The dark lord has risen and boy, was it a gruesome rise to the top.
Just caught Star Wars Episode III and out of the three prequel, Episode III is easily the best. It seems that George Lucas has something to say about politics and the perceived democracy that we think we live in, the failings of Man and the faith in humanity. It was good. In fact, it was very, very good.
What I loved about the show was how it explains everything that you have always wanted to know about Star Wars. Why were Luke and Leia separated when they were babies? Why is Darth Vader breathing in such a pained and sinister manner and garbed in that plastic mask 24/7? How did Palpatine take control of the Republic? Why was Yoda in exile? How did Obi-Wan tell Luke to “use the force” when he was already, well, dead?
The fight scenes were dramatic and the music was chilling. And at certain times, you could almost hear the sound of Darth Vader’s breathing, even though he was still Anakin Skywalker. The backdrop was lush and took you right to wherever the characters were supposed to be – Coruscant, Mustaphar (however you spell it), Tattooine.
But the best thing about the show were the characters and no, I don’t mean Hayden Christensen (I think he acted like a card board cutout). Yoda was amazing, as usual, with his grammatically incorrect English (encourage it, PM Lee will not) and his acrobatics. Somehow, that lined face always exudes a sense of weariness and understanding. Samuel L Jackson was cool as always, and I swear that he has to be the most metrosexual Jedi Knight ever. Look, the dude has a purple lightsaber when the rest of the Jedis were wielding boring greens and blues. If I could have a lightsaber, I would want a purple one too. Mace Windu was a trendsetter back in those days.
My favourite has to be Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi. There is something about that crisp British accent and the wry sense of humour. But he is also manly in an oxymoronic SNAG manner, though it must not be construed in a gay fashion. He is just THE MAN. After Aragorn.
Sadly, Natalie Portman did no feature much in the show. The S^traits T^imes reporter said it well when she wrote that Padme Amidala basically comes in, gets pregnant, cries and dies. Oh, and say her famous “this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause” line.
Anyway, the worst part of the movie was the cinema. NEVER EVER GO TO SHAW BEACH ROAD FOR MOVIES. You could get DVT (oh no, will I get sued for defamation?) and friends complained of pee smells emanating from the chairs and floors. Yucks.
The thing with most of us is that after having been disappointed with the Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, we were not really expecting a genius piece of work. Thankfully, Episode III turned out to be miles better.
In short – watch this movie, you must.
Yannisms 