Ending the most popular film epic in history, Star Wars: Episode III, Revenge of the Sith is an exciting, uneven, but ultimately satisfying journey. Picking up the action from Episode II, Attack of the Clones as well as the animated Clone Wars series, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), pursue General Grievous into space after the droid kidnapped Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). 
The Star Wars Family Tree (click for larger image) | It's just the latest maneuver in the ongoing Clone Wars between the Republic and the Separatist forces led by former Jedi turned Sith Lord Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). On another front, Master Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz) leads the Republic's clone troops against a droid attack on the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk. All this is in the first half of Episode III, which feels a lot like Episodes I and II. That means spectacular scenery, dazzling dogfights in space, a new fearsome villain (the CGI-created Grievous can't match up to either Darth Maul or the original Darth Vader, though), lightsaber duels, groan-worthy romantic dialogue, goofy humor (but at least it's left to the droids instead of Jar-Jar Binks), and hordes of faceless clone troopers fighting hordes of faceless battle droids. But then it all changes. 
Star Wars Time Line (click for larger image) | After setting up characters and situations for the first two and a half movies, Episode III finally comes to life. The Sith Lord in hiding unleashes his long-simmering plot to take over the Republic, and an integral part of that plan is to turn Anakin away from the Jedi and toward the Dark Side of the Force. Unless you've been living under a rock the last 10 years, you know that Anakin will transform into the dreaded Darth Vader and face an ultimate showdown with his mentor, but that doesn't matter. In fact, a great part of the fun is knowing where things will wind up but finding out how they'll get there. The end of this prequel trilogy also should inspire fans to want to see the original movies again, but this time not out of frustration at the new ones. Rather, because Episode III is a beginning as well as an end, it will trigger fond memories as it ties up threads to the originals in tidy little ways. But best of all, it seems like for the first time we actually care about what happens and who it happens to. Episode III is easily the best of the new trilogy--OK, so that's not saying much, but it might even jockey for third place among the six Star Wars films. It's also the first one to be rated PG-13 for the intense battles and darker plot. It was probably impossible to live up to the decades' worth of pent-up hype George Lucas faced for the Star Wars prequel trilogy (and he tried to lower it with the first two movies), but Episode III makes us once again glad to be "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away." --David Horiuchi The Complete Star Wars Saga 
Episodes 4-6 Trilogy (widescreen) | 
Episode I: The Phantom Menace | 
Episde II: Attack of the Clones | 
Star Wars: Clone Wars Vol. 1 | 
Star Wars: Clone Wars Vol. 2 | 
The Star Wars Store | Stills from Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (click for larger images) 
Anakin | 
When Wookiees attack | 
Yoda, Jedi master | 
Mr. and Mrs. Vader | 
Saber training with Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen | 
The cast |
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 Movie |
| Review Date: February 22, 2010 |
| Reviewer: PSV, Michigan, USA |
| The DVD arrived promptly and exactly as described. I am very satisfied with this transaction. |
Bridge
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| Review Date: February 13, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Kevin L. Nenstiel, Kearney, Nebraska |
With this prequel, George Lucas finally rediscovered why fans liked the original films, and it's not for the special effects. The characters interact with each other at a fever pitch, the action serves the story rather than vice versa, and we get to see unbridled evil at its greatest. This is one of the best Star Wars films, and certainly the best prequel.
This story is sort of a bridge between the two trilogies. In the first half of the film, Lucas offers the urban, highly produced political sci-fi drama of the prequels. But as desperation sets in and the heroes realize their plight is direr than they knew, it becomes a more hard-bitten act of fear like the original trilogy. It straddles the line well.
And this story demonstrates the classic warning that the heart of evil is not vice, but having virtues without moderation. Characters want peace and order so much that they take actions which destroy what the love most. We are, at root, doomed by our desire to save ourselves. We are all Darth Vader.
This movie, probably more than any other Star Wars film, was engaged with real-world events. Though Lucas swore off any polemical intent, his use of political catch phrases of the middle decade is hard to miss. Maybe that's part of what makes this prequel succeed where the others didn't: it's not just a story, it's a contemporary parable.
Viewed as a batch, the six Star Wars films are a hit-or-miss bunch. This is one of the hits. Despite the excessive hype that created unrealistic expectations, this movie remembers why fans love Star Wars, and what keeps us coming back despite several serious missteps. This is what made the first one a smash hit, and it's a good cap to the story. |
Is that it?
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| Review Date: January 21, 2010 |
| Reviewer: H. Jin, Melbourne, Australia |
Most of the problems with this movie have been discussed by others: the stiff dialogue, the wooden acting, the over-use of CGI, the ham-fisted attempts at making a political statement, the inconsistencies between this and the original trilogy. But ultimately, this could have all been forgiven if the movie had done a good job of charting Anakin's descent to the Dark Side. Unfortunately, Lucas couldn't even get THAT part right, ruining not only this movie, but casting a shadow over the whole Star Wars franchise.
Firstly, Episode III's biggest flaw is that it does not build on the character development of Episode II. Although clumsily handled, parts of Episode II did hint strongly at Anakin's Dark Side, which showed itself on several occasions. You'd think in the years between II and III, this would have become even stronger, but instead the beginning of this movie shows he's still a Good Jedi; cracking cheesy one-liners with Obi-Wan and uttering cringe-worthy expressions of love to Padme. So rather than showing a gradual decline, the transition between Nice Guy and Ultimate Evil has to take place in the space of one movie.
Secondly, this movie is poorly paced. Far too much time is spent going down side-stories and blind alleys that have little to do with the main plot. The subplot involving General Grevious, for example, doesn't really go anywhere and could have been either trimmed or cut altogether (why not just say Dooku kidnapped Palpatine on his own?). And while it's nice to see Chewbacca again, the reality is that there was no need for a story involving the Wookiees.
The combination of these two factors means that Anakin's descent into Darth Vader feels forced, rushed, and very unconvincing. Keep in mind; this plot point is supposed to be the crushing centrepiece of the entire six-movie saga, the very reason for Episodes I-III to exist. Lucas treats it almost like an afterthought, making the whole thing a huge let-down.....was that really "It"? It doesn't help that once again Hayden Christensen is badly let down by a script that gives him nothing. Anakin still comes across as a whiny little brat, even as Darth Vader ("NOOOOOOOOO!"). Is Darth really stamping his feet and bawling his eyes out under that body armour?
Sure, there are some good things about this movie. The CGI and battle scenes are well done, Ewan McGregor really nails it as Obi-Wan, Palpatine livens up every scene he's in, and Yoda gets another energetic light-saber battle. But `Revenge Of The Sith' stands or falls on its portrayal of Anakin, and unfortunately it bungles this terribly.
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Best of the Prequels
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| Review Date: January 19, 2010 |
| Reviewer: D. J. Nardi, Washington, DC |
There are a ton of things I could gripe about with Episode III. I'll discuss a few below. But by and large, this is the best of the prequels and, in my eyes, ranks pretty highly as a sci-fi film.
First, the bad. This should have been more than one film. Rather than a whole film for the events in The Phantom Menace, the Clone Wars could easily have consumed a whole extra movies. Unfortunately, squeezing all of this into Revenge of the Sith means that a lot of important footage was cut. Fortunately, it's all in the deleted scenes section of the Bonus disc.
I'm also not crazy about the way Palpatine's character is used in the film. I love Ian McDiarmid, but the whole introduction with kidnapping Chancellor Palpatine seems a bit silly. I also don't think the whole "aging" process after the battle with Mace Windu worked.
However, these are minor quibbles. Overall, the story works. Hayden Christiansen is a believable Anakin/Vader. Moreover, his reasons for turning to the Dark Side are more compelling and realistic than the motivations of most movie villains (I won't spoil it, but it makes sense). It explains the final fall of Vader in a dramatic and compelling way, with great special effects to boot.
With Revenge of the Sith, it seems like Lucas and the case of the prequels finally got their act together for this grand finale. The death of the Jedi is simply haunting - a perfect combination of camera angles, soundtrack, and acting. Let's be honest - 30 years ago, when we all wondered about Darth Vader's background, nobody ever thought it would be this exciting. I just wish this much thought and passion had gone into the rest of the prequels. |
Wars in Stars
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| Review Date: January 9, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Frederick L. Marfell, |
| Fast service, quality dvd of episode III. Enjoyable viewing as characters continued forming to become those we first came to know in original Star wars film. |
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