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

But then it all changes.

After setting up characters and situations for the first two and a half movies, Episode III finally comes to life. The Sith Lord in hiding unleashes his long-simmering plot to take over the Republic, and an integral part of that plan is to turn Anakin away from the Jedi and toward the Dark Side of the Force. Unless you've been living under a rock the last 10 years, you know that Anakin will transform into the dreaded Darth Vader and face an ultimate showdown with his mentor, but that doesn't matter. In fact, a great part of the fun is knowing where things will wind up but finding out how they'll get there. The end of this prequel trilogy also should inspire fans to want to see the original movies again, but this time not out of frustration at the new ones. Rather, because Episode III is a beginning as well as an end, it will trigger fond memories as it ties up threads to the originals in tidy little ways. But best of all, it seems like for the first time we actually care about what happens and who it happens to.

Episode III is easily the best of the new trilogy--OK, so that's not saying much, but it might even jockey for third place among the six Star Wars films. It's also the first one to be rated PG-13 for the intense battles and darker plot. It was probably impossible to live up to the decades' worth of pent-up hype George Lucas faced for the Star Wars prequel trilogy (and he tried to lower it with the first two movies), but Episode III makes us once again glad to be "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away." --David Horiuchi, Amazon.com

Synopsis
The Force is with us in EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH, the final chapter of the six-part STAR WARS series, which began a long time ago (1977) in a galaxy far, far away... and is now complete in its cyclical perfection. This visually awe-striking kaleidoscope of interplanetary imagination features the unmatched digital animation and special effects of George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic. With pink and orange skies casting a golden sheen over magnificent landscapes through which space ships dart and light sabers flash, the spectacle of the film, while hypnotising, is but a complement to the intense, crucial plot. Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) remains the Jedi apprentice of master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). Battling dark forces that threaten the Republic, the duo quickly eliminates enemy Count Dooku (Christopher Lee), and Anakin proves as he states more than once that his powers have doubled. An intimidating warrior with superior knowledge of the Force, Anakin becomes the pet of Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), who is connected to the dark side. Meanwhile, Padme (Natalie Portman), the senator and former queen who is secretly married to Anakin, is pregnant, and Anakin is tortured by dreams of her dying in childbirth. With Obi-Wan on Utapau battling cyborg General Grievous (Matthew Wood), and Yoda (Frank Oz) joining the Wookiees of Kashyyyk, the sage warnings of the Jedi council (Samuel L. Jackson, Jimmy Smits) go unheard by Anakin. His moodiness and glowering are a clear precursor to his inevitable, terrifying metamorphosis into Darth Vader, the dark leader of the evil Empire who haunts the remainder of the series. John Williams's famous orchestral score with its thunderous marching themes adds more continuity, with refrains reminding viewers of STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE, in which Padme's children Luke and Leia take charge.

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