Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

My Review

“Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” brings the series to a tragic nexus in which Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker is manipulated by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine into turning to the dark side of the Force to prevent his wife from dying. This triggers the destruction of the Jedi Order and the rise of the evil Galactic Empire. Director-screenwriter George Lucas (“THX 1138” 1971) skillfully brought the story full circle back to the original “Star Wars” motion picture of 1977, graphically showing the transformation of Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader. It was a testament to Lucas’ acumen that the film received a PG-13 rating instead of R.

Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman return as Anakin and Padme Amidala, whose romance and marriage comes to a tragic conclusion. Also reprising previous roles are Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ian McDiarmid as Chancellor-turned-Emperor Sheev Palpatine, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Kenny Baker as R2-D2, Frank Oz as Yoda, Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu, Jimmy Smits as Bail Organa, Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca, Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse as Owen and Beru Lars, Temuera Morrison as the Clone Troopers, Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks, and Christopher Lee as Count Dooku.

Honorable mention also goes to Rick McCallum (producer), John Williams (musical score), David Tattersall (cinematography),and the countless thousands involved in the creation of the marvelous FX. The very watchable “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” was the second highest grossing film of 2005 for executive producer George Lucas, Lucasfilm Ltd., and 20th Century Fox. It was filmed at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney.