Episode III: soul of the saga
Ah, Episode III. Where do I begin? Should I start with the delightfully dizzying air battle sequence that opened the movie? The breath-taking, suspiciously-China-looking scenes in Kashyyk with the Wookiees? The uncanny resemblance between Ewan McGregor's older Obi-wan Kenobi and the phenomenal Alec Guinness? The kick-ass light-saber battles between Obi-wan and Anakin, and Palpatine and Yoda? The menacing sight of Darth Vader donning the infamous black helmet for the first time?
I could also start with Hayden Christensen's flat acting, the inaccurate circumstances of Padme's death, Mace Windu's lame exit (so unworthy of the BAMF Jedi he was supposed to be), or the almost-comic, Frankenstein's-monster manner in which Darth Vader took his first steps in his life-support suit, scary helmet and all.
But I will not start, nor even elaborate on any of those awesome and not-so-awesome details. I will start, and end, with the chilling, systematic slaughter of the Jedi, because that, for me, was the very heart of the movie. Some of my fellow Star War enthusiasts (read: dorks) would disagree and say that the real focus is the transition of Anakin Skywalker from young Jedi to Sith lord. I do not contest that; in fact I now appreciate Darth Vader as an almost Shakespearean tragic character. However, I believe that his eerily Macbethan fall (or is it rise?) reached its full extent with the massacre of the Jedi. I confess that as I watched the Jedi being taken down one by one, and as I saw Yoda's little green face contorting in anguish as he sensed the great disturbance in the Force, tears came to my eyes (go ahead, laugh! mock my pain!). Aside from that, I truly empathized with Obi-wan's agony upon realizing how his own student had become such a monster. In my entire life, I have never felt anything as heart-breaking as the hurt and disappointment that come with discovering a student's betrayal. Call it overreacting to an overrated sci-fi flick, but of the entire Star Wars saga, Episodes I through VI, Revenge of the Sith was the one that really hit me in the gut.
And so I end with that.
posted by Ailee Through the Looking Glass @ 11:41 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
hey ms.lim, i watched a documentary about star wars on the discovery channel and they mentioned quite a lot about the resemblance between Ewan and Alec. I think that's why they picked Ewan. It said that they had the same important triangle shape in the faces. if you draw a triangle around nose of Ewan, the shape and size would be the same for Alec. cool isn't it?:D
I just have to say that this movie made me soooo angry because of Anakin's stupidity! i must've muttered the word "no" so many times while watching the movie!:D ow and if it makes you feel better, I also managed to have tears in my eyes when almost all the jedi's, especially the younglings (as yoda would call them)were backstabbed and slain. ;(
Hey, I think I saw that same footage about Ewan McGregor and Alec Guinness, but on a different channel. :)
And think about it this way: stupidity is a very human quality. :) Anakin was too human for the Jedi, ergo the path to the Dark Side (which the Jedi in a way drove him down, with all their stifling holier-than-thou principles). I find Anakin the most intriguing and most genuine character in the whole series. As I told another student, it would make for an interesting thesis: Darth Vader as Shakespearean tragic hero. ;p
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