Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith Review 


Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. If you haven't seen it already, go and see it, and if you have, well, go and see it again—it really is that good! 

To elaborate upon the above synopsis in slightly greater detail, The Revenge of the Sith is a highly entertaining, enjoyable, and downright epic conclusion to the Star Wars saga (if conclusion is the right word, given that it's actually the middle part that links the existing Episodes II and IV). Overall, the film has a much darker and more foreboding atmosphere than the previous two episodes, documenting as it does the transition from the democratic Republic to the Galactic Empire, along with Anakin Skywalker's personal journey to the Dark Side. As such, it provides an excellent segué between the colourful innocence of the former chapters with the oppressive, monochrome feel of the original Star Wars trilogy, both in terms of its plot and visual style.

Yes, I could complain about the clunky dialogue, the worst of which has to be “Not if anything to do with it I have!” by guess which pointy-eared little green Jedi Master—you would think that the most powerful, wise and learned Jedi in the galaxy would have mastered the rudiments of English grammar by now, but apparently not!—the unconvincing love interest, and occasional lacklustre performance, such as those by Natalie Portman (Senator Padmé) and, more surprisingly, Christopher Lee, who only has a bit part in Episode III, but overall, the film is a masterstroke by writer and director George Lucas, recapturing as it does (now I'm doing it!) the magic, charm and humour of the original trilogy. Die hard fans will not be disappointed as the final film bristles with breathtaking action sequences, compelling heroes and villians, and awesome light-saber duals, of which there are many. In fact, all the dodgy aspects of Episode III, such as the distinctive 'wipes' between scenes, are in fact features of the entire Star Wars sequence, and add more to the charm and general quirkiness of the films than they take away—the difference being that we have learned to live with them in the earlier Episodes, whereas perhaps today's post-Star Wars audience is a little less forgiving.

Perhaps the only genuinely disappointing aspect of the film is Anakin's final conversion to the Dark Side of the Force, which despite an excellent build-up, happens a little too quickly and completely to be convincing, although his stilted speech and actions suggest that some kind of Jedi mind control or psychosis may also be playing a part. Hayden Christenson actually turns in an excellent performance as he is slowly consumed by anger and aggression in his journey to the Dark Side, and despite the fact that his only facial expression for a large part of the film is a kind of malevolent glower. Similarly, Ewan McGregor finally manages to hit the right spot with his portrayal of Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, who has grown in stature and experience since the previous episodes, and the relation to Alec Guinness's superb characterisation in Episodes IV to VI finally rings true. Ian McDiarmud who plays the corrupt Senator Palpatine and the evil Sith, Lord Sidious, is similarly convincing, and some of the scenes between him and Christenson, as well as Master Yoda, are amongst the most memorable in the film. Yoda is of course as brilliant as always, and has some of the best one-liners in the film, as well as a few of the worst (see above).

One of the most satisfying aspects of Episode III is the way that the film manages to tie up all of the loose ends from Episodes I and II in order set things up for the subsequent 'sequels' in a way that adds great depth and pathos to the original characters and storyline. Towards the end of the film you can almost hear Lucas's pen ticking off each of the unresolved questions about how Anakin became Darth Vader, the fate of the Jedi Knights, the Republic, and the origins of the Empire, why Master Yoda went into self-enforced exile, how young Luke and Leia came to be on their respective planets, and at times the pace seems a little rushed in order to cram it all in. However, this is entirely forgivable, as the net effect is one of transforming Lord Vader from a purely evil arch villain into a kind of tragic anti-hero. As we all know, he does ultimately achieve the prophesied rebalancing of the Force at the end of Episode VI, but only after great personal—not to mention pan-galactic—suffering and destruction. After Episode III, you can look at Darth Vader and many of the characters in a different light as we now know what they went through in order to arrive at what they did, adding a poignancy to the later episodes that only enhances the enjoyment of all six films.

All in all, The Revenge of the Sith is a worthy and impressive conclusion to the Star Wars franchise. Having waited over twenty years to see this finale-of-the-prequels, I must admit to having walked out of the cinema with a big grin on my face that took several hours to wear off, and Darth Vader's theme tune thundering in my ears. Unlike the previous two parts, which were a bit patchy in many respects—although I did very much enjoy Episode II—on seeing Episode III you can't help thinking “Yup, they really nailed that one!” The six parts now sit together as one film, which is truly epic in scope, and yet manages to tap into the universal (sorry) themes of love, honour and betrayal that affect us all. Whatever you might think of him, and the sci-fi fantasy genre in general, George Lucas has achieved something truly spectacular with the Star Wars films that will be enjoyed by generations of filmgoers to come, not to mention the effect that they have had on revolutionising the film industry and our expectations of what feature films can be. On a personal level, Episodes I to III gave me an enjoyable trip back to my childhood and a renewed sense of enthusiasm for all things Star Wars—“Use the Force Luke!”, “I have a bad feeling about this…”, and so on.

I wholeheartedly recommend going to see Revenge of the Sith, although I doubt it will make much sense unless you have seen the previous two episodes. It will be an interesting experience to watch all six films in the intended sequence, but I think that will have to wait until the DVD comes out—for which I (along with many thousands of others) will be one of the first in line. Sadly, it looks like the originally intended Episodes VII to IX will never be made—at least not by George Lucas anyway—as the plot draws to a natural close at the end of Episode VI, but those of you who wish to indulge your imagination further may do so at supershadow.com where a possible (although most likely completely bogus) outline of the final chapters may be found.

The verdict? A satisfying and inspiring conclusion to the story that began a long time ago in galaxy far, far away… Don't expect a happy ending, but do expect to be blown away by this final chapter in the Star Wars saga. It won't disappoint!

Rating: 4½ out of 5 

Posted on Sunday - June 05, 2005 at 01:10 PM            

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