"Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith"- A solid and entertaining cap on the infamous prequel trilogy.

Rating: 7/10 (20 August 2017)

After three years of hope and of hesitance, George Lucas followed-up his hugely flawed but mildly entertaining second chapter in the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy with what at the time thought to be the final main-series entry in the entire saga. 2005's "Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith." It was a long time coming, and at that point, the hardcore fanbase had become shockingly divided due to the lukewarm reception the prior two films had attained. Would this be another forgettable entry? Another nail in the coffin for the beloved franchise? Another potential failure? Or would it rise above what came before? Would it finally pay off on the story that the past two films so struggled to establish? Would it redeem what had become one of the most debated and divisive trilogies of all time?
In all honesty, I think it did redeem the prequel trilogy to an extent. Sure, it didn't retroactively make those first two films any better merely by association. But "Revenge of the Sith" does succeed in finally giving us resolution to what had come before, all while stepping up its game in terms of plotting and character. It was a film that felt right at home alongside the classic original trilogy. A film that fans all around the world could very much appreciate. And while I do think it's got some major problems here and there, I think the good far outweighs the bad. It was the first time since 1983's "Return of the Jedi" that we were finally seeing a proper "Star Wars" film once again.
As the Clone War rages on, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) finds himself at an increasing unease. His wife Padme (Natalie Portman) has revealed to him that she is with child, he is haunted by terrible recurring nightmares and he finds himself being slowly wooed over to the dark side of the force by the treacherous Chancellor Palpatine. (Ian McDiarmid) While he master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) is dispatched on a mission to battle a devious new villain, Anakin's fragile state is put to the ultimate tests as he questions his loyalties to the Jedi Council. And this all leads to a startling series of turns and revelations from which the galaxy might not be able to recover...
The key word when it comes to "Revenge of the Sith" is "tragedy." While I refuse to spoil the twists and turns the story takes, anyone with a knowledge of the series will know what is ultimately to come, and it gives the film a certain sense of power and poignancy that was desperately lacking in previous prequel installments. And this is driven home by some solid visual direction on the part of Lucas, a script that generally uses its time wisely and characters that finally have an air of reality to them. It's a very competently made film that pays off on virtually every single moment that came before, all while also treating the audience to plenty of new ideas and additions to the mythology of that galaxy far, far away.
The performances are also stepped up quite a bit, with Christensen in particular finally giving a good turn as the man destined to become Darth Vader. His delivery of the dialog can be a bit robotic at times still, but the movie has a lot more quiet moments of contemplation and pain, and it's in these sequences where he excels. You really get a sense of his pathos and anguish when the film is confident enough to just let him brood and stew in his depression, and it adds a lot to the character. Sometimes it's better to just see someone in pain than to have them tell the audience he's in pain through dialog. I also really gotta commend Ian McDiarmid as the devilish Palpatine- it's a role he was born to play, and he chews the scenery in all the best of ways.
Though I must say that some of the same problems that plagued "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones" are still present, I do think that "Revenge of the Sith" is finally able to minimize then enough that I didn't mind so much. The dialog and structure is still clunky, but the film has a generally quicker pace and gets to the action much more efficiently, so I could forgive the monotone moments a lot easier. The characters are still a bit off and don't quite come across naturally, and yet the film is such a visual feast and allows for more silent moments where ideas are conveyed through looks and responses that it didn't bog the experience down. And sure, the movie is still a bit too focused on pretty visual effects... but these are much better integrated into the storyline and don't feel like they're there just for the sake of being there. All in all, and to paraphrase a quote from Lucas himself- the issues and flaws might still be present, but their effect has been diminished.
"Revenge of the Sith" might not quite live up to the promise of the classic originals, but it's most definitely a solid and entertaining cap on the infamous prequel trilogy. With decent performances, great visuals and an urgent sense of pacing, I found it a very enjoyable watch, even if some of the problems that brought down the last two films are still there. And so, I give it a pretty good 7 out of 10.