Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
© James C. Hess
In my never-ending pursuit of good stories and good storytellers I find myself effectively going in circles, because I keep coming back to one fact regarding good stories and good storytellers: Audiences want the same story, again and again. But, at the same time, they don't want the same story again and again. Variety is the spice of Life, and audiences want just enough variety in the telling and retelling of a given story to making it interesting, appealing, and worthy of another go-around.
Which makes for a precarious proposition, for the storyteller and the story itself: The audience expects the storyteller to tell the same story again and again, but with a measure of variation. But how much variation is enough? Or too much?
That is the mark of a true storyteller.
For almost thirty years movie director George Lucas has told the same story again and again. The audience was happy with this. But expected a measure of variation. Which Lucas readily provided.
But only to a point. At a certain point Lucas realized, and the audience apparently accepted, a certain fact: There is only so much variation to go around when it comes to a certain story, and the best thing to do then is to call it quits.
Lucas has called it quits. Or so he says. If he holds true to his assertion "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" will be his last telling of this particular tale. And if he does hold to his assertion, his promise, he will have done well, for "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" is just short of perfection: It begins and ends where the first episode of "Star Wars" began and ended: The classic space opera, complete with the line: This is where we came in.
Of course the hard work for the telling of this particular tale is already done: That Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader is known. That his twins, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, would go on to save the Republic and redeem the family name and honor is also known. What is not known until Episode III is the how and the why; the variation that goes to make the telling of this timeless tale worth the price of admisssion once more.
As "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" opens Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and his friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), are flying fighter craft, staging a two-man rescue effort to regain Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), who was captured by the rebel General Grievious. That they succeed in their attempt could go without saying: They are Jedi and work well under pressure.
Go To Page: 1 2
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to James C. Hess's Film & TV Reviews topic, please visit the Discussions page.