Star Wars Episode III

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

9.5 out of 10

Running time: 2:20

MPAA rating: PG-13 (Violence and frightening images.)

Peruvian rating: Mayores de 14.

Cast: Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Jimmy Smits, Frank Oz, Anthony Daniels, Christopher Lee, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, James Earl-Jones (voice).
Director: George Lucas
Script: George Lucas
Photography: David Tattersall
Score: John Williams
Distributor: Twentieth-Century Fox

I know most people were disappointed by Episodes I and II. It is understandable. Expectations were ridiculously high for these films, and when they weren’t totally fulfilled, fans throughout the world were enraged. This shouldn’t – and didn’t – happen with Revenge of the Sith. This is the film fans have always demanded, a science fiction motion picture full of drama, compelling performances, great special effects and exciting action sequences. The saga has come full circle with this Episode III, and fans – and non-fans – who have been waiting almost thirty years to experience Anakin’s turn to the Dark Side – and his eventual turn into the mythical Darth Vader – shouldn’t be disappointed. This is as good as a Star Wars flick can be, and believe, that is to say it is very good.

The events of this movie occur more or less three years after Attack of the Clones. Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is now a Jedi Knight and part of the Jedi Council. Padmé Amidala, senator of Naboo (Natalie Portman) is married with Anakin Skywalker (although it is prohibited for a Jedi to marry) and is about to have two twin babies. The Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiamird) has been made prisoner of the separatist forces and is being held in General Grievous' (the Cyborg leader of the Separatists), cruiser, the Invisible Hand. Obi-Wan and Anakin have been sent onto a mission to rescue the Chancellor from the clutches of Grievous, and, although Anakin gets to beat Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) and rescue to the Chancellor, everything seems darker now, while Anakin and the Council begin to discover the real identity of the Chancellor.

The film begins with an exciting, visually impressive sequence: the Battle of Coruscant. Although the scene is not as exciting and tense as the Battle of Endor of Return of the Jedi, it still is an impressive achievement of special effects and sci-fi action. Actually, visual effects are, for the most part, amazing during the whole movie. People who thought CGI was too obvious or distracting in the previous movies won’t be able to say the same for this film – in Revenge of the Sith, digital effects work for the plot of the film instead of the other way round, and also provide with tons of eye candy. Take, for example, Obi-Wan and Anakin’s final lightsabre duel. The sequence is visually amazing and exciting, and works on its own because of the thrill of knowing what is going to happen and finding out how. Additionally, the sequence is intercut with the confrontation between Yoda and Darth Sidious/The Emperor, which increases the tension and the excitement. It is obvious from watching this last third of the movie that Lucas and his team worked hard on them – it has great visual effects (planet Mustafar looks amazing), expert choreography and good performances.

Yes, performances are good in this Star Wars prequel. Ewan McGregor is great as Obi-Wan, especially during the last third of the movie, in which he has to make some difficult choices. Ian McDiamird returns as the Emperor, giving the same chilling performance as in Episode VI. He is the great manipulator of the saga, and is breathtaking to see him create the Empire that was so prominent in the Original Trilogy. The much-maligned Hayden Christensen is also pretty good in here – he conveys enough arrogance when he turns into the Dark Side, and once he gets burned and shows his anger towards Obi-Wan, you can’t help feeling sorry for him. Natalie Portman is barely good – she is a great actress, but has never managed to give a decent performance in any of the prequels. At least she knows how to cry, and has enough chemistry with Christensen. (Their best scene together has no dialogue, which shows Lucas’ ability at writing screenplays.) Samuel L. Jackson has a bigger role in here, as well as Jimmy Smits, and both shine in their respective roles of Mace Windu and Bail Organa, Princess Leia’s future father.

But the sequence most people will speak – and have spoken – of will definitely be Anakin’s transformation into the famous Darth Vader. If I have to be honest, I must say it was done beautifully. The fact that it is intercut with the birth of babies Leia and Luke gives a more emotional touch to the scene, and Hayden Christensen’s facial expressions make one notice that he doesn’t really want what is about to happen – but has no choice. It is also cool to see the inside of Vader’s mask, and to notice the fact that he was born almost like a Frankenstein Monster-type. The scene is perfect until Vader stands up and screams “nooooo!” That was overdone, and I think the sequence could have conveyed his frustration and hatred in a more explicit – and effective – fashion.

Revenge of the Sith is the best of all the Star Wars prequels, and one of the most enjoyable films of the saga. It's a great conclusion for an epic, 20-year plus-journey, and an amazing science fiction motion picture in its own right. It is a truly marvelous experience to watch all six films in chronological order – as flawed as Episodes I and II are, they truly work as part of the overall story of the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker. Episode III is quite an emotional and exciting film to experience. It may not be everybody’s cup of tea – there will always be a couple of die-hard fans dissatisfied with anything Lucas comes up with -, but it is definitely the best Lucasfilm can provide with nowadays. If you ask me, the twenty-something year wait – plus the flaws of the previous prequels – were worth suffering.