It’s no secret to say that the Star Wars prequels are lacking compared to the legacy and uniqueness of the original trilogy, The Phantom Menace was a huge disappointment, and Attack of the Clones was not much better. It would seem that these movies were doomed to mediocrity until suddenly the third movie showed up. This movie titled Revenge of the Sith mostly delivered on what we as moviegoers should have been getting from a Star Wars prequel since the first entry. Don’t get me wrong, there are still many problems that keep this movie from getting in the ranks of the original trilogy, but compared to what we got with the other prequel movies, this is a much-needed sign that there is still hope to be found from a series of movies that have been mostly disappointing
Three years after the events of Attack of the Clones Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christenson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) are on the hunt to go after General Grievous (Matthew Wood) who kidnaped Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). At the same time, Anakin finds out that his true love Amidala (Natalie Portman) is pregnant which scares but excites Anakin at the same time. However, Anakin sees a vision in his dream that Amidala might die giving birth and desperately searches for answers until he comes across Palpatine who says he can help him if he joins the dark side as doing so will give him the power to save his true love. Anakin joins the dark side and is ordered by Palpatine to destroy the Jedi order by killing innocent Jedi warriors. This catches the attention of regretful Obi-Wan who tries his hardest to convert Anakin back to the side of good before he can cause any more destruction.
The story goes for a more operatic and depressing tone which is fitting seeing that this is the time we get to see Anakin’s journey into becoming the galaxy’s biggest baddie. The progression of how Anakin comes to his decisions is honestly very heartbreaking and leads to possibly some of the darkest and most shocking moments in any Star Wars production. Aside from that plot, the writing in between is the first time in a while that it started to feel like Star Wars again as we get to have the trademarks of epic space battles, witty writing, and interesting character arcs. Some plot threads are even done better than they were in the previous films such as Anakin and Amidala's romance which doesn’t feel forced as it actually feels more genuine and heartbreaking sometimes. The only thing that holds the story back from being truly amazing is the fact that they try to include the elements from the previous movies like political talk and rather pointless detours, but it’s not as bad or prevalent as in the other movies because the main journey of Anakin turning evil is the true main focus.
The characters are written so much better in this movie than they were in Attack of the Clones. Hayden Christenson as Anakin is actually much better and more expressive compared to last time and evolution into becoming Darth Vader is paced very well and does not feel rushed all that much. It’s the first time I felt like he was actually forming an interesting personality that has charm and thought-provoking sentiment. Even Natalie Portman as Amidala is better in this movie as well, as her performance in the movie really makes it feel like she is losing her love to the dark side which is tragic and even incredibly sad at times. Ewan McGregor returns as Obi-Wan and much like the other actors, he too also brings his character up a notch as he must confront Anakin to turn away from the dark side using any means necessary which leads to him giving some of the best acting he’s ever done in all the Star Wars prequels. Add that with the cunningness of Palpatine, the comedy of the droids, and little to no sign of Jar Jar Binks and you have a slew of characters that almost feel just like the ones from the original Trilogy.
The cinemotogrpy does seem to get better and better with each passing prequel. Even though this movie still uses an abundance of CGI effects that sadly drown out the practical effects, the CGI is much more engaging as it helps to enhance a scene rather than distract from it. I’ve mentioned before how I thought the backgrounds in Attack of the Clones felt nothing like Star Wars backgrounds because this movie is the more or less opposite. The backgrounds are new but they actually feel like a part of the Star Wars universe whether it is the opening space battle or the final battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan on Coruscant. Speaking of which, the final battle is awesome with some of the best lightsaber battles and the darkest and most threatening color schemes. This is the kind of cinematography we should have gotten more of in the previous prequels so I’m glad to say that this is the movie where they finally got it right.
Composer John Willams returns to score the movie and he pulls no punches in delivering music that is gut-punching epic and subtly saddening. The big highlight of the entire music score is the music for the final battle on Coruscant as it keeps you on your toes and uses a wide range of opera choruses to make for one heck of an experience.
Out of all the Star Wars prequels that have graced the silver screen, Revenge of the Sith is the first time in a long time when a Star Wars movie actually felt like a Star Wars movie again. Sure, it’s not perfect as all the prequels aren’t, but this movie is the only movie that comes close to the spirit and incredible imagination of the original trilogy. I just wish that I didn’t have to sit through two other lacking experiences just to even get to that point. Does this mean this movie completely forgives the previous two prequels? Absolutely not. However, I just am glad that there was at least one good movie that came out of a series of films that had more downs than ups. It may not be the best Star Wars movie ever, but it is certainly the best movie of the prequel series.
(Final Grade: B)