When The Force Awakens was released, I commented on how it felt like a “proper Hollywood film”. It felt positive, with Disney now showing us the good and bad sides of it all. So heading back into the prequels feels a bit odd. But in some ways it also feels right? Regardless of your feelings towards them, they are one man’s vision. George Lucas pushed technical boundaries as he told the story of Anakin’s rise and fall in the way he wanted to. He backed himself and ILM to make it. With conglomerates gobbling up every IP to boost their share price nowadays, things often feel like a flavourless mush. Even if these films aren’t for you, at least they’re unique.
And now they’re so old that Revenge of the Sith is celebrating turning twenty with a new cinema release. My goodness I’m old. I was twenty the first time!
It was cool to see it in on the big screen again. Even cooler that my daughter came along with me to see not only this film for the first time but also have her first Star Wars cinema experience! We had a great time. I mouthed along to the dialogue whilst my daughter asked the odd question (very proud of her cinema behaviour). Emotionally it hit all the right notes. Plus you know, Star Wars in the cinema! The vibes were strong with this one.
But with my reviewer hat on, it can be a hard film to judge. The story has been significantly bolstered by other stories, such as the Clone Wars show. We know what happens leading into Revenge of the Sith. We even know about things happening between scenes. I could get bogged down in all that and go on for days about specifics. Instead I’ll focus on a broader point.
Films are important. The stories they tell, the characters we meet, and the times they remind us of. It’s all kinds of feelings and nostalgia that colour how we see a film. Those feeling can even override knowing a film has a lot of problems.
And this film is creaky as hell. Up on that big screen, in-between the awesome lightsaber fights and sadness and memes, it struggled. Character, dialogue, acting, and yes, even the effects at times. When you’re on the bleeding edge of things and really pushing the envelope, it’s easy to look janky years later. Digital effects seem to age in a way that practical does not.
The situation reminds me of The Dark Knight Rises. I disagree of a lot of what that film does, but emotionally it does a lot for me. So I watch it, enjoy it for what it is, and try not to worry too much about decisions that irk me. If I concentrated on the minutiae of Revenge of the Sith I’d go crazy. But the feelings!
I love Revenge of the Sith as an idea. As a feeling. Then Padmé says “you’re breaking my heart”, or Kenobi mentions Anakin – *holds chin* – “killing younglings”. It makes me want to shake Lucas and scream at how he can’t direct a simple dialogue scene. It’s laughable at times.
But every time Anakin is told to wait by Mace, I sit there hoping that this time, maybe this time, he’ll listen. And that means a lot. It’s far from perfect, but it doesn’t feel like anything else, and that’s worthwhile. I’m very happy that I got to see it in the cinema again. And what a thing to share with my daughter.
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