Truly the best of it's kind...

Rating: 10/10 (25 June 2005)

Over the last few years, George Lucas has released two Star Wars films that seemed to have inevitably missed the intended mark with Star Wars fans. Both The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, although visually stunning never really lived up to the name of Star Wars. This film...Revenge of the Sith, is everything the last two should have been. The problem with Menace was that it was too kid friendly and Clones was too political...and almost didn't have a plot line to deal with the battle between the Sith and the Jedi if the scene between Count Dooku and an elevated Obi-Wan Kenobi wasn't in there. But all of that is behind us now...Now we can rejoice in the finale of the Star Wars films (although the films aren't really over...the Billion dollars this movie makes will ensure that).
The film begins with Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) on a rescue mission to save the leader of the Galactic Senate, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), from the clutches of the Sith Lord Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) and the leader of the droid army General Greivous (voiced by Matthew Wood). The mission ends with a vicious light saber duel between Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Count Dooku. The duel inevitably ended with Anakin decapitating Dooku at the order of Palpatine, thus giving in to vengeance...a trait not embraced by the Jedi Order. After confronting General Greivous, who eventually escaped, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Artoo, and Palpatine find themselves on a collision course for Couroscant. After "another happy landing" Anakin is greeted by his secret wife, Padme (Natalie Portman), who has news of her pregnancy. Anakin is both taken aback by the news as well as over joyed. Anakin is eventually torn between the Jedi Council and Chancellor Palpatine. Palpatine appoints Anakin to be his personal representative on the Jedi Coucil, and as a result, Anakin is used as a spy to the Chancellor, shaking his trust with the Council. Not only that, but now Anakin believes that Padme may die during child birth, due to several nightmares, much like the ones he had of his mother.
Palpatine dug his knife of seduction even further into Anakin's heart...when he spoke to Anakin of the legendary Sith Lord Darth Plagieus, who supposedly had the power to prevent the ones he loved from dying using the dark side of the Force. Palpatine didn't let up...while Anakin was leaping at the opportunity to save Padme, Palpatine managed to make Anakin turn his back on the Jedi Council. This was evident when Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) confronted Palpatine aka Darth Sidious in a light saber duel. The duel ended with Palpatine deformed and Mace Windu dead...due to Anakin's traitorous cutting of Mace's hand...leaving him unarmed of his light saber and allowing Palpatine to throw Mace out his office window with Sith lightening.
Darth Sidious then dubbed Anakin Darth Vader and sent him on the mission to destroy all of the Jedi. Leading into the climax of Darth Sidious now the Emperor vs Master Yoda and the final intense light saber duel between brothers...Anakin and Obi-Wan. What happens to Anakin is quite obvious...He becomes one of movie's and pop culture's most memorable screen villains...Darth Vader.
The special effects, while dazzling and intense, only provide half of what makes this movie great. Despite the fact that the dialog is somewhat wooden when it should be poetic, the actors do more justice to the characters than given credit for. Hayden Christensen makes up for his somewhat whinny and arrogant performance in Attack of the Clones. He presents to us as an audience, a hero, who, although we know he will turn to the dark side, we still hope for and care for. But his turn to villainy, while tragic, makes us despise and loath Anakin and his choice. Ewan Mcgregor is Alec Guiness reincarnated in this film, every gesture, movement, or piece of dialog is almost a rehash of what Alec Guiness would have done. McGregor like before, doesn't disappoint. Natalie Portman is given much less screen time than in the past...but she does what she has to do as the victimized wife to a fallen hero, who will inevitably give birth the the galaxy's last hope, almost making her the virgin Mary...like Pernilla Augest as Anakin's mother in the previous two. Samuel L. Jackson gives off his same B.M.F. attitude as a Jedi not-to-be-messed-with. His fight scene with Palpatine almost raises the hairs on your neck. Frank Oz provides the almost life-like digital re-creation of Yoda...like before Oz provides the life to Yoda, that no one else can. Jimmiy Smits also does quite well as one of the few to turn against the Emperor in the struggle for liberty. Christopher Lee plays one of my favorite Star Wars Villains, and while i hated to see him go so quickly...Lee provides us with a last and delicious taste of evil with his bit in this movie. Now for the best performance in the film, Ian McDiarmid. Bringing the villainy we all loved in Return of the Jedi. He almost made ME want to turn to the Dark Side. McDiarmid was so underused in II that i was surprised they even wrote him into III. From his seductive speeches in the form of a pleasant old Chancellor to his vicious and uncontainable laughter of evil as the snake-like and deformed Darth Sidious, McDiarmid truly shines.
But more than just the fun of light saber duels and space battles...This film is very emotional as well. Watching not only the fall of the Jedi, but the friendship and brotherhood of Anakin and Obi-Wan lost. The love between the star crossed lovers Anakin and Padme now fading into darkness like the Jedi order. Tus marking this film as truly one of the best of it's kind.