Marathon at the amc...farewell, childhood

Standing in line at 7 pm, a filthy-sad haze of cigarette smoke brooding over the crowd, I counted the hours until 12:01 in the morning, when an entire generation of latte-chugging Generation Xers would bid a collective farewell to their childhood. Movie theatres turn people into paranoid whisperers. Look at their faces, their eyes. Man, they're tense. But last night, you had complete strangers taking pictures with each other, calling each other "master" and generally acting like one big hippie-flipped joy fest. I swore that, as corny and desperate as they appeared, the legion of Star Wars fans actually entertained me, drew me in. It's not everyday you see computer programmers and Zoloft-popping stock brokers fight each other in public with discount bin light sabers. Disenchanted with the first two films from the pre-trilogy, I stood in line with my brother hoping for two hours of escapism. It wasn't perfect, but the film gave me much, much more. Watching Anakin's degeneration is like watching that gloomy kid down the street suffer from full-body, violent poison oak. Literally and metaphorically. You feel bad, and even vaguely intrigued by his freak show transformation, but in the end sympathize with his tortured existence. Hayden Christensen is much more comfortable in a darker role than he is in the annoying-adolescent role of Episode II. He is convincing. McGregor adds dignity to the trilogy, and plays his part well. You still walk away feeling, however, that he never quite taps into that emotive energy. He seems held back at times, and that sort of thing happens when you're delivering lines in front of a vulgar blue screen. Still, Obi-Wan's climatic encounter with Anakin is hard to watch...for all the right reasons. Unlike the first two films, Revenge of the Sith maintains a swift pace that keeps you interested. Instead of dominating the film and bogging it down with peripheral issues, the politics of the Republic strengthen the characters - not the other way around. Lucas gets it right this time. Despite its predictable plot, this story is the most character-drive of the pre-trilogy. There's no way I can ever watch Episodes IV-VI the same. Revenge of the Sith gives new meaning to every other Star Wars film. It ties up loose ends. "Closure" seems about right, except the film leaves you satisfyingly empty - despite its prerequisite flaws (dialogue, acting) Revenge of the Sith hits hard, nerve-deep. This film is more human than the rest, and isn't afraid to entertain. That's what makes it so good.