Even the jaded are smiling from their tower - Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith Reviews

Imagine a boy of four going to his first movie, and that movie happens to be "Empire Strikes Back." Imagine the fear Darth Vader inspired in this boy and the revelation that this monster could actually have a child. Not only that, but the child of this villian is your rock floating, lightsaber wielding hero he'd come to idolize. This is almost too much to absorb for a young kid. With no frame of reference, the child witnessed the most awesome chapter of the trilogy. That's a lot to put on his shoulders, especially when years later, he's forced to compare "Sith" with the culmination of expectation twenty eight years of Star Wars Movies. How is it possible to see this film with the unclouded eyes of a child? How can one be as wowed by a new film when the last twenty eight years have wowed us in so many different ways and so many forms? We've come to expect George Lucas to turn us back into younglings, make us believe that it's real, that we can get there, that it did happen. And so we get older and begin to see through things, see the cracks and nails and fake walls, and everything loses its luster. And so we waited all these years to see it finished, hoping for miracles, but expecting a letdown. Lucas wouldn't do that to us, would he? Nope. This movie is a time machine. Strap into your theater seat, and make sure to be completely dehydrated before going in so you don't miss a second. You want lightsaber battles, wait a few minutes. You want a space war, you got it. You want the minutae of background characters going about their days while the drama goes on in the foreground, it's there (there's even a shot of the millenium falcon landing on Coruscant if you look closely). You want to see the extent of the power of the force, you get it, and more. There is nothing amiss. Now, granted, there are a few lines of corniness that can be overlooked. Remember, this is a space opera. People sometimes don't talk like they really do, especially when it comes to love. Even when these lines of love are uttered, the scene cuts quickly to another scene so it doesn't linger like it did in those drawn out scenes in part II. Needless to say, the climactic showdown between Anakin and Obi-Wan paralleled by the Emperor and Yoda, are perfectly matched, with lightsabers whirring in one shot, and a battle of both sabre and forces flinging objects in the other. There are fantastic shots, reminiscent of Lord of the Rings, where the two combatants face off on a platform way too big for a set piece, and it feels real. The special effects finally ousted our noses high notion that computers couldn't fool us. Maybe it isn't fooling us, but it is so well done here that moments into the movie you stop asking if it was computer generated, and just sit on the edge of your seat, teeth clenced with anxiety, sweaty palms in tow, and stare in wonder. Just like you did back when you were a little boy.