The Skywalker Saga: Revenge of The Sith

Revenge of The Sith was the final prequel movie to grace our screens all the way back in 2005. It was definitely my most anticipated movie during my Skywalker marathon and boy, did it not disappoint.

From beginning to end, this movie shows the potential the prequel series had, everything fits so perfectly together that you almost forget the two movies before it were bad.

We start off with a space battle, and it’s almost shocking to me that we haven’t had that yet with the previous movies. Sure, we had the scene with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon in The Phantom Menace, but it was nowhere near as grand as this.

The characters feel alive and fun, unlike my previous complaint about Obi-Wan and Anakin’s relationship, Revenge of The Sith knocks it out of the park.

You do get the sense that the two are almost brothers, with Obi-Wan being the sensible older brother and Anakin being the mischievous younger brother. The two work so well off each other that it makes me wonder why their chemistry wasn’t the same in Attack of the Clones.

I do greatly enjoy Anakin’s character here much more than in the previous films, there are still some issues with lines sounding a little stiff. But by the end of the movie, there is so much emotion and anger presented that it’s shocking to see where it came from.

Anakin is one of those characters where I know he gets better in the end, from his roles in The Phantom Menace to Revenge of the Sith, it felt rather bumpy than smooth.

I wouldn’t necessarily say it paid off; a bad character doesn’t automatically become good just because their portrayal has changed positively by a little bit.

The opening scene of Dooku’s death really sets the tone for the rest of the movie, it also does a wonderful job of showing Anakin being manipulated by the Chancellor.

If I did have a complaint, it would be that they should have really emphasised the relationship with the Chancellor and Anakin more in the previous films.

With little conversations in the other movies, their interactions feel very forced here and like they’re happening suddenly instead of this planned attack that they keep mentioning.

With the death of Dooku, we get a new villain, General Grevious. He’s possibly my favourite villain to come from a main series movie, just seeing him on screen brings me so much joy. Although he’s presented as this scary villain, they make him pathetic and clumsy enough to be funny and likeable.

However, we do get the prequel trope of being introduced and killed in the same movie. It’s a shame as I would’ve loved to see Grevious live on into other movies.

The clones get some better character development in this movie, with the whole Order 66 ordeal taking place. Even though I know it’s coming every single time, it still makes me feel distraught.

Getting to see the aftermath of Order 66 in shows like the Bad Batch really emphasises how big the act was, how scary everything was.

Seeing Yoda collapse from all the pain and death really struck a nerve, how dare they hurt this tiny, green man like that. The Chewbacca cameo was not lost on me and it’s a little world building for the character, it makes me wonder if he’s ever shared his Clone Wars stories with Han.

Other characters like Padme and Jar Jar don’t really have any other purpose in this movie, the latter not getting a single line.

Padme’s only reason for being in this movie is for Anakin, she is Anakin’s driving force, the reason he turns to the dark side.

Their relationship in this movie is far more believable than the others, yet it still feels like they lack actual love for one another. Their couple interactions still make me uncomfortable and awkward, there still hasn’t been a Star Wars couple that I’m 100% behind and believe that they are actually happy.

The ending with the two didn’t have any effect on me like the Order 66 event. Sure, it’s sad. Anakin has turned to the dark side and Padme no longer recognises him.

But what’s more upsetting is the line deliveries from Ewan McGregor, the guy is putting his all into those final scenes and they hit home way more than a bickering married couple.

The final scenes with Anakin and Obi-Wan are heart wrenching, and though we knew this would happen, we knew Anakin would become Darth Vader, it’s still not a pretty sight to see.

The juxtaposition of Padme and the twins being born compared to Anakin and his imprisonment in the Vader suit is a beautiful piece of cinema. The bright, sterile white of Padme really contrasts with the dark, mechanical backdrop that surrounds Anakin while he screams in agony.

I still find it amusing that Padme could give the twins names in a breathless whisper just by looking at them, there was no scene where Padme and Anakin discussed it, no mention whatsoever. So, this leads me to believe that it was an on-the-spot thing.

We once again get to see a young Uncle Owen peering over the sand dunes facing the two suns, the familiar hum of Luke’s theme from the original series places in the background and Obi-Wan fades away into the desert.

It’s a beautiful ending, possibly the best ending in a Star Wars movie.

I will say that A New Hope is my favourite Star Wars movie, yet Revenge of The Sith has to be the best Star Wars movie. It has everything in it that makes a great movie, but more so, it has everything in it that makes a great Star Wars movie.

Revenge of The Sith gets 4 out of 5 Battledroids from me.

Revenge of The Sith is streaming on Disney +.