discussion of it at that time.)
Tangential to your point is why it was a mystery that Padme was pregnant with twins. I mean, that seems right up the Force-detecting alley, or, failing that, precisely the kind of detail that Galactic Republic medicine on Coruscant should have been able to detect. My only assumption — and maybe part of the cause of Anakin's nightmares — is that she didn't dare actually see a doctor for any pre-natal care because she and Anakin would then be found out (handwaving plot complications — as a Senator the paparazzi would be on her tail; it's mentioned that it would be enough of a scandal that she would be forced to step down from that post; the Jedi are probably monitoring her; galaxy-wide medical records are prone to hacking; she has no doctor or medical droid she can trust in Corsuscant, hence her wanting to return to Naboo to give birth).
So if she's eschewing any pre-natal examination or care, then that might add to Anakin's paranoia over complications that aren't being easily checked and dealt with already by Republic medical care.
Great review, and you touched on what is probably my number one complaint. Amidala began as a very strong character in the first movie. In the second one, she was still kick-butt when she had to be but spent way too much time flashing lovestruck eyes at Anakin in what has to be the most unbelievable relationship ever. In the third film, it was almost like she was a different character.
Also, regarding the droid mind-wipe, I've decided, in my own mind-canon, that R2-D2, for whatever reason, didn't have his memory erased. He just seemed to know too much in A New Hope. Sure, he was told to deliver a message to Kenobi but he seemed very certain about where the old Jedi hermit was, heading off in just the right direction.
Of course, I also believe he sent out invisible microwave beams (or something similar) and fried that poor red droid so he wouldn't get separated from C-3PO.
+Marty Shaw The treatment of Padme is just awful. The only thing I can think of is that her dear friend and fellow Nabooan (Nabooite?), Palatine, visits her often and clouds her mind so that she doesn't interfere with his plans for Anakin.
There may well be a reason why R2 was the one sent off to contact Kenobi.
The extended ownership of Threepio and Artoo is sometimes nonsensical in the movies, but it would make perfect sense for Bail Organa to know the special relationship that both droids had with Padme, and for Leia to know about it as well. After all, there's also clearly a reason that Capt Antilles kept them around for the last couple of decades.
I'm impressed – you almost never (maybe never ever) give out 1 star reviews, but you certainly saved it for the right target.
R2 was very specifically not mind-wiped. "Have this protocol droid's mind wiped" is the line.
Only R2-D2 and Chewbacca have been around for the whole arc, and Chewbacca only peripherally (he helps Yoda escape Order 66).
+Doyce Testerman On the "good guy" side, at least.
+Doyce Testerman Looking at Letterboxd the other day, the only other movie I've given 1 star to is "Battleship" (2012).