Revenge of the Sith sought to bring the prequel trilogy to a close by showing the tragic events that lead up to the creation of Darth Vader, the climatic formation of the Galactic Empire and the downfall of the Jedi. Out of the prequel trilogy, Revenge of the Sith is by far my favourite, that may not be saying much as the previous two films weren't much to rave about but the trilogy is redeemed a little by the third instalment. Where Attack of the Clones lost me is all the politics the movie focused on, Revenge of the Sith returns to the classic Star Wars opera style that originally launched the series. Since the story arc leads up to where A New Hope began audiences get to see lose ends tie up as the time line approaches that of the original trilogy.
The movie begins with closing up the lose ends of Attack of the Clones by showing Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi track down Chancellor Palpatine who is being held 'captive' by Count Dooku. It is during this space battle sequence we see how Anakin and Obi-Wan's relationship has developed in ways we never got to witness in Attack of the Clones. Although watching their relationship develop is also where it starts to fall apart as this is where the downfall of Anakin begins as he kills Count Dooku on Palpatine's command.
As we see the Republic slowly fail due to the Seperatists, tensions begin to grow between Chancellor Palpatine and the Jedi Council that starts to distrust his intensions. It is due to this that Anakin's loyalties are tested to the breaking point as he is appointed to represent the Chancellor on the Jedi Council. This makes the council grow even more suspicious resulting in them asking Anakin to spy on the Chancellor for them. Although the council ask this of Anakin they refuse to appoint him Jedi Master which makes Anakin resent the other Jedi's and Palpatine uses that resentment to control and manipulate Skywalker.
Although in the beginning Anakin know it is wrong what Palpatine is making him do, he needs his help to save the life of Padme from Anakin's dark visions of her death during childbirth.
There are some scenes such as the battle with General Grievous which didn't sit well with me. Like Darth maul having a double ended lightsaber in The Phantom Menace, it seemed this scene was added in as a shock factor to make the battles 'bigger and better'. However as we have seen in The Force Awakens, you can have a lightsaber battle without throwing in gimmicks.
Although the movie has it's dark elements (killing younglings Anakin, I mean really?) it does have some positive notes sprinkled in. Padme's love and loyalty to Anakin is strong throughout the movie until she sees for herself that he has turned to the dark side. Anakin also does try to stay on the right path as he tells Mace Windu about the Chancellor's true identity and his plans for the Republic. During the final act of the movie we also see Senator Bail Organa and his wife adopt Leia, one of Anakin and Padme's twins which answers the question as to how Luke and Leia were separated after their birth.
Although still not perfect, I believe the CGI in Revenge of the Sith is better than its predecessors. There is still too much of it for my liking (and that's saying a lot giving that I studied visual effects) but I think it is executed better, that may be however down to the advancement of visual effects between Episodes II and III. They could have used real actors and costumes for the Clone Troopers rather than CGI but scenes like the final battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin whilst surrounded by blazing hot volcanic lava is rather impressive.
One of the more satisfying moments of the movie is the conclusion as we see the tragic end of Anakin Skywalker and the emergence of Darth Vader which contrasts with the birth of Luke and Leia. Although a satisfying conclusion to the prequel trilogy, it is rather dark but it couldn't have ended any other way. The majority of audiences already knew the original trilogy and knew how it began.Unlike the two previous prequels, Revenge of the Sith gives real emotion the audience can connect with. Not to mention this one feels less like it was designed for children and more catered towards adult Star Wars fans.
Easter Eggs
#1 THX 1138
As seen in the previous films, there is a reference to George Lucas' first film THX 1138. As Obi-Wan is chasing General Grievous the camera shows the back of a battle droid with the serial number 1138. Also clone Commander Bacara's seriel number is 1138.
#2 Imperial Logo
After Anakin is burnt and defeated by Obi-Wan, he is seen is lying on a medical table. When we get an above shot of Anakin, we can see that the table and surrounding floor make out the Imperial Logo.
#3 Squid Lake
When Anakin goes to Chancellor Palpatine to seek guidance, he joins him to watch a performance of "Squid Lake", it is here that Anakin first learns of the Dark Side and officially takes his first steps towards becoming Darth Vader. As Darth Plagueis is first mentioned, the shot cuts to a large liquid sphere in front of the two men. If you look closely at the reflections, you will notice a rather ghostly image of Darth Vader's helmet. It's a subtle easter egg but it's perfect foreshadowing.
#4 Millenium Falcon cameo
When Han Solo got his hands on the Millenium Falcon and managed to make the Kessel run in 12 parsecs, it was already 60 years old. So it is no surprise the infamous Corellian freighter makes an appearance in Revenge of the Sith as it is seen docking at the Senate Office Building.
#5 George Lucas cameo
It might have taken 6 movies for George Lucas to finally make an appearance in his sci-fi saga, but he made his debut as the Pantoran Senator, Baron Papanoida in the franchises 6th instalment. In the image below you can see him to the left with a cape and headress. Lucas' daughter plays Papanoida's daughter Chi Eekway, pictured below with Lucas.
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