Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) 20th Century Fox/Sci-Fi-Action-Adventure RT: 140 minutes Rated PG-13 (sci-fi violence and some intense images) Director: George Lucas Screenplay: George Lucas Music: John Williams Cinematography: David Tattersall Release date: May 19, 2005 (US) Cast: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee, Jimmy Smits, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Frank Oz (voice), Peter Mayhew, Matthew Wood (voice), Silas Carson, Temuera Morrison, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Bruce Spence. Box Office: $380.2 million (US)/$848.7 million (World)
Rating: ****
Now the Star Wars series is back on track! In my not-so-humble opinion, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is as awesome as any of the movies in the original trilogy. It’s also the darkest chapter of the saga which is probably why it’s the first Star Wars film to be given a PG-13 rating.
Like the 1977 original, there is no such thing as a plot spoiler when it comes to Revenge of the Sith. We already know the outcome because we’ve seen the first movie. This is the movie where Anakin Skywalker fully transforms into Darth Vader. However, Lucas explains why the former Jedi chooses the path of the Sith.
By now, we know that Chancellor Palpatine and Darth Sidious are one in the same. He engineered everything, including the Clone Wars, so that the Senate would grant him absolute power effectively turning him into a dictator. His rise to power is very much like that of Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany and we know how that turned out. Of course, Palpatine/Sidious ultimately becomes “The Emperor” and the Republic becomes the Empire. It’s a matter of Star Wars history. Knowing what we know going in doesn’t make Revenge of the Sith any less exciting. On the contrary, it’s very exciting and the visuals are positively amazing. It also works on a deeper level as we witness Anakin’s descent into madness and evil. That may very well be the most compelling aspect of an all-around great movie.
It opens with Obi-Wan (McGregor) and Anakin (Christensen) on a mission to rescue kidnapped Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (McDiarmid) from Count Dooku (Lee) and Separatist commander General Grievous (Wood), a Kaleesh in droid’s armor. This antagonist is one major bad ass! Not only does he possess mad light saber fighting skills, he also has several arms which gives him an unfair advantage over his opponents as he can fight with several light sabers at once. Anakin kills Dooku in a duel, but Grievous manages to escape.
The Jedis return to Coruscant where Anakin reunites with Padme (Portman), now his wife and pregnant with their first child. Yep, twins Luke and Leia! Palpatine appoints Anakin as his representative on the Jedi Council but they refuse to grant him the rank of Master. In turn, they ask him to keep an eye on Palpatine and report back to them on his doings. Palpatine entices Anakin with his knowledge of the Dark Side of the Force, assuring him that it will give him the power to prevent death. He’s been having premonitions of Padme dying in childbirth, so the temptation to go over the Dark Side is great. After Palpatine reveals his true identity to Anakin, he reports his treachery to Mace Windu (Jackson) who tries unsuccessfully to arrest him. Anakin pledges himself to Sith Lord Sidious who dubs his new apprentice Darth Vader. That’s when all hell breaks loose in the galaxy. Sidious, now hideously deformed, issues an order to the clone armies to kill all Jedis claiming that they attempted a coup.
No matter how old I am, I will always feel like the movie-loving 14YO who lived to be blown away by the Star Wars films. It doesn’t happen very often but I was very impressed with Revenge of the Sith. From the bravura opening sequence to Obi-Wan’s battle with Grievous to Yoda on the planet of the Wookies (Chewbacca makes an appearance) to the climactic fight between Obi-Wan and the Sith Formerly Known as Anakin, it’s just one cool scene after another. I realize that I sound like a teenage fanboy, but I can’t help it. I really loved Revenge of the Sith.
I’ll take it a step further and say that Christensen does a fine job in the role this time. He’s still not a particularly good actor, but his descent into evil is intense and frightening. Portman does an excellent job conveying the anguish and grief over her husband’s switching of loyalties. I love how Lucas ties everything up in the final moments. One of the last scenes has the Emperor and Vader watching the construction of the Death Star. Again, we knew this was coming. Not just because of the first movie, but also because in the previous film, Dooku delivered the blueprints for the Death Star to Sidious.
If I have any complaints about Revenge of the Sith, it’s that some of the CGI looks a bit silly and obvious. In one scene, Obi-Wan is shown fleeing from the clone soldiers on the back of some creature. It looks like something out of a video game. However, scenes like the climactic Obi-Wan-Anakin fight on the volcanic planet of Mustafar look awesome (there’s that word again!). I don’t know if I’d call Revenge of the Sith a fun movie per se, but it’s most definitely a satisfying one. Now for the big question, am I looking forward to the new Star Wars movies (the first one, Episode VII, is due next year)? The answer is a great big emphatic YES!
