There is no more sad story on the light... ... than the story of Revan and the Dark Council
According to Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars Episode Four, thousands of generations of Jedi have guarded peace and order in the Old Republic. Adherents of the Light Side of the Force were considered as far-sighted judges and at the same time impartial executors of sentences. Their influence on the social order of the Republic was fundamental, and for a long time no one dared to challenge the valiant knights who stood together. However, the Dark Side, represented by the treacherous Sith, after a long stay in the shadow of galactic politics, guessed the right moment and almost destroyed the Order of Light, leaving only two masters alive, forced to hide on planets far from the Center of the proclaimed Empire. The original Star Wars trilogy was slow to delve into the past of the galaxy far, far away, concentrating on the events of the Civil War between the Rebel Alliance and Palpatine's power. Fans of the Saga could only guess how Jedi Anakin Skywalker switched sides with the Sith and took the name Darth Vader. There was no need to talk about time travel for several thousand years, because in the conditions of studio pressure and a catastrophic shortage of free funds, George Lucas could not expand the known history to truly universal proportions. However, with the release of the Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars managed to break through the veil of forgotten times and tell the audience about what happened in the distant past, when the Sith and Jedi were not afraid to enter open conflicts and crushed entire star systems under themselves, just to assert the ideological rule of their own doctrine.
On November 18, 2003, one of the best Star Wars games, Knights of the Old Republic, developed by Bioware, premiered. Players have a unique opportunity to travel 4,000 years into the past, in the midst of an epochal war between followers of opposite sides of the Great Power. The plot of the game presented us with completely unknown characters who, thanks to well-written characters, were in no way inferior to the heroes of the full-length films of George Lucas. The Sith and Jedi were represented by great, charismatic personalities who rightfully entered the Pantheon of Star Wars glory. Bastilla Shan, Mitra Surik, Darth Malak and other names are no worse remembered than Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu. The number of sold copies of the game made it possible to consider Knights of the Old Republic a bestseller, waiting for a regular sequel, whose time came 2 years after the release of the original. And again, the developers pleased fans, naturally completing the history of the long past millennium, forcing everyone to equal it who decides to return and complete the narrative of the Knights of the Old Republic.
The creation of Bioware also gave us a meeting with the notorious Darth Revan, a Jedi who defected to the enemy and became the most tragic person of the Old Republic. To a certain extent, the creators of the game were inspired by the image of Anakin Skywalker himself, weaving the features of the Chosen One to the Jedi who came to us from a personal computer monitor. just like the fallen Skywalker, Revan faithfully served the Order, but the acquaintance with the Dark Side did not pass for him without a trace. After joining Emperor Vishate and assuming the title of Dart, Revan personally destroyed more than one hundred Republican soldiers and former associates in the order, but he managed to break out of the arms of the Dark Side before his inner essence finally dissolved into darkness. Revan’s complex presentation as a hero caught in the ideological storm of the Force made him the most intriguing character in the Star Wars game universe, reaching a number of his own game figurines, comics and books. In addition to official productions from Lucasfilm, Darth Revan was mentioned in several independent short films, the most famous of which can rightfully be considered Knights of the Old Republic: Broken Souls.
Inspired by Bioware, director Jared Siach focused on the final stage of the confrontation between Darth Revan and Darth Nihilus, irreconcilable rivals who dream of becoming on the same level with the Emperor himself. Evil at the unexpected favorite of the Emperor, a fugitive Jedi, Nihilus literally from the first meeting disliked Revan, and therefore their conflict sooner or later was bound to result in open battle on lightsabers. A group of Revan's henchmen was ready to support their leader in any undertaking, but one thing was clear - a face-to-face battle between the Sith was inevitable, and no one else should interfere in it. Crossing swords on a remote desert planet, Revan and Nihilus tried to use the power of the Dark Side for their own benefit, but the former Jedi managed to exceed all expectations, without much effort finding the key to the enemy’s defense. It is impossible to defeat someone who has ideally learned the ways of the Force from both sides. Filled with victory, Revan continues his path and even though we know him well, this does not mean that watching his on-screen adventures becomes less interesting.
Siach's film is notable not only for references to the cult game, but also for the fact that in 2015 it received a special Lucasfilm award for the best special effects in the field of fan cinema. The creators spent a lot of effort in order to alien landscapes, technology and glimpses of lightsabers were not much different from a full-fledged Hollywood blockbuster. Separate mention is worthy of staging battles on lightsabers. The leading actors honed every movement to perfection, trying to maintain the high bar of Nick Gillard’s choreography developed for the Prequel Trilogy. Watching the duel of Revan and Nihilus frankly amazed by the painstaking work done. Maybe in the plot plan, the short film does not carry a special semantic load, but its visual perfection in two accounts covers the shortcomings, which at the time to call doubtful.
In conclusion, I want to say that Knights of the Old Republic: Broken Souls is an almost sinless example of quality amateur cinema, created with trepidation and love for the undertaken adventure. The tape maintains constant interest in the viewer, special effects and scenery are made in the highest categories, and the plot is built in such a way that the audience does not lose the thread of the narrative and at the same time focus on the excellent action, which in the short film at least replenish. And despite the fact that “Knights of the Old Republic: Broken Souls” is intended for a specific audience who cannot imagine themselves without Lucas’ films, it will certainly interest the viewer of any preferences, because quality cinema will always find its recognition.
9 out of 10