Revenge of the Sith - Early reviews

Remove all ads!

Here are two reviews:

Hollywood Reporter

Variety

Looks like an improvement over the previous two.

 

Jack Funk - Where the hell have you been?

I could only read the first paragraph or so. I am intentionally trying to stay away from spoliers. I've listened to the score so far and seen 2 trailers. That'll satisfy me for another 10 days ro so!

WhoooHooooo!!!

 

Like Sir Bel, I'm frightened to discover Spoilers, so I haven't read too much. However, it sounds like it should be a pretty good movie

 

Hmm, spoilers aren't really an issue for a movie to which everyone already knows the ending.

 

I know how it ends...I just don't want to SEE how it ends until I'm in a theater with a sack o' popcorn and I can watch the whole thing uninterrupted!

 

I'll be happy to synthesize and spell out what reviewers have been saying without giving spoilers away:

(All this information is taken from every review on Rotten Tomatoes to this date, and from extraneous sources such as Kevin Smith, Ain't It Cool News, The Force.Net, Time magazine, etc.)


Currently it has an 88% rating on the tomatometer at RottenTomatoes.com, with 16 reviews, two being splats, 14 being tomatoes. Tomatoes are good, splats are bad. However, I would be lying if I said every "good" review didn't list at least one thing they didn't like about the movie. But clearly, the biggest consensus so far (by reviewers) is that RotS is the best prequel, and overall in the SW saga it falls just behind ANH and ESB (assuming that those two are your favorites). Numerous people do speak highly of how well its blends and leads into ANH, and ties both prequels and sequels together.

As far as acting goes, the majority of people speak best about Ian McDiarmind, who of course plays Palps. And digital Yoda (Frank OZ's performance) is also spoken of very highly. Ewan MacGregor (Obi-Wan) and Hayden Christensen (Anakin) fall next into rank and are generally spoken well of, just a few disenters here and there. Most like Hayden more in this one that in AOTC. There is a little more dissenssion towards Sam Jackson (Mace Windu) and Natalie Portman (Padme) for their roles in SW (not in their other movie roles, just SW) but what's new? Personally, I think if you perceive Mace or Padme as wooden, it's because of a lack of understanding or not accepting their character traits (case in point, and time for a little SW Big B lecture ...yes Padme can appear to be an unemotional Senator, but she let's her hair down on the grassy plains of Naboo in AOTC, and she defies popularity to be bold and stick up for her planet in TPM, and she emotionally defies the Jedi Council to rescue Obi-Wan in AOTC, so don't tell me Padme is wooden, that is bs. Her high sense of duty and devotion to the Republic tire and smoother most of the energy of her character, not because of bad acting, but because of characterization. Padme isn't perfect either, she has character flaws, but that should not be mistaken for acting flaws. She's a different kind of character. She fights for the same things her daughter does, but in a different way. Is it so unacceptable to have the first three parts of a saga show flawed characters, so there is something to be redeemed in the final three parts? RotS answers with a resounding "Hell no!" Not all characters in SW should be expected to have Han Solo/Lando Calrissian energy and go around chasing stormtroopers through Death Star corridors and shouting Yehaaaaaa! whenever things explode.) But anyways, that is what reviewers so far think about the actors.

On the issue of special effects, it is best summed up overall, with satisfaction predominantly across the board (for once). Really, that's all I can say without giving specifics away.

Interestingly enough, this SW epsiode will probably stir the pot as far as theme goes. Specifically, the political aspects of this movie are explicit and it is easy to tell what Lucas is trying to say about how to run a democracy vs. a dictorship. Reviewers have acted differently to this. A few think that Lucas is a moron for including his political views so explicitly. Hello, what is storytelling? Everything, has some message to it. Many things today have very shallow or little messages. But make no mistake, every movie, every story, has a message. It's inevitable. So that cracked me up a little bit. Others, depending on their political affiliations I'm guessing, don't make so much of a fuss about it. Is RotS anti-Bush? Too early to tell. That is something you will have to decide for yourself. One last note on this matter to tide you over: don't be surprised if you start seeing bumpersticks that say "Only a Sith deals in absolutes." OK, shutting up now.

But I will leave you last with the most interesting piece of the puzzle yet, one that even my semi-spoiled, but not overly-so self cannot even fully grasp. I don't know how, and this is why THIS IS NOT A SPOILER IF YOU'VE BEEN AWAKE SINCE THE 80's, so it is safe to read, but several people have mentioned how they get this feeling during the film that after watching Anakin through the first half of this movie, they really hope that he will not turn to the dark side, even though they know it has and will happen. They root for him to be good, even though they know what is inevitable. That, IMO is pretty profound.

And for all you folks that don't care about being semi-spoiled (as in reading about a few broad storyline strokes, that if you keep up with SW you know will happen in RotS anyway) or taking the time to read all the RotS reviews, at least read this one: http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=20157

It's is Harry Knowles, AICN, review and it is a hoot. An absolute riot. I've never seen one of the major themes of the SW saga put so eloquently in a non-eloquent way. It's like he had a crazy ephiphany. I've seen it along since TPM turned our view of Jedi upside down, and AOTC distorted it even more, but Knowles' revelation is hilariously written. I do have to put the language warning on it, but it's still great.

And if you don't want to be spoiled, even minimally so, I respect that. But once you've seen RotS, if you only read one review, then man, it's got to be this one. It's so worth it.

Bring it on George, bring it on!

"Yehoo! Now let's blow this thing and go home kid!" Han Solo, ANH

"The Force is with you young Skywalker, but you are not a Jedi yet." Darth Vader, ESB

"Young fool, only now at the end do you realize..." Emperor Palpatine, RotJ

"Anakin Skywalker, meet Obi-Wan Kenobi." Qui-Gon Jinn, TPM

"The shroud of the dark side has fallen, begun this Clone War has." Yoda, AOTC

"This is where the fun begins" Anakin Skywalker, RotS

 

You omitted to mention that most of the reviewers also find that the quality of writing for the romantic scenes remains at the level shown in AOTC (ie poor) and that the chemistry between Portman and Christensen is stilll non-existent (you're not like the sand? Gimme a break...)

 

Yeah, same old story there. The only reason I forgot to mention it is becuase it's the same ol bs. What's new? I will say that I did read a few reviews that liked the parts of their romance when they fought, cried, and brooded. And yet, despite this "flaw", it still is getting good ratings and being referred to as the best of the prequels, and better than ROTJ, and sometimes (depending on reviewer) better than ANH, but not quite as good as ESB. Of course, that is in general. Everyone has a different ranking.

 

@Sir Bel,

My work has been blocking SP for a couple of months now. It recently has been available. I don't surf much at home, no time... Thanks for asking.

@Big B - I look forward to your review. I take it you are going on opening night?

 

I hope to see it opening night, I haven't got my tickets yet, but then again, I don't live in a bustling metropolis so it's ok. No midnight showing for me, I don't do that. I'll be donning my Luke Skywalker Bespin jacket too.

But enough about that. Another thing I'd like to hit on that many reviewers have noted: how RotS makes the two preceeding episodes better. This was described in many ways, but the best non-spoiler way to date was described by Joe Utichi, of FilmFocus: "Sith is, for all intents and purposes, the Ace up Lucas' sleeve. It's been there since Phantom Menace and only now has he put his cards on the table." Again, the infamous words of Palpatine from RotJ echo in my head again: "young fool, only now at the end do you realize..."

 

I'm doing the midnight show and taking the next day off to recover AND SEE IT AGAIN!!! I already have my tickets for the midnight show.

Weeeha!

 

If you really can't wait and want to get some merchandise to get into the spirit of things, look no further because we have found the coolest thing.

Forget all the other merchandise, with the Darth Vader Lawn Sprinkler , you can "let the Dark Side defend your lawn from the ravages of summer heat" as Vader "spins around with water spraying action, wielding his lightsabre in a furious battle to save your lawn!" Costs US$18.99 ($26), ships worldwide from starwarsshop.com.

Brilliant!!

 

I know I said I wouldn't get excited ... but I am! *bounces around humming the theme*

 

This killed me.

Store Wars