Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith

Released: 2005

Directed By: George Lucas

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen

Certificate: 12A

It is May 2005: a young boy sits in a darkened cinema as yellow text, spread across the vast expanse of space, flows upon a gigantic screen. It fades, and a lens flare spills light over an interstellar horizon and war drums sound, signalling the arrival of our heroes; Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. From that moment to when the lights go up, the boy watching is similarly entranced and saddened, knowing that this will be the last Star Wars film.

With the prospect of a seventh instalment in the franchise fast approaching, I (the boy described above, in case you hadn’t guessed) find myself returning constantly to Revenge of the Sith. Not for the ‘masochistic’reasons that many older fans of the series might do, but for the same reasons they re-watch the original trilogy countless times: for the scale(both great and small), for the characters, for the John Williams score, for the timeless battle between good and evil.

The story (for those of you who’ve been living under a rock for the last 10 years) picks up three years into the Clone Wars. Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his former apprentice Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) have been summoned home to rescue supreme Chancellor Palpatine(Ian McDiarmid) from the clutches of Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). Once the daring mission is complete, Anakin finds his allegiances torn as a rift between the Jedi and Palpatine grows yet larger. All the while, the sinister forces of the Dark Side begin to latch onto our young hero’s mind, torturing him with visions of his wife Padmé (Natalie Portman) dying in childbirth.

Where Sith really stands head and shoulders above its predecessors are undoubtedly the effects; a masterful combination of practical sets, models(yes, contrary to what you’ve heard, there actually were some used) and digital magic. I’ve seen the opening space battle more times than is probably healthy but it works every time. The fluid motion of the camera as it follows our heroes into battle, the sheer detail of the smaller vignettes happening in the background: this is digital film-making at its best, where the effects are there not only to contribute to the story, but to wow the audience, something many current action films fail to achieve.

McGregor finally takes centre stage side-by-side with Christensen and is by far the most engaging presence in the movie. Perhaps wary of the criticisms aimed his way after Attack of the Clones, Christensen is much more watchable(his stone-like features contributing a lot here, given the darker nature of the story) but is still – like others in the ensemble cast – held back by the script. Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine is gladly restored to the wrinkled, delectably evil form we last saw in 1983 and is more fun to watch than almost everyone else combined. Yes, one or two moments are hammier than a butcher’s shop but in amongst the serious elements it’s so wonderful to see an actor visibly enjoying himself.

Composer John Williams is on top form here, bringing a whole host of new, exciting cues and themes. The central ‘Battle of the Heroes’ piece encapsulates the entire spirit of the film, a heart-wrenching and thrilling theme that is justifiably saved for the climax. Williams even joins in with Lucas’ darker experimentation, notably in a small scene in which Anakin reaches out across the void to the woman he is determined to save, no matter the cost to himself, to his friends, nor the whole galaxy. The music is haunting and there is a total absence of dialogue; the gorgeous cinematography and a single tear running down the face of our soon-to-be fallen hero speaking louder than words ever could.

Once the politics, planet-splitting battles and heart-breaking betrayals have passed, we come to the sequence that the entire series has been building towards: the lightsaber duel between master and student. These are two people who have trained, laughed and fought together for thirteen years. They know each other inside out, and the central tension in the duel (intertwined with the central betrayal of principles) is waiting to see who will break first. Even though most of us knew the outcome, seeing the two combatants slowly tire as the duel moves from a collapsing industrial complex to the hellish lava rivers below serves only to ramp up the atmosphere. By the time the inevitable finale hits the screen and Darth Vader – arguably cinema’s most iconic villain – returns in a Frankenstein-like tirade of anguish, the two trilogies are seamlessly connected.