Review: Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Skwigly
Click the image to buy from Amazon.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away….
Just what Anakin’s decision is, why he makes it and how it leads him to don a frightening suit of black armor have been the stuff of Star Wars legend. After nearly 30 years of waiting and speculating, moviegoers will learn the truth when Revenge of the Sith opens in theaters around the world.
You will discover for how and why heroic Anakin Skywalker – prophesied to be the Chosen One, the single individual who would bring balance to the Force and ensure peace throughout the galaxy – becomes the dreaded Darth Vader, right hand to the Emperor.
“The pieces will fall together, the connections will be made,” promises writer-director George Lucas, who completes the saga he began in 1977 with Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. “Finally, the last chapter will be told.”
As Revenge of the Sith opens, the final catastrophic battles of the Clone Wars are taking place galaxy wide – including one in the skies above the city-planet Coruscant, seat of the crumbling Republic and also home to the Jedi Knights. Chancellor Palpatine has been taken hostage by the nefarious General Grievous, leader of the droid army – the mechanized battle troops of the Separatist Alliance. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) take on a desperate rescue effort, facing long odds to free Palpatine and destroy Grievous. It’s a daring mission, but only the start of the fiercely pitched battles and Jedi action that fill Episode III, the most action-filled of all of the Star Wars movies.
One of the highlights is the opening space battle, which recalls the thrilling dogfights of Episode IV A New Hope even though, technically, it doesn’t take place in space, but in the outer atmosphere of Coruscant. “That allows us to show really spectacular things like massive explosions, fire and smoke pouring off of the spaceships,” McCallum says.
There’s also intense hand-to-hand combat between Obi-Wan and Grievous, who is a chilling combination of droid and human, foretelling the ultimate fate of Anakin Skywalker himself. “During Revenge of the Sith, the Clone Wars are still taking place throughout the galaxy, so everyone is in full battle mode, prepared for anything to happen at any moment,” Lucas says. The action in Revenge of the Sith is also a crucial link to A New Hope, which, as few can forget, opens as Darth Vader and his stormtroopers invade a Rebel spaceship. It is the final episode in a saga that Lucas outlined in the early 1970s. “It was a long back-story outline, mostly about how the characters came to be where they are in Episode IV A New Hope,” Lucas says. “Even though I didn’t start writing the prequels for another 20 years, the structure of that story has never changed very much; it has always been one epic story of a father who is redeemed by his children.”
In many ways, Lucas says, the events of Episode III will change audiences’ perspectives on the story told in A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. “Watching the films starting with Episode I and ending with Episode VI will be a different experience,” he says. “What drove me to direct Episodes I, II and III was the larger story about Anakin, who starts out as a good person but who becomes evil – and, ultimately, is redeemed by his children. It’s exciting to see it all come together.”
The Visual Effects
Revenge of the Sith has more than 2,200 visual effects shots, surpassing the records of the previous Star Wars movies and dwarfing those of other visual effects spectaculars, like the Lord of the Rings trilogy. “There are some shots with 50 or 60 different elements, most of which most people will never even realize are effects,” says producer McCallum. Many of those “invisible” effects were critical in creating the eight planets that appear in the movie – the most in any Star Wars film.
Among the entirely new characters created at ILM is the villainous General Grievous, a chill-inducing combination of alien and droid who commands the seemingly limitless droid army. “George Lucas wanted a visually interesting antagonist who represented the technology that will ultimately consume Anakin,” says Coleman. “It’s an early version of the technology used to save Vader but in Grievous’ case, the technology is not quite working, so as formidable as he is, he’s also a bit sickly. He’s a skulking, miserable villain with a hacking cough, and we had a great time working with him because we love creating bad guys!”
“Star Wars smashed open the possibilities of what film could actually do,” says Peter Jackson, director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. “It was the perfect film to inspire a sense of wonder.” It may seem odd for the director of a film trilogy many compare with Star Wars to go on the record with his love for George Lucas’ intergalactic saga. But it’s also a testament to the seemingly never-ending appeal of Star Wars. “Darth Vader Lives,” proclaimed a popular button made in 1977 – and it seems he will continue to live on in the hearts and minds of Star Wars fans around the globe for many years to come.
Many films are successful. Many are popular and have become worldwide hits. Few, however, have entered the public consciousness like the Star Wars films. “Jedi” and “the darkside” are listed in the Oxford English Dictionary. For better or worse, politicians and celebrities alike use phrases like “Death Star,” “The Force,” “Evil Empire” and “lightspeed” … and the public instantly understands what they mean.
Conclusion
In my opinion this movie is a felicitous movie experience and the coronation of the crowning completion of the saga. Actually writing this makes me want to rewatch it again right now. The movie has a message, believe it or not. It shows you that humblness and patience will lead you to your destination and hatred, striving for power, jealousy, impatience and fear will lead you to the dark side. It may be a tempting path, but at the expense of love and emotions.
Star Wars III – Revenge of the Sith is answering burning questions and raising new ones alike. It is a movie that will obviously lead to hot discussions among Star Wars Fans, but many among them will have their very own “light bulb moment“ when watching the movie.
Pay attention toa particular scene where Senator Palpatine is telling Young Skywalker the story of a mighty Sith Lord who was the wisest and most powerful of all and who had discovered the secret of creating life and influence the number of Midi-chlorians (tiny life forms which reside in the cells of all living creatures) in the blood. Palpatine explains that his apprentice murdered him after learning all of his skills, except for the most powerful skill – creating life. It could be that this Sith Lord created Anakin, this would explain why since episode I Lucas gives clues that Palpatine seems to know more about Anakin than anybody, as if he knew about the future of the boy, since the very begining.
Let yourself be absorbed by the story and the atmosphere of the move and dont think too much about the effects! Embrace the force, even if you might find some deficits in terms of the CG. I know ILM is maybe not the best facility when it comes to compositing and yes, some transitions from 3D to live-action were maybe a bit obvious, as well as some scenes involving 3D strom trooper bodies (see for yourself) – but the animation and design of General Grievous is fabulous and the opening dog fight is mind blowing and George Lucas was also wise enough to reuse the old Wookie costume instead of creating a 3D character of good old Chewie. R2D2 is fighting Buzz-Droids and is creating a blood/oil-bath among some imperial battle droids. You will have moments that will make you smile and laugh as well as angry or maybe even cry. Having all those emotions within 126 minutes will just reassure you that you are not on the dark side of the force!
Star Wars-creator George Lucas is indulging himself in a dark ambience and delivers a brutal honesty to the tragedy of the event. Don’t expect a happy ending, there will be no rescue at the very last second. But there is hope for Star Wars – A New Hope!
Items mentioned in this article:
![Star Wars Episode III : Revenge of the Sith (2 Disc Edition) [DVD]](https://www.skwigly.co.uk/wp-content/themes/skwigly-2024/images/amazon-image-default.png)