Star Wars - Episode III, Revenge of the Sith (2005)

 Star Wars
The third Star Wars movie was exciting and developed the growing rift between Anakin and the Jedi council, helped along by the evil emperor. I did think it was a bit of a stretch that Anakin embraced the dark side as quickly and deeply as he did. Killing the younglings! There was nothing prior to indicate that Anakin was that heartless. On the whole, though, I thought it was well worth watching. I mean, come on. It's Star Wars. April 18, 2008

 Excellent Conclusion to the Prequel Trilogy!!!!
Although I may be one of the few people who actually enjoyed the entire PT, especially up to "Attack of the Clones," I was nevertheless completely BLOWN AWAY by "Star Wars Episode III:Revenge of the Sith!!!" From the moment that I saw the trailers for the film, I knew that it was going to be an awesome movie but I was totally unprepared for exactly how awesome, both visually and emotionally, the film would be. "Revenge of the Sith" is largely a satisfying payoff for everything that has been building up from "The Phantom Menace" and, of course, sets the stage for the events of original Star Wars trilogy 19 years later. The music, once again composed by John Williams, is excellent as always and includes the awesome new theme, "Battle of the Heroes," composed for the inevitable and historic lightsaber duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. Although others might disagree, I felt that the acting by the principals in "Revenge of the Sith" was much improved from the previous two prequels, or at least the "bad" acting didn't seem quite as noticeable given the sheer intensity of the multiple fast-paced action sequences in the movie. Natalie Portman's role, was MUCH diminished in this movie, apparently because the directors wanted it to focus mainly on Anakin and his final seemingly irrevocable turn to the dark side (there were some pretty good cut scenes viewable on the DVD regarding Portman's involvement in the beginning phases of the future Rebel Alliance however). I can't say enough good things about Ian McDiarmid and his portrayal of the evil Darth Sidious/Chancellor (turned Emperor) Palpatine in this movie. He was simply OUTSTANDING in his role and Ewan McGregor, as he did in the previous movie, presented as a very believable younger Obi-Wan Kenobi. The movie is certainly one of the darkest and most intense Star Wars movies to date with the possible exception of "The Empire Strikes Back." Although there are some small victories for the "good guys" (Obi-Wan and Yoda survive and save Luke & Leia after they are born), it is the "bad guys" who end up carrying the day in this movie: All of the members of the Jedi High Council except for Yoda and Obi-Wan are systematically killed and the Jedi temple is stormed and its inhabitants, including the "younglings", are mercilessly slaughtered with Anakin leading the attack himself. Finally, the Clone Wars comes to an abrupt end with the deaths of Count Dooku, General Grievous, and the Separatist Leadership Council, only to have the Senate vote Palpatine's Empire into existence. Despite the desperate attempts of Yoda and Obi-wan to take down Darth Sidious/Palpatine and Anakin/Darth Vader, they ultimately succeed only in crippling Anakin/Darth Vader and (barely) escaping with their lives. The movie ends on bittersweet note with Padme giving birth to Luke and Leia only to pass away immediately afterward and Obi-Wan and Yoda make the decision to hide the children and retire into exile to wait for another opportunity to take on the Empire. I don't have any MAJOR criticisms of the film, just a few "nitpicks," that, ultimately, really don't impact the viewing pleasure of the movie for me too much, if at all:

1.) I wish that the writers could have given a more plausible reason for Padme's death. Her supposedly dying of a "broken heart" just seemed silly. I like to think that the she just succumbed to the strain of everything that had happened to her plus Anakin choking her out of rage when he thought she had betrayed him. 2.) I wish that the writers would've left some scenes in the film that hint at the coming rebellion against the Empire like the deleted scene where Padme and the Senators attempt to persuade Palpatine to sign a petition agreeing to give up his emergency powers at the end of the Clone Wars. 3.) I wish that we could've actually SEEN or HEARD Qui-Gon talking to Yoda about his newfound abilities to return as a "ghost" using the force. I don't know if Liam Neeson was unavailable or unwilling to do such a scene but it would've made the scene at the end more interesting/compelling rather than having Yoda simply tell Obi-Wan about it but that's just my "point of view".

Nitpicks aside, "Revenge of the Sith" was, overall, an EXCELLENT film. If you are a Star Wars fan or even a casual moviegoer, I do not expect that you would regret seeing this film. Also, I would recommend reading the excellent novelization of the film by Matthew Stover and the immediate post-"Revenge of the Sith" follow-up story, "Dark Lord:The Rise of Darth Vader" for some additional character development in regards to Anakin/Vader, the rise of the Empire, and the fate of the remaining Jedi. May the force be with you! April 5, 2008

 By far the best of the Prequels. Possibly the best Star Wars film ever.
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith is the film every Star Wars fan has been waiting to see since 1977. The film opens with a massive battle at the hight of the Clone Wars. The film fills in almost every gap between Episode II and Episode IV, even answers the question of how Obi Wan came to be in posession of Anakin's lightsaber. The visual effects are amazing, the story is well written, and serves every true Star Wars fan's need to see how that cute little boy in Episode I becomes the menacing Darth Vader. March 26, 2008

 Redemption?
NO. This movie did NOT succeed in salvaging the prequels from their legacy of disappointment, but rather merely demonstrated what may have been - what COULD have been.

In the end you can feel sympathy with Darth Vader's howl, "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!".

So, oh well. Lucas blew it.

Was 3 better than 1 and 2? Sure it was. Better than Jedi? Arguably. I'd say in some ways better. Does it being better than these colossal disappointments make it a great film? Nope.

It's all been already said a million times, but the moral of the story of Star Wars is that to tell a great story you have to be a great story teller.

George Lucas had a great vision but couldn't realize it. He is like George Bush in that he clearly got in way over his head. Shoulda let Spielberg direct and talented writers help out way more with those awful scripts. He created his own lame a$$ "Empire" which he became victim of in a way.
March 14, 2008

 Vengeance Best Served Hot
The Good Things
*Excellent special effects.
*Excellent battles and fight scenes.
*Imaginative settings.
*Pretty good story line.
*Good intensity and drama.
*Manages to fill in all of the necessary gaps in a logical way, despite flaws in previous films.
*Good music.

The Bag Things
*Very long, and gets slow in the first hour or so.
*Still a sappy love story.
*Even though the battle of Kashyyk is cool, it's kind of pointless.
*I hate some of the dialogue.

Clearly the best of the prequil saga. Not only does this have some of the best action and special effects, it joins all elements together cohesively. Even stuff that didn't seem to work before (like the idea of "Midichlorions") are put into play effectively. Filming style and special effects are once again used in a good way to tell a good story. This film stands out further for being exceptionally intense, dark, moody, and serious. The only real flaws in this film are the length and the hoaky love story. Aside from that, this is quite enjoyable. March 14, 2008

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