Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

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Overview:

The final installment of Star Wars prequels and generally regarded as the best of the three. It shows the final fall of Anakin Skywalker, played by Hayden Christensen, as Jedi Knight towards the dark side of the force, through manipulations of the soon to be Emperor Palpatine, and become the evil Darth Vader. This film also set up the next in the series, A New Hope, portraying the birth of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa and the overall fall of the Jedi order.

Despite some fan complaints Revenge of the Sith was a hit at the box office and is regarded as the best in quality of the prequels. Costing about $113 million the film earned $848 million worldwide, breaking numerous records, over the course of its run in theaters. This is also the only Star Wars film to be rated above PG, given a PG-13, by the MPAA.

Creation:

Originally George Lucas had longed claimed the story arc of all six movies was written back in 1973 only to later profess that only major plot points were written with major details still missing. Work to finish the final two prequel movies shortly after the first one was released as Lucas found flaws in the Attack of the Clones movie plot as well. Lucas spent a lot of time reworking the plot for the third movie mostly by changing the focus off of the entire Clone Wars and giving complete focus onto Anakin Skywalker and his fall to the dark side. Due to this reworking of the plot Attack of the Clone also had to be redone and fixed. 

Plot Summary:

The Clone Wars have ravaged the Galaxy and begun to take an even harsher toll on the Galactic Republic. After years of war it has finally reached the capital planet of Coruscant with Separatist droid army leader General Grievous attacking and kidnapping Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. With the battle still heavily under way in space around Coruscant, Jedi Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi are aptly flying through the raging violence making their way towards Grievous' flagship. 

After fighting off a few droids the two Jedi make their way through Grievous' ship, mostly avoiding battle droids, and discover Palpatine being held to a chair in the front of the ship. There the two Jedi are confronted by Count Dooku, one of the leaders of the Separatists and Sith dark lord. The three begin to battle and duel leaving Kenobi unconscious but giving Anakin the advantage. Anakin disarms Dooku and holds a lightsaber to his neck, though fighting the feeling to and wanting to take him prisoner, Palpatine tells Anakin to kill him and he does. 

With Dooku dead and Palpatine freed Anakin grabs Kenobi and try and find a way to escape the flagship. General Grievous however traps the group in a energy field and brings them to the bridge of the ship, taking their lightsabers. With some quick thinking Anakin and Kenobi are able to escape Grievous' trap and save themselves but the flagship has taken heavy damage and has begun to fall into Coruscant's atmosphere. While Grievous is able to get away in an escape pod Anakin grabs the controls of the large flagship and pilots it into a "controlled" landing onto Coruscant. 

Back on Coruscant and having saved Palpatine and ended Dooku, Anakin and Kenobi have seemingly saved the Republic from a deadly blow. Anakin sneaks off to meet with his secret love and wife Senator Padme Amidala who reveals to Anakin that she is pregnant with their child. Despite such happy news and being back home Anakin begins to have nightmares that wake him up in the middle of the night. He tells Padme about these nightmares, that they are of her death during childbirth and are similar to the dreams he had of his mother's shortly before her death. 

The following day Palpatine requests to meet with Anakin. Palpatine informs that he has been granted more powers by the Senate now giving him direct control over the Jedi Council. Anakin has begun to trust Palpatine more than almost anybody else and confides in him his mistrust in his Jedi masters and their decisions. This is when Palpatine reveals his own decision, to place Anakin on the Jedi council and be Palpatine's own representative on the council so he will have a voice in their choices. 

Anakin proudly accepts but soon discovers despite having a seat on the council he will not be given the rank of Jedi Master which he doesn't accept easily. After the meeting Kenobi talks with Anakin telling him that the council wants Anakin to have a special assignment beyond just protecting him. Skywalker must also report the goings-on and spy on the Chancellor reporting everything back to the Jedi council. Anakin doesn't take to kindly being asked by one friend, Kenobi, to spy on another.

Palpatine invites Anakin out to enjoy an opera revealing that the Republic now knows the whereabouts of General Grievous on the planet of Utapau. Quickly the two's conversation turns to the Jedi and Anakin's role among them. Sensing Anakin's growing mistrust and disillusionment with the Jedi he slowly brings him to understand possible faults with not just the Jedi order but the Senate and democracy built around it. Palpatine soon reveals that the Sith and Jedi aren't much different and tells the story of Darth Plaguies, a Sith lord from long ago who once learned to become so powerful that he could create life and even save people from death. Anakin wonders to Palpatine is this ability could sitll be learned and he tells him not from any Jedi. 

With the whereabouts of Grievous known Anakin reports the information to the council and expects to be considered to go after him. To his slight surprise it is Kenobi who is selected to capture Grievous. The two meet one last time as friends before Kenobi departs and Kenobi senses Anakin's disappointment and tells him he thinks he should go too. Anakin is grateful for Kenobi's training and friendship through the years. 

Obi-Wan arrives on Utapau meeting with a few native representatives who tell him none of the Separatists are on the planet and he should leave. Kenobi notices the natives are indicating hidden Separatist forces and secretly stays on the planet and begins to search for Grievous finding him a few levels down dropping down to engage him. Grievous and Kenobi duel but Kenobi is obviously too much for Grievous and in panic Grievous flees. As Grievous escapes squads of clone troopers arrive beginning to take out the legions of droids stationed there. 

Back on Coruscant Anakin gives word to Palpatine that Grievous has indeed been located and insists he should go too to help out his former master. Quickly their conversation switches to the nature of the force and his vast knowledge of the force seems to give away Palpatine's real identity, Darth Sidious the evil Sith lord behind all of the enemies now lining up against the Republic. Anakin doesn't kill Sidious though but instead decides to report his identity to the Jedi council.

Obi-Wan continues to chase down Grievous through Utapau fighting back and forth. The two end up at Grievous' escape ship and Kenobi is finally able to lift one of Grievous' downed blaster and shoots Grievous' exposed chest plate, killing the cyborg once and for all. 

Anakin has rushed back informing Jedi Master Mace Windu of Palpatine's real identity. With their worst fears realized Windu leaves Anakin behind to protect the Jedi temple due to his confused feelings due to his friendship with Palpatine and organizes a group of Jedi to either arrest Palpatine or end him. Despite the order Anakin cannot forget what Sidious told him, the power to save lives, and if the Jedi kill him then his knowledge will be gone forever. Windu along with Jedi Masters  Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar, and Saesee Tiin arrive at Palpatine's office and are there to arrest him for the Republic. Despite the numbers, Sidious easily deals with all of them except Windu.

Windu and Sidious duel it out until Windu is able to overpower him and disarm him.  Anakin arrives into the office and sees Windu towering over Sidious who unleashes a tirade of lightning which only reflects back onto him. As the lightning tortures Sidious, though it is his own, he screams out for Anakin to help him and that this is the evidence that the Jedi only wanted power. Anakin intervenes and attacks Windu giving Sidious a chance to assault him with the lightning, blasting and killing him out of the open window. Despite being shocked and horrified by his actions Anakin knows what he has done is done and nothing can take it back. 

Anakin bows down to Sidious becoming a new dark lord of the Sith and giving him the name Darth Vader. Vader's first task is to return to the Jedi Temple and begin to execute order 66, killing all Jedi to end a Jedi "rebellion". As Vader assaults the Jedi temple with a legion of clone troopers the order goes out to every clone trooper across the galaxy and to turn on their Jedi generals, killing them one by one in cold blood. 

Yoda and Kenobi have both survived the Jedi purge thanks to quick actions and thinking. They soon realize what has happened and must return to Coruscant to disable a beacon now switched to order the Jedi return which is only a trap to kill more Jedi. Kenobi and Yoda infiltrate the temple and re-calibrate the beacon giving Kenobi the chance to check the security tapes to see who could turn on the Jedi and kill so many. Kenobi discovers the truth he was afraid to face, that his own former pupil has fallen to the dark side. 

Vader has been sent to Mustafar to finish the war once and for all and kill the remaining heads of the Separatist movement. Kenobi and Yoda decide to end the Sith threat once and for all, with Yoda going after Sidious and Kenobi planning to go after Vader. Kenobi goes to Padme's apartment where he tells her about his fall to the dark side and his betrayal to the Jedi. Padme refuses to tell his whereabouts but as she leaves to meet Anakin on Mustafar, Kenobi sneaks aboard. 

On Coruscant, Yoda confronts Sidious and on Mustafar Kenobi confronts Vader. Despite Yoda's abilities he is unable to defeat Sidious. Padme arrives on Mustafar into Vader's open arms until he spots Kenobi. Thinking Padme has betrayed him his anger overwhelms him and he begins to force choke Padme leaving her unconscious. Kenobi tries to reason with Vader, telling him to realize the actions he it taking. Vader refuses and the two former friends begin their epic duel. They fight all over the Mustafar works causing most of it to begin to collapse and crash into the lava below. 

Kenobi eventually gains the upper-hand in the fight warning Vader to surrender to his his advantage. Vader refuses and continues his attack only to cut down, his arms and legs removed, and his still living body sent rolling down to burn. Kenobi laments he was supposed to bring balance to the force not plummet it into darkness. 

Kenobi retreats and is rescued by Senator Bail Organa and Yoda. They quickly take Padme to receive emergency medical attention from Vader's attack at the same time Darth Sidious is finding Vader's torched and damaged body and getting him medical help. Vader is placed in a cyborg suit giving him the ability to survive but severely weakened. Padme gives birth to twins, Luke and Leia, before dying due to childbirth just like Anakin's nightmare. 

Vader and Sidious now rule over the Galactic Empire and begin construction on a new weapon in hopes of ruling the galaxy through fear. Luke Skywalker is taken by Kenobi to Tatooine, where Luke has some relatives and where Kenobi will stay to look over him. Bail Organa will take Leia as his adoptive daughter to Alderaan where his wife and him shall raise her. Yoda decides to go into hiding hoping one day the two young Skywalkers can be enough to take down the Sith.

Production:

Originally George Lucas had longed claimed the story arc of all six movies was written back in 1973 only to later profess that only major plot points were written with major details still missing. Work to finish the final two prequel movies shortly after the first one was released as Lucas found flaws in the Attack of the Clones movie plot as well. Lucas spent a lot of time reworking the plot for the third movie mostly by changing the focus off of the entire Clone Wars and giving complete focus onto Anakin Skywalker and his fall to the dark side. Due to this reworking of the plot Attack of the Clones also had to be redone and fixed. 

Once filming had been completed Lucas decided to edit the footage already taken to give more motivation for Anakin's eventual fall. This change gave Anakin a more focused reasoning to go along with Darth Sidious' plan to save Padme's life from an unseen doom. 

Filming was done during 2003 and was prominently done on a sound stage in Australia. Most environmental footage was a mix of CGI and real location shots of volcanoes erupting and limestone mountains. Primarily Lucas used a two camera method called the "V technique" to shoot most scenes, this would use two cameras to shoot the same scene in order to get multiple angles at once. Footage was able to be sent to editors on the same day it was taken giving the movie a faster mode of production. 

The final duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ewan McGregor, and Anakin Skywalker, Hayden Christensen, would take months of training and rehearsal before a single shot was taken. WIth the help of stunt coordinator Nick Gillard they would practice and perform the duel many times in hopes to memorize the moves. McGregor and Christensen both insisted on not using stunt doubles for the fight and would practice so much so the speed of their fight would be the same while filming as it is seen in the final product.  

Critical Response:

Released on May 19th, just like some of the previous Star Wars films, in 2005. It was generally received positively by critics and regarded as the best of the three prequel films. Most criticism towards the films, especially from fans, was given towards the dialogue between characters seen as something no body would generally say. Also, Hayden Christensen's acting abilities were also a point of negativity during his scenes of romance with Padme and during his "fall" to Darth Vader.

Despite fan dejection of the prequels Revenge would go one to make $850 million world-wide setting a record for its opening day, earning $50 million.