Review of ROTS - contains spoilers
Time to put all (well - many :-)) of my thoughts into words. I hope I won't make too many mistakes while typing this as it's late and I always make silly mistakes then.
I had a hard time focusing at work, but on the whole I did a much better job than yesterday. Really got some stuff done. It helped that I had to keep a deadline. Still I was very excited and actually had a severe case of stagefright. I joked with a collegue that I felt as if I had to perform the whole movie by myself... :-)
Managed to leave on time and arrived early at the movie theater. The atmosphere there was great! Some of the fans had dressed up: There was an Amidala, someone in the white Padme costume of episode II and an Obi-Wan. Someone was disguised as Vader and when people saw him they started humming the Imperial March - which he then directed with his lightsaber. :-)
They showed no commercials prior to the film! Instead we got to see the old trailers for ANH, ESB and ROTJ followed by the trailers for TPM and AOTC. It was especially lovely to see how the trailers evolved over time! This was really a nice surprise from the movie theatre management.
When the movie itself started there was a totally enthusiastic response from the audience! And the reaction was the same when the movie had ended! So yes, people really loved it!
In my personal view, this is the most perfect of all the Star Wars movies:
On the technical side, the special effects are flawless. (My boyfriend who works in this field and knows much more about it than I do, thought so as well. And he's very critical about effects.) And for the first time, I did *not* feel overwhelmed by the effects when first watching a SW movie. This time they were all so well-integrated that they naturally enhanced the story telling. I never had the feeling of a "show off effect".
The acting is outstanding! Totally wonderful performances by everyone!!!
Hayden Christensen is marvellous. He gives so many nuances to Anakin: The faithful friend, the loving husband and soon-to-be father, the tough warrior and self-confident pilot. He's insecure and overconfident, devastated and shiningly happy. As in AOTC, he has two major sides: The passionate person underneath that comes out when he's with Padme or very excited and the official front of the perfectly composed Jedi. This second side of his is strongly reminiscent of Vader. When he turns to the Dark Side, he really lets go. Amazing!
Loved Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine. He puts in a shining performance. The scenes between Palpatine and Anakin are *intense*.
Natalie Portman totally convinced me. She really got into the part!
I really liked Ewan McGregor's performance, but for now the other three actors left a stronger impression with me.
Before I'll talk about my favorite scenes, one more technical point:
The editing of the movie is excellent. In the other SW movies, I wasn't always happy with the way scenes were cut. (Some examples: In ATOC, I wish every time they had not cut the scenes with Padme's family; I just find it so important to learn about her background. Or when they chase Count Dooku in the end of ATOC, the argument between Obi-Wan and Anakin is intercut by another scene. Occasionally it's also that I really want to see how this one thread continues, but instead there's a cut and we see something else. I realize, of course, that part of that is just my personal taste. :-))
Well, this time I never felt torn out of a scene, all the transitions totally worked for me! There was just one thing I wished for: That each scene could have been a bit longer. But that's really because I wanted the experience to last. :-)
So on to my favorite moments and all the little details I enjoyed:
- Anakin saying in the beginning of the movie: "This is where the fun begins." (Oh, Anakin, you have no idea how this will turn out.)
- Anakin and R2D2: They are much more than a man and a machine working together - they're friends. R2D2 has some amazing features. (In the ROTS novel, we get the background story that he was given to Anakin as present from Padme and that Anakin modified him to make him even better.) The best of all: Anakin is very defensive of R2D2 and trust his abilities totally. E.g. when Obi-Wan starts critizing R2, Anakin stops him: "Hey, no loose wire jokes. He's *trying*." :-)
- Anakin's face when Count Dooku is at his mercy. You can see one thought chasing another.
- Anakin hanging in the lift shaft with Obi-Wan hanging around his neck and Palpatine hanging on his ankle.
On the one hand, I found the scene funny, on the other oddly symbolic. You see, in the course of the movie, Anakin really feels as if everything is hanging on him while he's attempting to just hold on and not fall. (Palpatine wants him to report on the Jedi council and Obi-Wan wants him to report on the council which puts him under a lot of pressure.)
- General Grievous' breathing problem and frequent coughing: He's like a predecessor to Vader - part humanoid, part mechanical including the breathing problem. The difference is that Vader's breathing is intimidating whereas Grievous' cough is - well, funny. :-)
- Grievous telling Anakin he expected him to be older and Anakin replying he expected Grievous to be taller. Considering the enormous height of Grievous, this brought a big smile to my face.
- Obi-Wan and Anakin as a team: They really fight together now and know each other so well. There relationship is no longer competitive, they have become close friends and really are like brothers.
- Padme and Anakin seeing one another again after their long separation. Love how Anakin runs to her to take her in his arms. He appears so young then.
- Every scene with Anakin and Palpatine in it really:
Palpatine really understands Anakin and plays him expertly. In some ways, it's definitely a seduction to the dark side. Palpatine makes little comments and waits out Anakin's reactions. Very often they talk without looking at one another, but when their eyes lock, it's *very* intense.
I think two of their scenes play out without background sounds, no music, just silence apart from them talking. And the acting in these scenes is so brilliant, that the audience was totally quiet. You would have heard it if someone had dropped a pin!
In another scene, they are circling one another like predator and prey.
Palpatine brags about Anakin in his fight with Yoda as well stating that his new apprentice will be more powerful than Yoda or even himself! It seems his most important goal was creating the most powerful Sith ever - never mind it's not him, never mind he will have to be careful of Vader one day overthrowing him. He's really proud of "his" Vader.
And when Vader is lying on Mustafar mortally wounded, Palpatine touches his forehead very gently with his hand. Actually, it seemed as if he was taking away his pain, because Vader then stops moaning in agony.
These scenes really deepen and change my understanding of Vader and Palpatine! It's a very complex relationship with many layers. Fascinating! I will look out for fanfiction exploring these layers.
- Little detail: When Anakin goes up stairs, he usually takes two stairs at a time. Obi-Wan never does that. :-)
- Another small observation: In the end, Vader and Palpatine go to see the Death Star. In this scene, Vader crosses his arms in front of his chest. When I saw this in the big trailer, I thought: "Oh, the big bad guy play it cool." But with the entire context of the scene, Vader seemed somehow lonely and still insecure. So the crossing of his arms felt as if he was hugging himself. This impression was enhanced by the next scenes: Bail brings Leia to his queen and puts his arm around her. Beru shows Luke to Owen, and Owen puts his arm around Beru. It's as if these couples are together, they are happy. They can touch one another. Wheras Anakin/Vader has lost Padme and instead has the Emperor for company. And Palpatine is neither hug-worthy nor would he appreciate a hug. :-)
- Owen and Beru watching the sunset (or sunrise?) on Tatooine with little Luke on Beru's arms. A wonderful tie to Luke standing there in ANH.
- Anakin's fall was very interesting to watch:
The way it plays out, Anakin is fully aware that Palpatine is evil. I really don't think he believe Palpatine's "the Jedi are evil and therefore need to be eliminated" argument in the beginning. But despite that he goes along, because "he can't bear to live without Padme". That's a subtle shift in perspective: Beforehand, it was about *Padme* who he wanted to save. Now it's quite clear that he does this for *himself* mostly. IMO this "I can't live without her" is way more self-centered!
I think his thoughts behind his decision are: I kill the Jedi now. As long as they live, Padme and I will never be able to live a normal family life. Afterwards I wipe out the separatist leaders. Then I'll learn Palpatine's secrets, save Padme - and get rid of Palpatine. Then I live happily ever after; no harm done.
Only it's not that easy. Killing Jedi younglings is not something you can push aside afterwards.
We don't know how he feels about killing his fellow Jedi, he really keeps up a great facade afterwards. But after he wiped out the separatist's leader, we see that he cries. As if his conscience comes back to haunt him after all.
When he then meets Padme and Obi-Wan, another change has taken place! Anakin now justifies what he has done. To list some of his arguments: He did it for Padme. He will overthrow Palpatine and he and Padme will rule together and his empire will be great and peaceful. A bit later he says he did it, because he loves the Empire. And because he's loyal to Palpatine! And because the Jedi are evil.
It's as if he *needs* justification and it doesn't matter that some of his arguments oppose one another. If he stopped defending himself, he would realize *what* he has done and that would be his end. So he changes his beliefs to still be able to live with himself.
I LOVE the complexity here!
- After his reconstruction, Vader breaks his chains when he calls Padme's name.
It's as if love gives him the strength to break his chains. Maybe some foreshadowing to ROTJ?
- There are many more things I enjoy, but I can't list them all for now. The list would be too long.
Things I didn't like that much (but can live with):
- The nightmare sequences: They are close up scenes of Padme's face filmed with soft-focus. My problem is that I just don't like soft-focus scenes, they always make me cringe. I'd have preferred it to see the entire operation room from above and then to zoom in on Padme. But yes, that's my personal preference and tastes do differ.
- Vader's scream of "No" after Palpatine tells him he killed Padme: Again just my personal taste. Vader's arms are outstretched when he screams "No" and it appears very over-dramatic. I think I'd have liked it if he had sunk together and maybe fallen down. Maybe the moment will grow on me. Sometimes when I read other people's takes on a scene, I suddenly see it through their eyes and it starts working for me. That's a hint: I'd appreciate someone's positive view here. :-)
Despite these nitpicks: I love this movie. Not that anyone would have noticed that after my wordy review. :-) And yes, I guess it'll be my favorite of the six movies.
I had a hard time focusing at work, but on the whole I did a much better job than yesterday. Really got some stuff done. It helped that I had to keep a deadline. Still I was very excited and actually had a severe case of stagefright. I joked with a collegue that I felt as if I had to perform the whole movie by myself... :-)
Managed to leave on time and arrived early at the movie theater. The atmosphere there was great! Some of the fans had dressed up: There was an Amidala, someone in the white Padme costume of episode II and an Obi-Wan. Someone was disguised as Vader and when people saw him they started humming the Imperial March - which he then directed with his lightsaber. :-)
They showed no commercials prior to the film! Instead we got to see the old trailers for ANH, ESB and ROTJ followed by the trailers for TPM and AOTC. It was especially lovely to see how the trailers evolved over time! This was really a nice surprise from the movie theatre management.
When the movie itself started there was a totally enthusiastic response from the audience! And the reaction was the same when the movie had ended! So yes, people really loved it!
In my personal view, this is the most perfect of all the Star Wars movies:
On the technical side, the special effects are flawless. (My boyfriend who works in this field and knows much more about it than I do, thought so as well. And he's very critical about effects.) And for the first time, I did *not* feel overwhelmed by the effects when first watching a SW movie. This time they were all so well-integrated that they naturally enhanced the story telling. I never had the feeling of a "show off effect".
The acting is outstanding! Totally wonderful performances by everyone!!!
Hayden Christensen is marvellous. He gives so many nuances to Anakin: The faithful friend, the loving husband and soon-to-be father, the tough warrior and self-confident pilot. He's insecure and overconfident, devastated and shiningly happy. As in AOTC, he has two major sides: The passionate person underneath that comes out when he's with Padme or very excited and the official front of the perfectly composed Jedi. This second side of his is strongly reminiscent of Vader. When he turns to the Dark Side, he really lets go. Amazing!
Loved Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine. He puts in a shining performance. The scenes between Palpatine and Anakin are *intense*.
Natalie Portman totally convinced me. She really got into the part!
I really liked Ewan McGregor's performance, but for now the other three actors left a stronger impression with me.
Before I'll talk about my favorite scenes, one more technical point:
The editing of the movie is excellent. In the other SW movies, I wasn't always happy with the way scenes were cut. (Some examples: In ATOC, I wish every time they had not cut the scenes with Padme's family; I just find it so important to learn about her background. Or when they chase Count Dooku in the end of ATOC, the argument between Obi-Wan and Anakin is intercut by another scene. Occasionally it's also that I really want to see how this one thread continues, but instead there's a cut and we see something else. I realize, of course, that part of that is just my personal taste. :-))
Well, this time I never felt torn out of a scene, all the transitions totally worked for me! There was just one thing I wished for: That each scene could have been a bit longer. But that's really because I wanted the experience to last. :-)
So on to my favorite moments and all the little details I enjoyed:
- Anakin saying in the beginning of the movie: "This is where the fun begins." (Oh, Anakin, you have no idea how this will turn out.)
- Anakin and R2D2: They are much more than a man and a machine working together - they're friends. R2D2 has some amazing features. (In the ROTS novel, we get the background story that he was given to Anakin as present from Padme and that Anakin modified him to make him even better.) The best of all: Anakin is very defensive of R2D2 and trust his abilities totally. E.g. when Obi-Wan starts critizing R2, Anakin stops him: "Hey, no loose wire jokes. He's *trying*." :-)
- Anakin's face when Count Dooku is at his mercy. You can see one thought chasing another.
- Anakin hanging in the lift shaft with Obi-Wan hanging around his neck and Palpatine hanging on his ankle.
On the one hand, I found the scene funny, on the other oddly symbolic. You see, in the course of the movie, Anakin really feels as if everything is hanging on him while he's attempting to just hold on and not fall. (Palpatine wants him to report on the Jedi council and Obi-Wan wants him to report on the council which puts him under a lot of pressure.)
- General Grievous' breathing problem and frequent coughing: He's like a predecessor to Vader - part humanoid, part mechanical including the breathing problem. The difference is that Vader's breathing is intimidating whereas Grievous' cough is - well, funny. :-)
- Grievous telling Anakin he expected him to be older and Anakin replying he expected Grievous to be taller. Considering the enormous height of Grievous, this brought a big smile to my face.
- Obi-Wan and Anakin as a team: They really fight together now and know each other so well. There relationship is no longer competitive, they have become close friends and really are like brothers.
- Padme and Anakin seeing one another again after their long separation. Love how Anakin runs to her to take her in his arms. He appears so young then.
- Every scene with Anakin and Palpatine in it really:
Palpatine really understands Anakin and plays him expertly. In some ways, it's definitely a seduction to the dark side. Palpatine makes little comments and waits out Anakin's reactions. Very often they talk without looking at one another, but when their eyes lock, it's *very* intense.
I think two of their scenes play out without background sounds, no music, just silence apart from them talking. And the acting in these scenes is so brilliant, that the audience was totally quiet. You would have heard it if someone had dropped a pin!
In another scene, they are circling one another like predator and prey.
Palpatine brags about Anakin in his fight with Yoda as well stating that his new apprentice will be more powerful than Yoda or even himself! It seems his most important goal was creating the most powerful Sith ever - never mind it's not him, never mind he will have to be careful of Vader one day overthrowing him. He's really proud of "his" Vader.
And when Vader is lying on Mustafar mortally wounded, Palpatine touches his forehead very gently with his hand. Actually, it seemed as if he was taking away his pain, because Vader then stops moaning in agony.
These scenes really deepen and change my understanding of Vader and Palpatine! It's a very complex relationship with many layers. Fascinating! I will look out for fanfiction exploring these layers.
- Little detail: When Anakin goes up stairs, he usually takes two stairs at a time. Obi-Wan never does that. :-)
- Another small observation: In the end, Vader and Palpatine go to see the Death Star. In this scene, Vader crosses his arms in front of his chest. When I saw this in the big trailer, I thought: "Oh, the big bad guy play it cool." But with the entire context of the scene, Vader seemed somehow lonely and still insecure. So the crossing of his arms felt as if he was hugging himself. This impression was enhanced by the next scenes: Bail brings Leia to his queen and puts his arm around her. Beru shows Luke to Owen, and Owen puts his arm around Beru. It's as if these couples are together, they are happy. They can touch one another. Wheras Anakin/Vader has lost Padme and instead has the Emperor for company. And Palpatine is neither hug-worthy nor would he appreciate a hug. :-)
- Owen and Beru watching the sunset (or sunrise?) on Tatooine with little Luke on Beru's arms. A wonderful tie to Luke standing there in ANH.
- Anakin's fall was very interesting to watch:
The way it plays out, Anakin is fully aware that Palpatine is evil. I really don't think he believe Palpatine's "the Jedi are evil and therefore need to be eliminated" argument in the beginning. But despite that he goes along, because "he can't bear to live without Padme". That's a subtle shift in perspective: Beforehand, it was about *Padme* who he wanted to save. Now it's quite clear that he does this for *himself* mostly. IMO this "I can't live without her" is way more self-centered!
I think his thoughts behind his decision are: I kill the Jedi now. As long as they live, Padme and I will never be able to live a normal family life. Afterwards I wipe out the separatist leaders. Then I'll learn Palpatine's secrets, save Padme - and get rid of Palpatine. Then I live happily ever after; no harm done.
Only it's not that easy. Killing Jedi younglings is not something you can push aside afterwards.
We don't know how he feels about killing his fellow Jedi, he really keeps up a great facade afterwards. But after he wiped out the separatist's leader, we see that he cries. As if his conscience comes back to haunt him after all.
When he then meets Padme and Obi-Wan, another change has taken place! Anakin now justifies what he has done. To list some of his arguments: He did it for Padme. He will overthrow Palpatine and he and Padme will rule together and his empire will be great and peaceful. A bit later he says he did it, because he loves the Empire. And because he's loyal to Palpatine! And because the Jedi are evil.
It's as if he *needs* justification and it doesn't matter that some of his arguments oppose one another. If he stopped defending himself, he would realize *what* he has done and that would be his end. So he changes his beliefs to still be able to live with himself.
I LOVE the complexity here!
- After his reconstruction, Vader breaks his chains when he calls Padme's name.
It's as if love gives him the strength to break his chains. Maybe some foreshadowing to ROTJ?
- There are many more things I enjoy, but I can't list them all for now. The list would be too long.
Things I didn't like that much (but can live with):
- The nightmare sequences: They are close up scenes of Padme's face filmed with soft-focus. My problem is that I just don't like soft-focus scenes, they always make me cringe. I'd have preferred it to see the entire operation room from above and then to zoom in on Padme. But yes, that's my personal preference and tastes do differ.
- Vader's scream of "No" after Palpatine tells him he killed Padme: Again just my personal taste. Vader's arms are outstretched when he screams "No" and it appears very over-dramatic. I think I'd have liked it if he had sunk together and maybe fallen down. Maybe the moment will grow on me. Sometimes when I read other people's takes on a scene, I suddenly see it through their eyes and it starts working for me. That's a hint: I'd appreciate someone's positive view here. :-)
Despite these nitpicks: I love this movie. Not that anyone would have noticed that after my wordy review. :-) And yes, I guess it'll be my favorite of the six movies.