Movie Review:

Star Wars: Episode III:

Revenge of the Sith

And the journey comes full circle….

Episode III starts off with a big battle bang! A huge space battle rages as Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin (Hayden Christensen) do aerial combat with everything AND the kitchen sink over city-planet Coruscant. They are trying to rescue Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) from the Sith Lords and they are up against Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) and the cyborg-like rebel leader General Grievous (a computer-generated baddie who looks kind of like a big insect with some human parts and a bad cough).

The Jedi Knights are trying to thwart a plot to overthrow parliamentary democracy in the galaxy and replace it with an empire controlled by the Dark Lords of the Sith. Through all this, Anakin and his love Padme (Natalie Portman) try to have a personal life and it must be working to some degree, since she tells her secret husband that she is pregnant.

Without spilling too much of the tale, let’s say that an evil leader plays on Anakin’s desire for power and his love for Padme and, with lies and goading, lures him to the dark side of the Force.

In a final, amazing battle with his old mentor Obi Wan, Anakin Skywalker is sadly and horribly transformed into Darth Vader. Padme has her twins, Luke and Leia who are separated for their future safety.

Wow! George Lucas wins back his original fans and will gain a lot of new ones with this final chapter of his amazing Sci-Fi saga and it all goes down in a blaze of fire, heartbreak and darkness. As a fan of the original trilogy (and not many “Wars” flicks since), I was so relieved to see that Lucas has wrapped up his tale with flair, incredible technical achievement and a heart of sadness that is truly gripping.

Of course, Lucas still can’t direct actors in personal, emotional moments and the dialogue is still overly-melodramatic and stilted. That’s a shame since Anakin’s fall from grace is such powerful acting fodder. None-the-less, the accomplishments of the film far outweigh the shortcomings. I was very gratified to see that Anakin’s turn to the dark side is not just due to a lust for power but to a deep love for the woman in his life.

It’s wonderful to see little R2D2 fight his own battles and Yoda kick even more CGI backside in more fab fights but it’s the emotional final battle between Obi Wan and his friend and protégé Anakin that is completely absorbing both emotionally and visually. Warning: Anakin’s horrific transformation into the being that will soon be suited up as Vader is extremely graphic. If you are afraid of fire.. this scene may be a cover-your-eyes moment.

My greatest disappointment with the film comes with something Obi-Wan does that I feel is totally against his character. It fits into the “abandoning a friend to suffer” category. To say more would reveal too much.

For those of us who gasped in awe many years ago when a giant spacecraft crossed the screen for the first time in the very first Star Wars “episode”, “Revenge” is a worthy wrap-up to a long-loved saga. Or, if you aren’t really a Star Wars geek, the film is still an eye-popping, action-packed, emotional roller coaster ride that shouldn’t be missed.

This movie is rated PG-13

Official Movie Web Site - Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

Pictures courtesy of and copyright 20th Century Fox