Movie Info
Movie Name: Star Wars—Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Studio: Lucasfilm
Genre(s): Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Action/Adventure
Release Date(s): May 19, 2005
MPAA Rating: PG-13
He should have stuck to Hobbits…
The battle with Lord Dooku (Christopher Lee) and the Separatists continue to take a toll on the Republic, and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) fight on with the army of clones. When Anakin kills Dooku to save Senator Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), he begins to further slide down the path of corruption. With his wife Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) expecting a child and visions of her death, Anakin is seeking to end the danger before it begins…and the only hope could be the Dark Side!
Directed by George Lucas, Star Wars—Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (also known simply as Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith) is the final entry in the prequel series. Following Star Wars—Episode II: Attack of the Clones in 2002, the movie was one of the largest money makers of all time and received more positive reviews than the previous entries. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Makeup.
“No…no…no…”
The prequel films were just odd. They were so anticipated and much of the backstory was plotted out in other mediums before they were made. Lucas attempted to clean-up some of the previously constructed story surrounding Star Wars and tie-up some loose ends that the prequels presented…but it did not necessarily do it very cleanly.
Revenge of the Sith is alright. It doesn’t have quite as much yammering dialogue as the first two prequels, but it still doesn’t live up to an Empire Strikes Back. It does rival Return of the Jedi, but it is hard to decide if this movie with its darker tone and more fighting is better. The basic plot loop (not a story problem so much as the characters being idiots) is that they keep talking about how Anakin was suppose to bring balance to the Force. It seems like there are a hell of a lot of “good” Jedi when the movie starts and about zero “bad” Jedi. The solution is Anakin kills almost all the good Jedi…hence balance. Guess the “good” Jedi should learn about ratios.
Order 66 has been given!
The movie does have a lot of moments and moments that make you say “uh?” The classically bad “NOOOOOO!!!!!!!” by Darth Vader at the end of the movie is like some kid’s idea of what would be said. Anakin also is quite wishy-washy the whole film and it doesn’t entirely make sense that he would be willing to slaughter kids to succeed (plus, the kids get killed but Jar Jar doesn’t? What type of a world do they live in?) I also like Padme’s last gasp naming of Luke and Leia. Other moments include things that don’t match up or are really forced to match are C-3PO’s random, clear his memory banks while R2-D2 is left untouched. Plus, Obi-Wan Kenobi spends a lot of time with R2-D2 to not recognize him in A New Hope…just sayin’.
A big problem is still Lucas. He continuously argued that Star Wars wasn’t meant for adults and that he was making the movie for kids. He said that is why adults and fans didn’t like the prequels…he wanted to entertain kids. If that is the case, why did he make this movie PG-13? Way to stand your ground Lucas (or you’re just full of it…I’m leaning toward full of it).
It’s getting a bit toasty here, Obi-Wan…can you give me a hand?
The cast and effects of this entry do gel better and it is a far cry from the cringe-worthy performances in Phantom Menace. Overall, however, the special effects of the prequel (especially when seen in HD) don’t hold up as well as the practical effects of the original trilogy.
The second (or really the first) Star Wars arc ended up with improvements from The Phantom Menace, but it still seems a long way from a solid series of movies. They are entertaining (for the most part) but they aren’t great…moderately good is about what I’d commit to. As a Star Wars fan, it doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy them, but it is sometimes hard to reconcile the quality differences between the two sets of film. Star Wars returned in 2015 with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but the film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in 2016 falls between this film and Star Wars.
Related Link:
Star Wars—Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
Star Wars—Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
