easily superior to the latest two films and on par with the quality of the originals

Rating: 10/10 (19 May 2005)

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith reviewed by Sam Osborn
rating: 4 out of 4
With Revenge of the Sith, George Lucas has created a film that will finally meet the sky-high expectations of even the most die-hard of fans of the 1977 original classic. The last two, although excellent in their own separate rites, were too much of an intellectual departure from the swashbuckling original to truly sate the palette of all you dress-up wookies and Vaders out there. But finally there is closure. And with this closure comes a rewind to the roots that made Star Wars the classic it is today. Essentially, Lucas makes Episode III his masterpiece by carefully tying together the strings left from the politics of Episode II and the swaggering adventure of Episode IV. It forms itself into a symphony finale, a space opera if you will, that ties together and intelligently completes a saga that follows a civilization's collapse, revolution, and destruction that spans the length of three generations and tells its story with harrowing, jaw-dropping excitement.
The film opens with the rescue of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) from the grips of the evil Separatist Federation star-ship caught in the midst of its escape. Heading up the rescue are Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen). Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) stills leads the Separatist movement in its as-of -yet successful attempts to divide the Republic. Second in command to Dooku is the aging droid General Grievous (voice of Matthew Wood), whose command of the lightsaber soon causes him to yield a stunning four weapons simultaneously (that's right, four lightsabersway cool). After dealing with the situation with Chancellor Palpatine, the two Jedi return to Coruscant to discuss matters with the ever-faithful Jedi Council, led by the legendary Yoda (Frank Oz) and Master Windu (Samuel L. Jackson).
Anakin is still secretly romantically involved with Senator Amidala (Natalie Portman), soon learning that she's pregnant with his son (and daughter for that matter). However, all this success certainly has its price. Anakin has been having prophecies (i.e. nightmares) that foreshadow the death of Amidala during childbirth. To stop the hand of fate, Anakin utilizes his newfound friend, the Chancellor, to help him find a way to save her.
As in all the new Star Wars films, the level of sheer, meticulous detail in Revenge of the Sith is stunning. From John William's brilliantly nuanced score, to each of the many tiny insignias on every costume, to the multiple levels of sound effects and editing, to the greatly improved graphics and visuals, Episode III is a gold mine of sensory detail. But of course, I probably didn't need to tell you that. As usual, we're pulled so far into the Star Wars universe that we find ourselves sadly reluctant to leave.
This time around, however, the world of Star Wars has gotten a fair bit darker. Lucas pops for the PG-13 rating in return for the chance to successfully illustrate the Clone Wars in full detail. We're treated to a myriad of action sequences involving good-ole dogfights, chase sequences, and epic war-scenes between the droids and the Jenga-Fett based Clone Soldiers. There's essentially a lot more action in Episode III. I use the word "more" in the sense that the violence has less of a base in politics and more of a base in adventure. The fights now go back to roots. Think of the good old lightsaber duels and dogfights between X-wings and A-wings, where the fights were campier, nerdier, and best of all, geekier.
Because although Revenge of the Sith really is the darkest of all the films, Lucas manages to steer it back to the classic science fiction roots it began with. But that's not to say that Anakin's slow, painful turn to the dark side is any less tragic. In fact, the reason for the PG-13 rating is less because of the war sequences, but more because of Anakin's disturbing metamorphosis into the villain we all love to hate, Darth Vader. He performs his fall out of his love for Padme Amidala, not just out of pure villainous hate. This makes the deterioration into something of a Greek tragedy, creating some truly powerful scenes between Anakin and his master Obi-Wan, who's raised him in the Jedi arts since he was a little boy back in Episode I.
Star Wars was originally a success because it sketched an entire universe out of a simple Japanese legend and molded it into a pulp science fiction symphony of the highest form. The prequels have damaged this image a tad, not really injuring the film's reputation, but more shifting it towards intellectual and political realms that were originally overlooked. But now Revenge of the Sith ties the two sides of the saga together, mixing adventure with politics, and allowing us to finally see and fully appreciate the entire picture; the supreme masterpiece that lurked in Lucas' mind for decades which has now brought itself to full universal splendor in the hearts and minds of every science fiction geek who's nerd enough to watch it. I believe Revenge of the Sith is a fitting end to what has been a long and arduous journey for the saga. It's easily superior to the latest two films and on par with the quality of the originals. Yes, it's really that great.