CORPORATE LINE: After three long years of relentless fighting, the Clone Wars are nearly at an end. The Jedi Council dispatches Obi-Wan Kenobi to bring General Grievous, the deadly leader of the Separatist droid army, to justice. Meanwhile, back on Coruscant, Chancellor Palpatine has grown in power. His sweeping political changes transform the war-weary Republic into the mighty Galactic Empire. To his closest ally, Anakin Skywalker, he reveals the true nature of power and the promised secrets of the Force in an attempt to lure him to the dark side.
THE FILM: Revenge of the Sith makes this six picture opus completely. Sith is certainly better than the last two Star Wars installments and could stand alone as a great film.
The story we all know and Episode III is the final piece of the puzzle. The story is powerful and supremely enjoyable—especially for fans. One of the biggest surprises is the way that each battle is bittersweet irregardless of the winner.
Still, one of the biggest issues is the casting. Hayden Christensen was hard to enjoy as Anakin in Episode II yet his turn towards the darkside changes the complexity. Christensen does a good job of being bad. It’s still hard to be convinced that Ewan McGregor becomes Alec Guiness’ Obi Wan. What helps Episode III is that there is so much action there isn’t enough time to grow tired of the dialogue.
Thankfully, Sith offers us the roadmap that makes up Star Wars IV and all the classic Star Wars that we adore. It’s the world’s Lucas creates that steal the show. The battles are unbelievable. There isn’t one scene where you aren’t completely absorbed by the world that stands before you. Fans will absolutely love that some old friends are back in Episode III. C-3P0 is back. Chewbacca and Tarkin drop by and much more of Episode III feels familiar.
We will never look at Darth Vader the same again. Sith makes Vader more than a monster machine. The final battle is brilliant and completely engaging. It’s quite a surprise and gives new meaning to the battle of Alec Guiness’ Obi-Wan and Darth Vader. Perhaps the biggest surprise again is Vader’s entry into the world and how different you’ll feel than the way you dreamed it would.
DVD FEATURES:
– The commentary by writer-director George Lucas, producer Rick McCallum, animation director Rob Coleman, and ILM visual effects supervisors John Knoll and Roger Guyett is a bucket load of technical and production information. Lucas is the obvious attraction.
– Exclusive deleted scenes with introductions by George Lucas and Rick McCallum are very interesting. They wouldn’t have changed the complexion of the film although they weren’t the usual junk we see on many DVD features.
– ”Within a Minute” documentary film about the making of the Mustafar battle
– “The Chosen One” featurette: George Lucas traces the myth of Darth Vader through episodes 1-6
– “It’s All for Real: The Stunts of Episode III” goes behind the scenes and showcases the many interesting stunts.
– A 15-part collection of Lucasfilm’s Web documentaries is magnificent with a great deal of behind the scenes footage.
– Star Wars Battlefront II trailer and Xbox game demo
– Star Wars Empire at War PC game trailer
– “A Hero Falls” music video
– Poster and print campaign
– Trailers and TV spots
– Never-before-seen production photo gallery
– DVD-ROM content includes a free trial of Hyperspace, the ultimate online Star Wars experience
The extra disc of DVD features is worth buying the set for alone. Whether you truly loved the film or not this is a rare treat.
FRANKLY: Its better that we don’t give the entire movie away—even though we all know how it ends. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a huge success. Fans and those on the fringe will love Episode III. Finally George Lucas has made an episode that deserves to be mentioned with the original trilogy.
+ Charlie Craine
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