Friday, June 10, 2005

Thoughts on Star Wars Episode III, The Revenge of the Sith

I was blown away! This was SUCH a good movie. I'm just sorry there won't be any more. I rented Episode 4 (the first one made) to make the continuity stong in my mind. But now it all makes sense: The Sith come to power in this one, as the remaining Jedi hide, and the next one starts with Luke and Leia grown up and is titled "A New Hope."

Anakin was supposed to furfill prophecy I see. But the Jedi did correctly guess toward the end that they may have misinterpreted the prophecy. As we the viewers all known, Anakin's child, Luke, is the Chosen One.

I find it VERY interesting how Anakin wound up becoming Darth Vader. He goes to the dark side to save Padme from dying in childbirth, as his dream told him would happen. He would do anything to save her. And yet, Padme does die in just the way the dream fortold.

Isn't it just like Satan to give us a means to get something we want (a wrong means), get us to walk down the path, even pledge ourselves to him, and then NOT give us the thing we sought after?

I just have one question. What DID Padme die of? The droid said she was healthy, but that she had lost the will to live. The chancellor told Anakin that Anakin had killed her with his anger. Which is right?

I have to say I cried when Anakin started going over to the dark side. And I really felt for Obi-Wan. All his dreams, his view of Anakin as the furfillment of prophecy, and his love for him as a brother - all that and he had to turn away, walk away as Anakin was on the verge of death. I sensed that gave him no pleasure. He was doing what he had to do, but, as he even stated, Anakin broke his heart. He had poured years of his life teaching this boy that growns up to become his enemy.

I respect Obi-Wan more after this movie than from any other. He has all the best intentions at all times, but sometimes he REALLY screws up. It is then that I recall the end of episode 6, when he appears to Luke with Anakin back at his side, and he is smiling. It's a reminder that even the worst mistakes will all eventually be put right. The friends turned enemies turned friends again. All is forgiven.

I think the final betrayal for Anakin was when Obi-Wan thought Anakin would die and walked away. At a time when he needed his friend, he was abandoned, and the chancellor was the only one left to pick up the pieces (literally). Now someone remind me, just as the chancellor killed his mentor, doesn't Anakin eventually kill him, way down in Episode 6?

The other thing that struck me is, after it became clear Anakin had turned from the light side, Yoda never told Obi-Wan "I told you so." I expected him to remind Obi-Wan that the counsel had told him way back in the beginning that he was too old to train. Maybe he felt responsible, too. At any rate, Yoda simply offers Obi-Wan more training under Obi-Wan's old master.

One man can change so much. If Obi-Wan had simply left Anakin alone and NOT trained him, Luke would have come along in time and been the Chosen One. Additionally, if Anakin had not saved the chancellor, the whole rest of the series would have been different. Because Anakin goes to the dark side, much suffering happens. To save Padme, he sacrifices anyone and everyone else. In the end, he loses Padme, too. He loses everything, including the only people that really cared about him.

In the end, there is hope, though. Leia is adopted to one family, and Luke to another. One question - who were the people who adoped Luke? I missed the quick dialogue where that was explained. And who was the man who took Leia? I don't recall him playing much, if any, part in the other movies. Who the heck is he?

Those are my thoughts. Star Wars lives!

1 comment:

Dan said...

Good analysis of the film. This film really did put the final pieces of the puzzle together about how Anakin was the chosen one, but not in the way the Jedi were expecting.

The scenes with Anakin turning to the dark side when he killed Mace Windu, and fighting against Obi-Wan, really were heart-wrenching to watch and also brought a tear to my eyes.

Of course Yoda wouldn't say "I told you so". That would be very unlike him and unlike the Jedi mind - much better to merely reflect on what had happened and learn from it. Maybe Yoda also realized that this was how things were supposed to happen and this was what was needed to bring balance to the force. He seemed quite happy to go off to Degobah and wait it out for Luke.

It was "Uncle Owen" (Lars Owen) and "Aunt Beru" who adopted Luke to raise him on Tatooine, as seen at the start of Episode IV. Owen Lars is the son of Cliegg Lars, the guy who bought Shmi Skywalker (Anakin's mom) out of slavery and married her as mentioned in Episode II. So I guess you would call Owen Luke's step-Uncle.

http://www.starwars.com/databank/character/owenlars/

It was decided at the end of Episode III that Leia would be raised by Senator Bail Organa, head of the Royal Family of Alderaan. Bail Organa was present in Episodes I and II, I think making an appearance in the senate and at the end of Episode II as he watched the Clone Army rolling out alongside Senator Palpatine.

http://www.starwars.com/databank/character/bailorgana/

Hope that clears some things up for you!