447. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith (2005)

Starring: Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor

Director: George Lucas

Running Time: 140 mins

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith is an American film and the sixth in the Star Wars saga. As the Clone Wars rage across the galaxy, the Republic becomes unsettled with the arrival of a dark and mysterious force, threatening the sanctity of the entire universe, and only the Jedi can stop it.

This is the story that we wanted to see! After two very disappointing efforts at the back story to the original trilogy, Revenge Of The Sith finally proves the prequel saga’s worth by providing a hugely dark tale, filled with action, drama, thrills and emotion that the previous two films were seriously lacking, all coming together as an engrossing finale.

I have to start by commending this film’s biggest achievement, which is finding a consistent atmosphere that keeps you intrigued from start to finish. The Phantom Menace was far too silly for any of the drama it was attempting to pay off, and Attack Of The Clones was too romantic to be taken seriously as a proper thriller, but Revenge Of The Sith chooses the atmosphere of a dark political thriller, and sticks to it, which makes such a difference.

Whilst it’s not the adventurous, awe-inspiring atmosphere that we know and love Star Wars for, this film is a fascinating tale of power and corruption. Throughout, it mirrors the instability of the Republic by giving you an unpredictable story, and it really works, making this easily the most engrossing and thrilling film of the prequel trilogy (I recognise that’s not saying much, but this is still a fantastic film).

What’s more is that Revenge Of The Sith marks a return to the more action-driven and fast-paced Star Wars movies that we adore. Gone are twenty minute long council meetings, and in are numerous exciting action sequences dotted throughout the film. Yes, there are times when it can drag a bit, but in general, this is a huge improvement in giving you an exciting blockbuster experience on a much more consistent basis, something that Episodes I and II failed spectacularly in.

Beyond the actual story, there are more big improvements. George Lucas’ script, whilst the dialogue is still a bit iffy in places, is generally much better. The film is well-held together, and actually makes sense. Meanwhile, the acting, which was pretty wooden in the previous two films, is much, much better. Even Hayden Christensen, who was very poor in Attack Of The Clones, pulls of the darker character development surrounding Anakin pretty well.

It’s not a perfect film, and definitely not up to scratch in comparison to the two great films from the original trilogy, but overall, Revenge Of The Sith is a welcome change to the disappointing prequel trilogy; a genuinely entertaining, intelligent and impressively dark film, and that’s why it gets a 7.9 from me.