Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

After last week's viewing of the original Star Wars finale and a recent purchase of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (PS3), Ginny and I decided to finish the triple with the newer prequel finale, Revenge of the Sith.

Toning Down the CG

The first two star wars prequels served as much as advertisement for the LucasArts development studios as they did for instalments in the franchise, and while the third movie features some amazing CG work (Yoda's duel with the Emperor comes to mind), the CG is finally secondary to the storyline. Gone is the focus on Jar-Jar Binks, the Gungans and flying Geonosians, and it is mostly replaced by genuine character acting.

Character Improvements

Darth Vader is one of the most notable villains in Star Wars, and Revenge of the Sith finally makes his appearance a believable one. In a parallel to Luke's transformation from helpless, whiny kid to a jedi knight, we see the conclusion of Anakin's (Hayden Christensen) development from a tech-savvy, whiny kid into a very dark Sith. At least now we know where Luke gets his whiny side.

The acting is superior in the third movie as well, as Hayden Christensen does a decent job and Ewan McGregor is given a chance to shine as one of the primary characters. Nathalie Portman also pulls her weight, but is limited in her dialogue. This movie is all about Anakin.

Get Out Your Lightsabers

As is fitting of a Star Wars finale, there are a lot of action scenes. We are treated to Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) as he shows some teeth, Yoda using the force and his lightsaber, a great action sequence between Obi-Wan and the leader of the droid army, General Grievous, and a lot of fighting with Anakin. The scenes are well-choreographed, feature seamless animation, and are very immersing.

The story is compelling, fits well with the existing Star Wars films, and is definitely a great update of the Star Wars franchise in the new millenium. Definitely worth a watch!

Rating: 9.0/10.0