Retro Review: Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith

I hate prequels. A part of the magic of a film or novel is the not knowing. You're waiting to see what's going to happen next because you just don't know. When you don't have that, watching the movie becomes a normal thing, like driving to a gas station. That being said, when a prequel is pulled off well I have to give credit where credit is due. There has been a lot of talk over the quality of the Star Wars prequels and what exactly George Lucas was thinking. With Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith, I think he got it right.

Space operas can be confusing as there are things happening we might not fully understand. There is a huge political shake-up here that might be hard to keep up with and my suggestion is to not even try. The action is more than enough to keep you entertained. While the first two prequels try and keep the story moving with dialogue and character development, Revenge of the Sith has way more slicing and dicing. Let's face it, we love Star Wars largely because of the lightsaber battles and this film doesn't disappoint. Where the second prequel came up very short with a brief Yoda battle, Revenge of the Sith gives our favorite little green hero multiple action sequences that will leave you with a cheesy grin on your face.

The Star Wars series has never struggled in the area of visuals and Revenge of the Sith is no exception. There's so much attention to detail that it's almost silly, from the hundreds of crazy cool creatures to the impact a lightsaber has with other objects. Two particular scenes that stick out in my head are Obi Wan's race through a cavernous set-piece on a dinosaur with a high pitched yelp and Obi Wan's battle with Anakin Skywalker as lava is exploding all around them. Eye candy galore.

Outside of the action, Revenge of the Sith did something else quite well that failed to resonate in the first two prequels: create an emotional tie. This is a dark movie that definitely earns it's PG-13 merit badge. The sadness is almost palpable as you watch a great force of good being extinguished. Anakin leaves behind a trail of destruction that you can't unsee which left me thinking, "Man, they really went there. Wow."

Two small cons I must address: 1. Hayden Christensen, while much improved from Attack of the Clones, still leaves a lot to be desired as an actor. It's almost like the director did multiple takes of his scenes and decided to go with the ones that sucked the least. 2. Jar Jar. Oh, Mr. Binks, your lack of relevance in everything you have to do with these prequels will never cease to amaze me. I will say, these two blemishes pale in comparison to everything else the movie does well.

It's the story of a troubled kid becoming one of the most iconic bad guys the universe has ever seen. A great swan song to the prequel trilogy, I give this movie a 97.