Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge Of The Sith Reviews

Left me hollow.

Why does this film fail? For me its quite simple. 1) The script. A scene from the final episode of Futurama came to mind. The Robot Devil is criticising Fry's opera. 'I hate it when characters just come out and say how they feel. That makes me feel angry.' Lucas clearly wasn't aware of this concise summation of a fundamental principle of good writing. This film is hijacked by a relentlessly heavy-handed script that ironically produces the weakest sense of motivation with regards to Anakin's seduction by the dark side. Absolutely criminal considering that this is the central plot-line and the emotional crux of the prequels.

2) CGI. I cannot emotionally invest in a battle where one bunch of anonymous, digitally created soldiers are fighting another set. The lack of a visceral, 'real' dimension to the action is apprehended almost subconsciously but it is there, precluding any substantial attachment to the characters involved and consequently any appreciation of the scene on a level above 'wow, thats looks amazing' (which, from a technical standpoint, it most certainly does). In an age where anything is possible (on screen) Lucas seems to have lost any sense of restraint. Less can be more. For all its technical wizardry the action scenes fell distressingly flat due partly to the grotesque overuse of cgi enhancement. I felt as if i was watching a computer game that i couldn't control. How much fun is that? The Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Darth Maul fight from Episode I is one of my favourite fight scenes of all time, produced largely without the interference of CGI.

500 words is just not enough to describe exactly what i found problematic with Episode III. This is from a guy who adores the universe and is almost heart broken by how the prequels have turned out and who no longer has the will to overlook any problems he may find in them.

Everything I Hoped It Would Be

There have been some negative reviews about this film which I'll get to in a bit. Firstly, I'd like to say that this is one of the best instalments of the entire Star Wars series. The film has so much scope, it deals with some of life's greatest themes, and it is visually breathtaking. Every scene is beautifully shot and the fight sequences both dazzle and excite. This is where Star Wars comes into it's own and is primarily what the Star Wars films are all about.

Admittedly, Episode I is pants! 'Attack of the Clones' is not much better, but Episode III is light sabres ahead and, I would suggest, up there with my personal favourite, 'The Empire Strikes Back'. Even though we all know what will eventually happen, the plot still holds a few surprises and keeps the viewer guessing. The film is underpinned by classic themes such as the hunger for power, man's longing to be the hero and quest for adventure, the struggle of temptation and the strength of good over evil, the consequences of doing wrong, man's need to persevere through trials... All themes that are present in the original films. It is in this light that all Star Wars films need to be seen and reviewed. In other words, does the film achieve what its director has set out to achieve. Is it true to the world that is Star Wars?

Secondly, despite what some have said the acting is the best out of all 6 episodes. There are cheesy romantic lines but then there always have been. There is some pretty ropey humour but it should be remembered that this is nothing new. From 'Episode IV: A New Hope', Star Wars has always gone down the cheesy romance and obvious humour road. But that is what makes it so great. All these pompous idiots who think that the originals had great scripts and humour should see the films again. The scripts never were the strong point. They were never what made Star Wars so great. Lucas' greatest strength as a director is in his ability to bring mind blowing imagery, SFX, and sound to the silver screen - the gift of enthralling children while at the same time amusing adults. He does all this with the help of John Williams masterful score which so brilliantly captures the mood of the film. Star Wars films have traditionally pushed cinematic boundaries and broken new ground. 'Revenge of the Sith' does this in bucket loads.

George Lucas has not tried to make Episode III cool. He has maintained the feel of the original films while allowing the modern use of CGI to bring a dazzling spectacle before our eyes. I have two minor gripes about this film. Firstly that there is not enough screen time of Lord Vader kitted out as we know him, helmet and all, and secondly Yoda's inability to structure his sentences properly really does become rather tiresome. These, however are minor problems for the most anticipated film of all time.

Episode III: The Revenge of The Sith is a great Star Wars movie, it really does bring the whole story together and sets up Hope, Empire, and Jedi so well. If you are a fan of the originals, you should definitely see this, it is far and away the best film since 'The Empire Strikes Back'.

No George, There is another ...........

OK you lot, you really call yourselves a Star Wars fan, then you should turn off the TV and get the book (remember them) by Timothy Zahn called 'Heir To The Empire'. This is what should have been made instead of these below-average prequels. And directed by anyone other than George Lucas too. Here is the book description:

It's five years after Return of the Jedi: the Rebel Alliance has destroyed the Death Star, defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, and driven out the remnants of the old Imperial Starfleet to a distant corner of the galaxy. Princess Leia and Han Solo are married and expecting Jedi Twins. And Luke Skywalker has become the first in a long-awaited line of Jedi Knights. But thousand of light-years away, the last of the emperor's warlords has taken command of the shattered Imperial Fleet, readied it for war, and pointed it at the fragile heart of the new Republic. For this dark warrior has made two vital discoveries that could destroy everything the courageous men and women of the Rebel Alliance fought so hard to build. The explosive confrontation that results is a towering epic of action, invention, mystery, and spectacle on a galactic scale--in short, a story worthy of the name Star Wars.

Read this and you will be one of the many who is hoping for the day this is made into a movie, and Star Wars regains its crown as the king of all Sci Fi tales.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Good relations with the Wookies, I have.

The last of the Star Wars films to be made and done in breathtaking style. The only thing with this film is that it relies a little too much on digital technology, which causes it to lose some of the charm of the original trilogy.

That aside, Star Wars Episode 3 is by far the most dramatic and spectacular of all the Star Wars films. Continuing the story of episode 2, this film tells of the events leading up to the original trilogy, through tragedy, betrayal and romance. Lucas did a great job as usual. It's the darkest of all the star wars movies of course because it deals with Anakins descent to Darth Vader.

Honourable mention to John Williams for a triumphant score which builds on the previous music, easily some of the most recognisable motifs to a generation of film goers, and creates a magnificent stand alone classical suite. I recommend the soundtrack CD as a superb listening experience.

1 of the best!

This is definatly one of the best star wars episodes. I never got bored here, a good story, good action and ok acting. I loved the fight scenes here especially the ending sequence... I wont ruin it for you.. GREAT FILM! I RECOMMEND YOU RENT IT!!!

Ignore the critics

A really impressive feast of special effects, story line and climax of a great trilogy. This film betters those before it by having more pace throughout and loses some of the dodgy acting exhibited in episode 1 and 2. It also ties up all the loose ends setting you up for the beginning of Star Wars. I thought it was so good I saw it twice in the first 24hrs of release.

Reasons to be cheerful

With less clunky dialogue than any of the previous five movies, Jar Jar making a fleeting appearance right at the end and more emphasis on action than romance, you would think Episode three would be awesome. It is.

Dark, and sometimes brutal, George Lucas has given us what we've always wanted - lightsaber fights galore, space battles, Yoda kicking serious ass and the return of the greatest screen villain ever to grace our screens.

Lucas has learned that romance is best said with actions rather than words, as is revenge, hatred and any other message portrayed by this film.

There are three criticisms. The return of Darth is ruined by a cringeworthy scream, Padme's pregnancy ruined by a robot who should never be a doctor, and the wookies who do very little.

Other than that, this is a film that proves why we all fell in love with the original trilogy in the first place.

The Best of a Bad Bunch

Unlike Episodes I and II, I didn't hate this film. Perhaps that's because Anakin Skywalker was no longer an annoying, brat kid or "Kevin the teenager" style irritatingly self-centred adolescent. Perhaps it was because Jar Jar Binks didn't have a speaking part (which certainly makes the film more enjoyable). Perhaps it was because Count Dooku didn't get any cheesy kung-fu-esque lines to ham-up.

But it was most probably because you know with Episode III that the Jedi council lose, they are destroyed & Anakin Skywalker will fulfill his destiny and become a Lord of the Sith, which was all wonderful to watch.

I will still say that it is not a patch on Episodes IV, V & VI which have far superior storylines, characters & actors, but this is by far the best of the new Bad-Bunch trilogy.

Style over substance...again!

What little excitment I had left for the franchise after the messy Attack of the Clones was finally killed off twenty minutes into Episode III. The stars of this movie were the CGi effects (they were definatly the best actors...). Story, character concept and dignity have all been completely abandoned by Lucas now and he is simply going for the looks of the film.

The performances were lack lustre and forced (even the great James Earl Jones cannot breath life into his clunky, useless lines). If you're over a certain age (three I think...) for you, like me, Star Wars ended in 1983.

Awful, just awful.

Why is Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith so bad? Why is it so awful? Why did I laugh when it was supposed to be sad? Why did I yawn when it was supposed to be thrilling? I'll tell you why, George Lucas is why. He can't write ('younglings'!!!!!!), he can't direct and he doesn't know when to leave a good thing alone (Star Wars - that's its proper name (not episode 4) & Empire Strikes Back are both really good films).

Two scenes stick in my head the sum up the awfulness of this film. Firstly there is the 'execute order 66' sequence when all the Jedi's die. This should have been high drama, pure space opera but George couldn't resist showing off his CG toys. Instead of sweeping us up with the power of the scene, by focusing on the deaths, he pulls the camera far back to show off his (not very good) CGI backdrops.

Yes George those toys are very good, but please put them away like a good boy now because they are distracting us from watching the film.

The other sequence is the build up to and the rise of Vader. I have not laughed so hard at a film in a long time, it could have been a climax to rescue the entire prequel trilogy, but instead it just sums up the whole bloody mess of the three films. Padme dies because her husband turns a little bit grumpy (what utter rubbish). Then when Anakin falls into a fire (couldn't quite see what happened, George was playing with his blinding CGI flashes again), he has a helmet put on his head (one of those plastic Darth Vader masks you can buy at any good fancy dress shop) walks about like John Cleese doing a silly walk, and then cries 'NNNOOO!!!'' like he had just forgotten to cancel the milk. It's just utterly pathetic.

The whole scene is an obvious (badly done) homage to the creation scene in Frankenstein. George if you do want to remind us of another film, its best not to remind us of an all time classic. Why? Because it just serves to remind us of how dreadful your film is in comparison.