With thunderous applause.
Revenge of the Sith was awesome.
We got to the theater early of course. Stood in line for a mere 30 minutes; sat dead-center at the front of the balcony, sandwiched between a dozen or so 10-year old boys and one very patient grandpa. I sat quietly... bravely trying to hold it together... while Nancy got us the Subaru-size Popcorn and two pails of Coke.
The movie was scheduled to begin at 3:30... but instead the theater manager came out and addressed the crowd. He cleared his throat, and said "May I have your attention please?" and immediately recoiled in shock. It was as if a million voices suddenly cried out in terror... or as if a theater full of Star Wars fans had just shot the poor guy a "You better not be telling us the movie is fucked-up, pal!" glare. He regrouped and added "The movie's fine... but I do have to tell you that it's extremely loud. Please don't complain to me afterward; this is the way Lucasfilm insists the film be shown!"
That is a perfect little metaphor for my Revenge of the Sith experience. Terrified it wouldn't satisfy; awarded with more than I'd dared hope. Not a bad way to spend ten bucks, when you get right down to it.
This is just how hard Revenge of the Sith rocked: Nancy loved it. She has virtually no interest in the Star Wars mythos (but fortunately, she has infinite patience with my, er, borderline obsession with all things Skywalker), and she loved it.
The opening is amazing... just how long is that first tracking shot anyway? Those first 40 minutes... unbelievable. You never get a chance to catch your breath, but you do get to see Jedi kickin' ass like you've always wanted to see... and you get to see how close Anakin and Obi Wan have grown since last we saw them. You sit there, and you root for these two old friends... despite the fact that you know that soon they'll be facing off on Mustafar, and that a happy ending is not in the cards for any of our players.
That was one of the things I liked best about Revenge of the Sith: I went in wanting to see Anakin's fall, and to finally see that legendary light saber battle on "the edge of a volcano..." but as the film progressed, I found myself hoping that somehow Anakin would pull it out... that he wouldn't turn, and betray everyone and everything he held dear. I'm sure if he would have just brushed that hair out of his eyes he would have seen that the only prophecy that matters in that galaxy far, far away is his own self-fulfilling one. In his determination to save Padme from pain and death, he actually caused it... and much, much more.
Sadly -and I apologize for ruining it for you like this- his feeble skills were no match for the power of the dark side... and fall he did... holy Kenobi, did he fall!
And I bought it. Anakin's fall? I totally bought it. I'm still struggling with this "love to end all loves" he secretly shared with Padme (unless you're a mawkish 15-year old, very little about their romance was convincing, or even romantic), but having seen Revenge of the Sith, I can tell you his rise and fall were well-chronicled... and movingly so. I tell you what, that look on Anakin's face as the mask is lowered... that's the look of a guy who has suddenly, agonizingly, tragically realized he's sold his soul to the devil... and all he got was this stupid suit. Hayden pulled it off, and drew me in.
Hayden's gotten a lot of crap for his Star Wars performances; he's generally accused of being "stiff" and "wooden." Thing is, there's an argument to be made that Hayden's acting should have been wooden in Attack of the Clones; that he was playing a highly-emotional kid who was unerringly instructed to keep his emotions in check at any cost. I know folks are tough on Hayden's performances in these movies... and I'm not sayin' he's gonna' win any Golden Globes for 'em... but I do think there was some method to the madness.
I'd happily argue the same for the dialogue. Now, I admit that it's sometimes clunky, but it isn't as bad as some would claim... though admittedly never worse than in the love scenes. What it is is consistent throughout the six films. It's a little stylized; it's a little formal. It's a cadence that we may not have grown to love, but we have grown to recognize as particularly Star Wars. It seems to me that those who denigrate the dialogue, or the movies in general, aren't really reviewing the movies George made... but rather the movies they wanted him to make. George never claimed these movies were high art; he never said they were allegory... but at some point the critics grew disappointed he wasn't delivering those particular goods anyway... and downward-turned thumbs followed with them.
These movies are pulp. Glossy, expensive, whiz-bang pulp. It's as true now was it was back in 1977. Trust me, I was there. Sure they're chockablock full of movie reverence and reference (rent The Hidden Fortress, alright?), and there's a moral to be had in each and all... but they're pulp. Witness Anakin's transformation from flaming torso to the towering Darth Vader we all know and loathe, and tell me I'm wrong. That scene is right out of Frankenstein... and it's perfect.
Oh, and the light saber battle? Obi Wan vs Anakin on Mustafar? Worth the 28-year wait. I don't recommend you do this, but if you were to wait 28 years to see their pitched battle, you wouldn't be disappointed.
Yeah, so... the end of Star Wars as I've known it. I know there will be more Star Wars books and games and TV shows and colostomy bags and action figures... I'm not an idiot... but I won't be seeing another new Star Wars film in the theater again... and that's much, much harder to get my head around than I thought it would be.
Sitting there this weekend, waiting forever for the movie to start, I couldn't watch all of those kids running around swinging imaginary light sabers over their heads, and not be taken right back to that spring day at Hayward's Festival Cinemas in 1977. My family waited for over three hours to see Star Wars the first time... I averaged an hour wait over the subsequent 47 times I saw it that year (yes, at one point I actually did the math... I was spending a lot of time in lines... what would you have done?)... and you know, I've rarely been happier.
So it's sad to have to say good bye to that, and to those times... you know? You know what's funny though? Nancy thinks the Star Wars frenzy will be over now that we've closed the book on the saga... she thinks the time has come to set aside childish things... isn't that cute?
Nothing brings me more joy than Nancy, but she's gotta' sleep sometime; she has to work late or buy bras (I'm capable of many things, but not of waiting in the Nordstrom lingerie section on a Sunday afternoon for three hours) every now and again, right? So for those times, it's comforting to know that Luke and the rest will always be there in a galaxy far, far away... and to know that, thanks to George Lucas and his Star Wars, I'll always remember what it was like to be that wide-eyed 11-year old boy...
It was awesome.
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