Kevin Smith reviews Star Wars III by BlackoutNights

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Kevin Smith reviews Star Wars III

POSTED BY: BLACKOUTNIGHTS
UPDATED: Monday, May 9, 2005 06:44
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Thursday, May 5, 2005 8:51 AM

Pretty interesting. He raised my expectations, which may or may not be a good thing.

"SITH" SPOILERS

You've been warned...

Select to view spoiler:

- "Revenge of the Sith" is, quite simply, fucking awesome. This is the "Star Wars" prequel the haters have been bitching for since "Menace" came out, and if they don't cop to that when they finally see it, they're lying. As dark as "Empire" was, this movie goes a thousand times darker - from the triggering of Order 66 (which has all the Shock Troopers turning on the Jedi Knights they've been fighting beside throughout the Clone Wars and gunning them down), to the jaw-dropping Anakin/Obi Wan fight on Mustafar (where - after cutting his legs and arm off, Ben leaves Skywalker burning alive on the shores of a lava river, with Anakin spitting venomous sentiments at his departing mentor), this flick is so satisfyingly tragic, you'll think you're watching "Othello" or "Hamlet".

I saw a gorgeous digitally projected version of the flick, and lemme tell ya': this is a beautiful looking film. The opening space battle sequence is the best in any of the six "Star Wars" movies. Grievous and Kenobi's lightsaber duel is bad-ass, with Grievous rocking four sabers. The Clone Wars end rather early in the flick (about the halfway point), leaving the rest of the film to concentrate on Anakin's turn to the Dark Side, and the resulting slaughter of the Jedi.

Perfect example of how dark shit gets: remember the Younglings - the kid Jedis in training from "Clones"? As a result of Order 66, when Anakin invades the Jedi Temple with an army of Clone Troopers, he enters the Council room to find a gaggle of said younglings hiding behind the seats. They see Anakin and emerge, asking "What should we do, Master Anakin?" The query's met with a stone-cold Anakin firing up his lightsaber. The next time you see the kids, Yoda's sifting through their corpses on the floor.

Yes, it's just that dark - and rightfully so. This is the birth of Darth Vader we're talking about. The only comic moments in the flick are given to R2D2, and while good, they're all pretty few and far between; the order of the day is dark, dark, dark.

Ian McDiarmid and Ewan McGregor steal the show, but Hayden Christensen silences any naysayers who wrote him off as too whiney in "Clones". This is the flick that feels closest to Episodes 4, 5, and 6, because - for the first time since "Return of the Jedi" - there is a clear villain. And for all the shadow-play Palpatine has been upto in the last two flicks, his treachery is about as subtle as John Williams' score in "Sith." Whether he's slowly drawing Anakin toward the Dark Side during an opera/performance art piece with his promise of the Sith's power of life over death, or he's engaged in a balls-to-the-wall lightsaber duel in the Senate with Yoda, his "Little, green friend" (his words, not mine - which I kinda dug, because, interestingly, I think it's the first time anyone's acknowledged that Yoda is green in any of the "Star Wars" flicks), this is the Emperor's movie.

The last fifteen minutes dovetail nicely into Episode 4 (or just plain "Star Wars" for you non-geeks), and the movie is full of link-up moments as well.

- At flick's end, Threepio and Artoo are given to Captain Antilles (with the caveat that the Protocol's memory be wiped).

- The twins, natch, are split up. Leia heads to Alderann with Bail Organa, and Obi Wan hands Luke over to Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru (indeed, the closing shot is Owen holding Luke while looking out over the setting suns of Tatooine - mimicking the shot of the adult Luke doing the same in "Star Wars", complete with callback cue from Williams).

- After he succumbs to the Dark Side, Anakin tries to convine Padme that he can overthrow Palpatine, and together, he and Padme can rule the galaxy as husband and wife.

- Vader and the Emperor stand beside a younger Grand Moff Tarkin on the bridge of a Star Destroyer, overlooking the earliest construction stage of the Death Star.

- Yoda telling Obi Wan that, as he heads to Tatooine to hand over Luke and go into exile, that he should spend his time learning to commune with those who've crossed over to the next stage of life, as Yoda maintains he's been doing with Qui Gon (and Ben will later do with both Luke and Yoda, in "Empire" and "Jedi").

- And, hands-down, the best link-up to "Star Wars" moment that I enjoyed the most: Bail Organa and Yoda stepping into the hallway of the Rebel Blockade Runner that opened "Star Wars". Unlike all the high-tech CGI wizardry of the rest of the prequel Trilogy, this is a low-tech looking set, right out of circa '77, and for some reason, it really captured my imagination. I mean, this is the same exact hallway in which we got our first look at Vader, oh so many years ago, and I appreciated the hell out of Mr. Lucas including it - because it really felt like a nod to the hardcores.

Look, this is a movie I was genetically predisposed to love. I remember being eight years old, and reading in "Starlog" that Darth Vader became the half-man/half-machine he was following a duel with Ben Kenobi that climaxed with Vader falling into molten lava. Now, twenty six years later, I finally got to see that long-promised battled - and it lived up to any expectation I still held. I was sad to see the flick end, but happy to know it's not the end of the "Star Wars" universe entirely (I've read stuff about a TV show...).

"Sith" doesn't happen; "Sith" rules.

"When the trouble come down there ain't gonna be no dancing; there ain't gonna be no romancin',; there's only gonna be running."—Shawn Smith.

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Thursday, May 5, 2005 9:13 AM

SHINEY

Mmmmmmmm, I am awaiting Jedi Masacre yumminess. I'm sorry but I just can't be a Jedi if it means that I'm like a monk. Cuz I got my urges baby.

"Oh My God It's Grotesque! Oh And There's Something In A Jar."

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Thursday, May 5, 2005 10:43 AM

SIGMANUNKI

Quote:
Originally posted by BlackoutNights:

Pretty interesting. He raised my expectations, which may or may not be a good thing.

If history is any indicator, it is a very very bad thing. Time will tell though.

----
"Canada being mad at you is like Mr. Rogers throwing a brick through your window." -Jon Stewart, The Daily Show

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Thursday, May 5, 2005 11:11 AM

FRSCPE1

Let it affect your opinion on the review however you want but, Kevin Smith has also signed on to write/direct three episodes of the new Star Wars tv show. With this, I really doubt he would have said that the movie was anything but great.

"Well, other than being shot at by the Electric Mayhem, I'm fantastic."

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Thursday, May 5, 2005 11:59 AM

RKLENSETH

Definitely conflict of interests involved.

Oh, and play Cantr II at www.cantr.net.

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Thursday, May 5, 2005 12:10 PM

GWENHARKER

They're making a tv show? Uhmmmmm... Joss? Where are you!

Maybe this will lead to Kevin Smith being able to do the Prequal spoof. He mentioned his desire to do so on the Dogma commentary.

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Thursday, May 5, 2005 12:13 PM

SIGMANUNKI

Quote:
Originally posted by frscpe1:

Let it affect your opinion on the review however you want but, Kevin Smith has also signed on to write/direct three episodes of the new Star Wars tv show. With this, I really doubt he would have said that the movie was anything but great.

Truth be told, I never read his review (I like to go in fresh). But then again, I never claimed to. All I said was that if it does raise expectations then it's a very bad thing. And even if it doesn't, or even if it lowers expectations, history tells that even then, disappointment will follow.

Rklenseth put it perfectly though, definitly a conflict of interest.

Quite frankly, the only reason why I'll see this one, is b/c I've already invested a lot of time in the series and want to see how this all ends.

----
"Canada being mad at you is like Mr. Rogers throwing a brick through your window." -Jon Stewart, The Daily Show

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Thursday, May 5, 2005 2:16 PM

MACBAKER

Quote:
Originally posted by frscpe1:
Kevin Smith has also signed on to write/direct three episodes of the new Star Wars tv show.

That's a completely unfounded rumor. According to better sources, this series is only in the earliest of planning stages. A writers bible hasn't been written yet, no casting has occurred, and no sets have been built. Seems like George would be putting the cart before the horse, signing a director before any real preproduction is even underway. On a movie maybe, but on a series, directors aren't hired until there's somethin to shoot.

If you're going to dismiss Kevin's review, dismiss it because he's an admitted Star Wars fanboy, not because of some wild rumor!

The fact is, Yes Kevin is a diehard Star Wars fan. Big surprise! Just watch any of his films for Star Wars references! Even so, I think Kevin is right. There are always going to be naysayers, but I think this final prequel is going to be MUCH better than the last two! This is the big payoff film, fans have been waiting for, and if the buzz is any indication, this movie will deliver!

I know I'll go see both Star Wars III and Serenity. It's not a competition! I can like both (though I'll probably see Serenity more than once)!

I'd given some thought to movin' off the edge -- not an ideal location -- thinkin' a place in the middle.

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Thursday, May 5, 2005 2:26 PM

FRSCPE1

Sorry, I thought it had been confirmed, should have checked before I wrote it. And I do hope that this movie is good, I just don't want to get my hopes up again by reading these fanboy reviews.

"Well, other than being shot at by the Electric Mayhem, I'm fantastic."

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Thursday, May 5, 2005 2:44 PM

SERGEANTX

I keep hearing good things. I hope it pans out. The last couple kinda stung. They ought to go out with a bang!

SergeantX

"Dream a little dream or you can live a little dream. I'd rather live it, cause dreamers always chase but never get it." Aesop Rock

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Sunday, May 8, 2005 11:05 AM

CHRISISALL

Just bring wads of gorram kleenex- it ain't gonna be nice.

Already feel bad for the twins Chrisisall

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Sunday, May 8, 2005 11:15 AM

HOWDYROCKERBABY1

Quote:
Originally posted by SigmaNunki:
Quote:

"Canada being mad at you is like Mr. Rogers throwing a brick through your window." -Jon Stewart, The Daily Show

You have the best signature ever. Just thought you out to know.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Early: I only hurt people because they keep getting in the way of me finding you. Tell her.
Simon: What am I? Your advocate?
Early: You are starting now.
Simon: He's really very...gentle...and fuzzy. We're becoming fast friends.
Early: You folks are all insane.
Simon: Well, my sister's a ship. We had a complicated childhood.

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Monday, May 9, 2005 6:44 AM

SIGMANUNKI

Quote:
Originally posted by howdyrockerbaby1:

You have the best signature ever. Just thought you out to know.

Thanks

----
"Canada being mad at you is like Mr. Rogers throwing a brick through your window." -Jon Stewart, The Daily Show

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