Friday, May 20, 2005
"Star Wars" of Course
Saw "Star Wars" III ("Revenge of the Sith") last night. Theatre was mostly full when I arrived, yet we were forced to sit through not only the usual previews and ads but something called "The 2wenty", 20 minutes of LOUD previews and ads for television programs with no mute button available. Few films will redeem such a seemingly endless wait.
George Lucas may claim that the movie script was written long ago but that does not mean the film (all digital) might not have been fiddled with to make political points. There is a hint of Osama bin Laden in General Grievous. Both the emperor and Darth Vader seem to have had their scripts vetted by Michael Moore.
My personal favorite "Kerry should be president" commercial was Obi Wan Kenobi informing Vader that seeing things as either "black or white" was the way of the enemy Sith. The thought police must have missed an earlier scene, in which the Sith emperor tells Anakin that "good is a point of view." (Patrick Ruffi has cleverly created a "Republican" Darth Vader here.)
When not beating viewers over the head with Hollywood leftism, "Star Wars" conveys other, more subtle allusions -- "better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven" announced Lucifer in Paradise Lost but Anakin Skywalker demonstrates it amid fiery lava.
This film is likely to make a lot of money. But the original "Star Wars," now episode IV, remains the best story of the lot. That was a day when scripts mattered more than special effects.
|posted by Jim on 7:40 PM|
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