Star Wars Episode III : Revenge of the Sith (2 Disc Edition) [DVD] [2005]

Up there with the generally conceived best one of the lot, The Empire Strikes Back, Revenge of the Sith is a mouth watering prospect for any movie goer.

The birth of Darth Vader. That is what makes this film ESSENTIAL! And Hayden Christensen, slightly meek in Episode II, really proves to be inspired casting here. It's a shame that Natalie Portman is wasted (apart from one scene when she confronts anakin on Mustafar) with a tiny role, but Hayden's scenes opposite Ewan, especially the famed lightsaber fight to end all lightsaber fights, is astonishingly good.

This has got some of the most emotional scenes in the entire saga. Check out anakin's and Obi-wan's last conversation as friends; the emotion filled climax; and the dialogue free scene with anakin and padme looking out of windows, seemingly at each other, but it has so much meaning - this is when he chooses the Dark Side. It's haunting, epic and legendary.

This is what the Star wars story boils down to, what everyone has been waiting for, and it delivers in spades. Do we need to mention the special effects? Amazing as usual, particularly the opening space battle. Ewan is more at ease in his role, and seems genuinely having fun with his last foray into star was. Ian McDiarmid is all cakles and evil grins as the Emperor, finally coming into his own - and getting to grips with a lightsaber!

It ties up all loose ends, but there are a few niggles. General Grievous, although a brilliant character, was not really needed. Count Dooku was dispatched of far too early on. But in the end, you are just shocked at seeing what is up there on screen....

Afterwards, you have to watch the original trilogy. Just to see the man, who did so much wrong in his life, who had so much potential and blew it, finally redeem himself. Read more ›

From the iconic use of original dialogue ("This is where the fun begins!") in the oddly calm opening battle, to the poetic justice of Obi-Wan's tainted victory over the corrupted Anakin, ROTS is unique, the end of a dynasty, a film saga that is truely timeless, despite all the criticisms of the new prequels ("Too many SFX", "Pathetic dialogue", "irritating characters").

Fortunately, ROTS manages to address many of these problems (except the FX, still billions of those). Yes, the dialogue is still occasionally cringe-worthy, but who cares when it looks this good? The film that Star Wars fans have always wanted to see, with all the things we wanted to see. Clone Wars. Check. How the Jedi got wiped out (and SO cunningly!). Check. How Palpatine ended up like a prune. Check. Obi-Wan V Anakin/'Vader'. Check. Yoda V Emperor Palpatine. Check. Kids being born. Check. What happened to Mum. Check. How Anakin became the asthmatic poster boy of the Empire. Check, check and check mate.

ROTS is everything you could possibly want, minor quibbles aside: 'What? He had 28 YEARS to write the opening crawl, and he came up with "War!"? Oh, Bra-VO!', 'Why are the Clone Troopers all random colours like Red, Yellow and Green when they all look the same in the future?', 'That's our lot for Kashyyyk? After waiting for that for 28 years too? Utapau is better!', 'What? He turned to the Dark Side just like THAT? Jeez...', and the best one, 'DARTH VADER DOESN'T TALK LIKE THAT!!!'

But it dies away.... While the opening space battle isn't quite as billed, it is intriguingly shot, showing the calm serenity that the Jedi can exude in the most turbulent atmosphere, further exemplifying the cruel sadness of their unbeknown fate. Also, Lucas moves the action along at a cracking pace, with some terrificly boys-own set-pieces, as well as freneticly gruesome lightsaber duels, the standout obviously being the duel between the two Jedi on the delectably designed Mustafar, with a quite ghastly coup de gras, fully deserving of the 12A certificate bestowed upon the film (the common Star Wars mythos still doesn't quite prepare you for Anakin's horrifying destruction).

To further complement it, Ian McDiarmid is outstanding, compensating somewhat for the slightly wooden Ewan McGregor (who almosts seems disbelieving in some of his deliveries) and the woeful Natalie Portman, whose transformation from strong individual to pathetic floozy is startling over three films. The scenes between McDiarmid and Hayden Christensen (a real star turn this time), especially in the the Opera sequence, are among the best in all six (!) Star Wars films, although, as noted, Anakin's final capitulation to his dark inklings is woefully underplayed, but that should be contributed to Lucas, not his cast.

All without mentioning John Williams' masterful score, fully embellished in the tragic segment following the murders of the Jedi Order across a far-flung array of war-torn planets. To call it a minor triumph is like saying how relieved fans were to see that Jar Jar Binks only managed a single line, "Excuse me", which is, incidentally, unnoticeable.

Tying up loose ends, being loud, and proud with it, ROTS is popcorn fun all the way, just as Star Wars always has been, even in the much-maligned prequels (I saw The Phantom Menace no less than 3 times at the cinema and enjoyed it every time. Hell, I even liked Jar Jar.)

And I challenge you not to get AT LEAST a lump in your throat when Yoda chokes on his words: "Failed, I have".

Only when I stop watching. Only then. Read more ›