The story takes place three years into the Clone Wars and the Republic is under threat of falling apart. The Jedi are under equipped to handle their duties but they have The Force that reveals the Dark Side to them. This answer as to who the is Sith leads to death and the beginning of Sith Lord Darth Vader. 

The Star Wars III world tackles the subject of Evil with sub par mastery of ability and sensibility. Evil in art has rules that influence its level of presence. Ability comes in a pair of grandeur or subtlety and sensibility in pain or sorrow. On ability the filmmakers opt for grand scale digital worlds and characters, which show mastery of illusion but which elude senses of home or fear. 

Thus the story and character of imminent evil and the action of attempting to defend honour are unequal and they lose each other in this play of nowhere space and untouchable warriors, namely endless droids fighting endless droids with no clear indication of which side human compassion should lie. Stories of good versus evil thrive on subtlety, which is the power to portray human terror in a place we can identify with and the comfort we get from having the ability to protect it. Revenge of the Sith offers this premise of the arrival of evil but falls short of achieving it because the digital mass overpowers the human one, which indirectly eliminates any feelings of connection the film has with the audience.

First-class sensibility (tragedy) deals with innocence lost. It has been said humans are punished with pain or sorrow depending on their guilt or innocence. The sensibilities of pain or sorrow based on how Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader but the manner in which it happens only produces and fulfils anxiety. There is no sense of urgency or danger. His turn to the dark side comes on the back of manipulating his Jedi experience and making him a rebel rather that giving him a solid principle to believe in the dark side. His rise as Lord Vader is an unemotional shift fuelled by anger and hatred, which are passive pleasures thereby rendering it unattractive. 

The acting is bad. The script is worse and is peppered with phrases such as, ‘That was fun’ after a crash landing or ‘I thought you were taller’, which sound like the musing of an unimaginative filmmaker. Of course that statement is debatable when speaking of George Lucas. Revenge of the Sith turns Anakin into one of the screen's greatest and beloved villains, which is revealed in a scene worth the 27 year wait. It also acts as a link to the first Star Wars film. Plus there are plenty of elements in this film including answers to a myriad of questions that will appeal to the loyal legions and it is the final instalment that wraps up what has been a cinematic trip. If you enjoy the initial three films do not miss Star Wars III. 

More info on Star Wars here.

by Phiwa Sukumane for Africasgateway

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