Film Review: Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith (2005)

What Star Wars has always done well is basic storytelling. Regardless of the little details scattered throughout the course of the story, The Original Trilogy is essentially a fairytale set in space and it seems that as writer-director George Lucas attempted to broaden his horizons to the political spectrum of the universe he'd created, the illusion began to fall apart with The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. With Episode III-Revenge of the Sith, the story comes full circle with few questions left unanswered and no plot thread of merit untapped but perhaps more importantly it comes closest to capturing the tone and feel of a true Star Wars movie.

Following the end of Episode II, Revenge of the Sith picks up with Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) hunting down the last few leaders of the Seperatist movement, introduced as opposing the Republic in Attack of the Clones. Immediately following the most engaging space battle since A New Hope, Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) of the Republic Senate appoints Anakin to the Jedi Council, in an attempt to corrupt the young Jedi. Despairing over his newly pregnant wife Padme (Natalie Portman) and a series of visions he has concerning her death during childbirth, Anakin turns to Palpatine to learn if the Dark side of the force could hold any answers for saving her.
Compared to the attempts of the previous two prequels, Revenge of the Sith has a more focused presentation choosing to focus on the more emotional dynamic of the core characters than having their world of political intrigue propel the plot. There is plenty of weight to the transition Anakin makes because it his fuelled by a desire to save a loved one, something that anybody can relate to and as events run to their natural conclusion there is little doubt that love is the key motivator as opposed to descending down to the ranks of evil simply for the sake of it. Subtle layers of persuasion are added to Anakin's decision as he seems to become more distressed with his view on the world, initially acknowledging the terrible nature of his actions but eventually being so overcome with confusion that he begins to believe the lies that Palpatine feeds him, accusing the Jedi of conspiring against the Chancellor, the Senate and even himself.

The political aspects are still vaguely in play, the Seperatist movement in particular feels much more fleshed out than it's decietful introduction in Attack of the Clones, mostly thanks to the introduction of General Grievous, a hulking droid powered by the organs of his once human frame that serves as a primary antagonist for the first half of the film. Although Grievous is little more than a monstrous opposing force for the Jedi to defeat, this aspect helps clear up the role of the Seperatists in the saga, showing them to be merely pawns in Darth Sidious' continuous game. Otherwise, the politiclal aspect of Episode III relies heavily on the human aspect, such as Mace Windu's (Samuel L. Jackson) persistent suspicion Palpatine and Palpatine's own development into a power-hungry dictator complete with a silver tongue, convincing the Senate to not only grant him unlimited power but to let the Republic devolve into an Empire under his heading.
The characters are all portrayed pretty naturally by their respective actors, almost all of whom have had two films so far to find their balance. The major shift in power that occurs throughout the galaxy towards the final third of the movie allows everybody to play around with their characters presentations, Obi-Wan standing out as dissecting from an master of Zen shaded cool to an individual both angry and utterly distraught at his apprentice's betrayal. The Computer Graphics  department also deserves credit for managing to so truly capture a sense of distress that the entirely CG Yoda (Frank Oz) envelopes towards the end of the film.

The technical side of things is as you'd expect from a film-maker working in this galaxy for almost 3 decades as the sets glimmer and shine with a radiant appeal. The dim-picture issue from Attack of the Clones is not present in any capacity throughout Revenge of the Sith. The only scene that one could make an argument against is the battle on the lava planet of Mustafar wherein the final battle occurs, but truly the ever present streams of light glowing from both lightsabers and the burning molten rock counteract any dimness with insane flashes that could burn your retina if seen in IMAX. Speaking of that final battle, it is perhaps the single most well crafted technical and artistic accomplishment of any Star Wars film to date, and easily the most accessible slice of action the series has offered. It feels like the final design after a culminated series of evolutions which, one could argue, all the preceeding lightsaber duels were, from the slow-dance tapping of the original A New Hope to the balletic frenzy that first came to our attention with The Phantom Menace. The duel itself is a visual feast and probably the most full example of the skills of a Jedi showcasing close up sword-action, Force Powers and gloriously well choreographed athletic skill.

There are few distinct criticisms to be levelled against Episode III but it is by no means the best Star Wars film available. When compared to The Original Trilogy like it's two predecessors it never really finds a tone that matches those of the classics. This is arguably a good thing, as it allows the new movies to stand on their own merits, something that Revenge of the Sith is probably the only recent new Star Wars film to do. Similarly, Revenge never really manages to find the sense of quotability that the original had, relying mostly on references to lines already said or even occasionally, straight up lifting dialogue straight from the old movies. These references are always nice for older fans but really limit the lasting appeal.
The biggest fault of Revenge of the Sith is probably the decision to cast Padme to the sidelines for about 90% of the running time of the film. Her role in the film is literally to appear and announce her pregnancy at the beginning and to be present for the final moments of the film. Considering the entire emotional crutch of the story is Anakin's desire to save her life it would probably have aided the flow of the movie to have their love expressed more clearly, but it never really is. It's a sign of the quality of Christensen's performance as Anakin, willing to give up everything for a chance to save the one he loves that the movie functions perfectly capably without Padmes presence but it would have been nice for a little more.
Finally, there is that moment where the entire balance of the Star Wars galaxy shifts dramatically. This point in the film is well displayed and remarkably effective. As much as it makes sense, though, it feels slightly undeserved and out of nowhere. The command that changes everything, Order 66, has no set up at any point prior to its unravelling and introducing some hints to it could have certainly benefited the moment where audiences realise what is about to transpire.

Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith is the moment of divergence for not only the two Trilogies in the Star Wars chronology but also for two Eras within the Galaxy that this series chronicles. It is not the best Star Wars film, but could be the most emotional and awe-inspiring. If nothing else, it manages to make up for the middling or even bad instalments that it follows directly on from and closes out the saga in an entirely fitting fashion.

4/5

Also posted on Screened.com on 15th March, 2011