STAR WARS: Episode Ⅲ – Revenge of the Sith (2005)
directed by George Lucas
★★★★☆
Everything has led to this, the movie most Star Wars fans had waited their whole lives for. After 25 years of teasing, we finally get to see how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader. (Obviously, the spoiler filter is a mere formality. If you don’t already know one of the biggest twists in film history by now, chances are you’ve actively avoided Star Wars your entire life and wouldn’t even be reading this.) Lucas doesn’t disappoint this time, clearly saving the best for last in what would end up being the final Star Wars film under his direct supervision.
First, let’s address the bantha in the room: is the acting and dialogue better? Yes, for the most part. Although there are definitely moments of cringe (the love scene on the balcony is just… bad), Lucas eschews most of the over-explanatory chatter and lets the visuals and music do a lot more of the work this time. Also, with each character having real visible progression in this movie, the actors have a lot more depth to pull from, which makes their line readings more dynamic.
The first act of Revenge of the Sith contains some of the best moments of the entire franchise, with the rescue mission on the Invisible Hand being full of fun and funny moments, culminating with Anakin’s first step towards the Dark Side. Every scene after that just piles on the pressure and suspense until one of the most dramatic moments in any Star Wars film, a silent scene known on the DVD as “Anakin’s Fatal Decision”, or “Padmé’s Ruminations” on the soundtrack. From there, it’s a roller-coaster of emotions, revelations, and ultimately, the epic duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin that we all waited years to see — and it doesn’t disappoint.
While the rest of the film does have many of the same issues with pacing, dialogue, and CGI as the rest of the prequels, they are far less problematic in this entry due mostly to the plot being so much more engaging. You can watch this one by itself if you really don’t care about the rest of the backstory, but as a conclusion to the trilogy, it is a satisfying ending. While Revenge of the Sith ties up most of the loose ends leading into A New Hope, it does create one or two unfortunate plot holes with the Original Trilogy.
