***Official STAR WARS Episode III: REVENGE OF THE SITH Review Thread (1 Viewer)

[Inspector Hammer!]

I cried for Darth Vader for the first time.

This is what I will take away most from a film that brought 28 years of emotional heft come crashing into place like pieces in an epic jigsaw puzzle in a cataclysm of almost unbearable intensity!

The transformation is complete, and it is tragic, very tragic. Anakin's turn to the dark side was pulled off in such a flawless way for me that I got as much satisfaction as I can get from a film. Hayden Christensan was the one I was most focused on for much of the film, he exuded an aura that wasn't so much that of a person, but rather that of a ticking time bomb just waiting for someone to light the fuse that lead to his ultimate downfall.

I never had a problem with him in 'Episode II', however here, he went beyond what was expected and actually made me believe that I was watching a story that I have read about in books, truly come to life.

He WAS Anakin Skywalker.

Above all else, even the frenzied battle and action scenes that were done with startling CGI, my all time favorite moments in the film are every last one between him and Palpatine, particularly during the opera when they were seated in the balcony. All the while I felt that Anakin was already at the brink, he just needed that last push to send him over, Palpatine knew his one major weakness and exploited it. I felt both hatred and pity for him, he was duped and many innocents suffered at his hands.

The scenes with Anakin and Padme were undercut with a sense of un-ease, probably due to the fact that we knew this relationship was doomed. Her anguish on Mustafas when she saw for herself what he had become was, just as she said to him, heartbreaking. I teared up many times during those scenes. Of all the acts of evil committed by Anakin none were as gut wrenching as his slaughter of the younglings
. :frowning: I applaud Lucas for going there, we needed that to seal the deal...Anakin is now Darth Vader.

The reveal of that name when it was bestowed on Anakin drew many whoops from our crowd, and I was one of them. :b

I haven't said anything about Obi-Wan, he has become a truly great Jedi Master, he effectively took on the same wise stature as Qui-Gon had in 'EP I', and all of his scenes were outstandingly portrayed by Ewen. I got giddy at his confidence during his fight with General Grievous who in the end was no match for him.

Yoda seemed to be the crowds favorite, watching his scenes, especially when he knew the shit was hitting the fan all over the galaxy, I felt his pain, it was palpable. When he dropped his cain and clutched his heart, my first instinct was to do the same. I felt sad when he said "Failed, I have.".

Now, the duel. The film had done it's job, I felt nothing but hate for Anakin when he dared to step up and battle Obi-Wan, stark hatred vs focused enlightenment which is what brought about the tragic end of Anakin Skywalker as we know him. It may not have been as insane as the duel of the fates in 'EP I', but the emotional weight it carried was undeniable and that alone is what made it epic.

When the moment came, and we see him on that table, a promising young Jedi led astray by forces that decieved him, I couldn't help but reflect on him over the past three films. A friendly young boy from Tatooine who was always good at fixing things and wanted to see the galaxy, a headstrong yet daring young Jedi apprentice who fell in love with a senator from Naboo, who was trusted, cared for and mentored by Obi-Wan, a father figure in his life. All of this came crashing through my brain like waves as the medical droids did their work on his ravaged body.

When the last part was being lowered into place, you knew this was it, Anakin will now be forced to live with his mistakes forever locked inside a black steel prison. Hearing him take that first breath and take his first clumsy steps into his new exsistance, I can honestly say now that I can almost fully appreciate what fuels his anger in the ensuing years beyond...and I felt for him...and I cried for him.

In closing, the experience left me exhausted, both physically and emotionally. It also left me exhilerated as I knew I had just watched something that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith :star::star::star::star::star:'s out of :star::star::star::star::star:'s

 

[Brandon Conway]

9/10

Great film.

The dialogue is not terribly improved between Anakin and Padme but they certainly act it much better and do their best to sell it. I thought they did a wonderful job with what they were given, which, while not stellar, was better than AOTC's similar scenes by a little bit.

Action - wonderful, of course.

Palpatine/Sidious - awesome in both his deceptive creepiness and his maniacal eruptions.

The best part of the film was the dialogue between Obi-Wan and Anakin just prior to and throughout the final duel. Perfect, and wonderfully performed by both. Hayden and Ewan did an awesome job here. This confrontation is a perfect mirror to their confrontation in ANH.

Vader being born - the whole scene is purposely an homage to the original Frankenstein (1931). I thought it was quite perfect. Anakin has become the ultimate monster, composed of dead flesh and a corrupt mind. It's blatantly obvious why the scene played like it did.

I'm surprised so many people are shocked that Lucas would once again use a 30's film for direct inspiration.

Overall, I enjoyed it immensely. I think I understand better why Lucas feels that this one will have less repeat viewing: I wouldn't call the film sad, but it was depressing. Everything just goes to hell and despite knowing the outcome you just have to sit and watch it. It's pounded into you over and over, and damn it sucks to be witness to Anakin making the wrong choices again and again and listening to Palpatine and his internal power lusts instead of Padme and Obi-Wan. For that reason I think I'll find it difficult to rewatch often. Others will surely think and do otherwise, but I don't know, I didn't expect to feel this way to the degree I do.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. I can see that some don't like this one either. I guess I should be sorry, but honestly, I'm really not. I guess that's selfish, but what can I do about it? Lie and say I don't like the PT when I do?

For the record:

1) Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) - 10/10
2) Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - 10/10
3) Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) - 9/10
4) Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) - 8/10
5) Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) - 7/10
6) Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) - 7/10

 

[Pete-D]

Saw it.

Enjoyed it.

Now some of you who know my posts know I'm one of the biggest prequel critics here. I was dissapointed by Phantom Menace and absolutely despised Attack of the Clones.

Revenge of the Sith is a much richer movie. There's more weight to it. Character's actually go through a range of emotions, they breathe a bit more -- except for Mace Windu, who is the same in every scene, which is sad misuse of Sam Jackson. Too bad.

Ian McDiarmid and Yoda are fantastic. In AotC Yoda was more of prop to bring up the fanboys against an undercooked villain (Dooku), but in this one, he fights valiantly against a more worthy opponent and you can't help but want to leap outta your seat and help him if you could.

Hayden is much better this time around. Still awkward at certain moments but much more focused. Natalie gets stuck with the worst dialouge and the least to do, but even she is somewhat better here than in AoTC.

The special effects are amazing, but I agree, sometimes less is more. The most visually stimulating scene for me was simply Anakin confronting Palpatine as he reveals himself to be a Sith and the gothic wall carvings behind them.

The whole Utapu sequence was dull I thought because it tried too hard to be a great action scene. Seeing Grevious with the four lightsabers was fun, although his character is ridiculoulsly over the top and lacking any true menace.

And the planet design was just a bit dull, this is an example of where less CGI maybe would have worked better. These scenes are just too "busy" and Obi-Wan riding that lizard was the one special effect which seemed to strike a sour note.

I noticed too they broke some Star Wars "rules" with the editing and style of certain sequences, and its a welcome change. Sticking to a formula to strictly can suck the life out of things, let the story go where it wants. This film heavily relies on intercutting between characters and moments to build tempo and emotion within the same scene. That's definitely a first for Star Wars, but the story sort of demands it and it works very well on several occasions.

It's not perfect though. The middle part of the film flirts with dissapointment as one good scene often is followed up by a dull or eye-rollingly cheesy scene. The usual Anakin-Padme scenes are the general culprits (though they're no where as bad as they were in AoTC, aside from Padme's "hold me" moment).

But it soon gets back on track. I also could swear that the scene where Obi-Wan/Yoda are watching Anakin via hologram and the temple massacre ... it was like literally 2 seconds (if that) ... was that edited down? Seemed like it.

The Mace-Palpy-Anakin scene comes across as weak too, especailly a lot of Mace's lines, they sound like one-liners from an action figure and Palpatine is a bit too over the top in this scene.

Finally, Vader's dialouge after being placed in the suit ... laughable. I think the moment would have worked better if Vader said nothing but just proceeded to tear the room apart after asking about Padme.

But a lot of moments do work. RoTS is the first of the prequels that actually has scenes that sizzle without having to resort to a lightsaber battle (even though there are plenty of those too) or a race sequence.

My score: 7/10

In comparision:

A New Hope: 8/10
Empire Strikes Back: 9.5/10
Return of the Jedi: 7.5/10

The Phantom Menace: 5/10
Attack of the Clones: 3/10

 

[KyleC]

I feel the same way. It definitely was the best of the prequels but the PT still falls so far below the OT.

8/10

 

[Tim Glover]

Like many here, I'm still exhausted. Not very co-herent.

I loved it. Have a few reservations though that I'll share later. I'm always hyper-critical of SW the first time out-too much of "next scene anticipation" so I need to absorb it all.

My first thoughts are: There are some truly spectacular moments, but some could've used a tad more or maybe a tad less?

I need another viewing to give an objective critique, but for now, I give it
:star: :star: :star: :star: out of :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:

Like Bill Hunt said from thebits. I reserve the right to change my thoughts later. :b

EDIT May 23,2005

I have now seen Sith 2 more times and I LOVE THIS FILM !

I'll write more in the discussion thread but this film produces some deep and rich emotion from me that I hadn't felt in ANY of the previous 5 films.

I'm really having difficulty ranking it above the beloved Empire & New Hope simply because of Sith's powerful emotion is there because of what we saw in the OT This is not a knock on ROTS though because it could have easily gone flat...and it doesn't.

Those moments we've waited for in SITH have so much meaning and poignancy to them.

After seeing the film now 3 times. :b I easily give it

:star: :star: :star: :star: :star: + out of :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:

Really trying to avoid the knee jerk over reaction...but I'm close to thinking ROTS is very, very close to The Empire Strikes Back & A New Hope.

 

[Adam.Heckman]

Saw it last night. Most of this will be spoilers:


Good stuff:
CGI was mind numbing, but I think we all knew it would be. Just amazing.
Acting was better across the whole movie.
Great closure and perfect link back to eppi 4.
Less 'mechandise whoring' (read: no jar jar).
Dark. I list it as a plus due to the gutsiness of Annakins actions. Especially killing the younglings.

Bad stuff:
CGI. Sometimes I found myself focusing on it rather than the movie, but it's real minor. At the end, when the helmet was put on, the face was so obviously CGI it was disrupting. That could have been done in camera.
Acting. while it was better as a movie, any interaction between anny and padame was HORRENDOUS. Now, the Darth/Padame interactions were better. I like Portman in other movies, but she didn't seem to hit her stride in this one.
The Frankenstein Walk. Yeah, above it was said why it was done, but it took me out of the moment. Took me away from 'Star Wars' and into 'Frankenstein'. They should stand alone.
Dialog needed some serious work. I mean, the whole "I love you" "no, I love you" (anny/pad) thing was horrible. I just kept thinking, "no, you hang up" "no, YOU hang up first". Also, everything 'youngling' was said on screen there was a ripple of laughter. Third, the speach patterns were just so different from 4,5,6. When people are refered to as 'my love' and there just this faux old english thing going on, you get distracted.



All around a decent movie, with only a few groan moments. I'd place it third, after Empire, and ANH.

 

[Chris Atkins]

STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH

:star: :star: :star: :star: :star: out of :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:

Someone not long ago said that what elevates ESB above the other Star Wars movies is the execution in the quiet moments. It's in these moments that you learn to love, despise, and feel pity for the characters, and, like ESB, it's here where ROTS shines.

When I think about ROTS I'm not thinking about the action scenes. I'm thinking about the character moments. The first scene between Anakin and Padme. The final scene between Anakin and Obi-Wan. The warmth between Yoda and the Wookies. The tension between Anakin and Palpatine. Etc. Etc. Etc.

ROTS works because the characters work, because you hate them, love them, and genuinely care about what happens to them. The action scenes probably aren't as well done here as in the other films, but, in my opinion, Lucas succeeds here where others claim he failed in the first two, and that's with giving us characters that we care about. And that's why I give it 5 stars.

I truly think this one will age well.

EDIT: on second viewing, Revenge of the Sith is not the best film in the saga (that honor remains with ESB) but Revenge of the Sith is my favorite movie in the saga. Simply phenomenal on second viewing. Bravo, George Lucas.

 

[SteveGon]

Caught the midnight showing and then had to work so I'm still a little fuzzy. I agree with some of the criticisms: the dramatic scenes between Padme and Anakin bring the film to a halt, but fortunately they're not that long. Great action, though it was hard to take in seeing as how we got stuck in the front row. :frowning:

Some of my major quibbles:

Palpatine's "My little green friend!" was a bit too cheesy, as was Vader's anguished "Nooooooo!!!" Also: Mace Windu, despite being a Jedi Master, has apparently never heard of the fallacy of the talking villain (or hero in this case). The reason for Padme's death was laughable. She just gave up and lost the will to live? After being portrayed as a resolute fighter in the previous films, we're supposed to buy that excuse, especially when she has children to look after? Whatever.

An overall entertaining film, one that I'll give:

:star: :star: :star: 1/2 out of :star: :star: :star: :star:

 

[Kami]

This felt like real Star Wars to me. I have a new love of Yoda after this film. He was simply awesome in it in every scene.

High points were Yoda, Obi-Wan, Palpatine, opening sequence (some actual good humor in there IMO), lightsaber fights, order 66, entire mustafar scene, and the ending sequence.

Low points were General Grievous' voice (what were they thinking??) and the "Nooooooooooooooo" - I'm sorry it just got too cheesy for me at that moment. They could have done that better.

Oh, and finally...Hayden was a lot better this time around. Not perfect but way, way better than AOTC.

This is definitely the BEST of the prequels by far and I think I will even give it a place right below ESB for me but I'll see it more for final judgement.

9/10

 

[FredK]

:star: :star: :star: :star: / :star: :star: :star: :star:

Being quite spoiled I came out of this with one surprise - Hayden did outstanding! He carried all the major portions of the movie, and was the centerpiece of a very well done 2nd act.

I'm actually less "blown away" by this than I thought I might be, but I can't get it out of my mind and there's a ton to love here... definitely Grade A Star Wars, and like each episode before it it has it's own unique tone and pacing.

TPM: 6
AOTC: 7
ROTS: 10
ANH: 9
ESB: 10
ROTJ: 6

 

[JonZ]

Yea that was the worse line though I think. The dialogue was alot better IMHO.

:star: :star: :star: 1/2 out of 4 :star:s from me.

 

[TerryRL]

9/10

Fantastic movie.

Easily the best of the Prequel Trilogy and the best SW flick since ESB. Yes some of the dialogue was pretty bad, but the actors seemed a lot more invested in their performances this time out and the acting overall is much, much stronger than in the previous two films.

Ian McDiarmid and Ewan McGregor both give really good performances (McDiarmid is wonderfully B-movie over the top in a couple of scenes while Ewan seems to be channeling Alec Guinness), Hayden and Natalie were clearly better here than they were in AOTC, but Yoda is the one who hands-down gives the best performance of the movie.

Big ups also go to George Lucas for delivering one of the greatest visual spectacles I've ever seen. Well done.

 

[Steve Y]

There may be spoilers here.

Star Wars: Episode Three makes TPM and AOTC look like staid preludes. I enjoyed, on a surface level, both of those installments, but in hindsight they serve only as preparation for this, the first of the four movie series that is III, IV, V, and (well, some of) VI. Lucas has shifted into high gear here, and I felt a mixture of relief and regret - regret that not complete was your training, that not ready for the burden were you... oh wait, NO, I meant regret that the first two movies weren't this involving. By comparison, Episodes I and II are subdued emotionally even when the screen is full of activity, like Dancing Gungans or Fighting Jedi and Federation Battleships. As someone said as we left the theater: "Imagine if the first two had been this good!"

The first scene literally turned my stomach. I was blown away by the epic scope, the war, the "let's get on with it" confidence of the thing. This is the company picnic to the polite boardroom meetings of I/II.

Is Anakin's "shift" too fast? Probably. I think the idea that giving yourself over to the dark side twists you immediately and scars you permanently was not stated clearly enough. But for a director who usually advances his plot with expository dialogue, there were still many clues to the inner struggle on Anakin's face.

To really "buy" the change you have to buy his fearful and desperate love for Padme. The more capable performances here advanced this notion a little, but not as far as it could have gone. If we had bought Anakin's deep infatuation with Padme or sensed his frustration and violence as a slave on Tattooine in TPM -- or if we had bought Padme's love reciprocation in AOTC ("I truly.. deeply.. love you") then you would better understand why this man would make this decision. But those things, really the most important things of all to understand in this series, were not conveyed properly. So we must take a lot on what we know to be true, rather than what we feel to be true.

I wanted more Dooku. I agree that the major event in the throne room is over far too quickly. It's still a good scene, just too short. And yes, OK, the whole "Darth Vader: UNBOUND!" zoom-out was just plain silly. But every Star Wars movie needs silly moments. Even ESB had "two fighers against a star destroyer?"

How come no one mentioned beforehand how perfect R2-D2 is in this movie? And how Threepio is back to being annoying in the way we love him, rather than the idiotic punster we saw on Geonosis? Most of all, there were lots of little moments that I had no IDEA existed. Perfect moments. It's the sort of stuff reviewers don't bother to mention because they want to convey the "overall sweep" of things. Such as Yoda's tearful regret after his fight with the emperor, or Padme and Anakin's silent survey across Coruscant at each other.
- this is great stuff. It rings true.

I don't know why people didn't like the scene with Mace and Palpatine. It was freekin' AWESOME. Some reviewer on IGN expressed his distress that "a jedi could ever be killed by simply falling. I just didn't buy it." Did he not see that Darth Sidious freekin' FRIED him with blue lightning, basically killing him and then just tossed him away? Which he could have done at any time, of course. Damn, that was just so horrible, but in a cool way. Poor Mace.

I found myself feeling genuine horror and pity at Anakin's immolation. I didn't just "want him to die". I knew he had to, but it was freekin' SAD, people!

As a Star Wars movie:

:star: :star: :star: 1/2 out of :star: :star: :star: :star:

 

[oscar_merkx]

Just came back from my visit to Revenge of the Sith.

What an incredible film I have just seen.

Very gripping to watch and you knew from the moment the scroll was finished, it was going to get dark but I was not really prepared how dark this was going to be !!!

So many mixed emotions at the moment at it is very powerful and emotional indeed.

Every time I saw Palpy you were at the edge of your seat wanting to scream at him for being so evil and hateful.

Haden was so convincing as Anakin every step of the way.

Once Mace attacked Palpy and Anakin came to the rescue, the movie came really alive.

I will come back with more comments.

The last comment I want to make is the end scene, very emotional and sets up the other trilogy in a major way

 

[Travis_S]

I was blown away by the movie. I tried to keep my expectations in check because of the letdowns that were TPM and AOTC, but this movie was worth both of them.

There was so much right with this movie. Anakin's turn is completely believable because
In this movie, I actually cared about Anakin and Padme. Both actors really worked it out with this film. The scene were they stare at each other from across the city got across their love more than any one "I love you! I love you more!" scene can ever do. When Anakin is confronted with a choice, he makes it and the movie sets it up so well that it makes perfect sense

This movie was tightly focused and it is in stark contrast with the meandering plots in the first two prequels. it IS Anakin's movie and the plot has impact because there is nothing to take away from that.

Ewan McGregor is really great in the movie and you really feel bad for him as the movie goes on.

Hayden Christienson is alot better than he was in Episode II, as is Natalie Portman. Their best scene in the movie by far is the scene outside the ship in the landing pad at Mustafar

Some great moments:

-Opening shot of the space battle.
-Anakin/Dooku battle mirroring Vader/Luke from ROTJ
-Palpatine/Anakin at the opera (one of the best scenes in the movie)
-Order 66
-Implication of Anakin killing younglings
-Declaration of the Empire/Anakin slaughtering seperatists.
-Yoda/Emperor duel
-Anakin/Obi-Wan duel and especially the aftermath
-Birth of Vader/Birth of the Twins
-The Ending Shot


Complaints:
The balcony scene between Anakin and Padme. Their first meeting in the movie was really good, but their second scene is really bad. The movie doesn't need this scene and I think the movie would be better off without it.

The Palpatine/Mace battle is ok, but the aftermath is a bit weird. Palpatine does the weirdest "Nooooooooooo!" I've ever heard. His voice immediately after the battle is weird. It is mixed differently and doesn't sound right until he puts his cloak on.


:star: :star: :star: :star:
2nd best in the saga behind Empire Strikes Back
Maybe I'll regret the rating in the future, but I'm happy with it right now and that's all that counts.

 

[Richard Kim]

Wow. Just wow.

Let me just say off the bat this is without question the most jaw dropping, spectacular, mindblowing special effects I have EVER seen in motion picture. ILM really outdid themselves here.

Someone mentioned earlier about how the quiet scenes were just as engaging as the action sequences, and I agree 100%. The acting is alot more emotional than the first two prequels, and with a few exceptions, all the actors do a great job, especially Ian McDiarmid, Ewen McGregor, and Hayden Christensen.

It's an absolute joy to watch all the pieces of the SW saga fit together. ROTS does a great job as a bridge between the PT and the OT.

:star: :star: :star: :star: out of :star: :star: :star: :star:

 

[Mark Ram]

Revenge of the Sith

I went into the theater spoiler free and knowing that this movie was the best reviewed of the Prequels. When the movie started I felt like I was wisked away by the most gorgeous and colorful special effects ever put on screen. The screen seemed completely alive with all the little details I've come to expect from ILM and more. The pace of the film was established here and never really let up. Every time I was impressed by one scene I felt nervous wondering if Lucas was going to let me down in the next. When it was over I realized I never did fall from the high I got from the opening scene.

The characters this time seemed more fleshed out than before. I felt comfortable with the story and I actually felt choked up in some scenes. The acting didn't make me wince. The dialogue seemed more fitting. The action made me care about the story like none of the prequels before. The first two movies played out more like action with a story tacked on and this time the action made the story matter. I realize now that it is because of the first two films that I finally felt like I knew Obi-Wan and Anakin. Ewan and Hayden seemed like they had FINALLY come to terms with the characters they portray.

The movie contained all of the back story I had hoped for. I was glad that it wasn't as akward as some of the other explanations that we've seen. I didn't want everything spelled out in this movie. Lucas did me proud by not feeling the need to show or explain everything in detail. A little hint here and there is all we need to get the idea. With this movie it's obvious he knew his audience had grown up.

As I stated earlier, the special effects were fantastic.The space battles were eye popping, the lightsabre fighting incredible, and the story felt just right. It was truly the best of the prequels and stands tall next to the original trilogy in my book.

9/10

 

[Alex-C]

Revenge of the Sith review, spoiler free for your pleasure.

Just got back. Initial impressions are definitely better than 1 and 2. The effects were astounding, pacing was furious and the action relentless. Very enjoyable and ROTS can take its place, proudly I declare, in line with the rest of the 5 Star Wars movies. For me, ranking all 6 is pointless. The two trilogies are more different than they are similar, despite character threads and story arcs that weave their way through all 6 movies, the original trilogy was reflective of another milieu; with expectations and narrative decisions that didn’t owe to anything that was to come. With the PT, Lucas had an entirely different motivation. Yes, there were some things he owed to the OT, and this could be and continues to be discussed ad nauseum, but releasing a new Star Wars trilogy on all of us in 1999 meant he really needed to do things entirely different than 1977; and he did. I mean ending a series of movies in the middle (the last movie = 3rd of 6); there really is no template for that…but enough on that.

Good decisions: minimizing the cute factor, however, as an aside, I am wondering if the same audience he sought to appeal to with TPM would be the same for ROTS, I tend to think not, but I digress. Lucas incorporated artistic elements to the drama that were sorely lacking in the previous two movies; the dialogue while banal at times, for the most part carried the weight of the impact with it in ROTS. In other words, in TPM and AOTC, the balance between fun adventure and doses of dramatic weight was just not there, despite trying, but here I thinks he succeeds and strikes the chord just right. call it direction or acting or whatever that magic is, it's up there on the screen.

I don’t believe ROTS is a great movie in the wider scope of moviedom. There are still too many “senate”s “republic”s “federation”s peppered throughout the narrative; but on the other hand, the “m’lady” and “milord”s were appropriately scaled back. One big knock I have against this movie is the editing of the score. The score was so vitally important to the OT and here it’s been mostly relegated to the background while the furious action takes center stage, although some of that may be necessary due to the goal he was trying to achieve. I expect the amount of dialogue (we’re talking sheer words here) and action in ROTS outdoes the entirety of the OT combined, and for that something probably has to give, which is too bad, because for my age (34) I held the original Star Wars score to be a very important aspect of my life, not just in a movie sense. Remember, my young paduans, after you saw Star Wars in the theater, when you went home, there was no cable, no DVDs, no VCRs to revisit that landscape; you put on that double album vinyl, cranked it up on the headphones and stared off into space as you re-imagined the feeling you had while seeing it. That was the only way for some time.

All in all, Revenge of the Sith is a rousing and befitting conclusion to the PT with spot on performances by McDiamird and Portman. In fact all of the major characters avoid embarrassing themselves and quite the opposite, get a lot of mileage of what their given.
That George Lucas could create a enjoyable and cohesive entertaining romp with such fast pacing (a thousand wipes indeed) is a testament to his abilities, which have taken a knock in the last few years; so much has been made of his inabilities (Jar-Jar, et. al) that its almost taken for granted what he has achieved with ROTS. I would say ROTS feels like if you took the last hour of AOTC and expanded that feeling, that pacing, that action and drama to a full length movie plus bringing everything to a thrilling conclusion !

Wow !

:star: :star: :star: out of :star: :star: :star: :star:

 

[Robert Anthony]

You know that feeling you get after finishing some sort of semi-arduous bit of housework, or putting the last touches on a renovation of some kind? When you've been sitting there with a paintbrush for a couple weekends, or putting the last screw into the last bit of wood, or tightening the last stitch in the last piece of cloth? That's the feeling I got walking out of the midnight show last night. That sort of exhausted feeling. Not unpleasant, but not euphoric either. Just sort of contented. You're happy it turned out well, and you're happy it's over. And the first thing you want to do is step back three or four steps and just look over every facet of this project from a distance, remembering every last interlocking piece, bolt, thread, joint, brushstroke, whatever. That sort of hand on your hips, lopsided grin, brush the hair out of your eyes and nod approvingly sort of feeling. That's what I was feeling last night. It's done. Finally. The whole goddamn thing is done. Turn the lights out in the garage, throw the tarp over the project, and head back to the house for the night. It's done, and it's good, and that's all you can ask for.

It's a very good movie. Outside of Star Wars even, just as a piece of filmed entertainment, it's a very good movie. It won't win Oscars. It won't make top 10 lists. It's got some plotholes, it's got some clunkers falling out of the actors mouths, a ham moment or two here or there (mostly McDiarmid post Mace Duel) it's got a dodgy effect here or there, but these are all transgressions that are just as easily forgiven, for me, as Luke's atrocious "NOOOOOO" in Cloud City, his plaintive "I was going into Toshi Station" on Tatooine, Leia's "I recognized your foul stench." on the Death Star. Things that while they goof--they goof in the flow of the movie. The movie is paced almost perfectly for 2 hours and 20 minutes, fast enough that any stumbles are succinctly swept along with the rapid current of moving images.

The first thing I noticed in the first 15 minutes is that the actors are striking a tone I haven't felt since Empire Strikes Back. There's a speed to the back and forth between characters that makes the wooden dialog actually almost CRACKLE. There's knowing looks, there's winks, there's smirks, there's full on big, beaming SMILES. The stoic, button-down world Lucas was content to play in with the first two is nowhere to be found in this movie.

The editing by Barton, Lucas and Burtt is very well done, and every single one of the best sequences in the movie showcases the editing. The unspoken communication between Anakin and Padme, the execution of Order 66, The birth of the twins and the birth of Darth Vader--this is the Lucas that helped Coppola cut The Godfather, and it's great to see these wordless juxtapositions of images and music provide moments so aesthetically powerful.

Yes, there are problems. It was obvious to anyone who had read the script. Anakin's turn seems mishandled. I can buy his reasoning, but the character has to be rendered more than a bit stupid and inattentive for it to work, and the way it's played is sort of a cipher. It was just on the verge of getting it right, but the scenes leading up, and the scenes following, sold the transformation more than the actual turn did. The Kashhyyk sequences did nothing for me, as did Grievous and his subplot, although I did admit the character wasn't AS grating as I believed he would be, and his fight/chase sequence was done well enough for me to forget that this whole exercise was pretty pointless. It shares more than a few similarities, to me, than the asteroid chase/mynock scare/space slug sequence from Empire Strikes Back, as a matter of fact.

And The Duel seemed almost anti-climactic. I don't know if it was the choreography, the juxtaposition with the more gleefully destructive Yoda/Sidious duel, or the fact that much like TPM, this was an element of Star Wars that had been elevated to almost astronomical proportions, but I found myself still believing the Maul/Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan duel was more exciting. The end of The Duel, however, DOES pack the emotional punch it needs to, and is, for me, by far the most emotional moment in the Star Wars saga so far. It hurts to watch, and there was much involuntary wincing at the bleakness of it all.

And yes, there is the matter of the Frankenstein homage. Some will find it corny. I find that it was a little TOO on the nose, more so the pose he strikes than his anguished NOOOOO, which is preferable, to me, than Hamill's terrible "NOOOOOO" at the end of Empire.

But there just seems to be so much more to cling to than the typical nitpicks I've been trained to mull over in these 6 or 7 years of dissecting these movies online ad-nauseum. R2 trying to be sneaky with a comlink, and snidely beeping at Threepio as he learns his fate. Yoda throwing that lightsaber into a troopers chest, crawling up his body to retrieve the sword, and letting the body's fall carry him back to the ground. Obi-Wan's almost Han Solo-like line after dispatching Grievous. The Back and Forth between Obi-Wan and Anakin during the rescue that does more to cement their friendship in 20 minutes than 2 hours of Attack of the Clones ever did. Yoda's shrug that dispatches Imperial Guards like nothing. The involuntary chill that comes with hearing Darth Vader's artificial breathing click on in the split second before that first breath is drawn.
These are the things that pop into my head when I think about the movie, not the nitpicks. Typically it doesn't work like that.

And maybe I'm being extra forgiving because I'm tired and it's over. Or maybe I'm feeling a little lackluster and not giving it ENOUGH praise because I'm tired and it's over. Maybe after 23 years of being a fan, since age 4, the fact that in the end, it was still just a movie afterall, maybe that has me nonplussed and not as eager to engage in hyperbolic praise. Or maybe I'm just happy that with this movie, the whole thing is wrapped up, and it wrapped up pretty damn well.

I'm shutting the lights off in the garage. I'm closing the door. I'm going back inside, tired, but satisfied. With a happy little smirk on my face.

 

[Patrick_S]

I think it was a very enjoyable movie and probably the second best in the series behind ESB.

The dialog as a whole is rather pedestrian but quite frankly none of the Star Wars movies would ever be mistaken for Shakespeare. The entire six movies have always been action driven story of Good vs. Evil and this movie continues along the same lines.

The visual effects are beautiful and they will probably look even better when viewed in a digital projection theater. (This would look really good in HD DVD.)

Over all the pacing was tight enough to keep the viewer’s interest and the acting by most of the principles was good despite the dialog. I especially found Natalie Portman’s performance of heart break when she realizes her beloved has transformed in such an evil person to be very convincing.

Over all I would recommend this movie as a nice way to escape reality for a couple of hours.