Logan Sork Film Reviews
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
The first two Star Wars prequel films were, arguably, okay at best. While both were financially successful, people complained about the lack of an investing story to keep them engaged. To be fair, they were right as, while I do have a special place for those films in my heart, they do suffer from a lot of issues concerning storytelling. Revenge of the Sith, however, is unlike the other two prequels. Most of the problems prevalent in the other films are minimized and the positives are dialed up. With his third and final film, George Lucas concludes his okay trilogy in spectacular fashion.
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith is once again written and directed by George Lucas and is the final installment to the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy. It stars Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee, and Frank Oz. The story picks up several years after the events of the previous film, with the Clone Wars beginning to come to a close as the separatist armies continue to lose battles. Anakin Skywalker (Christensen) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (McGregor) lead a daring rescue to save Chancellor Palpatine (McDiramid) from the clutches of General Grievous. After a successful mission, Anakin returns to his secret wife, Padme (Portman), and learns that she is pregnant. Plagued with a series of visions in which Padme dies in childbirth, Anakin seeks out a way to prevent such a tragedy, even if it flirts with the idea of turning to the dark side of the force. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan seeks out General Grievous to put an end to the war, unaware of the larger and more sinister forces at work.
As with all other previous films, Lucas once again showcases his innate talent for constructing larger than life worlds and realizing them with the latest in digital technology. Unlike the previous films ,however, the special effects in this film hold up quite well, as the technology had finally been perfected by this point. Now, that’s not to say there aren’t a few noticeable points where the effects don’t stick out like a sore thumb as a few long years have passed since the film’s release. However, the imagination behind these worlds once again makes up for these lacking visual effects, proving that sometimes it’s better to have somewhat decent effects that look cool rather than realistic ones that look bland.
Something that sets this film apart from the other prequels is the epic scale of this film. The other films in this series felt thin in story yet tried to seem epic in scale by relying on lazy, sluggish battles that gobbled up the runtime. This film has those for sure, but they just feel so much different from the others. The large battles feel justified as it is a time of war in the galaxy, and they feel more cohesive while still maintaining that chaotic sense all battles should have. And it’s not just the battles that feel epic in scale. Everything from the set pieces and the musical score to the dramatic moments and lightsaber fights are dialed up to an eleven, making for a truly epic experience in every sense of the word. While the previous films strived for the epic feeling only to come out bloated, Revenge of the Sith more than earns its epic weight.
Helping to sell this epic feeling are the actors, who give better performances in this film than any of the others in this series. However, there are two actors in particular who have nailed it every time. Ewan McGregor was always a delight as Obi-Wan, but here, he really comes into his own, bringing a distinct energy into every scene he occupies. Also fantastic is Ian McDiramid, who relishes every evil mannerism that Palpatine has, turning in an over the top, yet fitting performance filled with all the menace seen he had in Return of the Jedi. Other actors who were dull before really shine in this film. Both Frank Oz and Natalie Portman have some truly great emotional moments as Padme and Yoda, proving that they are more than the dull cut-outs the previous films had you believe they were. Even Hayden Christensen, who is by far the worst in the film, has some truly great nuanced moments during dramatic scenes. The acting in this series of films hasn’t been all that special, but if you were to just watch this one film, you’d think it is.
The reason that everything about the film, from the scale and scope to the performances and effects, feels more emotionally involved is because Lucas finally delivers something he has yet to do this trilogy: a good, emotional story. The previous films struggled to provide an emotional anchor because the stories weren’t all that interesting. Here however, Lucas tells the story of a man who is willing to do anything to save the woman he loves, only to be met with tragic consequences. It’s a really heartbreaking story when you break it down, and there are plenty of truly emotional moments throughout the film that will elicit genuine reactions. There are also some beautiful moments in which all the elements come together to create some truly perfect sequences, and Lucas should be commended for this, as those moments truly are amazing. You can really tell that Lucas put his heart and soul into this story, causing you to be more invested in the story and characters in this single film than the previous two.
A lot of people gripe about the prequels and I can totally understand why. They have a lot of problems including writing, acting, pacing and sometimes logic. As someone who loves film, I can totally understand why people don’t like the first two prequels. However, Revenge of the Sith isn’t like those first two films as it’s a genuinely great movie. Sure, it has its share of problems, but there is so much more in this film that outweighs those problems. The scope is epic beyond proportions, the acting has improved, and the story is actually engaging on an emotional level. Couple that with those truly perfect moments that Lucas has spread through the film and you have your self not only the best Star Wars Prequel, but one of the best entries in the saga.
9/10