Rated PG-13 (Sci-Fi Violence and Some
Intense Images)
Running Time: 2 Hours & 20 Minutes
Cast:
Ewan McGregor-Obi-Wan Kenobi
Natalie Portman-Padmé Naberrie Amidala
Hayden Christensen-Anakin Skywalker/Darth
Vader
Ian McDiarmid-Supreme Chancellor/Emperor
Palpatine
Christopher Lee-Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus
Matthew Wood (voice)-General Grievous
Anthony Daniels-C-3PO
Kenny Baker-R2-D2
Frank Oz (voice)-Yoda
Samuel L. Jackson-Mace Windu
Jimmy Smits-Senator Bail Organa
Peter Mayhew-Chewbacca
Silas Carson-Viceroy Nute
Gunray/Ki-Adi-Mundi
Joel Edgerton-Owen Lars
Bonnie Maree Piesse-Beru Whitesun
Ahmed Best (voice)-Jar Jar Binks
Keisha Castle-Hughes-Queen Apailana
Wayne Pygram-Governor Wilhuff Tarkin
Directed by George Lucas
 |
| The birth of Darth Vader. |
The saga is now complete. George Lucas
finally completed the epic space opera that he began in 1977 with the release
of “Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith” in 2005, completing the
prequel trilogy that told the story of how Darth Vader was corrupted to the
dark side of the Force. While Episodes I and II received a mixed reception from
both critics and fans, Lucas finally delivered the “Star Wars” film we were
waiting for, ending the venerable franchise with one final hurrah. As this is
the darkest entry yet, “Revenge of the Sith” packs the emotional punch missing
from the previous installments and changes the way we view the original trilogy
forever.
Three years after the Battle of Geonosis
in “Attack of the Clones,” the Old Republic is engulfed in a civil war with the
Separatists known as the Clone Wars. In a daring move, Count Dooku (Christopher
Lee) and Grievous (voice of Matthew Wood), the general of the Separatist Droid
Army, attack Coruscant and kidnap Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid).
Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his former apprentice, Jedi
Knight Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) manage to fight their way through
to Grievious’ flagship, Invisible Hand,
and are confronted by Count Dooku holding Palpatine hostage. A lightsaber duel
ensues where Kenobi is knocked unconscious but Anakin manages to disarm Dooku
easily. Goaded by Palpatine, he reluctantly decapitates Dooku. Along with
R2-D2, the three attempt to escape the ship but are captured by battle droids
and brought before General Grievious. Fortunately, R2-D2 provides a distraction
and the Jedi break free of their bonds, battling with two Magna Guards and
forcing Grievious to flee to a nearby Trade Federation battleship. As the Invisible Hand suffered major damage
trading laser fire with a Star Destroyer, it begins to descend into free-fall
toward Coruscant. Anakin and Obi-Wan take the controls, managing to land the
craft despite it splitting in two as it entered the atmosphere. While Obi-Wan
reports to the Jedi Council, Anakin rushes to see his wife, Padmé Amidala
(Natalie Portman), who reveals to him that she is pregnant. Later that night,
Anakin suffers a nightmare where he sees his wife dying during childbirth.
Fearing the same fate as his mother, he seeks counsel from Yoda (voice of Frank
Oz). Palpatine soon reveals his true identity to Anakin as Darth Sidious, and
that by becoming his apprentice he can have the power to save Padmé.
Conflicted, Anakin informs Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) of what he has learned
but knowing that he cannot live without his beloved wife, confronts Palpatine
as he is battling with Windu. As Windu makes the killing blow, he slices off
his arm and Palpatine kills him with a torrent of Sith Lightning. Knowing that
there is no turning back, Anakin pledges his allegiance to Palpatine, who
renames him as Darth Vader and sends him to destroy the Jedi Temple and all its
inhabitants with a legion of Clone Troopers. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan is on Utapau,
dueling with General Grievous while Clone Troopers battle with the Separatists.
After killing the cyborg general, the Clone Troopers turn on Obi-Wan after
Palpatine activates Order 66, beginning the Great Jedi Purge and the rise of
the Galactic Empire. Obi-Wan manages to escape and meet up with Yoda and
Senator Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits), learning the terrible truth about his former
apprentice. As Yoda prepares to battle with the newly-christened Emperor
Palpatine, Obi-Wan travels to the volcanic planet of Mustafar and confronts
Anakin, who is now consumed by the dark side.
“Revenge of the Sith” is a rather
straightforward movie and since we know how it all ends, it’s all a matter of
filling in the missing pieces. Almost all the problems of the previous
installments have now been eliminated and the annoying Jar Jar is left with
only one line and a screen-time of mere seconds. Any remaining issues are minor
quibbles at best. The romantic dialogue between Anakin and Padmé is still
terrible but at least we don’t have to have to listen to it for two hours.
You’ll also wonder where General Grievous came from and for that you’ll have to
look at the Clone Wars animated series on Cartoon Network. The pacing is a
little uneven as after the first thirty minutes, things slow down but once
Anakin turns to the dark side, the film picks up speed yet feels rushed. When he
is finally corrupted by the dark side, it’s rather abrupt and lacks a natural
progression. Granted, Lucas had to resolve every plotline from Episode I and
set up everything for the original trilogy in a way that makes sense, which is
no easy task but he succeeded. For all the flack he took, he managed to come
through at the end and whatever your opinion is of him, there is no denying his
influence in American cinema and popular culture.
The biggest success of “Revenge of the
Sith” is that it has the emotional depth missing from Episodes I and II, where
the visual effects often overwhelmed everything. It reinforces the fact that
Anakin is a tragic figure because of a fatal character flaw: his inability to
move on when his loved ones pass from this world. His obsession with trying to
save everyone, to prove to himself that he is better, led to his turn to the
dark side. While his intentions were in the right place, they were twisted by
half-truths and lies, until finally Anakin died and Darth Vader was born. I
will admit parts of the film almost brought me to tears, especially when Padmé
pleads with her husband to leave everything behind to raise their children and
you hear Anakin talking about overthrowing Palpatine and ruling the galaxy with
his wife. It helps connect to the original trilogy and emphasizes how far
Anakin has fallen. When Obi-Wan severs his former apprentice’s arms and legs,
you see Anakin helpless, kept alive only by his rage. Finally, once Darth Vader
wears the famous black armor, ‘we aren't so much experiencing the emergence of
Vader as we are seeing the final death throes of Anakin’ (James Berardinelli,
ReelViews).
The acting is much improved this time
around as Hayden Christensen is not as petulant as you first saw him and
effectively conveys the desperation over losing his wife, the kind of
desperation that would drive a man to do almost anything. Ewan McGregor,
sporting an Alec Guinness beard, is in fine form as Obi-Wan. Even Natalie
Portman gets to convey more emotion as she is heartbroken at what her husband
has become. However, the actor that stands out is Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine. When
Anakin becomes his apprentice, notice the way his character says that ‘we’ can
discover the secret of cheating death. This means he doesn’t know it himself
and has no intention of saving Padmé. When he finally becomes the disfigured
Emperor that we first saw in “Return of the Jedi,” you can feel twenty-three
years of story-telling finally coming together.
Once again Lucas and his visual effects
team deliver on some stunning space battles and lightsaber duels, though they
are less memorable despite there being more action than the previous
installments. The film opens with a massive fleet of Star Destroyers and
precursor X-Wings locked in battle with the Separatists. Later, Obi-Wan duels
with General Grievous, who wields four lightsabers at once! Mace Windu clashes
blades with Palpatine and the film ends with two concurrent lightsaber duels:
one with Yoda and Emperor Palpatine in the Senate Chamber and the other with
Obi-Wan and Anakin on Mustafar. The fights are as epic as they get, as all the
combatants use every trick they know to gain the upper hand. John Williams
delivers a moving score that emphasizes the darkness that has engulfed the
galaxy.
“Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the
Sith” was released on May 19, 2005, which was a Thursday and was one of the
most highly anticipated films of that year. Reception was very enthusiastic
with 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising that ‘this sixth and final
installment of George Lucas' epic space opera will please die-hard fanatics and
non-believers alike—largely due to awesome digital effects and the sheer power
of the mythology.’ The film had a four-day weekend gross of $158 million and went
on to make $380 million domestic and $849 million worldwide. Unfortunately,
despite the better reception, “Revenge of the Sith” did not receive an Academy
Award nomination for Best Visual Effects but for Make Up instead, which it lost
to "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."
After twenty-three years, “Star Wars” was finally over, much to the sadness of
fans, while non-fans were probably glad that they didn’t have to deal with such
a ‘nerd’ franchise anymore. Still, while there will be no more movies made
(with the exception of the CG animated “Clone Wars” film in 2008), “Star Wars”
lives on in television, comics, and literature. George Lucas had created one of
the most defining epic science fiction franchises of the past two decades,
reaping millions and transforming regular folk into overnight nerds. It
revolutionized the way special effects were utilized and created characters
that people loved (and hated). With “Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the
Sith,” Lucas changed the way we view and analyze the original trilogy as the
story, for all intents and purposes, was always about Anakin Skywalker, his
corruption and eventual redemption…but that’s another story to be looked into!
Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5
"You were the Chosen One! It was said
that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not
leave it in darkness!"
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