As we approach the end of the Skywalker saga with Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, we here at Full Circle agreed it was time to take a look back. Every day until The Rise of Skywalker‘s release, we’ll be discussing every single theatrical project in the Star Wars franchise, in canonical order. This time, we will talk about the last addition to the prequel trilogy era, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.
There’s always a defining film in a movie franchise. The film that makes it the legend it becomes through time. There are things you see and learn throughout the other films. It ties everything together and it all comes full circle. When Star Wars was first released in the 70s, there was a revelation. A line from Darth Vader that would live on forever… In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
After defeating Darth Maul and currently fighting in the Clone Wars our hero Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) would have his defining moment. The film is set three years after the beginning of the Clone Wars. Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan Macgregor) would continue their journey and keep their bond strong. Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) and General Grevious (Matthew Wood) have captured Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid).
Palpatine would be rescued by our two heroes, and his bond with Anakin would grow. Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson), Yoda (Frank Oz), and the rest of the Jedi Council have their suspicions of Palpatine as he and Anakin become closer. With a war going on and the Jedis separated Palpatine would be able to execute his plan. Turn one of the greatest Jedis to the Dark Side.
The acting in this film is thoroughly enjoyable and is kicked up several notches from Episodes I and II. Hayden Christensen as a young and confused Anakin was brilliant. The entire cast was great in this film, especially Natalie Portman as Padme. She was incredible in this film. From being at her happiest point with Anakin to her most stressed moments as a mother, she was grand. Of course, Samuel L. Jackson kills it in every film he’s in. The supporting cast definitely helps throughout this film with the story building.
George Lucas is one of the few directors we should be giving flowers to before he passes. Everything he built this franchise out of has only expanded this great universe. His writing and directing is top tier. The cinematography from different planets, battle sequences, and Anakin meeting his fate are all wonderful scenes shot by David Tattersall.
This film is definitely a defining moment in Star Wars history. George Lucas once said that he couldn’t do the prequels first because he didn’t have the technology to do them yet. About 20 years later and he had all the tech he needed to create these beautiful films. In their early days, the Star Wars prequels were unappreciated, but since then they have grown on many of us.
For me, this was everything I knew about Star Wars coming together in a beautiful thread. This laid the foundation for the films that came before. You saw who Anakin was before he became Vader. He was a caring, loving young man with his whole life ahead of him. He was ready to become a father and a husband. All of that was ripped away from him when he chose the dark side. Those final scenes in episode III maybe some of the saddest moments in film history. As a man gains all of this tremendous power, he all but loses everything he will ever love in the process. It is truly a defining moment in Star Wars as a generation’s greatest villain’s origin story comes to an end.
Rating – 8/10
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith – Starring Hayden Christensen, Ewan Macgregor, and Natalie Portman now streaming on Disney+ – Three years into the Clone Wars, the Jedi rescue Palpatine from Count Dooku. As Obi-Wan pursues a new threat, Anakin acts as a double agent between the Jedi Council and Palpatine and is lured into a sinister plan to rule the galaxy.
