Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away, the most famous science fiction movie of all time was made. Well ok, almost thirty years ago on Earth the most famous science fiction movie of all time was made. Now the sixth, and last, in the Star Wars franchise has been released. The original movie, Star Wars, came out in 1977 and dazzled audiences with its wonderful imagination and special effects. It was a huge box-office hit, but even better was to come, and in 1980 the best movie of the six, The Empire Strikes Back, exploded onto the big screen. Three years later Return Of The Jedi was made. Then after a long gap, plans for three prequels were discussed. These movies would tell the story of what had happened leading up to the original Star Wars movie. Perhaps the most interesting element of the idea was that these new movies would explain how the popular characters in Star Wars came to be. In 1999 Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was released.  Three years later came Star Wars Episode II - Attack Of The Clones and in 2005 Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith was released.

At this stage of the story the Clone Wars are coming to an end and Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) wants to turn the Republic into a dictatorship. However the Jedi Knights, who protect the Senate and ensure democracy, stand in his way. Jedi Knight, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), is troubled by his dreams and he looks for forces that will give him powers to control the destiny of those he loves.

For me this was always going to be the most interesting movie of the three prequels. This is the one that links all the movies together and it is the one that explains the characters in the original Star Wars movie. Some of the magic had been lost in Episode I and II, and this wasn't helped by the three year gaps between the movies. On its own this movie isn't special but as part of the overall package it does a nice job of linking the movies and explaining the characters. There is also a tragic element that adds to the story and in some ways makes the original movies more interesting. New life has been given to the movies that first captured the imagination of millions all those years ago. With new knowledge of the characters I'm looking forward to watching the original again.

Director George Lucas has created a fantastic world with futuristic cities, bizarre landscapes, different races, politics, strange creatures and hi-tech robots and droids. There are plenty of light-sabre fights and Starfighters whizzing around as they battle for control of space. With the help of fantastic digital effects the action is fast and exciting.

But all is not positive and there are a couple of major flaws in the movie, namely the dialogue and the acting which at times was very staged and unnatural. In particular the conversations between Anakin (Hayden Christensen) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) seem very strained. Tellingly, it is the non-human characters like Yoda and R2D2 that capture the imagination.

The Bottom Line: As Yoda would say; Like it, I did. It helps if you have seen the other movies and know the story. Great action scenes. Nicely links up the six movies. Some disappointing acting and poor dialogue. It will make you want to go home and watch the original movies again. May the force be with you and stay away from the dark side!  If you enjoy Star Wars Episode III you might also enjoy: Star Wars Episode II - Attack Of The Clones,  Star Trek Nemesis.

Reviewed by Niall Quinn, Premier Movie Reviews 2005.

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Genre: Science Fiction

Director: George Lucas

Certificate: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith is rated PG (Parental Guidance) by the Irish Film Censor's Office (www.ifco.ie). Some scenes might frighten very young children.

Official Movie Website: Star Wars Episode III

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~ Main Cast ~

Ewan McGregor

Hayden Christensen

Natalie Portman

Frank Oz

Ian McDiarmid

Samuel L. Jackson

Anthony Daniels

Jimmy Smits