Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

George Lucas

Writer:

George Lucas (written by)

Release Date:

19 May 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The saga is complete.

Plot:

After three years of fighting in the Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker concludes his journey towards the Dark Side of the Force, putting his friendship with Obi Wan Kenobi and his marriage at risk.

Plot Keywords:

Chancellor | General | Jedi Knight | Rescue | Pregnant

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 13 wins & 26 nominations

Cast

Ewan McGregor	...	Obi-Wan Kenobi
Natalie Portman	...	Padmé
Hayden Christensen	...	Anakin Skywalker
Ian McDiarmid	...	Supreme Chancellor Palpatine
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Mace Windu
Jimmy Smits	...	Senator Bail Organa
Frank Oz	...	Yoda (voice)
Anthony Daniels	...	C-3PO
Christopher Lee	...	Count Dooku
Keisha Castle-Hughes	...	Queen of Naboo
Silas Carson	...	Ki-Adi-Mundi / Nute Gunray
Jay Laga'aia	...	Captain Typho
Bruce Spence	...	Tion Medon
Wayne Pygram	...	Governor Tarkin
Temuera Morrison	...	Commander Cody

Also Known As:

Revenge of the Sith (USA) (short title)
Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith (USA) (DVD box title)
Star Wars: Episode III (USA) (working title)
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (USA) (promotional title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and some intense images.

Runtime:

140 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.81 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES | Dolby Digital EX | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:12 (video rating) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #41633) | Iceland:10 (original rating) | Taiwan:PG-12 | Malaysia:U | South Korea:12 (DVD rating) | South Korea:All | South Africa:10V | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Chile:TE | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:PG | Italy:T | Japan:U | Mexico:B | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Philippines:G | Portugal:M/6 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | Brazil:10 | New Zealand:M | Indonesia:Dewasa

Filming Locations:

Chott el Djerid, Nefta, Tunisia

Company:

Lucasfilm

Trivia:

Director Cameo: [George Lucas]The sound of General Grievous' coughing is George Lucas's own coughing. After developing a bad cough during production, Lucas had it recorded and used as Grievous' own cough.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Palpatine takes out his lightsaber during the battle with Mace Windu, the unique design of the handle can clearly be seen. When he engages Mace and the Jedi, although the blade is still red, the handle of his lightsaber suddenly changes to Anakin's large clunky handle.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[R2-D2 bleeps]
Anakin Skywalker: Lock on to him R2.
[R2-D2 responds with more bleeping]
Anakin Skywalker: Master, General Grievous's ship is directly ahead. The one crawling with Vulture droids.
Obi-Wan: Oh, I see it. Oh, this is going to be easy.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in An Old Hope (2009)

Story + Special Effects = Success!

(No Spoilers!) Excitedly submitting my comments two weeks prior to the opening of the film (after a preview screening at the Ziegfeld Theater), I am thrilled to add to what appears to be a growing wave of positive reaction to Lucas's effort in Episode III. As a life-long fan deeply caught in a love hate relationship with Episodes I and II, I cautiously awaited this final installment. I felt in my heart that this would be a great film, but feared that somehow I would again be disappointed. Maybe I was starting to succumb to the notion that I no longer had the spirit of that six year old boy who was mesmerized by the original Star Wars, long ago in 1977 at that far away NJ theater. Maybe.

From the opening 20th Century Fox logo, the movie hits the ground running, proving once again the CGI capabilities of ILM and the thrills they inspire. However, unlike the first two films, where spectacular effects were layered upon complicated, contrived and sometimes dramatically vacant scenes executed with some of the worst performances in memory, there is solid story telling here. And that's the difference.

The drama builds steadily in the first act before hitting light speed with a combination of excitement, dread, intrigue and pain. This strong dramatic spark ignites the entire cast, helping them turn in what are easily their best performances of the three films. When you have a script with this kind of thump and talented actors, the result is fun to watch. And for once, perhaps most importantly, the special effects serve the script, not the other way around.

Anakin's internal struggle, present from frame one, quickly consumes him, catapulting the film towards its inevitable conclusion. While its no surprise that the film ends on a desperate note, there does remain a glimmer of possibility as the story segues into the aptly titled classic "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope". It's thought provoking and inspiring.

It's also worth noting that as advertised the film is dark, makes no apologies, and is much less child friendly then the others. All pluses in my opinion.

The final result with "Revenge" is a complete film that I will never forget, a somewhat renewed perspective on what Lucas was going for with Episodes I and II, and assurances that that little boy inside me is still there, popcorn in hand, ready for a good movie.