Revenge of the Sith

Last weekend, I watched the original Star Wars trilogy with my roommates. What an event that was. So many memories floated through my brain as I watched the movies that were truly a part of my childhood. My identity as a nerd at heart is in many ways established by these movies. So when the new trilogy was released, I made sure to watch each at their midnight showings in the theaters. I loved them. Not that they were all fantastic by any means, but they were fun and they helped to flesh out the story. Today, I woke up and decided to watch Revenge of the Sith, the third in the series. The first time I watched it, I absolutely loved it, so I had high hopes coming into watching it again. Initially, while watching it today, I was awfully disappointed, but as I kept watching, there was a joy stirred up in me.

Warning: !Spoiler Alert!

In many ways, the movie starts out like other two movies. With this, a sense of nostalgia or the original gritty feel of Star Wars was awakened in me. And despite not having that met, I found myself being drawn in. The intensely strong deceit of Palpatine is absolutely detestable. He is so clever and appeals to all the good parts of Anakin by using the bad parts. The dialogue is clever and the storyline compelling. We get to see the transformation of Anakin to the dark side as his love is overtaken by his hate. It is so sad that this quick change is in many ways a perversion of all the good within him. The fact that a girl is at the center of the fall of the Republic seems so fitting XD. This story of a young man being taken advantage of because of his love is so powerful. It deals with a brotherly love too, as when Anakin and Obi-Wan go on separate missions, there is a goodbye that ends up being far more final than either would hope for.

On top of the conversion of Anakin, the political plot line is ridiculously clever. Palpatine started a war where he is the leader on both sides that he intended to lose on one side and win on the other for his political gain. And everyone goes along with it as he slowly converts the Republic into an Empire.

Beyond all of the brilliant plot elements, the desire for nostalgia is satiated as hints at the tech of the original trilogy abound. Whether it be in the s-foils on fighters, the red clad imperial guards, or in the actual sighting of Senator Organa's ship (the one his adopted daughter Leia later will use), it brings closure to this part of the story.

Oh man! even as I write this, I just wish I could beam into your mind the emotions I'm feeling. Such feelings well up in me as I watch this that I can't articulate them with written words.

The social, political, and spiritual messages within the Star Wars storyline are absolutely incredible and I only grow to appreciate them as I grow older. The redemption of Vader grows all the more strongly when you see who he was. If you have somehow lived in a cave and never seen these movies, I strongly urge you to get over your distaste for the cheesiness of a sci-fi movie and watch them with the eyes of someone who wants to be entertained and learn.


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OH, and for something similar but definitely in a different vain:

Chad Vader::Day Shift Manager