"Revenge of the Sith" marks the first time since the original trilogy that we have a satisfying entry in the Star Wars saga. "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones" both suffer from some creative missteps made by series creator George Lucas, resulting in widespread disappointment amongst fans and the general public alike. Episode III doesn't get rid of all the problems inherent in the prequel trilogy but it does manage to minimise them greatly, while at the same time, providing a strong plot, and efficient story telling. After watching this film, the previous two entries in the Star Wars series suddenly appear very 'lite' on story and you get the impression that Lucas' backstory to the original trilogy did not in the end have enough meat to sustain three films. That said however, "Revenge of the Sith" is a highly enjoyable film that bridges the gap between the two trilogies and finally delivers the dramatic seriousness with a sinister edge so longed for by the fans and general enthusiasts of the Star Wars series.
The film starts with a daring rescue attempt made by Anakin and Obi-Wan of Chancellor Palpatine from the evil General Grievous. R2-D2 finally gets a few moments to shine, and the tone of the piece is established straight away with Anakin killing Count Dooku at Palpatine's insistence. It's a marvellous mirroring of a later scene where Anakin has the chance to stop Palpatine from taking over the galaxy under similar circumstances but ultimately chooses to save him for his own selfish reasons. We are then drawn in to the Jedi Council where Anakin is ordered to spy on Palpatine. This begins to drive a wedge between Anakin and the Jedi Council as Anakin is a friend to Palpatine and finds their orders treasonous. Obi-Wan tries to mediate between the two parties, but ultimately ends up failing, culminating in their spectacular final lightsabre battle which Anakin loses, leading to his transformation to Darth Vader. What's surprising about this film is that you go in expecting it to be dark, but it's actually much darker than you would expect. You actually get to see Anakin burnt to a crisp, remade with electronic components and transformed in to Darth Vader. You see Anakin, once he turns to the dark side, start killing Jedi, even children. And it's a chance to see Darth Sidious come to the forefront, becoming Emperor Palpatine and turning the Republic in to the Empire. It's a welcome infusion of dramatic seriousness to the storytelling that was sadly lacking from the previous two entries in the series.
The standout in this film has to be Ian McDiarmid's perfomance as Darth Sidious. He finally get the chance to be the bad guy as opposed to the guy in the shadows in the previous two films. He is truly menacing and sinister in this film; the scene where he kills Samuel L. Jackson's Mace Windu character is a powerful scene, but likewise, a scene at an Opera where he begins seducing Anakin to the dark side is delightfully restrained but wonderfully performed, providing an opportunity to see just how good a puppet master Sidious is. Any time he's on screen, especially as the newly transformed Emperor are amazing.
The CGI has somehow been improved yet again; say anything you like about George Lucas' storytelling abilities but he certainly knows how to push his troops to the limit to make some breathtaking images. The sequences on the volcano planet are absolutely extraordinary, especially as the CGI was combined with real footage taken of a volcano eruption. But almost every frame is incredibly vivid and detailed; the opening two minute shot which introduces a spectacular space battle over the planet-city of Coruscant is breathtaking in its scope. Your eyes will be glued to the screen, taking in some amazing images and is worth watching all on its own.
There are still some problems however; we still get some of the awful romance plot left over from Episode II, but thankfully it's only relegated to a few short scenes. Hayden Christensen still hasn't learnt how to act. When he becomes evil, he doesn't look or sound any different than before. There is still some fat in the storytelling; the wookie planet and battle and anything to do with General Grievous are fun to watch but ultimately don't contribute much to the story. There are some clumsy story-telling and plot moments; Anakin's turn to the dark side is forced and occurs way too fast. He goes from feeling guilty about having a part in Mace Windu's death to committing himself to the dark side within a matter of sixty seconds. It really is a shame that a man of Lucas' intelligence and logic could have allowed such laziness and illogic to creep in to his stories.
Overall, a highly enjoyable film that reminds you why Star Wars was such a great franchise.
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