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 Verfasst am: 09 Mai 2005 23:24 Titel: "Star Wars - Revenge of the Sith" |
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Ich habe mir am Sonntag die Episoden 1 und 2 der neuen "Star Wars"-Trilogie angeschaut, um mich auf das Finale mit "Star Wars - Revenge of the Sith" einzustimmen. Hat nicht ganz geklappt, denn die beiden Filme sind einfach ziemlisch schlecht. Es ist jetzt 'ne lange Zeit her, daß ich sie das letzte Mal gesehen habe, aber bei jedem Mal rege ich mich mehr darüber auf. Die alten Filme liebe ich dafür aber umso mehr.
Trotzdem bin ich auf das Finale gespannt, auch wenn ich wirklich nicht viele Erwartungen habe. Jetzt habe ich aber eben entdeckt, daß Bill Hunt von TheDigitalBits am 6. Mai 2005 schon eine Kritik zum Film geschrieben hat. Das hört sich ja doch mal ein bißchen interessanter an, als bei den anderen beiden Filmen. Allerdings hat er Episode 1 noch ein "C" und Episode 2 ein "C+" gegeben.
| Zitat: | Well, it seems that I promised you another film review today, didn't I? Let's get right to it then.
I have seen Episode III.
I can't tell you how strange it is to finally be able to say that. Like many of you out there, Star Wars was the film that first ignited my imagination back in 1977, and awakened in me a life-long interest in the cinema. And like many of you, I've been waiting 28 years for the Star Wars experience to be complete. I'm just so... well, it's hard to describe what I'm feeling right now. It's a very bittersweet thing. I've seen the last Star Wars film ever, and it feels somehow as if a major chapter of my life - one that in many ways has defined it - has closed. I know a lot of you are going to feel the same way come May 19th.
It's well after Midnight as I'm writing this. I'd planned to get this review up early yesterday evening, but my mind has been spinning all day, thinking about and absorbing and processing what I've seen. Honestly, far more powerful than Episode III itself could ever be, is simply the experience of finally seeing it. It's frankly going to require many weeks, and many more screenings of this film, before I really have any kind of perspective on it. But I promised you a review, so I'm going to give it my level best. I'll tell you one thing, silly though it may sound to some: This is probably the hardest film review I've ever had to write.
I'm going to describe the basic plot of Episode III in the paragraphs that follow, but because I know that many of you want to be unspoiled when you go into the theater on the 19th, I'll refrain from posting any major plot revelations. If you're a long-time Star Wars fan, and you already know the basic premise of Revenge of the Sith, you'll be fine reading this review. The rest of you should just click away now, and we'll see you back here on Monday. Believe me, I understand.
For those of you still with me... here goes:
It's been three years since the events of Episode II, and the Clone Wars have ravaged the galaxy. Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi have become legendary heroes of the conflict, having led the Republic's clone legions in many successful campaigns against the vast droid armies of the Separatists.
After a particularly fierce battle over Coruscant in which the cunning commander of the enemy forces, General Grievous, narrowly escapes, Anakin and Obi-Wan return to the capitol and learn that while the Jedi are spread precariously thin across the galaxy, the war seems to be turning in their favor. Despite this, however, the Senate continues to vote Chancellor Palpatine ever greater emergency powers, raising serious concerns among the Jedi Council.
Meanwhile, Anakin reveals to his secret wife, Padmé, that he's struggling to remain on the Jedi path. Despite the guidance of his friend and mentor, Obi-Wan, Anakin is having difficulty containing his ambitions. Soon after learning that Padmé is pregnant, he's plagued by nightmares of her death. Afraid of losing his love as he once lost his mother, Anakin becomes desperate... and vulnerable. Little does he know, the Dark Lord of the Sith is about to emerge from the shadows to complete a diabolical plan a thousand years in the making - a plan that will pit friend against friend, transform Republic into Empire... and forge Anakin's ultimate destiny.
I'll say it right now, I think most of you are going to really dig this film. As you've no doubt already heard, Revenge of the Sith is far darker and more intense than either of the two films that preceded it. It starts out with a bang, in an absolutely amazing sequence of edge-of-your-seat action and CG effects, then slows down for a time as the story's various levels of character and political intrigue begin evolving to their inevitable resolution. Thankfully, about halfway in, things start to really hit the fan and the tension builds almost exponentially until the film's final moments. What really makes Episode III work is its strong emotional thru-line. This is not a happy story, but Lucas has finally managed to make you connect with, and feel for, his characters in a visceral way. As one tragic set of events after another unfolds, it's very easy as a viewer to get caught up in the drama.
It also certainly helps that the second half of this film is NOTHING but the stuff we've all been waiting years to see. Lucas has hinted in past interviews at just how it was that Anakin came to be transformed into the formidable Darth Vader that we're all familiar with. Now you'll finally get to see that happen. Phantom and Clones were mere appetizers to this film (and they're actually diminished, I think, by comparison). Sith gives us, at long last, the main course of the prequel trilogy's backstory.
The acting is better in Episode III almost across the board. Gone is Hayden Christensen's occasional awkwardness as Anakin in the last film. Here he only has to brood and glower, but he does it well indeed. Natalie Portman (Padmé) and Ian McDiarmid (Palpatine) finally get to emote rather than just standing around in Kabuki apparel delivering flat dialogue about trade sanctions and executive orders. But the real stand-out of this film is Ewan McGregor, who absolutely nails the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi, perfectly capturing Alec Guinness' subtle nuances of performance in the original films. A real treat to watch here, McGregor too finally gets to express some genuine emotion for a change.
The CG animation, while still imparting a somewhat artificial beauty to the imagery, has never been more intricate and gorgeous to look at. The action, particularly the lightsaber battles, is easily the saga's best (and by a WIDE margin). Jar Jar Binks, though he appears briefly twice, never utters a single word (as 3P0 might say, "Thank the Maker!"). Better still, Revenge of the Sith is absolutely rife with hallmark, connective moments that firmly tie the prequel trilogy to A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. And there are two new bits of particularly interesting information that we're given in Sith - things that I have to say came as a bit of a surprise to me. The first is given almost in passing in the middle of the film, and not everyone I spoke with after the screening caught it. The second comes very near the end. Both will force you to reconsider the complete saga in something of a new light.
All of this is not to say that Revenge of the Sith doesn't have its flaws. Several moments of juvenile humor early in the film seem very out of place given the dark and unsettling intensity of the last act. Trust me, this film is rated PG-13 for a reason. There's disturbing imagery here that is definitely not appropriate for younger children (although I applaud Lucas for having the wherewithal to give this film the more adult edge the story demands). The dialogue, while somewhat better than in the previous two films, still occasionally sounds flat. The Jedi continue to seem, for all their powers, to be a surprisingly clueless bunch (and they pay dearly for it). After the opening sequence, and before the film really takes off in the second half, there's a bit too much... well, padding is the best word for it. And while most of the various plot threads between the two trilogies are tied up nicely by the time the words 'Directed by George Lucas' appear on screen, there are a couple of minor inconsistencies that remain unresolved. I expect that entire books will be written in the years to come by die-hard fans attempting to resolve these outstanding issues.
All this aside, however, I believe it's fair to say that Lucas has crafted the best climax we could reasonably expect given the realities of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. While Revenge of the Sith is not a truly great film, it is EASILY the strongest of the three prequels, as well as the most thrilling and emotionally engaging. One could even call it heart-breaking (I saw grown men moved to tears yesterday, and I had a pretty damn good lump in my throat once or twice, I'll tell you). Much more importantly, it is undeniably the most satisfying film of Lucas' newest trilogy. By my thinking, Sith rightly takes its place as the third best entry in the Star Wars saga, behind Empire and A New Hope.
As I mentioned at the start of this review, I'm still WAY too close to this experience to trust my perspective on it completely. So I reserve the right to revise my judgement slightly in the weeks ahead (call it Editor's prerogative). That said, if I were going to assign grades to all six Star Wars films in light of having just seen Episode III for the first time, here's how I'd do it this morning:
The Phantom Menace: C
Attack of the Clones: C+
Revenge of the Sith: B+
A New Hope: A
The Empire Strikes Back: A+
Return of the Jedi: B-
So there's my take. When you see Sith, you'll have to let me know whether or not you agree. In any case, I sincerely hope you enjoy it. |
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Race hate isn't human nature; race hate is the abandonment of human nature.
--- Orson Welles |
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