THE END OF A SAGA

So the final installment of the Star Wars saga has finally come... It's been a long way, and the sixth episode did finally bring conclude the saga into a full circle. All decent Star Wars fans would have known wat will happens in this movie, but it's finding out the 'hows' that make this film so interesting. The final bits and pieces of the puzzle finally came into place, and we finally have the big picture...

Or did we? Personally, I think there's still plenty of potential to further flesh out the backstory. Like where did Darth Sidious learn all his 'tricks' from? How did he worked all his way thru the senate? How he so cleverly divised a plan of such awesome scale with such subtlety than even the Jedi, in the height of their power, were totally ignorant and unprepared to face it? And wat is the importance of introducing the character of Darth Sidious anyway?!

Does all the 'whining' show that I dislike the movie? Not really. It definitely is the best among the 3 Star Wars prequels. Izzit good then? There are moments where its brilliance shines thru, and these short moments are as good as the 'original' Star Wars trilogy (heck that's a great compliment). But the movie is definitely flawed. And the most painfully obvious flaws are the horrible script and the horrible acting.

Many ppl commented on how over-critical I sometimes am towards movies, but those who have watched the movie with me all anonymously agree that the acting juz sucks. Period. Consider the way Obi-Wan Kenobi 'exclaimed' "I can't watch this anymore" after he saw a security recordings of Anakin Skywalker in his murderous rampage. He said it in such a flat and unemotional manner that quite a number of the audience laughed during that supposedly serious and tragic scene, out of its sheer comical-ness. And seeing ppl chat around as if they were drinking coffee in Starbucks when they're actually engaging in a deadly rescue mission and were in risk of losing their lives is juz horribly annoying. The saddest thing about all these is that these actors and actresses CAN act, but somehow they juz turned out to be so unimaginably F-L-A-T when they're under the direction of George Lucas. "You broke my heart", cries Padme. Shit, all the ppl around me cringes at how horribly the line was presented.

The horrible script and bad acting aside, the movie seems to deal things in a much too simplistic manner. Come on, when a former Republic was suddenly announced to be rearranged and restructured into the First Galactic Empire, isn't it a bit too unbelievable that only Senator Organa and Senator Amidala feel bad about it while everyone is cheering and clapping like idiots? Surely there are more anti-tyranny politicians among the thousands of the Senate? And the way the Jedi all over the different planets are slaughtered are juz pathetic... I expected more resistance from all the legendary Jedi heroes! Sheesh...

Oh and the lightsaber duels lost all their 'ohm' factor. In the original trilogy, everytime a lightsaber is ignited, there is a sense of excitement and tension in all the scenes that followed. Sadly, the lightsaber is so overused in the prequel trilogies that it has lost its sense of mysticism; it ceases to be THE weapon that defines a Jedi and becomes only like a tool that comes in handy for a Jedi in times of battle. Gone were the days when the sheer hum of the lightsaber as it cut thru the air thrills our senses. As my friend appropriately puts it, they've become merely 'glow-in-the-dark sticks'.

All the bad stuff aside, there are some parts of the movie which I really like. No, it has nothing to do with the amazing special effects, since I find them only of superficial importance. There is a fight scene between Yoda and Darth Sidious where the "bowls" of where the different Senate reprensetatives from different planets were thrown around and crashing down all over the Senate meeting, and where Yoda's Jedi robe fell off and dangling pathetically in a corner. The symbolism of the end of the Republic and the failure of the Jedi Order in that part is surprisingly subtle, so much so that most of my friends that watch the movie with me hardly noticed it. Bear in mind that this is a Star Wars movie, an action adventure movie with a sci-fi setting. That makes it quite an impressive feat for such subtlety to be shown.

How Anakin is gradually seduced and corrupted by the dark side is quite interestingly and (sufficiently) convincingly portrayed. It is juz damn delicious to watch how Senator Palpatine twist the truth to corrupt young Anakin into believing his lies and made his choice to join the dark side. In fact, I missed the shrewd grandfatherly manipulator after he was 'transformed' into the hideous B-grade movie Emperor Sidious. Evil is only interesting if it's subtle... A crazy cackling emperor is juz plain boring la...

Still, it is quite an impressive movie, and a worthy addition to the Star Wars saga. Nevertheless, if I would to recommend any Star Wars movies to my non-Star Wars movies friends, I would probably ask them to avoid the prequels and watch the original trilogy 1st. Only after that, if they have the interest to find out more about "how it leads to this", would I suggest them to watch the prequels trilogy.

The original trilogy is juz by far the superior one. Yes, the technical special effects are a bit cheesy by today's standard, but heck, it's good story and good characters we want, rite? The original trilogy has TONNES of them!!! Watching 6 episodes chronologically would spoil the viewing experience too... Remember the climax in The Empire Strikes Back when the truth is revealed?

Although George Lucas claimed that this is the end of Star Wars, I think wat he said applies only for the movies. Having watched Season 1 & 2 of the Clone Wars animated series, I can see that there's lot of potential to expand upon the world of Star Wars (though it's been done in books and games already). A Star Wars series set after The Return of the Jedi, anyone? >=)