caseyphillips.net

I must admit I'm somewhat of a closet Star Wars geek. I don't own a lightsaber, I don't have any Star Wars toys, you'll never find me dressed as Darth Vader (well, once maybe when I was about 6), I have never, and never want to, attend a convention or Star Wars event of any kind really, and I've never camped out at a theater for any movie, but, none the less, I guess I'm a bit more than a casual fan. I do know a more about the story than I need to, can name just about every character. So, I lie somewhere in between the guy who declares his religion as "Jedi" and the guy who doesn't know Boba Fett from Han Solo.

I didn't hold the same disdain for Episode I and II as many people have. Mainly because I wasn't expecting anything more than what they were. After all, it's Star Wars, not Shakespeare. If you analyze and dissect it, of course it's ridiculous. If I walked into a McDonald's expecting a gourmet meal, I'd be really disappointed. But, despite how many people claim they just hate McDonald's, they sure sell a mess of hamburgers. The same could be said of Star Wars. Somebody is buying these tickets, right? I'd be willing to bet my life's wages that the vast majority of people who see (and like) these movies are not the stereo-typical Star Wars geeks you see camping out at the movie theaters and dressing like Jedi.

That being said, I think this final movie is possibly the best of the whole series. I grew up with Star Wars, my brother and our friends used to have lightsaber battles, we had all the action figures, ships, etc. I can't remember a time when I didn't know who Darth Vader was. We all knew he was Luke's father and at one time a good man, a Jedi even. But we never really knew how he came to be Darth Vader and exactly why he wore that black suit. After seeing this movie, it makes me view the originals a little differently.

Throughout the movie I was anticipating the inevitable ending. I knew what and who Anakin was to become, but I think somewhere in my subconscious I was hoping he wouldn't. It was interesting that his intentions for turning were actually good: to save Padme from death, of which he had premonitions. Palpatine had tempted him with the promise of being able to prevent death through the use of the dark side. Ironic that his finally turning to the dark side was the ultimate cause of Padme's demise. This was a level of story complexity alien to the series, especially the prequels(the originals had the whole "I am your father" bit). After preventing Mace Windu (Sam Jackson) from killing Palpatine, Anakin is finally christened "Darth Vader" and as his first act of loyalty to the Sith, he slaughters all the children in the Jedi temple. This act makes it clear Anakin is gone, and Darth Vader has arrived. It was also a bit odd seeing a character addressed as "Darth Vader" that certainly didn't look like Darth Vader.

The final lightsaber duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan was grueling. I knew Anakin was going to lose, and lose very badly, I just didn't know when it was going to happen. It was like waiting for that little puff of air you get in your eye from that machine at the optometrist. When that final moment did come it was easily the most gruesome scene in any of the Star Wars films, and is probably the main reason this film was rated PG-13 (parents of young children, beware). Both legs and arm severed, then severely burned by a lava flow, Anakin's transformation into the Darth Vader we know and love was complete after being rescued by Palpatine (Obi-Wan left him for dead) and painfully fitted with the familiar life-support suit. The final scene is Darth Vader standing next to the Emperor overlooking the beginning construction of the Death Star.

Would I say this was the best movie I've ever seen? Absolutely not. There are far smarter and more thought provoking films out there, but Star Wars is not, nor was it intended to be, one of them. It was intended to be a special effects filled roller-coaster ride, and this it accomplishes quite well.

I just wish I still had those old toys from my childhood. Imagine the killing I could've made with Ebay! If only I had known then what I know now. . .