I just got back from seeing the new Star Wars movie, Revenge of the Siths. Fairly good, although the fact that you could see the tendrils of the story lines inching toward their necessary connections with all the later movies made it at times a bit tedious. I also found the attempts of many commentators (just do a google search; here’s a sample) to read contemporary politics into the film as a bit of a stretch, although the good old defense of republicanism was enjoyable. (There did seem to be bits of Bush-bashing in the film, but they were generally the least plausible political elements. The most obvious case was when Obi Wan tells Darth Vader that “Only the Sith deal in absolutes.” You see, dealing in absolutes, such as good and evil is….evil. That did seem aimed at Bush’s invocation of the idea of evil to describe fanatical suicide bombers, but it also makes no sense and certainly cuts against the image of the Jedi as defenders of the good and the true. And if it was a point of contemporary politics to insinuate that the current administration somehow stage managed the 9-11 attacks, well, that would be on the crazy side; it seems more plausible that at least some of the the machinations of empire really were only plot elements, and not comments on recent events.)
I’m pretty sure the silliness of the “Only the Sith deal in absolutes” line was intentional. Both sides in a fight tend to accuse the other of thinking in silly absolutes, and generally both have a point. Then a few minutes later in the film, Anakin makes an explicitly relativistic statement, contradicting to some extent Obi-Wan’s statement. Lucas is such a bad writer that it’s easy to miss when he’s being subtle.
I’m pretty sure the silliness of the “Only the Sith deal in absolutes” line was intentional. Both sides in a fight tend to accuse the other of thinking in silly absolutes, and generally both have a point. Then a few minutes later in the film, Anakin makes an explicitly relativistic statement, contradicting to some extent Obi-Wan’s statement. Lucas is such a bad writer that it’s easy to miss when he’s being subtle.
Wow! And I waited 25 years for that.
I went to see SWIII without expectations and was not disappointed. I have heard others say “now it all makes sense”. Where have they been for 25 years? There were no revelations for me, except who Leia’s adoptive parents were prior.
Not a bad movie as special effects go but sort of – hohum.
Did not see all those GLARING alusion’s to Bush as the emperor of the evil empire. (With a bit of imagination, I could say that there were possible parallels.) Much of the acting seemed wooden. I was not impressed. That probably makes me a heretic.
My wife and I did not even discuss it on the way home. That was how impressed we were.
All that said, I think it is almost an expectation that a person go. So we have gone, got it out of the way and can go see other movies without feeling as though we have somehow neglected our cultural responsibility.
Mike
As I watched the movie I was imagining the following scene:
D.Vader in a laundromat waiting for his outfit to come out of the machine. You hear the machine clunking and hear a very wheezy breathing. DV sitting there with only one mechanical appendage. No legs, no skin,, no hair, can’t breath, one arm that needs batteries, eyes sort of bleary, watching the machine tumble his suit, wondering if he made the right career choice.
The entire time all I could think about was how horrible the acting was. If you can shut the rational part of your brain of for two hours then the movie is stunning.
My biggest concern though is WHAT was up with those obviously Powerpoint transitions? Did they run out of money and decide to do the entire thing as a slideshow?
“My biggest concern though is WHAT was up with those obviously Powerpoint transitions? Did they run out of money and decide to do the entire thing as a slideshow?”
To make it more like Episode IV in style.