Welcome, to week 13 of our celebration of Revenge of the Sith’s 15th anniversary.
15 different guests, 15 Interviews, 15 weeks in a row
“Once more the Sith will rule the galaxy. And… we shall have… peace.”
Welcome, Joey to our Revenge of the Sith 15th Anniversary Celebration Series. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to answer our questions.
Thank you for having me, been such a long time since I watched Revenge of the Sith. I have no doubt that the memories (good one’s) will be flooding back!
Before we get started, could you please share with our readers a little bit about yourself, your content and how you got into Star Wars?
I am 42 years young, father of 2, born and raised in New York City. I got into Star Wars pretty much like everyone else, I watched A New Hope and I was hooked! I was actually born the same year A New Hope was released, maybe I shouldn’t have said that.. After that, I got into everything Star Wars, Role playing games (nod to West End games), video games (tip the hat to X-Wing), etc. So I pretty much engrossed myself in the Star Wars Universe.
Without further ado, let’s get started. (Please answer long-form)
1. Let’s start at the beginning, when and where did you first see Revenge of the Sith?
Hmm, you are asking me to go back in time. I watched Revenge of the Sith on opening night at the Loew’s movie theater in Manhattan, don’t remember the exact one there’s so many. I was 27 at the time, dating my would to be wife. We went with a group of friends to watch the finale of the Prequel Trilogy. I remember we were all excited, we went to the late show because we all had a late dinner at Caliente cabs in the city! Oh the memories are coming back! We were very much looking forward to watching the movie.
2. What was your experience like?
We all had a great night. We were all really into the movie, especially immediately after the crawl where they went straight into the space fighting scene where Anakin and Obi-Wan had that great banter between each other. I remember I was eating jujubes. I haven’t had those in forever.. 😪
3. What was your reaction after you saw it your first time?
I loved it, back in those days there was a “mini civil war” about the Trilogies. 1 camp, “The Purists”, hated the trilogy, especially Episode 2. They didn’t like the way Anakin (Darth Vader) was being portrayed before he became the evil incarnate. People back then were no different than now I guess.
4. What is your favorite scene in Revenge of the Sith and why?
Oh!! that’s easy! Count Dooku finally eating it! Oh! did I hate him, smug, cavalier, douche! But after Anakin killed him *spoilers* (I loved that part), we all looked at each other in the theater and gave each other that look of, “here is where Anakin slips down the rabbit hole of evil”.
5. What is your favorite character in Revenge of the Sith and why?
My favorite was Padme. I thought her transition from Warrior Queen to a more serious politician/pending mother really set the tone of this movie all the way to the end. It really showed how Leia got to be who she became.
6. What is your favorite tie-in material (from ether Legends or canon) and why?
At the time, probably Jedi Quest: The Changing of the Guard. I read that book maybe 3 months before Revenge of the Sith came out. It’s an adventure novel that chronicles Obi-Wan and Anakin’s adventures. I think it took place between Episode 1 and 2 but don’t quote me on that.
7. What is your favorite piece of merchandise/collectible from this film and why?
My sister got me a really nice metal miniature of those Droidekas that roll and have force fields. It was the size of a coffee mug, really nice.
8. When you think of Revenge of the Sith, what do you think about and why?
Easy! Why does Obi-Wan get his rear end kicked by Dooku all the time! Kidding! (But if you like to comment below….) It was Anakin of course, we all wanted to see why he became who he became. How he struggled to balance the Jedi code and his love for Padme.
9. 15 years later, has your opinion changed at all on the film? If so how?
I haven’t watched it in years, maybe I should have re-watched it before this interview 😃, but I wanted to remember my raw emotion of that very first night in the theater. I loved the movie from start to finish, the Padme part at the end was brutal. Somebody was cutting onions in the theater that night! She felt all alone and in so much pain! That part gets me.
10. What does Revenge of the Sith mean to you currently?
I don’t know, like I said earlier in this interview, people were so polarized back then. To me, it currently fits what I wanted the bridge to Episode 4 to be. Probably going to get attacked for this, but that’s how I feel. It explained why Anakin became who he became, it was all about love and how it supersedes a code you are taught to live by.
11. What are somethings about the Revenge of the Sith that you love, respect or hold dear that others may overlook and why?
I don’t think people appreciate Padme’s role in the movie. She set the tone all the way to the end. Her love for Anakin and his love for her is exactly why Anakin chose his path, which inevitably became his downfall.
12. Where does Revenge of the Sith sit for you in your personal ranking of the 12 theatrical releases and why?
4th behind the original three. Acting, costumes, CGI, everything to me was on the money. Like I said, a very good bridge to Episode 4.
13. What would you like to see in the future around Revenge of the Sith, ether stories, merchandise, features, interviews, etc?
Well, people should really read Darth Vader’s comic book from Marvel, it really digs deep into what Vader became during the reign of The Empire. I wouldn’t mind a Disney+ mini-series on Vader in a cartoon form, about his time and reign over the galaxy.
14. In your opinion, what is the legacy of Revenge of the Sith?
For me it was the bridge to A New Hope. It showed me that Anakin was never an evil person. He had so much love that he lost when his mother was killed, he couldn’t bare to lose that same love again in Padme. This movie to me will hold up just fine!
15. What are your last words on Revenge of the Sith and/ or things you would like readers to know about this film?
For people in my age category who watched it from day one, let it go!! It was a great film, enjoy it. This movie deserves to be on your shelf next to The Original Trilogy. Thumbs up from me!
Thanks again Joey for joining us in this 15th anniversary celebration of Revenge of the Sith.
Thank you for having me! You helped me conjure up some great memories, thank you!
If people would like to find you or your content, where can they find it?
Well, you can find me at the I Rebel Discord server. Right now I’m a lurker on social media lol, but maybe one day I’ll get more involved. Stay tuned!
Thank you readers for joining us in the celebration of Revenge of the Sith and stay tuned for our next entry into this series, coming next Monday. Till then, we wish you nothing but the best, stay safe out there and May the Force be with you.
-JediGeekGirl
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