Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith 3D Reviews
KJ P
Super Reviewer
January 13, 2010
I feel that after being worn out from the previous two installments, "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" is kind of a breathe of fresh air to all the fans and new-comers alike. It may still have horrible dialogue, especially in the romance portion of the film, but the visuals and the story far surpass anything and everything the previous two had to offer. George Lucas doesn't shove schlocky things down your throat this time around, in fact, he rather pays homage to the original film in many more ways than one. Through replicating visuals and referencing old dialogue, this film is much more enjoyable than the rest of this trilogy. It's not a great movie, but the last 30 minutes is great! I'm in a weird position to say that I liked this film, because I really did, but there are still annoying things throughout the film. Overall, it's a nice wrap-up that I have no problem watching!
Josh L
Super Reviewer
July 4, 2007
The first movie of the newer trilogy to live up to the magic and legacy of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back and the best movie since the phenomenon started in 1977. The mythology and power of the story in this one is the greatest of them all. The emotional weight of the characters and the Shakespearean tragedies that unfold contribute to George Lucas' best storytelling to date. Add in some of the best special effects you'll ever see and some of the best action blockbusters can provide, and you get a masterclass in film-making vision and execution. The occasional clunky dialogue not withstanding (clearly the one deficiency most prevalent by Lucas), there's little diehards and casual fans won't love. The acting is the best of the series and all of the little nods and throwbacks to the original trilogy make for a seamless transition to Episode IV. You'll want to pop it in the player as soon as this is over. I slightly prefer Episode IV just because we get none of this without it and it just has that little something special that is hard for me to explain, but this is a very close second.
Daniel Mumby
Super Reviewer
September 17, 2012
For once, I am in agreement, both as a fan of the original Star Wars trilogy and an opponent of the other prequels. Revenge of the Sith is better than Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, having a marginally stronger story and being altogether more watchable. But whether you compare it to the originals or its sci-fi contemporaries, it is still a pretty bad film. Its few virtues are magnified only by the lowering of expectations after the first two instalments, and a feeling of relief that it is finally all over (or, chronologically, that we have finally reached the good part).
The most noticeable change in Revenge of the Sith is the overriding feeling we get from watching it. The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones both produced feelings of depression and seething rage, while this film is a little easier to sit through. The question which we have to keep asking ourselves is this: it is genuinely better, or is it that we have grown to expect so little from these films that none of George Lucas' ineptitude shocks us anymore? Have we become like hard-core Highlander fans, who turn up wearily for each new film on the basis that, no matter how bad it is, it can't be worse than Highlander 2: The Quickening?
To be fair to Lucas (God knows I've been trying), there are certain things about Revenge of the Sith which are clear improvements. There is a lot less of the horribly written romance that sank Attack of the Clones, with Padmé's screen time being used relatively wisely. With the exception of the closing montage, there is no deliberate attempt to justify the film on the basis of its continuity with the originals. And best of all, Jar Jar Binks is barely in it.
The big narrative advantage with Revenge of the Sith is that, unlike the other prequels, we have some idea of where it is going. While Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones blindsided us with their creative choices, and wore us down with their water-treading story-telling, we can sit through the third film knowing that, at some point, Anakin will go to the dark side. While this does mean the transition comes as no surprise, we always knew this was what the prequels were building up to, and therefore we can forgive a little predictability.
But even here Lucas finds a way to screw things up. In order for Anakin's transition to be dramatically compelling, we have to believe that he is a genuinely well-meaning, good person who is, to quote his master, "seduced by the dark side of the Force". But all throughout the prequels, Anakin has been built up as being deeply frustrated with his master and the Jedi as a whole. He's constantly sulking at not getting his way, so that his transition becomes so inevitable that there isn't any drama to it at all. No matter how impressively he is mutilated, we're just bored by him.
Not only is Anakin's transformation far too willing, but it's built up as being far more complex than it actually is. Lucas is trying to position his story as being like a Shakespearean tragedy or one of the darker episodes of I, Claudius, in which characters descend into darkness through deep-seated jealousy, paranoia, pride or spite. But he has neither the emotional intelligence to make Anakin's fear for Padmé believable, nor the political insight to make the realpolitik make sense. As with so much in the prequels, what we are told is deep, insightful and engaging as actually boring, infantile and devoid of any creativity.
Both of these issues with the central plot point reflect the fact that Revenge of the Sith, like its predecessors, doesn't know who its core audience is. The film made headlines for being the first Star Wars film to be given a 12 certificate, with Lucas promising that this would be 'the dark one'. The storyline and spectacle is too childish and directionless for anyone old enough to see the film in a cinema, but Anakin's incineration is too graphic for anyone younger than 8. Lucas has once again betrayed the spirit of the originals, which were given U or PG certificates because they were suitable and appealing for people of all ages.
I've resisted diving into too much plot analysis in my previous Star Wars reviews, since there are so many holes in each of the prequels that my reviews would quickly turn into lists. But since Revenge of the Sith is concerned with getting us to Darth Vader, and thereby tying things up with Episode IV, it's only fair to address how utterly nonsensical the story is. The story of Revenge of the Sith makes next to no sense whether you're a fan or a casual viewer - though it's hard to see how any casual viewer with half a brain would have made it this far.
Put simply, Revenge of the Sith makes all the people we are supposed to like look like complete idiots. Palpatine's plot has been obvious to us from the get-go, and yet it's only after Anakin kills the younglings that Obi-Wan realises that something is amiss. The latter's trip to hunt down General Grievous (another pointless character) is total filler, designed only to give Anakin and Palpatine some quality time. And the whole Order 66 malarkey just screams of plot contrivance, further reflecting Lucas' lack of understanding about how dictatorships gradually erode and replace democracies.
On top of all that, the film screws up the continuity with the original trilogy. In The Empire Strikes Back, Vader is told by the Emperor about "the son of Skywalker" - and he just accepts it, as if he always knew it to be true. But in this film, he is convinced by the Emperor that Padmé was killed and therefore he cannot have a son. If we assume that Sith is canon (we have no reason not to), it doesn't make sense that Vader would react so calmly to this revelation, let alone wait until the end of the following film to confront the Emperor about it.
One part of the film which Star Wars fans have defended is the lightsaber battles, particularly the confrontation between Obi-Wan and Anakin on Mustafar. But all the battle sequences, lightsaber-based or otherwise, look and feel like badly-designed video games. The opening battle with the infiltration of Grievous' ship feels like the opening of a third-person shooter, and the lightsaber fights are directed by someone who understands neither the laws of physics nor the drama of spontaneity. In any case these battles are so badly edited that we don't particularly care who comes out on top.
The performances in Revenge of the Sith are terrible because they convey the exact opposite of what they intended. Hayden Christiansen tries to be moody and threatening, but his half-hearted scream of "I hate you!" sound less like a man on fire than a boy who was told that he couldn't have an ice-cream. Ewan McGregor tries to convey gravitas and regret, but he just looks out of his depth and his recklessness is totally out of character. Natalie Portman tries to show Padmé's heartbreak at losing Anakin, and yet she delivers the line "you're breaking my heart" like a cheerleader stood up at the prom. The only good performance comes from Ian McDiarmid, who plays Palpatine as an old-fashioned, Hammer horror bad guy. He seems to be the only one having fun, perhaps because he's the only one who understands how silly it all is.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is by far the best of the prequels, but is still a very poorly made mess of a film. Even if we disregard the on-going feelings of betrayal and issues regarding continuity, it is still badly written, badly directed and poorly acted outside of McDiarmid hamming it up. The few saving graces are not enough either to redeem the film in its own right or to provide any justification for what has gone before. It's a depressing and empty conclusion to a depressing and empty trilogy, and the most we can feel after seeing it is relief that it's finally over.
In my review of Attack of the Clones, I said how Revenge of the Sith has become "accepted (albeit grudgingly)" into the inner circle of the Star Wars canon. It's widely held to be the best of the prequels, and even its opponents will concede that it is in some way narratively necessary, in order to tie up the origin of Darth Vader. His character development (if that term is appropriate for the prequels) is the only reason besides the money that we are saddled with this trilogy.
For once, I am in agreement, both as a fan of the original Star Wars trilogy and an opponent of the other prequels. Revenge of the Sith is better than Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, having a marginally stronger story and being altogether more watchable. But whether you compare it to the originals or its sci-fi contemporaries, it is still a pretty bad film. Its few virtues are magnified only by the lowering of expectations after the first two instalments, and a feeling of relief that it is finally all over (or, chronologically, that we have finally reached the good part).
The most noticeable change in Revenge of the Sith is the overriding feeling we get from watching it. The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones both produced feelings of depression and seething rage, while this film is a little easier to sit through. The question which we have to keep asking ourselves is this: it is genuinely better, or is it that we have grown to expect so little from these films that none of George Lucas' ineptitude shocks us anymore? Have we become like hard-core Highlander fans, who turn up wearily for each new film on the basis that, no matter how bad it is, it can't be worse than Highlander 2: The Quickening?
To be fair to Lucas (God knows I've been trying), there are certain things about Revenge of the Sith which are clear improvements. There is a lot less of the horribly written romance that sank Attack of the Clones, with Padmé's screen time being used relatively wisely. With the exception of the closing montage, there is no deliberate attempt to justify the film on the basis of its continuity with the originals. And best of all, Jar Jar Binks is barely in it.
The big narrative advantage with Revenge of the Sith is that, unlike the other prequels, we have some idea of where it is going. While Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones blindsided us with their creative choices, and wore us down with their water-treading story-telling, we can sit through the third film knowing that, at some point, Anakin will go to the dark side. While this does mean the transition comes as no surprise, we always knew this was what the prequels were building up to, and therefore we can forgive a little predictability.
But even here Lucas finds a way to screw things up. In order for Anakin's transition to be dramatically compelling, we have to believe that he is a genuinely well-meaning, good person who is, to quote his master, "seduced by the dark side of the Force". But all throughout the prequels, Anakin has been built up as being deeply frustrated with his master and the Jedi as a whole. He's constantly sulking at not getting his way, so that his transition becomes so inevitable that there isn't any drama to it at all. No matter how impressively he is mutilated, we're just bored by him.
Not only is Anakin's transformation far too willing, but it's built up as being far more complex than it actually is. Lucas is trying to position his story as being like a Shakespearean tragedy or one of the darker episodes of I, Claudius, in which characters descend into darkness through deep-seated jealousy, paranoia, pride or spite. But he has neither the emotional intelligence to make Anakin's fear for Padmé believable, nor the political insight to make the realpolitik make sense. As with so much in the prequels, what we are told is deep, insightful and engaging as actually boring, infantile and devoid of any creativity.
Both of these issues with the central plot point reflect the fact that Revenge of the Sith, like its predecessors, doesn't know who its core audience is. The film made headlines for being the first Star Wars film to be given a 12 certificate, with Lucas promising that this would be 'the dark one'. The storyline and spectacle is too childish and directionless for anyone old enough to see the film in a cinema, but Anakin's incineration is too graphic for anyone younger than 8. Lucas has once again betrayed the spirit of the originals, which were given U or PG certificates because they were suitable and appealing for people of all ages.
I've resisted diving into too much plot analysis in my previous Star Wars reviews, since there are so many holes in each of the prequels that my reviews would quickly turn into lists. But since Revenge of the Sith is concerned with getting us to Darth Vader, and thereby tying things up with Episode IV, it's only fair to address how utterly nonsensical the story is. The story of Revenge of the Sith makes next to no sense whether you're a fan or a casual viewer - though it's hard to see how any casual viewer with half a brain would have made it this far.
Put simply, Revenge of the Sith makes all the people we are supposed to like look like complete idiots. Palpatine's plot has been obvious to us from the get-go, and yet it's only after Anakin kills the younglings that Obi-Wan realises that something is amiss. The latter's trip to hunt down General Grievous (another pointless character) is total filler, designed only to give Anakin and Palpatine some quality time. And the whole Order 66 malarkey just screams of plot contrivance, further reflecting Lucas' lack of understanding about how dictatorships gradually erode and replace democracies.
On top of all that, the film screws up the continuity with the original trilogy. In The Empire Strikes Back, Vader is told by the Emperor about "the son of Skywalker" - and he just accepts it, as if he always knew it to be true. But in this film, he is convinced by the Emperor that Padmé was killed and therefore he cannot have a son. If we assume that Sith is canon (we have no reason not to), it doesn't make sense that Vader would react so calmly to this revelation, let alone wait until the end of the following film to confront the Emperor about it.
One part of the film which Star Wars fans have defended is the lightsaber battles, particularly the confrontation between Obi-Wan and Anakin on Mustafar. But all the battle sequences, lightsaber-based or otherwise, look and feel like badly-designed video games. The opening battle with the infiltration of Grievous' ship feels like the opening of a third-person shooter, and the lightsaber fights are directed by someone who understands neither the laws of physics nor the drama of spontaneity. In any case these battles are so badly edited that we don't particularly care who comes out on top.
The performances in Revenge of the Sith are terrible because they convey the exact opposite of what they intended. Hayden Christiansen tries to be moody and threatening, but his half-hearted scream of "I hate you!" sound less like a man on fire than a boy who was told that he couldn't have an ice-cream. Ewan McGregor tries to convey gravitas and regret, but he just looks out of his depth and his recklessness is totally out of character. Natalie Portman tries to show Padmé's heartbreak at losing Anakin, and yet she delivers the line "you're breaking my heart" like a cheerleader stood up at the prom. The only good performance comes from Ian McDiarmid, who plays Palpatine as an old-fashioned, Hammer horror bad guy. He seems to be the only one having fun, perhaps because he's the only one who understands how silly it all is.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is by far the best of the prequels, but is still a very poorly made mess of a film. Even if we disregard the on-going feelings of betrayal and issues regarding continuity, it is still badly written, badly directed and poorly acted outside of McDiarmid hamming it up. The few saving graces are not enough either to redeem the film in its own right or to provide any justification for what has gone before. It's a depressing and empty conclusion to a depressing and empty trilogy, and the most we can feel after seeing it is relief that it's finally over.
garyX
Super Reviewer
February 24, 2007
It's strange how expectation can colour your view of a film to such a degree; the first time I saw Episode III, I wasn't expecting much and I loved it. The second, I could not see past the glaring imperfections and hated it as a result. Seeing it from a more objective standpoint, Sith, although flawed, definitely does have some good qualities. The problems are still obvious. The opening act is still AWFUL, it's combination of weak quipping, slapstick and the baffling decision to make the main villains (ie the droid army) the comic relief - a decision that can only be justified if you are writing an episode of Road Runner - make the opening of the story look like a particularly childish and peurile cartoon. Things get much better as the mood darkens and elements of the story arc from the original trilogy creep in and the way both the production design and score riff off Episode IV works very, very well. But by far the biggest issue for me is how Annakin's transformation to Sith Lord seems rushed and generally unconvincing. Partly because of Hayden Christensen's limited acting skills, partly because his swallowing of Palpatine's crude manipulations over his accepted way of life and friendships make him seem like an utter dope, but mostly because its entire foundation is built upon his romance with Padme, which thanks to Lucas' dreadful dialogue throughout just doesn't hold water. If you can see past this however, the underlying story of a democratic republic overthrown from within is actually rather good and there are some great sequences, particularly the betrayal of the Jedi and the birth of Darth Vader which both work extremely well. Despite its numerous flaws Episode III is by far the best of the prequels and sets the scene nicely for the far superior original trilogy.
Samuel Riley
Super Reviewer
August 21, 2012
The final chapter in the infamous Star Wars saga is probably the best finale of any franchise. Featuring a superb balance between drama and action, unlike the other prequels. This finishing episode finally answers many questions that were still unanswered by the episodes before. To me, although this will never top any of the original trilogy, it is the best out of the prequels and might just be as appreciated as Episodes VI, V and IV.
Eugene B
Super Reviewer
August 22, 2008
The final film of George Lucas' prequel really does tie together the two trilogies and put everything in fruition. Though some things may be more understandable than others, "Revenge" really does make up for the flaws that were visible in the past two prequels. A much dark tone really does make this film worth the watch. 5/5
Emil K
Super Reviewer
May 9, 2009
There is almost nothing else than a cardboard characters with their hollow dialogue and lots of effects which makes this only seem more distant and plastic than all the other entries in the franchise together.
I have to admit that i at some level quite enjoyed the Phantom Menace, but Attack of the Clones took this series into serious downhill and Revenge of the Sith is kinda nail in the coffin for the reputation of Star Wars saga.
I don't know, maybe Lucas should have left it to those three film back in 70's and 80's. Maybe he just got too greedy and forgot what truly makes films worthwile. It is the beating heart that makes us care about the films and their characters, not all the fancy effects and gimmicks. Here is a film that resembles just badly made computer game not a true film. Gone is all the nostalgia or the heart that this galaxy far far away once had.
This is a film franchise that actually does not feel like a real film anymore. It is more closer to an toy-product, a brand, and a commercial for kids to sell them all the possible stuff linked to this overblown sci-fi soap. In many ways this is like watching a badly acted TV-series which is made with huge budget.
There is almost nothing else than a cardboard characters with their hollow dialogue and lots of effects which makes this only seem more distant and plastic than all the other entries in the franchise together.
I have to admit that i at some level quite enjoyed the Phantom Menace, but Attack of the Clones took this series into serious downhill and Revenge of the Sith is kinda nail in the coffin for the reputation of Star Wars saga.
I don't know, maybe Lucas should have left it to those three film back in 70's and 80's. Maybe he just got too greedy and forgot what truly makes films worthwile. It is the beating heart that makes us care about the films and their characters, not all the fancy effects and gimmicks. Here is a film that resembles just badly made computer game not a true film. Gone is all the nostalgia or the heart that this galaxy far far away once had.
bbcfloridabound
Super Reviewer
September 14, 2007
NOT BEING A BIG STAR WARS FAN MY REVIEW OF THIS FILM WOULDN'T BE A FAIR ONE. I'M SURE A 5 STAR BY STAR WAR FANS, BUT FROM ME 2 STARS
Matthew Samuel M
Super Reviewer
January 1, 2010
A surprisingly dark and emotional end to the saga. To watch the characters and their situation degrade into despair is both horrifying and fascinating. The film does an excellent job in bringing us back to where we started. The film actually feels like Star Wars, probably because we see the creation of the characters we know and love from the original trilogy, but also because it contains once again the mystery and prophecy that holds the saga together.
Tyler R
Super Reviewer
January 11, 2012
After having to suffer through the first two prequels, we finally get one worth watching. Episode 3 instantly starts out with what we want to see: Space battles. The very first scene was enough to make me say "Wow... this is pretty good so far." I can't believe it took Lucas so long to realize that the main plot of the prequels shouldn't be about politics. They should he what the original trilogy was all about: Good vs. Evil, war, honor and all that good stuff. Episode 3 delivers on all those. Since I really like this movie , I'm just gonna get the negatives of this movie over with. First off, some of the dialogue suffers from...well...being written by George Lucas. Lucas should not be allowed to write dialogue; he always has to make the romantic dialogue campy and nonsensical and the other dialogue just too simple. Another thing that bothered me was, again, Hayden Christensen's acting. He's not capable of reading his lines right. He always says them like he's reading them right off cue cards. Those are my problems with the film. Now, for the good. This movie has certain things derived from the original trilogy that worked. For one thing, it captured the emotions the original trilogy had. The relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin was really well done; you could feel Obi-Wan's pain at having his best friend made his enemy. The action scenes were also really good. It was all a matter of having good visual effects and the right type of music to play in the background and it worked. Even Natalie Portman's acting got better. She did something in this film that she failed to do in the first two and that was showing emotions. The rest of the acting is really good, but there's only one actor who can be considered "flawless" and that is Ian Mcdiarmind as Chancellor Palpatine/Lord Sidious. His role required a lot of chilling detail and a false sense of security and he pulled it off. Anakin's turn to the dark side and the fall of the Jedi order are one of my favorite parts of the movie. They were just really well written. In the end, this is easily the best Star Wars prequel and a very good stand-alone Sci-Fi movie. It's action packed, well written, (besides the dialogue) emotional and ends the series in a way where the end can only be seen as the beginning.
Alexander D
Super Reviewer
June 14, 2011
A great, intense ending to Part I of the saga that lets loose all of Anakin's anger and hatred. It also proves that Hayden Christensen is not a good actor.
Albert K
Super Reviewer
November 28, 2011
The worst of all the Star Wars movies. Hayden Christensen, on his third Star Wars movie, still sucks. The completion of the birth of Darth Vader is lacking.
Directors Cat
Super Reviewer
November 1, 2011
To be honest I dont think that the prequel trilogy should have happened in the first place. I strongly think that Star Wars is a 3 part story about forgetting the past and concentrating on the now as your life depends on your next decision. Of course I refer to Luke vs Vader. I think that the next 3 installments were pointless cash in's that didn't really have any messages that needed to be conveyed. Be that as it may Revenge of the Sith is the best and when I say that I mean out of the prequel trilogy. Because this unnecessary prequel trilogy was never going to strike us the same way as the original Star Wars trilogy.
Colin M
Super Reviewer
July 30, 2008
Succeeding the admittedly lack luster two prequels before it, and having to fill the gap between those two films and the classic Original Trilogy from the 70s and 80s, "Revenge of the Sith" had to fulfill the impossible to salvage the Star Wars film series, and frankly it did. No, it is not "Star Wars 1977" or "The Empire Strikes Back", but it sure does provide us with the tale of the downfall of Skywalker the Elder and the Rise of Darth Vader as well as anyone could have hoped. The acting is superb throughout, and even Hayden does a pretty good job here. The only fault with the film lies in its simplification of Vader's causes for downfall and a tab of excess in terms of the action of the film. Overall, however, it trumps its two previous installments and is the only true worthy prequel to the great Star Wars Trilogy of old.
Lewis C
Super Reviewer
June 25, 2007
Definitely the darkest movie in the prequel trilogy, and also the most action-packed. The movie transitions right from the clone war to the fall of the Republic and end of the Jedi Order, and all of it is very watchable. Sure, some of the acting is still suspect, but Episode III works as both an exciting action/sci-fi movie and as the final building block of the beloved classic trilogy.
Shawn E
Super Reviewer
March 14, 2011
This film is the climax of the prequel series. The story of how Anakin finally falls to the dark side is very dark and tragic. It also concludes/leads into the original star wars triliogy quite well. The effects are even better in this film than any of the previous star wars films. Star Wars fans will be very pleased with this film.
Phil H
Super Reviewer
August 8, 2007
This is the best of the new trilogy for sure, its still nowhere near as good as the original three but its close, Lucas has just about got the dialog sounding reasonable and effects are really cracking now. The acting is still slightly shaky and there are still some moments of silliness which make you put your head in the palms of your hands but the overall effects are obviously better and we have less dumb ass looking aliens hehe. The final part of the film does not let you down as we find out how it all fits into the Star Wars jigsaw, its not perfect but its still damn good and not to be missed.
Easily the best of the new trilogy but one wishes Lucas had gotten his stride long before this so maybe the first two films didn't turn out so average.
Best of the newbie flicks by a clear mile, more adult, darker and of course it completes the story arch, but best of all the action is great, loved the 'plan 66' sequence and most of the dark brooding fights and plotline :) finally a Star Wars film that compares to Empire in sorts.
This is the best of the new trilogy for sure, its still nowhere near as good as the original three but its close, Lucas has just about got the dialog sounding reasonable and effects are really cracking now. The acting is still slightly shaky and there are still some moments of silliness which make you put your head in the palms of your hands but the overall effects are obviously better and we have less dumb ass looking aliens hehe. The final part of the film does not let you down as we find out how it all fits into the Star Wars jigsaw, its not perfect but its still damn good and not to be missed.
Easily the best of the new trilogy but one wishes Lucas had gotten his stride long before this so maybe the first two films didn't turn out so average.
Matt G
Super Reviewer
January 21, 2011
Not a classic, but certainly the best prequel with some pretty impressive action sequences. Also a great prelude to Vader. Out of the six, this is the best Blu-ray conversion that is well worth the money. Every detail looks spectacular.
