Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

Easily the best of the prequels, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith primarily revolves around Anakin Skywalker’s (Hayden Christensen) turn to the Dark Side and the Sith’s long-gestating rise to power. Filmmaker George Lucas has, with Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, mostly jettisoned the unfocused, kid-oriented bent of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, with the increased emphasis on Anakin’s story ensuring that the film suffers from few dull spots (eg Obi-Wan Kenobi’s investigation from Episode II). The impressively dark atmosphere – Anakin does, after all, murder a room full of children – proves instrumental in both confirming the movie’s unqualified success and separating it from its lackluster predecessors, and it’s worth noting, too, that Anakin’s decision to embrace the Dark Side is handled with a degree of unexpected subtlety by writer/director Lucas (ie it doesn’t just come out of nowhere). And while Lucas’ penchant for stiff dialogue and simplistic characterizations remains an issue, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith benefits substantially from the ongoing presence of thoroughly electrifying moments – including a mesmerizing scene in which a menacing Senator Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) espouses the benefits of the Dark Side to Anakin (and even hints that he’s the would-be Jedi’s father!) The better-than-anticipated atmosphere paves the way for a briskly-paced second half that culminates with an enthralling battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan, with the film’s final stretch leading quite nicely into Lucas’ original (and superior) trilogy – which, in the end, secures Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith‘s place as a strong capper to an underwhelming prequel series.

*** out of ****