The Star Wars prequels are often called out for their inferior quality to the Original three films and certainly for the first two films this is fairly understandable, however this viewpoint is often held most strongly by an older generation who were let down by the later output from their beloved saga. As a younger viewer Revenge of the Sith did not hold any disappointment as the sci-fi epic it was. Revisiting it now, its flaws are unfortunately more obvious, but this is still a great deal of fun, backed by the stirring and recognisable John Williams score, with some of the best aspects of Star Wars present.
This film is the conclusion to the prequel trilogy, rapping up the tale of the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker and uncovering the Sith plot to rule the galaxy. Revenge of the Sith opens with the Clone Wars – set up in the previous film – raging across the galaxy, the once peaceful Jedi order stuck in the middle. In an ever incredible looking space battle above the planet Coruscant, the separatist leader and Sith lord Count Dooku, played by the late Sir Christopher Lee, has supposedly captured the helpless Emperor Palpatine, the comic duo Anakin (Hayden Christensen) and Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) have arrived to save him. It’s in the first 20-25 minutes that the tedious dialogue, awash with cheesy quips and banal exposition, and the generally sub-standard acting of the two leads, (Sometimes on a par with the literally robotic General Grievous) is laid bare. The attempted comic undertones are just about bearable and thankfully fizzle out as the tone gets darker and the plot accelerates but this just seems unnecessary, lowering the scale of the action.
But enough moaning, Star Wars is great. The beheading of Dooku by Anakin, under the encouragement of the elusive Emperor Palpatine, secretly a Sith lord, (Ian McDiarmid with probably the strongest performance) creates the sense of dark foreboding from the off. This film is ultimately a tragedy or at least the conclusion of an unfolding one, and is all the better for it. Where Christensen’s performance does improve is in the moments where it is clear the dark side of the force is starting to take a hold. Taken under the wing of the emperor he becomes more and more disillusioned with the Jedi council. On top of this his paranoia about the fate of his beloved Padmé, now secretly his wife, Anakin tries to find whatever way he can to prevent her death. Natalie Portman plays her character with concern and innocence throughout; unable to stop the tide of darkness heading for her loved ones and the galaxy itself.
From Anakin’s turn to the dark side and the demise of Samuel L. Jackson’s Mace Windu, the pace quickens. The fall of the Jedi order is played out in a montage of characters (we admittedly have little to no attachment to) being murdered at the hands of their own troops. Its still heart-breaking stuff and one of the most powerful parts of the film, topped off by Anakin’s merciless slaughter of the Jedi younglings at the temple (which seemed wildly out of place and unnecessary).
The climax includes the crossover action of two relentless Lightsaber duels between the titans of this franchise. This ends with the character of Anakin Skywalker burning away and along with it the hope that he would become the Jedi ‘chosen one’. From the ash’s rises the infamous Darth Vader. The conclusion largely centres around the birth of two babies possibly offering a new hope to our protagonists. It appears as if they’re trying to set something up?
This last film is the best out of the prequels because in many ways it gets to grips with what was really the whole point of the prequels in the first place and does so with tremendous energy, excitement and tragedy. This is all done in the fully realised universe that Lucas created, that as a fan it’s hard not to love it. There are many criticisms to be had of all three films but this one sticks its head out above the rest as a first rate finale.
Rating: 7/10
Words by Tim Goodfellow