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

Epic, Emotional, and Powerful. George Lucas' Farewell to the Star Wars Saga is an Operatic Masterpiece of Blockbuster Cinema

[jaredpahl · 9/10 · 19 December 2015]

The final entry in George Lucas' Star Wars saga, Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is one, giant climax to arguably the most popular movie franchise in history. It's also the most riveting of the series; A movie of such visual and storytelling intensity that it makes our typical standards for summer entertainment seem trivial. Sith has wall-to-wall action and jaw-dropping special effects, yes. By all measures, Episode III is a grand success when it comes to giving the legions of Star Wars fans any and everything they could have hoped for after Darth Vader uttered the words "We meet again" in 1977. The beauty of Revenge of the Sith is that it earns much more than diverting summer thrills. Strip away all the baggage that comes with the name 'Star Wars' and what you are left with is one of the most enthralling films of 2005.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith serves as a bridge to the first Star Wars, A New Hope, where we see the culmination of Anakin Skywalker's fall to the Dark Side. This is where Darth Vader is born. In addition to finally delivering on the promise of the entire prequel trilogy, Revenge of the Sith also has the gargantuan task of telling the story of how the Clone Wars ended, how an evil Empire emerged from a democratic Republic, and how Luke, Leia, Obi-Wan, and the rest found themselves where they are at the start of the original Star Wars movie. With all these massive story lines, it's a wonder that Lucas manages to squeeze the best out of every plot line, without straying from the film's most important element, Anakin's seduction by Chancellor/Emperor Palpatine. After having a vision of his wife, Padme, dying in childbirth, Jedi prodigy Anakin Skywalker consults with the chancellor, who expertly influences the young Jedi into turning to the dark side of the force.

The entire seduction works brilliantly. With the seeds of Anakin's tragic flaw planted way back in The Phantom Menace, and expanded upon in Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith is free to focus on the straw that broke the camel's back. Anakin's desperation to save Padme's life makes his eventual turn believable, and Ian McDiarmid and Hayden Christensen both do well portraying an icy relationship that turns into a destructive mentorship. Anakin's final fall, framed alongside the rise of the Empire is a storytelling masterclass. Palpatine's seduction is subtle, yet dramatic, and the numerous loose ends from the originals are all tied with a certain kind of poetry. For all his writing deficiencies, Lucas spins this fable elegantly, with a delicacy that makes you realize, he's been dreaming of telling this story for a long, long time.

The plot marches relentlessly forward with commanding momentum, but it is only one side of Revenge of the Sith. The special effects and action are in a class of their own. Episode III is the biggest of all the Star Wars movies in terms of story, and the visual effects return the favor. Once again, Lucas and company revel in all kinds of wide, sweeping shots of new worlds such as the lava fields of Mustafar or the city-sized sinkholes of Utapau. It's all part of a grand, dramatic style of filmmaking that makes Revenge of the Sith look like a finale, through and through. It's also remarkable how certain elements like the ships, soldiers, and costumes seamlessly blend into what is seen in the originals. As sophisticated as the effects are, its George Lucas and his painterly talent for composition that propel the effects from technically well done exercises of CGI and miniatures to truly beautiful cinematic images.

Lost in all this is the action. The film begins with an old-fashioned space battle on an epic scale. It's a feast for the eyes, and it feels distinctly like classic Star Wars. The lightsaber duels, the lizard versus mono-wheel chase scene (which includes the villain General Grievous; a half droid, half alien, wheezing wonder of imagination and digital wizardry), and the Clone War battles are dazzling on levels rarely seen in traditional summer blockbusters. The final duel between Obi-Wan and a newly christened Darth Vader is operatic and straight-up Shakespearian in its emotional complexity. Along with the Order 66 montage, the action of the last half of Revenge of the Sith is as powerful as anything in the series.

As with any movie, there are things in Episode III that could be criticized. The dialogue isn't dramatically better than it was in the previous two movies, and the acting can be wonky at times, but none of this amounts to anything in the grand scheme of things. In the end, Sith does so much right that complaining about a line or two that was corny or delivered awkwardly is an utter waste of time. The finale to the Star Wars saga aims so high and nails so many key notes, that its minor flaws are almost completely inconsequential. Revenge of the Sith is one of the boldest works of blockbuster filmmaking ever made. I can't name another tentpole franchise movie that comes close to the level of operatic emotional poignancy that marks the best moments of Episode III of the Star Wars Saga. Movies like this don't come around often. A New Hope is still the Star Wars movie we will cherish most, but in its boundless ambition and breathtaking power, Revenge of the Sith is high art in the form of a summer blockbuster. George Lucas puts every idea he's had about good vs evil, fathers and sons, and the rise and fall of empires into this masterpiece of popular entertainment. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is a brilliantly crafted epic, one that cements George Lucas' Star Wars Saga as one of the great achievements in filmmaking history.

92/100

This one is actually great!

[barbagvido · 9/10 · 27 December 2015]

The first two movies in the prequel trilogy weren't horrible, but had so many flaws. This one isn't as good as any movie in the original trilogy, but if you ask me it's pretty close. This one is actually very well done and special effects don't look so fake now and give us some really epic scenes, especially in a movie's climax that will keep you at the edge of your seat. Here, George Lucas proved that he can still do it and I was really satisfied with this movie. The acting was the best the prequel trilogy gave and Hayden Christensen isn't so wooden and annoying anymore. Here he's actually pretty cool and shows that he has potential, but Ewan McGregor remains the best part of the cast. You really believe him to be young Obi-Wan and that's very well done and he also has some very heartbreaking moments with Anakin at the end. One of the biggest flaws in the prequels was all those political conversations. Just lots and lots and lots of talking that makes you want to fall asleep, but thankfully, Lucas listened to his fans and it's reduced here. It's still present, of course, but not as much. Romance between Padme and Anakin is a little bit more believable here, but still not enough and that's one of the biggest flaws here, but the blame is more on Attack of the Clones in this case. Everything is executed very well and leading up to the original trilogy is very good, even tho it does create some plot holes, but in Star Wars you can explain almost everything with the Force. And one more good thing for Jar Jar haters, he appears for only like, a second. Hooray! But there is one more thing they messed up in the ending and I'm not gonna spoil anything but that one awful line (NOOOO!). While the first two movies in the prequel trilogy were disappointing, this one makes it all better. Not everyone will like it, but as a big Star Wars fan, I must say it's a nice and intense ending for the prequels.

Watched this film at a theater in Iraq

[JayPatton88 · 8/10 · 14 November 2019]

I was on a Combat tour in Iraq ( OIF 2004-2005 ) I watched this film at the theatre of Camp Anaconda, I thought it was the best film of the three prequels

Dew it

[nawi-34881 · 10/10 · 19 December 2019]

After watching the rise of skywalker and the sequels as a whole, I thought It would be fitting to come back here and show the love it truly deserves!

Revenge of the sith is my favourite Star Wars movie, empire being the best. Obi-wan, anakin and palpatine all steal the show as George Lucas shows how to close but also open a trilogy with the perfect bridge of prequel to original trilogy! From jaw dropping lightsaber duels to great story telling it has it all! I really believe so many more will appreciate not only this movie but the prequels as a whole showing that the best way to make a Star Wars movie is originality!

Though at times the script can be clunky, it sure doesn't take away the drama that continues to build throughout the movie as anakin starts to sway deeper into the dark side! Palpatines mischievous yet cunning way of turning anakin to the dark side of the force (did you ever hear the tragedy of darth plagueis the wise?). It really is the perfect bridge as we see dark aspects of the Star Wars universe (order 66) and also the fan pleasing moments and references imply what is to come!

This is Star Wars!

"Revenge is a dish best served cold."

[classicsoncall · 10/10 · 21 May 2005]

And so, the Star Wars saga comes full circle, with the final pieces of the intergalactic puzzle falling into place. Of course we knew the major elements about to be revealed, but to see it done so effectively is a tribute to the epic story telling genius of creator George Lucas.

I recall the controversy about the working name of Star Wars Episode VI - Revenge of the Jedi. Back in 1983 it was thought that the title suggested too much violence, and not a fitting description for the forces of the "good" side. But for this installment of the series, "Revenge of the Sith" is certainly fitting, as Anakin Skywalker's turn to the Dark Side under his master Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious is fraught with betrayal, violence and murder.

The movie opens with the same grand scope as previous films in the series, but taken to even more cosmic proportion with jaw dropping sequences of outer space grandeur. Fleet cruisers jet by gigantic space stations as naturally as city traffic. Fans of space opera will no doubt thrill to the spectacle of color and sound offered here.

The relationship between Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) and Anakin (Hayden Christensen) is handled intelligently, even as the young Jedi is manipulated and convinced by Palpatine that the future of the Republic belongs in his own capable hands as dictator of the galaxy. Padme's refusal to side with her husband is of course the turning point in the marriage, with the safety of her newborns of uppermost importance. I guess what bothers me most about the movie though is the reason given for Padme's death during childbirth, having lost her will to live. This is not the character we saw in the prior two films; after all, she had the regal bearing and demeanor of a queen, and the shrewd tenacity of a planetary senator. To just "give up", even under the horrendous circumstances of Anakin's turn is a situation not adequately dealt with in the movie.

General Grievous - great name for the robotic leader of the clone army, but what's with the persistent cough. Perhaps it made him seem more vile, but why would a robot suffer a human malady? His running battle with Obi Wan Kenobi was a highlight of the movie.

Christopher Lee - now there's an actor who's first film credit dates back to 1948, and who's come a long way from the horror remakes of the 1950's and 60's, to star in the two major epic movie sagas of our time - "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy, and episodes II and III of the current Star Wars series. It seems he only gets better with age, as his portrayal of Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus shows.

Ewan McGregor does an excellent job of preparing us for the Alec Guiness version of the Jedi Master of "Star Wars: A New Hope". When he appears in the latter part of the film in the straw colored robe, I immediately thought of the scene in Episode IV when Princess Leia's hologram image reaches out for "Obi Wan Kenobi - you're my only hope".

Following the death of Jedi Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson), Darth Sidious gives the command to wipe out all the rest of the Jedi Council. Was it intentional, or merely coincidental, that the orders were carried out in the fashion of a sci-fi "Godfather"? Only Obi Wan and Yoda had the wisdom and foresight to condemn themselves to exile so they could fight another day. Kenobi's mission to Tatooine to deliver the newborn Skywalker was a stroke of storytelling magic, bringing his personal adventure in the Star Wars saga full circle as well.

But can the Star Wars story EVER end? The franchise lives on in a myriad of media, and it seems that there are even more adventures and characters whose stories must be told. One can only hope that the creativity and ingenuity begun by George Lucas in 1977 continues to live on in the hyper space region of entertainment known as The Star Wars Universe.

Best of the Star Wars trilogy of prequels...

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 25 December 2014]

.. and that's not saying that much. I think everyone judges every Star Wars movie by what is considered the best of the batch, the original Star Wars of 1977 and "The Empire Strikes Back" of 1980. Compared with those movies, this movie is not so great. Compared to the other two prequels, it is the best of the three. It turns away from the tortuous details of Senate politics that infected its predecessor, "Attack of the Clones", and tries to get back to the action, relationships, and moral dilemmas that are at the heart of the "Star Wars" series. However, this film has many flaws that could have been eradicated with more of a conscientious effort by creator, director, and writer George Lucas.

It basically forms a straight line, plot-wise, from Episode Two to Episode Four with no surprises and little character development, and depends upon what you already know about the entire Star Wars mythology to invest you in this movie and its characters rather than the action and dialogue of this one particular film. Also, there is little use made of either Natalie Portman's Padme Amidala - who actually has very little screen time - or the excellent Samuel L. Jackson, who is completely wasted given the small part that his character has in this film. Why employ such a great actor if you are going to give him lines that any extra could deliver? Additionally, for someone who has spent the last ten or fifteen years learning and living the ways of the Jedi, Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker seems to have very little inner turmoil making a sudden and complete transformation from protector of innocents to the apprentice of evil. He irrationally uses his desire to ensure his wife's safety - when there is no perceivable threat to her health other than his own premonitions - as an excuse to savage anyone who might get in his way and even some who couldn't if they wanted to, such as the "younglings" that he slaughters in the Jedi temple at Palpatine's behest. Thus the so-called transformation into Darth Vader is more like the flipping of a switch - more binary than analog.

The best performance is that of Ian McDiarmid as Chancellor Palpatine/"The Emporer". He has a serpentine smoothness about him as he subtly plants doubts in Skywalker's mind about who is really on the side of evil while deftly handling all of the warring factions of the Republic so that people will actually be grateful when he takes complete power.

In summary, if you have seen all of the other Star Wars films you will probably enjoy this one because it fills in all of the gaps and answers all of the remaining questions. However, with some more effort in the direction and writing, those questions could have been answered with much better dialogue and characters that were more three-dimensional.

The Final Part of the Saga

[claudio_carvalho · 10/10 · 12 December 2015]

In Coruscant, the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) rescue the Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) from the Separatist General Grievous' spaceship and Anakin kills Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) with his light-saber after a fight; however Grievous escape from the Jedi. When they land on Coruscant, Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) comes to tell Anakin that she is pregnant. Soon he has premonitions of his wife dying during the delivery. Palpatine requests that Anakin joins the Jedi Council against the will of the members but his is not promoted to Master and stays Padawan; further they ask him to spy Palpaline. Anakin is manipulated by Palpatine about the true intentions of the Jedi and is tempted to know the dark side of the Force that could be capable to save Padmé. Further Palpatine discloses that he is Sith Lord Darth Sidious. What will Anakin do?

"Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" is the final part of the saga initiated in 1977 by George Lucas. This episode is among the best ones and shows how Darth Vader was born. George Lucas in 1971, surprised the world with the cult "THX-1138". In 1973, another great movie: "American Graffiti". Then, in 1977, he directed the fantastic "Star Wars". Since this date, he basically dedicated his life only to the excellent Star Wars saga. With his potential, he could have contributed much more to the cinema industry. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "Star Wars: Episódio III - A Vingança dos Sith" ("Star Wars: Episode III – The Revenge of the Sith")

Note: Last time I saw this film was on 19 November 2005.

A fitting end but you can't beat the real thing

[neodante23 · 7/10 · 8 May 2005]

SPOILER ALERT My thoughts on Revenge of The Sith. Although miles better than the previous two, when held up against the original trilogy it still left me feeling under whelmed. Whether that it symptomatic of today's era when big budget spectacles are two-a-penny I'm not sure.

I'll start with the opening space battle in the film. Nobody can say it wasn't visually effective. You jump straight in to the midst of a battle. Starfighters zig zagging across every corner of the screen, explosions left right and centre, Laser fire criss crossing the cold vacuum of space, Obi-Wan and Anakin in a frenzied dogfight with the droid attack fleet. Probably millions spent on the scene and endless manpower dedicated to its completion. Visually stunning yet souless. Give me the sequence in ROTJ anyday, when in the cold stillness of space the rebel fleet come out of Hyperspace, ready to mount an attack on the Deathstar. The Imperial fleet hangs back in the distance and you know you are in for the mother of all space battles. You can't buy that sort of anticipation, that sort of "Oh My God, I can't wait for what's gonna happen next" feeling. This is what Star Wars is about A grand spectacle with feeling, not just a grand spectacle.

Then we have how easy some of the main protagonists go down. Count Dooku goes from a Sith lord capable of fending off Obi-wan and Anakin in AOTC to someone is easily taken down by Anakin with the shimmy of a lightsabre. I don't see how his skills and powers have improved so much from the second movie but we are told by Anakin that they have and we should just accept it. In the return fight between Luke and Vader in ROTJ. You sense Luke is empowered by the knowledge he has of Vader and a momentary lapse into anger by Luke allows him to bear down on Vader and bring him to the ground. A believable turnaround of events considering what has gone on before. Not so in the rematch between Anakin and Dooku. Considering Dooku manages to immobilise Obi-wan quite easily once again and fought Yoda to an arguable draw in AOTC's, the swiftness by which Anakin dispatches Dooku is a bit stretched.

Then we have the romance. Portman is a great actress, you'll get no arguments from me. Apparently the rumour is Hayden can act as well judging by the reviews he had for Shattered Glass. Why is it then that when they share lines and romantic scenes together they can't muster an iota of the chemistry that Han an Leia had in the original trilogy. Anakin comes across as a simplistic figure, with simple lines. I believe the problem is Hayden always over compensates when he reads out his lines. Understandably he's trying to think how Lucas would want them to be delivered. Is he thinking, "How does saying I love you Padme in the Star Wars universe where there is a galactic war going, differ from saying I love you in the real world". What should I enunciate, what depth of feeling should I squeeze from my character, a tragic hero figure destined for a fall from grace. My feeling is that he shouldn't. Yes Star Wars is set in a galaxy far far away but I love you is still I love you no matter what context you put it in. That's why when the inevitable romantic scenes come along they still leave you feeling flatter than a pancake run over by a bulldozer. Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher to me gave a very adult take on the relationship between Han and Leia. It was basically scoundrel meets women way out of his league and lets forget the hell out of all this sci-fi stuff and just act how we feel it should be. Result - classic scenes to watch again and again. Lucas unfortunately hasn't remembered this lesson in time for the final film.

The events that lead Anakin's turn to the darkside are also difficult to accept. Yes we know his transformation must be complete by the end of the movie less we find ourselves potentially forking out for the "Fourth in the Trilogy © Orange Cinema ad". But the excuse of needing knowledge to save his wife and keeping alive the only person who has this knowledge is the premise for an alarmingly rapid descent into the dark side. Sure he murders the Tusken Raiders in AOTC's without a second thought but that was shortly after his beaten mother died in his arms. After lopping Mace Windu's hand off and allowing the Emporer to lighting blast the bad-ass Jedi into the Corsucant night sky, there is not a hint of remorse by Anakin. A rapid betrayal of the Jedi, the murder of the Jedi children quickly follows, yet hours before he's still Anakin the Jedi. Sure a little confused, hugely frustrated but not a child-killer. Much more believable would be something like the murder of Padme in front of his very eyes and the Jedi complicity in this which might enable Anakin to turn against everything he believed in so quickly. Yet it is only the hint of great power he might be able to achieve under Palpatine tutelage that triggers Anakin to turn against everyone he loves, in an instant.

Oh and the final fight scene, Apparently doesn't matter if you are the chosen one. It's all about height. If you have the "Higher Ground" then the fight's yours. Someone should try telling that to the two pieces of Darth Maul laying at the bottom of a power shaft somewhere.

So to sum up George – thank for the memories. It wasn't quite a home run but you sure came damn close and 'A' for effort. I think that other trilogy with the guys with the funny feet kinda of stole your thunder though.

The Saga is Complete

[vlrrhv · 10/10 · 16 June 2019]

Revenge of the Sith is my favorite movie (not only considering the six movies of the saga, but it's one of my favorite films ever). I love the prequels and I like the original trilogy. Star Wars prequel trilogy has a terrific scenery, lots of spectacular scenes and fabulous elaborate costumes.

The world of Star Wars is like a dreamworld for me. If I could live in it, I would.

The whole Star Wars saga tells the story about family and love. The greatest story of all, the timeless story about Anakin Skywalker is so close to my heart, that's why I love Star Wars so much. The tagline of the film - "The saga is complete". So there is no need for awful Disney sequels.

The Best Prequel

[xiaoli7377 · 7/10 · 14 September 2020]

"Revenge of the Sith" is pretty good fun. After the shaky start of "The Phantom Menace" and the abysmal mess that was "Attack of the Clones", the third installment of the prequel trilogy finally comes along and gives us the story we had been hoping for all along: the origin of Darth Vader and the Empire.

Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Evan McGregor) are Jedi knights fighting in the Clone Wars, as a separatist movement attempts to secede from the Republic. Unbeknownst to them and the rest of the Jedi council, the Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) is the puppet master, secretly conducting both sides of the war in his attempt to form his own Sith Empire. As Obi-Wan is sent on a mission to take down General Grievous (Matthew Wood), Anakin is tasked with spying on Palpatine and ensuring that he returns his emergency powers once the war is over.

"Revenge of the Sith" is still covered with a thick layer of prequel trilogy goofiness, but the story this time is much tighter-knit and focused, and we are actually shown a story that ties in perfectly with the original movies. Ian McDiarmid is extremely goofy and plays everything up, but he's also just really hilarious as the Emperor. The two lightsaber duels at the end go on for a bit long. I feel like this movie could have been cut at least half an hour shorter and it would have been an even faster and more fluid pace. The beginning battle above Coruscant sequence drags, as do some of the montages in the middle of the film.

Overall this is the best "Star Wars" prequel, and you could honestly probably skip the other two and not miss a thing; this one has all of the good bits in it. My only real major gripe with it is that the Darth Vader stuff happens way too quickly, it just feels really abrupt that Anakin is provoked into falling to the dark side as fast as he does in this one.

Watch this one if you're a "Star Wars" fan. As with the other prequel movies, it isn't completely necessary for your enjoyment of the franchise, but if you were to watch any film out of this trilogy, "Revenge of the Sith" would definitely be the one.

This is where the fun beings

[jasonmichaeldickinson · 10/10 · 8 July 2021]

Star Wars Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith is my all time favorite Star Wars movie and hands down the best in the prequel trilogy the story was well done the lightsaber dule between Anakin And Obe wan was amazing.

While not as spectacularly dreadful as Episodes I and II this is certainly no 'The Empire Strikes Back'

[burntime-1 · 6/10 · 13 May 2005]

The culmination of decades of work for writer-director George Lucas, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith completes the epic space-opera sextet which burst onto our screens in 1977, and brings the tragic story of Jedi knight Anakin Skywalker and his transformation into the iconic villain Darth Vader to a close.

The film opens with a battle in the upper atmosphere of the planet Coruscant that sees juggernaut spaceships pitted against tiny fighters, in a deliberate and contrived echo of the opening scene of the original Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Jedi knights Anakin (Hayden Christensen) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) weave their ships through a barrage of explosions and enemy fire, intent on rescuing Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), the political leader of the galactic Republic from the clutches of General Greivous, the wheezing robot leader of the separatist rebels who are threatening to tear the Republic apart.

This spectacular but curiously emotionless beginning sets the action-driven pace of the following 140 minutes of the film, which abandons the laborious political intrigue established in Episodes I and II in favour of almost constant combat between an array of characters and alien races.

The streamlined plot takes in the doomed romance between ambitious Anakin and his wife, Senator Padmé Amildala (a bored-looking Natalie Portman), Palpatine's betrayal of the Republic, and the long-anticipated but unconvincing moment when Anakin swears allegiance to the dark side of the Force.

While Lucas delights in visual spectacle throughout Revenge of the Sith, overall the film lacks any real dramatic tension or sense of menace, even in the fight scenes, which should have us on the edge of our seats. Partially this is caused by the fact that we already know the outcome: we know how history is shaped out by the events which are fated to unfold in this film, and so the film lacks suspense. Equally critical however is the fact that it's hard to muster any concern over CGI animations, no matter how seamlessly they are blended with the real actors appearing beside them on-screen.

The resulting film is strangely passionless, a situation not helped by the lack of chemistry between romantic leads Christensen and Portman. The script's painfully clumsy dialogue, which manifests in clichéd and emotive outbursts from all the important characters, further exacerbates the film's numerous flaws.

What does work is the film's pace, and the way in which Lucas for the most part adroitly introduces characters, and foreshadows events that are already legendary among legions of Star Wars fans (although the clumsy introduction of Chewbacca the Wookie is jarring to say the least).

Lucas' storytelling skills are at their best during the film's climax, when he adroitly intercuts from the inevitable showdown between Obi-Wan and the newly named Darth Vader on the volcanic planet Mustafar, and Jedi master Yoda's desperate attempts to defeat the evil Palpatine back on Coruscant. That we already know the outcome of these battles is, in these sequences at least, of no concern. The film's final scenes, including the first appearance of the armour-clad Darth Vader and the birth of Padmé's twins Luke and Leia, are more forced, but are sure to satisfy the franchise's many fans.

While suffering many of the same flaws that dogged the previous two instalments of the series, (including at least one major plot hole you could steer a Death Star through: if Anakin is so desperate to save Padme's life that he turns to the dark side, why is he so happy to leave her side to do his master's bidding, instead of obsessively focussing on finding the cure he has been offered by Palpatine?) Revenge of the Sith occasionally comes close to recapturing the grandeur and sense of wonder which made the original Star Wars trilogy so memorable. It is a fitting albeit overdue end to a saga that has entertained so many, for so long.

And Lucas' failure is complete.

[deaconblues1979 · 5/10 · 19 May 2005]

***Spoilers!****

Lucas finally leaves behind the childish stupidity of the first two episodes and delivers a much grimmer movie. Too bad he does it so poorly. The first problem with the movie is the acting. The forced, pitiful dialogue is enough to make a person cringe. It is glaringly obvious during the exchanges between Padme and Anakin. But rather than leave a movie to be destroyed by bad dialogue and acting, Lucas decides to take it a step further and brilliantly adds a pointless robot villain named General Grievous. This robot's special power was that he had reptilian organs and suffered from a bad cough yet could somehow mysteriously breathe in space. But the hardest thing to stomach about this movie is Anakin's sudden and whimsical switch to the dark side. Lucas tries to create all of these different factors for Anakin's change to darkness, yet none are convincing enough. First Anakin struggles with visions of Padme's death, then he gets placed on the Jedi Council and is asked to spy on his dear friend Palpatine, and to top it all off, those stingy Jedi have the gall to not award Anakin with "Master" status. Then Palpatine reveals himself as the Sith Lord to Anakin and tells him they may be able to save Padme from death. One thing leads to another, and Anakin lops off Mace Windu's hand and decides to become a Sith. It is truly unbelievable. Out of 6 or so hours of movie-time between Episodes I, II, and III, 10 minutes are dedicated to the Dark side's "seduction" of Anakin Skywalker. It takes Palpatine 3 whole scenes to convince Anakin to switch sides. But the fun doesn't stop there, oh no! After walking the path of good(except that Sandperson incident in episode II) for all these years, Anakin has little problem slaughtering all of the Jedi younglings and hating all of the Jedi, especially Obi-Wan. The truly glorious thing is that this movie all takes place in maybe a week's time, and Anakin's complete switch to darkness takes about 1 minute. I suppose it is possible that the events in this movie were supposed to span a few months, but that is not made clear, due to the story-telling genius of Mr. Lucas. Lucas had two movies before this in which he could have shown a gradual change to darkness. That would have been believable. But Lucas is such an idiot and has no idea how to develop characters, and this is the result. Yes, it is understandable that Anakin is troubled and frustrated and supposedly loves his wife very much, but that just isn't enough to make his sudden change to the dark side believable. Lucas has had 28 years to figure out how Anakin became Darth Vader. You'd really think he could have come up with a more convincing story than this. But then something truly wonderful and realistic happens that nearly redeems the film. Padme simply "loses the will to live" and kicks the bucket. This is really great coming from a formerly strong and independent character, who now has children to concern herself with. But I guess that's not a good enough reason to live. It's a good thing that this trait isn't passed down to Luke, otherwise he may have dropped dead from depression in that Death Star trash compactor. I would also like to point out the stunning use of the drawn-out soap opera-esquire "NOOOOOooooooo!!!" that Darth Vader bellows forth upon discovering that Padme has perished.

Under-rated because of first two movies. This one is truly amazing.

[EVON1TY · 10/10 · 18 June 2019]

I think it is under-rated because the first two movies was not this good. This last one is pretty good, how rated so low? First two were not bad but they had so much more potential, those two movies could be so better. I think this is nearly the best way to connecting to the Original Trilogy after two decent movies. This is all we wanted from Star Wars. And this last movie gave that to us.

I think storyline is quite amazing in this last movie of the trilogy but the techincs could be better a bit in my opinion. A better cinematography and visual effects maybe. I don't know how ILM managed to do better visual effects in the other projects at the time. I'm not saying VFX and cinematography are bad, I'm just saying those could be a bit better.

Revenge of the Sith

[auuwws · 10/10 · 28 September 2020]

One of the best star wars movies and best scene is obi one kenobi and anakin fight

The end of the beginning

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 5 October 2008]

Of the three prequels this is probably the best although it does suffer from George's addiction to CGI special effects, it seems that because it is possible to have hundreds of ships in a battle he has to have hundreds even though it just looks cluttered. It also suffers some what because we know what has to happen as this is a link between the prequels and Star Wars; Obi-Wan and Yoda have to survive and Anakin has to become Darth Vader, this of course is unavoidable.

The story itself is exciting enough featuring plenty of light sabre fights, the realisation that Chancellor Palpatine is in fact the Sith lord Darth Sidious and the clone army turning on the Jedi and killing most of them.

The film starts with Obi Wan and Anakin having to rescue the chancellor from the evil Count Dooku and his droid henchman General Grievous. Once Anakin has beaten and disarmed Dooku the chancellor tells him to kill him as he is too dangerous, this Anakin does after some hesitation. As a "reward" for this the chancellor asks Anakin to be his representative on the council, he accepts the offer but is offended when the council refuse to make him a Jedi Master. While this is going on he is troubled by dreams about Padmé dying in child birth thus he becomes drawn to the chancellor when he tell him that it is possible to use the dark side of the force to prevent death. He isn't totally taken in though as when Palpatine makes it clear that he is a Sith lord he reports back to Jedi Master Mace Windu who goes to confront the Chancellor. Anakin interrupts them when it appears that Palpatine has been defeated and Windu is going to kill him, Anakin protects the chancellor who is in fact far from defeated, he kills Windu and Anakin realises he has made a mistake, strangely at this point it only takes a few words from Palpatine to get Anakin to switch allegiances and help Palpatine slaughter the Jedi so he can over through the republic and create his empire.

The new emperor dispatches Anakin, now the Sith lord Darth Vader, to volcanic planet of Mustafar to kill his previous allies. Padmé follows him when she hears from Obi Wan what he has done, she confronts him and begs him to stop what he is doing so they can live a quiet life together, he however refuses saying he will overthrow the emperor so the two of them can rule the galaxy together. She is horrified at this and when Obi Wan appears from her ship, which he had stowed away on, Vader thinks Padmé has betrayed him and uses the force to choke her. This leads to the climactic battle between Vader and Obi-Wan which is inter-cut with a simultaneous battle between Yoda and the emperor. It isn't giving too much away to say that Vader ends up badly maimed and burn and the emperor beats Yoda who manages to escape. The film ends with the birth of Luke and Leah and the "rebirth" of Anakin as the black-helmeted Darth Vader we know from the original films.

If you watched the first to prequels I'm sure you'll enjoy this too although some scenes may be a bit frightening for younger viewers. As with the other prequels the dialogue was pretty hammy so even quality actors like Ewan McGregor can't make it sound good. The way many of the battles took place at the same time as others and we kept switching between them was frustrating, instead of increasing the excitement it seemed to reduce it. Ian McDiarmid comes off best as he clearly knows he is playing a pantomime villain and acts accordingly, an option not really available to those playing the heroes of the story. Like the other prequels I think it would have been better if George had just written the basic story then got somebody else to write the screenplay with better dialogue and somebody else to direct who was more interested in actors than "cool" CGI.

An all time favorite

[grivno-97858 · 10/10 · 20 May 2020]

Simply put; it's not a perfect film, yet it is. It's from a simpler time. You can buy a 200 dollar meal from a swanky restaurant but your moms home cooking will always be better. That is ROTS.

Like I and II: Good entertainment, plenty of frustration

[oldsmoothie · 7/10 · 16 May 2005]

OK, let me quickly give my credentials: Indie filmmaker, saw Star Wars at 9 and know every line and every note of soundtrack music to all five movies. And I attended the $250-per-ticket charity premiere of Revenge of the Sith to see it a week early. Now that that's out of the way, let me give the biggest complaint: Anakin's reason for turning to the dark side is wrong. All wrong. I won't explain as those who haven't seen it will want to see it for themselves and those who have already know why he did. The reason I always imagined he turned is because of the "power of the dark side," which he reminds us in V and VI. In Revenge, Anakin does not turn to the dark side for power in and of itself but for an alleged power that he needs to save Padme, and it's a power only obtainable through the dark side. Somehow, his quest for this makes him a complete idiot: He is easily persuaded by the Dark Lord of the Sith (who was part of Qui-Gon's death, remember) that the Jedi, who raised Anakin like a family, are suddenly evil and trying to take over the Republic. And a second later, Anakin is suddenly slaughtering children, even as his own wife is pregnant. Come on, George! "Vader was seduced by the dark side of the force." Not anymore. The line should now read, "Anakin was easily duped by the most evil person who ever lived that someone like a brother to him was his enemy out of the blue." It just doesn't ring true. After the fact, I liked Anakin's handling of Obi-Wan and Padme, and I certainly understood his desperation to get the power he needed to save his wife. But not at the expense of all sanity. Palpatine subtly admits that he engineered the creation of Anakin. But why on Tatooine? Why didn't he go and get the boy as soon as he was born? The bottom line is he becomes Darth Vader too easily. Close but ultimately, wrong. I completely expected during their duel, that Anakin would say to Obi-Wan, "You don't know the power of the dark side, Master!" Not only does he not say this but we NEVER see Anakin, in any of the movies, use any of this so-called extra midi-chlorian power to do anything but win pod races and make fruit float around. He NEVER uses any dark side powers at all (whatever they may be). I expected Palpatine to be giving him little tastes of power. For me, this almost ruins the movie. We never learn who Jedi Master Sifo-Dious is, who ordered the clone army at the time of Phantom Menace. After telling us in 1999 that the whole Jedi disappearing when they die thing will be completely explained, it is NEVER explained! It is alluded to in the worst throw-away line I've ever seen in a movie: "Oh, by the way, Qui-Gon though dead, has figured out how not to be dead and will be getting in touch with you while you're hiding on Tatooine." This wasn't the exact line but it could have been. What an outrage! And no connection whatsoever to Anakin's "One day I will keep people from dying" line. Unless that line was just a line of frustration that we can turn to to justify his "turn to the dark side." He also spoke of being frustrated that he wasn't "all powerful." By giving him tastes of the dark side, including use of Force lightning, he could have shot the lightning at Obi-Wan in their duel. Obi-Wan could have riffed Luke in RotJ by saying, "Anakin, there is good in you," since Vader said, "Obi-Wan once thought as you do," to Luke in RotJ. Does this mean they meet again between III and IV, where Obi-Wan tries to convert him back? Dooku is completely wasted. Padme literally does nothing but sit around her apartment waiting for Anakin to show up so they can have expository scenes without passion. It's embarrassing as a writer that Lucas thought it was fine to have her sit around and do nothing until the end of the movie. As always, Portman is amazing and, along with Christenson, who is a good actor, rises above the material. I really believed her heart was broken, although the script didn't give us reason to. OK, those are the negatives and they are not dismissible by any stretch. But like with even the worst Star Wars movie, it's still a great piece of entertainment. Most important was what I've waited 22 years to see: The Emperor in all his naked evil once more and this does NOT disappoint! Ian McDarmid is the best thing about the sequels, is the true villain of the saga and a great actor. The character to me is far more interesting than any other, and I was glad to see his sadistic laughter as he battled the Jedi and delivered the best line of the film: "Unlimited power!" I like all the actors and there was plenty of disturbing imagery, especially of Anakin burning and defeated. Vader screaming was memorable, as well. Of course, the action was all awesome. So, all in all, this movie has most of the same frustrations of the first two prequels but because it is the story we've all waited 28 years to see, it is more interesting and unfortunately, more disappointing. Anakin should have been 16 or so in Episode I and we could have had the whole forbidden Slaveboy/Queen love story, THEN when they met again in II, it would have meant more. Why did there need to be 10 years between I and II? Just so Ani could get 10 years older? Dammit, George, you blew it!

7.6?! ARE YOU SERIOUSLY?!

[saveliydalmatov · 10/10 · 30 December 2023]

The most tragic and interesting part in the prequel trilogy. Emotions during the viewing will be just on top, there are inconsistencies with the canon, but this does not spoil the impression of the film. You get into this story and empathize, everything is done very exciting, Lucas can only be praised...

Definitely worth watching, as well as the rest of the parts. This, as for me objectively, is the best part along with the fifth episode.

Acting, dialogues, soundtrack, cinematography, characters, emotional intensity - I'm thrilled!! And I'm amazed why 7.6?!??

My rating : 10/10 (Masterpiece)

Now that's more like it!

[Lk1990 · 7/10 · 23 May 2020]

Not just the best prequel but one of the best Star Wars films period. The stakes are higher, the emotions deeper and the performances much more relatable and real. This one far outweighs its two predecessors in quite literally every way. The action elements are turned up to 90 and you can really feel the tension surrounding each of our characters. Not perfect by any means but way above average and a fantastic departure from the boredom and staleness of Episode I and Episode II. This film really makes it mark on the franchise and while watching it, you can't help but feel that this is the story Lucas wanted to tell all along. Extremely entertaining and absolutely devastating.

Hot

[bevo-13678 · 10/10 · 30 March 2020]

I like the bit where what's his name falls into the molten pit of fire

The Dark Side Rises

[pulikd · 7/10 · 3 August 2021]

"Revenge of the Sith" uses more computer generated images than the two movies before it, only it is brighter and richer in detail than "Attack of the Clones". But it visually loses to "The Phantom Menace" because real sets, real locations and practical effects, when used well, work best. The plot is easily superior to both "Episode I" and "Episode II". It does introduce some elements that have never been there before and some of the important events did happen off screen, but in general, it works with the material that has been built across the three movies. And regardless of the great amount of action that it has all over the place, "Episode III" does not even come close to suffocating under its own spectacularly huge weight. It may have primitive dialogue here and there, it may have primitive acting here and there, it may have too much ridiculous lightsaber swinging, it may still want you to believe that human soldiers are somehow better than battle droids, and it may not have much Christopher Lee, but it is beautiful, meaningful and bold, especially, for a mainstream piece of entertainment.

Thank you Mr. Lucas for utterly destroying "Star Wars"

[erik_wetter · 2/10 · 18 May 2005]

It is always sad to watch potential die. This film, this story had it all. It could have been the greatest of them all. The heartbreaking tragedy of the man who gave up his name Anakin Skywalker to become Darth Vader. Instead we were given, crap. This is why: (contains spoilers) The first problem is that since the first two movies were boring and nothing really happened, everything has to happen now. So we've got approx. 4 hours of plot to be shown in 2 hours. The space battle: Mr. Lucas does only care about one thing, his need to show the world how great the guys in ILM are to create special effects. So what we see is 5 or 10 minutes commercial. And let us add some cheesy dialog for Ewan and Hayden so everybody will know it's actually a movie. Because it's not exciting, it's not amazing, it's impossible to get an overview what's going on, it's just light flashing and speakers trying to make the loudest BOOM-sound. "Oops here comes Dooku that I for some reason didn't kill off in the last flick. Well let him fight for three minutes, say some cheesy lines and then die." And Lucas or Hayden, you made me believe Anakin killing Dooku would be the first step on his path towards the dark side. That he would be torn apart by agony of his action and the inevitable satisfaction of letting go of his hate. None of this happens. Anakin says something like "Oh perhaps I shouldn't have killed him lalalala, well, well, nobody's perfect". So Dooku is dead. But hold on we've got another villain, General Grievous. Darth Maul was underused. It's even worse with Grievous only he's not cool. The idea of the mix between droid and alien is great, however nothing of this is revealed. Grievous is just another stupid villain. And the actor that provided his voice for him should seriously think about changing professional. "Sh*t, I've already spent like 20 minutes of the film; I really need to make Anakin evil now." So we see some more wannabe-sound-of-music love scenes where poor, poor Natalie Portman yet again has to fight against lines and dialog that is absolutely horrible. I pity her, she must curse the day she signed on Star Wars. Not your fault Natalie, we know the truth. Yes, Anakin has more nightmares and yes, it is shown in the same bad way as the last time. And yes, the Jedi council that never seem to do anything useful, just sit and watch and do nothing (no wonder you all will die) appears in a few scenes. "Oh my, I need to make Palpatine subtly persuade Anakin of the pleasure of the dark side. Should we say like 2 scenes are enough?" Basically it's just "Anakin join the Dark Side!" "No." "Yes do it." "No." "Yes come on now." "Okay." No wonder you could not persuade Luke. "Aah I still have to kill Grievous. Well, well more time for my lovely fellows of the ILM to show their skills." Let me say that Grievous dies easier than Maul did and have even less screen time. Rubbish NOW COMES WHAT BUGGERS ME THE MOST Finally after about 2 minutes of persuading Anakin, Palpatine reveals himself to be the Sith Lord. Anakin's life is shattered, everything he believed was in fact a lie. This is dramatic, this is the purest betrayal. How does he respond? Something like "Oh really, hmm, I suppose I'd better alert the council" Either Hayden is the worst actor or Lucas the worst director. Poor Sidious, I reckon he wanted a better reaction than that. And when Anakin tells Windu about it, Windu who has dedicated his life to the Republic and to destroy the Sith? "Palpatine's a Sith Lord, damn, well, well, I think we need to catch him, you reckon it can be done before lunch break?" Yoda was humiliated to a mere action figure in AOTC. Here Palpatine gets the same punishment. The death of Windu is kind of cool though (thanks Jackson for at least making Lucas fulfill our wishes concerning that scenes) Anakin helps Palpatine kill Windu. How does he react? "What have I done? I'll do anything you want (to Palpatine)" Yes that really does make sense. Anakin you may have a high level of midi-chlorians (yes they are mentioned) but your IQ-level is about zero. "I fight for peace and justice and in order to achieve those I have to kill a bunch of innocent children." Are you playing stupid games with me or something Lucas? Which person would think that way? It is not logical, it's pathetic. Every single scene with Anakin is in some way illogical. In the end we have the Fight. With mystical dialog and with a tense of broken friendship and love? No we get "fast-forward" 10 minutes of a blue blurring light. And yes cuts from when the emperor throws chairs at Yoda. You read it right. Poor Natalie is made to say her final cheesy lines and is then allowed to die. Darth Vader is awoken; he really doesn't seem to care about anything save that he screams "no" that is a parody of the screams-of-no's-movie-history. The End The dream is dead. Lucas failed us fans, for him showing a 2½ hour commercial of how great he can make special effects were more important than conveying a powerful story. On the night bus home a man clad in Jedi robes wept. We all felt like it. This movie could have been everything we could have asked for. In hands of a better director, with corrections by a real writer, this could have been a new TESB. Now we were watching a fallen hero. Not Anakin. Lucas.

Lucas Redeemed!

[mrbiscuit · 9/10 · 8 May 2005]

When I asked the reviewer sitting next to me to sum up Revenge of the Sith, he simply said "great!" That seemed to basically be the consensus of virtually everyone in attendance at an advance press screening of the final chapter in the Star Wars saga.

There was an exuberant mood leaving the theater, as if everyone was in collective agreement that Lucas had finally done it. That he had gone out on top, with a stunning, rock-solid coup de grace. And from all the feedback I've heard from that screening, my sense of that collective mood was right.

There are no real spoilers in ROTS. Everyone basically knows what happens in Episode 4: A New Hope. We all know Anakin becomes Vader. We know Obi Wan lives and we know Luke and Leia are born. What we don't know is how Lucas weaves those story lines into the large, six-part opus and better yet, why?

No, it's not a perfect movie. There are those moments that make us cringe. Bad dialog and High School drama class acting make for a few awkward moments where you can hear audible moans and giggles in the audience, but we have come to expect this from modern Star Wars films. The upside is that these moments are rare in Episode III.

OK, get ready. Take a deep breath. No Jar Jar! Yes, you read that right. You can let out that deep breath now.

Fortunately, we have one savior to rely on for stellar acting. Mr. Ian McDiarmid as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. McDiarmid brings the elegance of an Alec Guiness back to the franchise in a knockout performance that leaves the audience riveted and exhausted. He is the lifeblood of the film.

As someone who saw the original 30 times in it's first month of release at the age of 13, I currently consider myself a Star Wars moderate. I don't have volumes of SW merchandise, nor can I debate whether or not carbonite contains enough oxygen to make it float. All I know is that magical feeling Star Wars gave me in the original 1977 release and that I'm happy to say, after a disappointing pair of prequels, has been finally restored and reinvigorated.

Here's to Mr. Lucas for giving us all something spectacular to remember for our entire lives that embodies the whole point of going to the movies in the first place, to escape and lose ourselves in another world.