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Episode 3 wasn't as bad as 1 or 2. But it was in no way as good as Empire. No matter what some reviews said. After thirty-odd years, you would think that he could at least come up for a worthy end for his series, but apparently he just couldn't. There are some good bits to this film, but mostly, it's just more of the same, and quite painful to watch.
The Tie-fighter-like ships at the beginning bugged me, but the scenes on the ship were good until Duku appeared. I really expected more from that sequence, but it was so flat. I did like the end of the fight, with Palpatine egging Ani to kill Duku, and Duku's shocked look. You could almost see him saying "but master..." Very Luke/Vader in Jedi, really. I liked the ship plunging towards the planet, and the fact that General Grievous escaped. Sliding down the elevator chute when the ship righted itself was good...different. :)
The Padme/Ani stuff didn't bug me as much this time round. Still wasn't great, though this time it was her that bugged me more than him. Like the second she decided she loved him, she turned into this whiny, clingy, boring person who had no other life beyond him. yeesh. Oh, and she was so not big enough to be pregnant with full-term twins (and both of those babies were definitely full-term). They should have been tiny.
I did think that Ani's journey was a lot less whiny this time round. He actually seemed confused, and it felt to me like he was trying to work it out, at least. The scene with him thanking Ben before he left to get rid of Grievous was excellent, particularly since the next time they saw each other, they were on opposite sides. And his turning was near-perfect, actually. Sam Jackson did a great job of playing both sides of what was going on. Both that he was honestly trying to get rid of a threat to their way of life, and someone who had gone a bit too far over the edge and was trying to kill a community leader. I could see Ani struggling with the ideas he'd been fed from both sides, and trying to come to a decision. Well done, really. Still a bit wooden, but better than most Ani scenes in Clones. You can almost feel the sorrow of the realization that if they'd just trusted Ani a bit more, things would have gone the other direction. There was real horror in his face when he realized Palpatine was Sideous. He would have helped them if they had arrested the man. But Windu and the rest of the council are so blinded by what "must be done" that they just don't get it.
The scenes in the temple were the only thing that was touching enough to make me cry in this film. I cried at the end, but that was because it was over, and I was feeling emotional from realizing the future Luke and Leia had to look forward to. Ani activating his lightsaber after the kid asks him what they should do... So dark.
The confrontation between Ani, Amidala and Ben was perfect. Shows the true problem with "just doing it for the knowledge." You might be, but the knowledge isn't positive or pure, and it changes you. As does killing. It becomes a habit, and you forget your true intentions. I liked him choking the life out of Padme, very fitting. And the scenes between he and Ben were perfect. They played off each other well. The fight left a bit to be desired, but the finale was perfect. No big, "oops, I left my padawan in a lake of boiling lava...oh, well..." His warning to Ani not to do it, and that flash of lightsaber when he jumped were perfect. Gruesome, but perfect. And the best touch? Ben taking his lightsaber as he left.
The rescue and resurrection of Ani was perfect. And Palpatine telling him he'd killed Padme was excellent. I liked the idea that he couldn't even recall what he'd done. Him having a fit about it and pulling free of the restraints was good, though it was hard to get much emotion from that suit. Only to be expected, but I had to say it. The Padme dying scenes were stupid. I hated them. She should have been in a coma for the entire thing, and hence unable to name the children. She was certainly far too coherent at the end there when she did. And she said the names like they meant something. What was that about? I wanted more from her side of the story. I felt ripped-off. I wanted to see her interacting with Bail, and a lot more interaction with Ben. Emotional connections. Plans. Something.
I liked the Wookie planet, and the fact that we saw Chewbacca (I knew it had to be him, but I wasn't sure until Yoda called him by name), and I'm quite glad there was no little Han, thankyouverymuch. Yoda really kicked ass this time. He was perfect. And Order 66? Eerily perfect. Though I did get a bit sick of Yoda's reactions each and every time...
The dialogue? Who did he hire to write this? A six-year-old? Just made me want to tear my hair out. Not like he couldn't have afforded a good writer by now. However, I was pleased that Jar Jar had no lines, at least.
As I said in the section about Ani's downfall, the point where I got all emotional was the moment they showed Alderaan. I've been waiting to see it for thirty years. And it was beautiful. I really would have preferred a very different story here, as I seem to recall reading in the Jedi novelization that Leia knew her mother (but I could be imagining things...), and I would have liked to see Bail/Padme, even if one-sided. I think she was a strong enough character before they were married. And it wouldn't have been that difficult to save her, but let Ani think she was dead... Watching Leia and Luke with their respective adopted parents just made me bawl. By the last shot, I had tears streaming down my face, knowing what they had waiting for them in the future. Just so sad.
Oh, and the "training" Yoda sets for Ben? That seemed a bit too contrived to me. I mean, I get that Lucas was trying to connect that to the "Jedi ghost" thing in the original three, but come on...
Anyway, ultimate feeling on this? I needed to see it in the theatre, but just the once. Maybe I'll get lucky, and it'll age well. Not that I really believe that.
4/10
