SITH HAPPENS

STAR WARS EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH by Mike & Paula K. Parker Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, is more than just a nifty sci-fi flick; more than the opening salvo in this summer’s Hollywood blockbuster arsenal; more than just a CGI/FX extravaganza. It is even more than just the grand finale of the 28 years in the making six-film Star Wars saga. It is a satisfying, terrifying, dark and tragic morality tale. We know what the ultimate outcome of the film will be. We were told the outcome way back in the original Star Wars (before it was known as Episode IV: A New Beginning), when old Ben Kenobi tell Luke Skywalker that a young Jedi named Darth Vader turned to the Dark Side and hunted down and destroyed the Jedi. We know, and yet such is our belief in the power of the Light, that we hope and pray, even as we watch Anakin Skywalker being seduced by the evil Chancellor Palpatine, that somehow he will stand firm with the Jedi Council. What surprises us most is not that Anakin Skywalker turns to the Dark Side; but why. Power? Anakin is strong in the Force. He has great power. He wants more. But ultimately, he doesn’t embrace the Dark Side for the power it offers. Jealousy? Anakin is bitter over the Jedi Councils refusal to grant him the status of Master. Yet it is not jealousy nor bitterness that turns him to the Dark Side. No, Chancellor Palpatine, himself secretly a Sith Lord, seduces Anakin with love. You see, Anakin has been having dreams; dreams of his young wife dying in childbirth; the same kind of dreams he had before his mother died. He cannot bear to lose his wife as he lost his mother, and Palpatine hints at the power of the Dark Side to raise the dead. It is the last nudge Anakin needs. His descent into the madness of evil is frightening to behold. It is clear that we all walk a razors edge between good and evil, and it might only take a small nudge to turn us to the dark side. Revenge of the Sith is a dark and tragic film. It may be the best of the Star Wars films since The Empire Strikes Back. It is certainly the most human. Yes, the dialogue is still hokey. Yes, the acting is still stilted. Yes, the special effects are overblown. Yet there is a palpable connection between the audience and the characters. When Padme pleads with Anakin to turn his back on the path he has chosen and return to her, our hearts break. When Palpatine declares the Republic to be an Empire to the thunderous cheers of the senate, we sink deeper into despair. When Obi-wan confronts Anakin in their final showdown, we don’t know who to cheer for. And when the gleaming black mask is finally fastened on Darth Vader, we watch with awe-struck foreboding. Revenge of the Sith is rated PG-13 for good reason. It is a dark and violent film, strewn with death and offering little hope. Thankfully, we know how the saga ends. After all, this is a prequel. Remember?