Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) (1 Viewer)

[Sam Favate]

I agree with everything Tim said, although I have to point out that I saw a chart the other day (last Friday, in the Wall Street Journal) that put 2005's Harry Potter movie above Sith in worldwide gross.

The-Numbers.com puts Sith at $848.5 million, and Hary Potter at $892.2 million (not counting IMAX).

I looked forward to last May 19 with an enthusiasm I am not likely to experience again - much like I looked forward to May 21 in 1980. The movie did not disappoint for me, and if I can find the time, I'm going to take out the Sith DVD and watch it this weekend (which would be the first time since November).

 

[Chris Atkins]

ROTS...great movie....great experience....a great send-off for the series.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

I agree. I'm the opposite of Greg. AOTC damn near killed me as a SW fan. ROTS was a great return

Star Wars does have it's own anticipation meter, doesn't it? Something Pavlovian in it for me. I don't look forward to any films like I do SW films, even though I may like them better or be more interested in them.

If that makes any sense,
Chuck

 

[Chris Atkins]

You know what has stuck with me from ROTS more than anything?

The Obi-Wan/Anakin duel.

The music...the sets...the intensity....the emotion. I keep going back to that a lot when I revisit ROTS.

 

[DavidPla]

What I love about ROTS is it just keeps moving forward. Once you pop it in, there's no letting up with foreboding throughout and it just keep rasing the stakes the whole time. I love it!

 

[Chris Atkins]

And what makes that even better for me, David, is that it just continues the slippery slope that started in the latter half of AOTC. Anakin is going down, down, down and no one can do anything about it.

 

[Greg_S_H]

.

 

[TravisR]

Semi-off topic but The Phantom Menace is also seven years old today.

 

[Larry Sutliff]

I agree with Chris on the Anakin/Obi Wan duel. That may be my favorite scene in the entire SW saga.

ROTS was a tremendous way to end the series. I just wish there were more SW films to look forward to.

 

[Richard Kim]

I agree. Once Anakin turns to the dark side, the film grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go.

If there is one weakness, the ending tries a little too hard to tie up all the loose ends leading to ANH. In this regard, the ending to AOTC is superior.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

I love the ending to both films. ROTS works for me more because I like the two hours that precede it ROTS also contains some brilliant editing.

 

[Tom J. Davis]

Hard to believe it's been a year!

I can't help but feel a little sad, never again will I anticipate a movie like ROTS. I'll never care to go to the midnight showing of any movie again. :frowning:

Unless of course they make more Star Wars movies.

I may try to sit down and watch AOTC and ROTS this weekend.

 

[Tim Glover]

I too, love the ending to AOTC...but man do I prefer the ending to ROTS. It's really not even close. As Chuck said, the 2 hours before it were so captivating that it ran the risk of some type of emotional letdown. That didn't happen. Another Chuck-ism was his "4 Fates"...description. Padme, Vader, Leia, and Luke. Pretty impressive list there.

I do stand corrected though. Potter's CoS did outgross Sith worldwide. I'm usually not wrong

The Anakin-OBW duel is marvelous for sure...but as great as they were and they are GREAT, give me the quieter moments in ROTS any day:
Padme's ruminations, Anakin's and OBW's dialogue before OBW goes after GG, Yoda's emotional response as the Betrayal begins, I also LOVE the moment when Padme arrives on Mustafar and before she gets out, she looks so distressed and you can almost read her mind, "please God, don't let this be true", the intercutting of Vader's re-birth & Padme's death...and the twins birth. That might be GL's best moment in the entire SAGA. Brilliance there.

Many more "quiet & reflective" moments in ROTS that make it's hold on me so strong. The action is fantastic because of the power and performances that foreshadowed it.

Nearly everyone, save SLJ, had their A game on. They believed in this script and GL did too. It showed on screen. They seemed to care more and we felt it.

I could go on and on...but I'll spare you.

 

[AlanZ]

Dang, now I'm gonna have to listen to the friggin soundtrack and watch Ep.III this weekend, too!!! lol

 

[Mike Graham]

Perhaps one of the last huge event films for quite some time...

 

[Chuck Mayer]

I don't think it's the end of event films Just the end of SW films (which were all events, and all uniquely special). Spidey 3 next year is certainly a huge event film. Harry Potter are event films, and I'd assume the 7th one especially so. But none of them are SW.

Like Tim, my favorite parts of ROTS are also the quieter moments. OW and Anakin's goodbye, Padme's Ruminations, the intercutting of the birth of the twins and Vader. I'd throw on Ewan as having his best performance of the three PT films...he didn't have a love story as Harrison did in ESB, but his humor comes close. I could watch countless films with him as OW. And John Williams music seemed to veer away from the very traditional leitmotifs and he brought out a very human and mournful score...one of my JW favorites.

 

[Simon Massey]

All this talk of ROTS has made me watch the film again.

This film has some amazing moments - Padme's Ruminations, the Order 66 sequence and the Immolation Scene, but like others has said its the way the whole of the film starts to build momentum which sets this apart from the other prequels. It remains my second favourite SW film at this point.

 

[Larry Sutliff]

I agree that the quiet moments in ROTS give it a more solid foundation than the other prequels, but when Anakin and Obi Wan lunge at each other, and Williams "Battle of the Heroes" theme starts to play... amazing.

 

[Tim Glover]

In my above post...it was kind of late! I failed to mention the great score. It's my favorite of the series. There are some cues I like better from ESB & ANH, but as a complete score, the ROTS pulls me in and never lets go. It's the most personal and meaningful.

Kind of fun to look back at a year ago and the impact it had and has on us.

When I get back from this trip, I'm popping in the ROTS dvd!

Another great moment is when Yoda takes out the guards in Palpy's office. That always brought the most consistent applause last summer.

There will always be event films...at least I hope so. SW is special like everyone here is saying. Hard to top that initial enthusiasm and some films just seem to thrive on the anticipation, the fun, fan's standing in line stuff...Star Wars is one of those film series that makes it fun to be at the movies.

Dang, I might need to find some prozac.

 

[Bryan Ri]

I'll echo the sentiments that the quieter moments in ROTS are superior story telling and filmmaking.

A couple of my favorite of these quieter moments, in addition to the scenes mentioned, are when Obi Wan confronts Padme to find Anakin, and the dialogue between Obi Wan and Anakin just prior to their dual. The combination of a fantastic score, great pacing, and wonderful acting give those scenes serious weight in the scope of the saga.

In terms of this being the last event film, yes and no. While I don't think we'll ever have something to look forward to on this scale, I would argue that Superman Returns is one of the most anticipated films in the past 15-16 years. If nothing else, I've been skeptical that it would even be made.

But that's for a different thread

Thanks Tim, for ressurecting the thread and bringing back some fond memories.