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

20th Century Fox
Theatrical Release Date: May 19, 2005 (USA)
Directed by George Lucas
Rated PG-13

Review by Dan Hansen

Star Wars - Episode III: Revenge of the Sith This, the last installment of the Star Wars prequels and according to George Lucas the last Star Wars or so he says. It was the best of the prequels but I think the originals remain supreme. In 1977, I saw Luke, Han and Leia team up to save the universe and, in 2005, I saw how Luke and Leia were born and how Darth Vader came to life. I was disheartened when Lucas decided on the prequel idea but it was a cool way to introduce the saga to a new generation. Now everyone is doing them and I’m getting tired of seeing them. I would still put this on my must see list and also purchase it on DVD, when available, to complete the movie collection.

On the downside, the story is okay and the dialogue is kind of cheesy. With such a strong cast Lucas could have left out the clumsy dialogue. This was also Natalie Portman’s best performance of the character Padmé. Hayden Christensen, a.k.a. Anakin Skywalker, was okay but stiff. I didn’t find him convincing as the dark, Lord Vader, however he looked like he could be related to Mark Hamill. Samuel L. Jackson’s character was unimpressive and left me feeling sorry for him, the actor. Again I feel the dialogue fell short. I also thought that the Wookie doing the Tarzan yell while taking over a water vehicle was hilarious especially when I couldn’t figure out where the vines came from.

On the plus side, it manages to tie all six movies together. The visuals in this picture are awesome and fast paced. It is much better then Episode II, which I don’t recall anything except for Yoda spinning like a whirling dervish. The final battle took me by surprise. Since I knew what the ending was supposed to be, I was still amazed and surprised. When Oscar’s are given I can see special effects but best picture, I don’t think so. All in all, a must see for Star Wars fans young and old.