Well I’ve been to see it.. Star Wars: the Final Advert for Toys. (or Revenge of the Sith as it is actually titled by Lucas™). And I was somewhat disappointed, granted after episodes I and II I should have been a bit better prepared but then there were some good reviews so I had rebuilt some hope.
I’ve decided conclusively that Mr Lucas can’t direct films any more, he seems to have lost any touch that he may have had with American Graffiti or the first Star Wars instalment (now subtitled Episode IV:A New Hope). The film as a whole is a lightsabre fest of fights and destruction, but over all the feeling is still quite light. This is the time when an entire society is supposed to be crumbling under the rule of an evil Sith lord corrupting the image of people power and democracy. Instead it seems like a light downhill jog into a dimly lit room.
With the lack of punch of any of the main scenes came Lucas’ worst point, he really can’t write love scenes, Padame (Natalie Portman) from starting the whole prequel trilogy as a strong character (and glorious eye candy too) is now a week and ineffective character with a seeming detachment from an entire world outside. But that’s ok she’s pregnant.
The other thing I really disliked about the film is the inability of Lucas to follow the powerful scenes without having short cuts from place to place. For example he tries hard to counterpoint the Yoda-Emperor fight and the Anakin-Obi-Wan Fight, which ends up diluting the most important points in the film. I had to tell myself to be more excited (‘THIS IS THE BIRTH OF DARTH VADER’) but was unable to keep a level of enthusiasm it should have brought out in me.
This is a damp squib of a film, but better than Episodes I and II.
In other opinion (man this is turning into a column piece) I have been keeping abreast of a recently started campaign in The Independent [The Campaign for Democracy] an attempt to bring a change in electoral process for General Elections for the U.K.
I am a firm supporter of the idea of electoral reform, although it’s a very difficult question to decide what form the debate needs to take.
What my problem is the difference between party politics and parliamentarian election of local representatives. How can we elect local representatives, who during whipped votes will generally toe the party line even if it goes against the wishes of the constituents as a whole. (Oona King anybody?) How can we elect a local representative that doesn’t represent the local community that elects? Hence why I am disenchanted with the current system, what I propose is that they should be different concerns, a party vote and a representative MP vote. The representative cannot be whipped into a party line (although I’m sure most of them would follow a party line) and a PR portion of the house made from those of the party that get the party vote.
That way, people can actually vote for national policies and local policy concerns separately. Personally I think it’s party politics that sucks but I think I might have to live with that sin.
