An Honest Look at “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith”

George Lucas took a pounding for making Jar Jar Binks a star in Episode I. He then was taunted incessantly for scripting a romance in Episode II that was ridiculous. In 2005, he brought his prequel trilogy to an end with Revenge of the Sith. It’s time to start the crawl and take an honest look at Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.

War! That’s how the crawl begins, which sets up so much excitement that the previous movies were lacking. Chancellor Palpatine has been kidnapped by the separatist movement led by Count Dooku and General Grievous. As the crawl disappears we are immersed in an epic battle above Coruscant. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are leading the charge to free the captive Palpatine.

They board the rebel ship, and the relationship we see between the dialogue between Kenobi and Skywalker is that of a friendly rivalry. Yes, Kenobi is the teacher, but we know that Skywalker is powerful and in many cases saved Kenobi’s life. The friendship between the two characters is evident and makes it hard to think that Skywalker will be the ultimate villain by the end of this movie.

The bridge scene where the imprisoned Palpatine reveals himself to his rescuers is a nice nod to Return of the Jedi. Christopher Lee, as Count Dooku, is a great villain. His voice conveys authority and fear and when he enters the scene and the lightsaber battle that erupts between him Skywalker and Kenobi, you can tell that Lee was having fun. The defeat of Dooku is a surprise, and when Palpatine orders Skywalker to kill him, the look of shock on Dooku’s face makes you feel pity. The audience knows that Palpatine is his master, and Dooku has realized the betrayal too late.

Anakin Skywalker is conflicted on the order and refuses to act at first. But it doesn’t take long for Anakin to use his anger and follow orders. Anakin Skywalker is so close to the Dark Side of the Force, that he is only a shadow of the good innocent boy he once was. Anakin does save his unconscious friend Kenobi, even though Palpatine told him to leave him. There is a side of good in the soon to be Sith Lord.

What starts out as a great opening sequence, possibly one of the best ten minutes of any Star Wars movie, is brought down by the introduction of General Grievous. Another big gigantic CGI villain is not the problem, but the fact that he is a CGI droid villain that also coughs incessantly is grating to anyone’s patience. A droid that coughs? Really? This is going to be the big bad villain for the final movie? No! He is just the window dressing for Palpatine to reveal himself later.

They successfully land on Corsucant, where Padme Amidala is now confined to acting as the secret wife meeting her secret husband Anakin in private. The problem I have is that they rendezvous in one of the most public places possible. Also, they have been able to keep their marriage secret, even though the Jedi should be able to sense their deception. Even Obi-Wan doesn’t know, and he spends all his time with Anakin. The big reveal, which isn’t shocking, Padme is pregnant, because George Lucas is starting to mesh the two trilogies together.

The true art of this movie is the dialogue between Palpatine and Skywalker. Shortly after his rescue, Palpatine meets privately with Anakin and confides in him that he wants Anakin to be his representative on the Jedi Council. Using, “I need your help son,” Anakin is powerless to resist the temptations the very skilled Darth Sidious makes. Palpatine has filled the void of a father figure that so many have failed to do, including Obi-Wan. It’s almost impossible for Anakin to resist.

What Anakin receives in nurturing from Palpatine, he gets the opposite from the Jedi. They grant his position on the council but do not give him the rank of Master. This angers Anakin and further builds up his resentment to the Jedi. This is the place that didn’t want him as a kid, and only took him in because of the last wish of Qui-Gon Jinn. Now when he seems to have achieved a great role, the Jedi have smacked Anakin down. Anakin is a strong Jedi and when he goes to Palpatine he is nurtured and respected. Palpatine has twisted and messed with Anakin since he was a young boy. The fact that he referenced the slaughter Anakin inflicted on his mother’s captors from Episode II in order to get Anakin to kill Count Dooku, tells you that Anakin has been confiding a lot in the Chancellor, more than what he has told his mentor and friend Obi-Wan.

Palpatine’s relationship with Anakin is a perfect example of child abuse. From the time he was young Palpatine has been grooming Anakin for a fate that would be impossible to stop. The Sith Lord has gained the trust of Anakin, and now at the opera, is starting to reveal the truth of himself to the young Jedi.

The way Palpatine talks should be setting off warning bells for Anakin, but he is so far gone to the Dark Side that instead of running for the council and telling them that he thinks Palpatine is a Sith, he sits and listens because Palpatine is about to hit the final nail on the coffin of Anakin Skywalker, the ability to cheat death. Anakin has dreamed the death of his beloved Padme, and he will stop at nothing to protect her.

Obi-Wan takes off after General Grievous and Yoda is dispatched to Kaskyyyk to help the Wookies defend their world against the separatists. I don’t care what anyone says, a wookie is always a welcome sight to any Star Wars production, especially when we get to see a battle scene. Obi-Wan destroys the ridiculous General Grievous and escapes from the Clone Army.

Back on Corsucant, there is no saving Anakin Skywalker. He confronts the Chancellor and gets him to admit that he is a Sith. Anakin does the right thing and heads for the temple to inform the Jedi Council of his discovery. The Jedi are doomed to be destroyed because even when he tells them that Palpatine is a Sith, they still don’t believe him. Mace Windu asks Anakin twice if he was sure, and even as Windu leaves to investigate and arrest the Chancellor, he doesn’t trust Skywalker to come with him, even though Skywalker has made the discovery and done the right thing to inform the Jedi.

Samuel L. Jackson lives a dream that many wish they could, and gets an epic battle scene with Chancellor Palpatine. After defeating the Chancellor, on the verge of slaying him, Anakin comes to his rescue and slices off Windu’s hand. The supposedly stricken Chancellor then blasts Windu out the window into Coruscant. Samuel L. Jackson needs to return to Star Wars, there is no way this battle killed his character and it would be great to see Jackson get a chance to take the center stage in exile in the Empire.

Anakin is lost. He pledges his loyalty to the Chancellor and is christened Darth Vader. His first assignment is to lead an attack on the Jedi Temple, the Jedi are now the enemy of the Republic. The Chancellor initiates Order 66 to the Clone Army, and a lot of Jedi are about to die. The true horror of Palpatine’s evil is Anakin’s destruction of the Jedi Temple and the slaughter of the youngling Jedi. Kids are killed no matter their age, and the rage and intensity of Anakin Skywalker is left on the floor of the hallowed Jedi Temple.

Palpatine is not done with his power grab. He calls a special session of the Galactic Senate and reorganizes the Republic into the first Galactic Empire, with him as Emperor. Natalie Portman finally gets to do more than be the girl waiting for her husband to come home, and makes a valid and prophetic statement that could be easily said in many countries today, “liberty dies with thunderous applause.” The charisma and intelligence of Palpatine have resulted in the Galactic Senate approving with enthusiasm this dramatic change of life.

What Star Wars fans have waited for since the first trilogy in the early 80s, is the epic showdown on the volcanic planet of Mustafar. Anakin has been able to hide his change to Padme, and leaves her thinking he is going after the Trade Federation with the goal of ending the war. It is the recently returned Obi-Wan that convinces Padme of Anakin’s true nature. She refuses to help Obi-Wan and though she takes off to save her husband, she ends up bringing Obi-Wan, because he hid aboard her ship.

Fans not only get one lightsaber battle but two for the conclusion to the movie. While Obi-Wan and Anakin face off Yoda and Emperor Palpatine battle it out in the empty Senate Chamber. Though Yoda and the Emperor leave their battle a draw, Anakin is not so lucky. His arrogance goes too far, and Obi-Wan cuts him down, leaving him for death on the volcanic shores of a river of lava. The last remains of Anakin Skywalker are burned away, leaving a breathing corpse of evil.

Padme gives birth to Luke and Leia and then dies brokenhearted at what has happened. Senator Bail Organa takes Leia, while Obi-Wan takes Luke to Tatooine to grow up with the Lars family. This is not a happy ending. Emperor Palpatine rules, the heroes have been killed or forced into hiding, and though we have the birth of the most famous set of twins in the galaxy, at the same time we witness the creation of Darth Vader.

Final Thoughts

Revenge of the Sith is a really good movie. It should be considered as one of the best Star Wars movies for all that it does in two hours allowed. It weaves together the two trilogies and is an action packed movie from start to finish.

Hayden Christensen has not been given enough respect for his role as Anakin Skywalker. He brought an intensity that showed two sides of emotion, content and rage. He plays Anakin as a guy you want to like and root for, but through Christensen’s ability he shows that if everything goes wrong, he can snap. This is exactly what Anakin Skywalker needed.

The prequel trilogy has been maligned for many reasons, and all of them are valid points. Jar Jar Binks who had a front and center role in the first movie has been sidelined in this movie, thank god. The dialogue and script of Revenge of the Sith is far superior to either of the previous movies, and the audience learns how a young idealistic boy like Anakin Skywalker could become so evil.

To get a true appreciation I believe you need to look at the Star Wars prequel trilogy as a whole movie. If you separate the movies and only conceive of them as three separate movies then you miss the point of what is trying to be said.

The seriousness of the material is often ignored because of the stupid pratfalls of Jar Jar, but from the beginning, George Lucas was dealing with a heavy subject matter, that he knew he would be criticized no matter what he did. There are many bumps on the road, but in no way can the prequel trilogy be declared a failure.

  • The Phantom Menace grossed over a billion dollars worldwide
  • Attack of the Clones grossed almost $650 million dollars worldwide.
  • Revenge of the Sith grossed almost $850 million dollars worldwide

Adding these three movies up and you have over $2 billion dollars in revenue. That is a success, no matter what many people think about the dialogue. I have been a vocal critic of the prequel trilogy for many years. I didn’t even see Attack of the Clones at the theatre. I did see The Phantom Menace twice, and Revenge of the Sith. If they were re-released today, would I go see them? Yes! It’s Star Wars, and I know millions of people would also go too.

It’s time to stop blaming Jake Lloyd, Hayden Christensen, and even George Lucas for being disappointed in the prequel trilogy. I think if you view the prequel trilogy as one giant movie then you might see how great they are.

Bill Gowsell
Bill Gowsell has loved all things Disney since his first family trip to Walt Disney World in 1984. Since he began writing for Laughing Place in 2014, Bill has specialized in covering the Rick Riordan literary universe, a retrospective of the Touchstone Pictures movie library, and a variety of other Disney related topics. When he is not spending time with his family, Bill can be found at the bottom of a lake . . . scuba diving