Why ‘Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith’ holds a special place in my heart
From Disney+ and Lucasfilm Ltd, taken from theatrical release poster by Drew Struzan
Hello! I hope, whoever and wherever you are, you’re having a most beautiful day and that you’re staying sane inside amidst the chaos of COVID-19. For those who are still working, I hope you are safe and well. I loved The Phantom Menace, and Attack of the Clones is rife with lost potential and missed opportunities. Yet, I have always had strong feelings about Revenge of the Sith, which perfectly balances two loves of mine: exciting, character-driven Star Wars films, and darker, tragic films. While Episode III is not perfect by any means, but I would argue that it deserves its place as a contender for best Star Wars film.
I couldn’t resist. Taken from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith by Lucasfilm Ltd, cinematography by David Tattersall
Before I start, I want to share my condolences for the loss of Andrew Jack, a dialect coach and fellow Star Wars actor. Aside from several various roles in the franchise, he is perhaps best known for his role of Major and later General Ematt in both Episodes VI and VII. He sadly passed at 76 due to contracting COVID-19; he will most certainly be missed.
Revenge of the Sith had a great deal to do. Prove a satisfying conclusion to the controversial Prequel Trilogy and set everything in place for the Original Trilogy. This is mostly successful without feeling too jammed in, though as would be expected, some plot-holes are present. One could question why R2-D2 does not reveal to C3PO and the cast of the Original Trilogy the events of the Prequels, or how Leia remembers what her mother looked like. All the same, no film and no series is without plot-holes, and I would argue that these movies do a solid job in avoiding more.
Another element not perfect, yet still fantastic is the character work. Most of the characters are much better written again, more consistent and fleshed out. Yoda, Mace Windu, and Palpatine, in particular, finally get more screen-time – more chances to let them shine. Palpatine – or Darth Sidious, finally becoming the Emperor – is gifted with the opportunity to reveal his prowess in combat beyond his lightning abilities. His fight with Master Yoda allows them both to show off their fighting capabilities, which I enjoyed immensely. Still, the biggest relief is with the major characters – with one exception, which I will get into last of all. As I had wished for in Attack of the Clones, Anakin and Obi-Wan find more of a brotherhood here. Obi-Wan is wiser again than in the previous instalment, his wit providing some of the lighter moments in the movie. Especially early on in the opening sequence, his banter with his brother and student offers viewers quite a fun tone. Even as the film progresses and darkens considerably, he becomes something of a safe house in a storm, a place that one knows will not be jostled by hails or cyclones. Anakin, meanwhile, the heart of darkness of Revenge of the Sith, has mellowed out considerably in that, instead of being a constant overblown raging creep, he quietly simmers with multiple bursts of anger. His convictions are strong even as Palpatine continues to manipulate him, twisting his fear and mistrust into the perfect weapon and creating Darth Vader. Ultimately, his fear of loss is what undercuts him most, and is a relatable one; after all, most of us can perfectly understand what it is to fear to lose our most loved ones. We know that, with little question, we would do anything to keep them safe. For Anakin, that exists with Padmé and his unborn child – later found to be children (plot twist!). Watching him crumble, blind to what the Emperor is doing to him is unbearably tragic, as it’s so apparent to the viewer – and increasingly so to the Jedi Council.
The things we do for love. Taken from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith by Lucasfilm Ltd, cinematography by David Tattersall
I do admittedly find a lot of the blame lies in the Council, for not doing more to understand what’s going on in Anakin’s head, to understand his pain and help him heal. Even Obi-Wan at the final hurdle (for what is arguably one of my favourite scenes in the movie, but we’ll get to that soon enough), can only offer so much sympathy and assistance – merely resorting to conceding he has failed his student. This is often not out of character for the Jedi – they have their resolve, and they stick to it to an almost fanatical degree. Yet while Palpatine actively breaks Anakin down until he’s Darth Vader, the Jedi fail him, too. The only one who really tries to help him is Padmé, who I will concede… I’m entirely heartbroken for, and not in a good way.
In The Phantom Menace, Padmé Amidala was a Queen. Smart, resourceful, badass, capable in every situation thrown her way. She was precisely the kind of heroine any young kid – girls especially – deserve to idolise. In Attack of the Clones, Padmé was a Senator, no longer Queen and primarily relegated to exile with Anakin as the heroes find out why any of it happened. In my last review, I conceded that a lot of this surely had to do with giving the lovebirds a chance to connect, even if I would have done it entirely differently. Yet in the climax, she’s allowed to take the initiative and fight alongside the Jedi.
In Revenge of the Sith, Padmé Amidala is… pregnant. And aside from the rare scenes where her political prowess and fears for the future are hinted at, apart from a scene where she watches Palpatine establish the Empire, she sits or stands around, brushes her hair, and ultimately dies upon losing the will to live. And truthfully, I don’t understand why they thought shoving her to the side like this was a good idea. It almost feels like the only reason she’s still there is that she’s carrying Luke and Leia and because we have to remember she’s in this movie. Other than her begging Anakin to come away with her to raise their child, she does almost nothing in this movie. And not only do I not get it, but it’s insulting, really. Why waste such an excellent character? Why not let her retain some of her agency and badassery? Why not give her something else to do in this film that isn’t centred on her pregnancy? I’m at a loss for words, truly.
Her character assassination is one huge glaring issue in this film, and yet Episode III is still somehow near and dear to me. Truth be told, much of it is indeed to do with the story.
As I said before, I love tragedies. And part three of Anakin’s succumbing to the dark side rarely fails to bring tears to my eyes. The story is matched with multiple action set pieces and numerous plot-oriented scenes, not only returning the pace to one more consistent with The Phantom Menace, but also allowing viewers to both enjoy the film and be devastated by it. The story is one we know will end in failure, with only a promise of hope and Episodes ahead to carry on. Episode III revels in this awareness by not focussing on it until after the final battle when A New Hope positions are most required. Even so, the story is structured so that these positions feel like a natural progression rather than cheap, forced labour.
Thus commences Anakin’s Dark Deeds. Taken from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith by Lucasfilm Ltd, cinematography by David Tattersall
The mythology is expanded, only three worlds are focussed upon – Coruscant, Mustafar – a new, volcanic planet – and another whose name is so forgettable, I cannot remember it beyond “that place where Obi-Wan and General Grievous fight”. We get to learn more about the Sith, including Palpatine’s mentor – Darth Plagueis – and some of the dark side’s force abilities. Yet most of all, it is the balance of the force itself that takes centre stage in this. With Order 66 (which also almost always brings me to tears) and the destruction of the Jedi Order save a small few, the balance is tipped almost irreparably in favour of the dark side – with it, the worlds are vulnerable to decimation, dictatorship, and eventual ruin.
All the same, this push so heavily one way highlights one of my core philosophies: we cannot understand sadness with joy, and we cannot truly know joy without sadness. Both are necessary to comprehend the world, but most importantly, ourselves. The light and the dark cannot exist separately – they need one another to exist at all.
Yet such philosophies are not the only element present at the core of a Star Wars film. Indeed, they are designed to thrill, to excite even as the story brings us to tears. And that’s no clearer than in the battle sequences, and here there are a fair few. The opening space battle which is thrilling and allows for Anakin and Obi-Wan to banter/work together as brothers; the immediate follow-up of navigation through an enemy ship and battles not just with Count Dooku, but newcomer General Grievous as well. The former duel, which results in Dooku’s demise, is a nice bit of foreshadowing for where Anakin is going in this movie as he wields both blue and red lightsabers. Obi-Wan versus General Grievous, Mace Windu versus Palpatine and eventually Anakin, Yoda versus Palpatine, the battle on Kashyyyk between the Wookies and a droid army (which provides a small yet nice cameo of Chewbacca)… but my favourite, and perhaps one of the best-choreographed sequences in the movie which plays against the Yoda V Palpatine set-piece, is that of Obi-Wan versus Anakin, their blue lightsabers bright against the violent red of the volcanic world. Not only is it beautiful orchestrated, but the emotion behind it is intense. Indeed, all three Prequel movies offered us a blissful step up in terms of quality of choreography, and the two brothers battling it out as Anakin is entirely lost to Darth Vader is a shining example of that.
A great and devastating battle. Taken from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith by Lucasfilm Ltd, cinematography by David Tattersall
However, not one part of this film would be complete without John Williams’ prodigal prowess behind it, and I won’t lie – Revenge of the Sith, I feel, has the best soundtrack in the saga. It’s moving, it’s devastating, and it’s exciting in all the right places. It manages to hold the movie’s tone perfectly, ultimately elevating it to brand new heights. John Williams may not be my favourite composer (that honour goes to Clint Mansell and Nobuo Uematsu), but I won’t lie by saying he hasn’t done some of my favourite-ever scores. Much of my music is ultimately dedicated to film scores, and Star Wars is undoubtedly on many of my playlists. Episode III is, in short, a beacon in film music. PS. My favourite piece is probably Anakin vs. Obi-Wan.
In all, Revenge of the Sith is emotional. It’s thrilling. It’s well-balanced in pace and tone with exceptionally written characters (not including one particular heroine’s complete character assassination by regression). Episode III takes the ideas from all other established films and flies with them. Though not perfectly-executed, I still argue that, even with George Lucas allowed to write the dialogue again after the disaster that was the last film’s screenplay (with this time being blissfully leagues better), this film is a marvel, one that more people should stand behind. There is action, story, philosophy, and most of all, hope.
The final shot, back to where it all began nearly 30 years prior. Taken from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith by Lucasfilm Ltd, cinematography by David Tattersall
Now for it’s place in the ranks…
1. Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
2. Episode I: The Phantom Menace
3. Episode II: Attack of the Clones
So there we go! I absolutely adore this film, but what about you? Did you enjoy it? Hate it? Somewhere in between? Let me know in the comments!
But that’s all from me today. I post (temporarily) on Tuesdays and Fridays! All the same, thank you for reading, and I hope you have a most beautiful day!
— Charis.
