Review of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) by Landon M — 10 Jan 2016

After being bombarded with two disappointing prequels, this is the one people were hoping wouldn't suck. For some people, they found themselves disappointed again. For me, however, I can say that I actually really like this movie, aside from its occasional stupidity.

This movie has a significant improvement in its acting, writing, and visual effects. The story is engaging, the action is great, and there is an emotional core that was severely lacking in the previous two.

There is still terrible romantic dialogue here and there, but not enough to make it unwatchable. Hayden Christensen is still bad, but not nearly as bad as he was in AotC. Portman stays bad as well. McGregor and Oz both shine as the bright spots of acting, alongside Ian McDiarmid completely owning it as Palpatine.

There are many things in this movie that don't work, such as the abrupt turn of Anakin to Darth Vader, and Padme dying of a...broken heart...ughh. However, the good outweighs the bad this time. The opening action sequence is phenomenal, the movie is fast paced, and once it kicks in to it's second half, it doesn't let up.

The lightsaber fights are great, aside from Palpatine vs Mace Windu. The Grievous fight is great, and the final battle between Anakin vs Obi-Wan and Yoda vs Palpatine are all fantastic. There are actual moments of emotion, such as the phenomenal Ruminations scene and the Order 66 massacre.

This movie is the only prequel to actually make me care. While there was certainly a missed opportunity with the prequels and Darth Vader, Revenge told its story pretty well. The score might also be my favorite score of the franchise.

The ending is intense and closes the franchise in a fantastic way, in my opinion. Overall, I feel Revenge of the Sith gets too much hate. It is nowhere near as bad as Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, and actually holds its own.

It is a good way to lead up into the original trilogy, and while the acting still sucks and not everything was handled perfectly, I cant help but enjoy it. 8/10.