Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

Peter Jackson said that the first two Lord of the Rings movies were made so that the third one could exist. However, such a statement better applies to Star Wars. It is surprising how Episode III gradually changes form – it starts out in the spirit of the popcorn flicks Episode I and Episode II, then begins to take on the style of the original trilogy, and ends in such a way that you have a powerful need to see Episode IV. This transition shows us why the two preceding volumes were so weak dramatically and confirms WHO the main “hero” of the whole saga is and WHAT the most important element of a narrative fantasy film is. In Jackson’s case, it was Sauron; for Lucas, it’s Darth Vader. In filmmaking terms, Episode III is better than the two previous episodes only in the last 20 minutes (which reach the dramatic level of Episode V). The rest of Episode III is more engaging not because it was written or filmed with greater skill, but because it’s about something. What would The Fellowship of the Ring be if Sauron hadn’t been mentioned in it and depicted as the greatest and most powerful evil? It would be good to edit Episode I and Episode II into a single two-hour prequel and start the saga that we all love with Episode III. May the Dark Side be with you, Anakin! (21/05/2005)

Lucas didn’t deliver what I was looking forward to the most. There was no major internal struggle in Anakin's mind, his transition to the dark side was too rushed, despite Lucas having the whole movie to work on it. It called for more Anakin and his mental struggle and less flashy Grievous (though the four lightsabers were cool). Some moments were weaker or outright lame (Obi-Wan chasing chasing Grievous on a lizard, the deformed face of Palpatine's with a make-up that failed fatally when compared to the Emperor's expression in the old series), some were exquisite (the whole Obi-Wan vs. Anakin duel, Obi-Wan's beautifully played emotional speech to the burning Anakin, the extermination of the Jedi), and the overall emotional impact was quite strong. But I still stand by the fact that Lucas is not a very good director and should have given the helm to someone more skilled. This episode is not without flaws, so with its cautious five stars, The Empire Strikes Back remains on top. But I still love this legend as a whole. (15/06/2005)

The third episode, which is also the sixth one to be shot, makes its epic qualities really more than obvious. I feel that George Lucas told everyone that the first trilogy couldn’t be done in the 1970s, but he also did it on purpose so that the epicness of it could be built on the existing fame. Which actually, in the end, happened. I remember, that when I, back then, started with the newer trilogy, I was very uncertain after the second episode what would come in the third one. And the third one also started pretty slow. But the second half of the movie is, thankfully, a never-ending wipe-out that not only brings you the transformation of Anakin into Darth Vader, but there is also a solid amount of scenes some fans have been waiting for for 2 decades and which aren’t going to be forgotten easily. And that’s despite the fact that everybody even then knew very well what was going to happen and they still couldn’t help but feel the suspense that the third episode hides. For me a complete climax during which you need to wait out the first half-hour of political babbling so that you can enjoy the acting reincarnation of Hayden Christensen into one of the most powerful Sith Lord of that time. (06/11/2015)

When it came to the crucial part that was supposed to connect everything, it finally managed to tie in with the original trilogy in terms of the fourth and fifth installments. This is a stunningly dark conclusion to the new trilogy, so dark that it will chill you sometimes. Visually, it is magnificent, from the beginning, the duel with Grievous is one of my favorites, as well as Yoda's confrontation with Sidious (Yoda doesn't finish this fight) and Obi-Wan's with Vader. (22/03/2015)

The dark side of the Force suits it. Even so, I don’t think even retrospectively that it makes any more sense than the previous ones; quite the opposite, in the light (excuse me, “the darkness") of this episode I find that the absolute superfluousness of the saga becomes even more obvious. The imbalance in pace is a huge mistake. The first fifteen minutes involves a monumental battle, then we get a boring hour with starched amateur dramatic dialogs and then during the last hour it turns into a serious drama with convincing (as far as the Star Wars universe is concerned) characters. Too bad that the transformation of Anakin into Vader seems unbelievable and rushed. The idea that this mentally unstable character was in fact the embodiment of living charisma that we know from the original trilogy is ridiculous. The weaker moments are saved by the stylish over-acting of Ian McDiarmid. The greatest faux pas is that, although this was supposed to be emotionally tense due to the tragic context, sadly the opposite is true. While on screen we see something technically impressive, it leaves you absolutely cold. (20/05/2005)