Revenge Of The Sith (2005) - The one where we get a good prequel!

After two disappointing entries in this prequel trilogy, Revenge Of The Sith really needed to stick the landing. And it does... most of the time.

Many Star Wars fans I've spoken to say this one feels the closest to a "Star Wars Movie" compared to the previous two films, and having seen the original films, I can understand this feeling. Audiences and fans alike are treated to incredible dogfights in space, battles between friends turned enemies, and the rise of an iconic movie villain. But while we do get all of this, the film also falls into a problem that J.J. Abrams faced with The Rise Of Skywalker. It feels like they are trying to make the fans of the original trilogy really happy, after disappointing them with the previous instalments. And they do this, by shoving all their wildest dreams at them. A blink and you'll miss it Millennium Falcon cameo, check. A character using four lightsabers at once, check. Chewbaca making a glorified cameo, double check!

Thankfully, this film doesn't fall down the nostalgia well nearly as bad as Rise Of Skywalker, or really any of the Disney produced films, however, the few bits of fan service you do see feel like they were obligated to be there, rather than having much purpose. We could've had the sequence with the wookies, without overtly showing off Chewbaca. It could've been left to the audience's imagination. Additionally, while this film does flow much better, and feels like it has a purpose in the overall narrative of this saga, it still suffers from the usual cheesy dialogue, and performances more stiff than a door frame.

It does feel like this story has been what many truly wanted to see. The downfall of Anakin, (Hayden Christensen) and his transformation to Darth Vader. And while it's clear that a build up to this moment has been worked at across this trilogy, it still feels rushed at the end. It could be down to the structure of the narrative, or the lack of torment in Christensen's performance, but the decision to accept the dark side literally looked like a switch was flicked. There was never a inner fight in the character's mind. But I will again defend Christensen, as he does look incredibly intimidating following his acceptance as Darth Vader. If this amazing facial acting had been utilised more in the moments of indecision and inner torment, I may have bought more into his overall performance.

Once again, we see a significant improvement in the visual effects. The practicality at work is still mind boggling. In particular the practical work for lava planet, Mustafa, during the climatic clash between our heroes. And while there's plenty of CGI at work here, it's thankfully blending into the scenery a lot more than it had back in Phantom Menace. I'll always praise George Lucas not only for all the hard work he put into developing technology across the film making process, but for how much he stood by his vision for this trilogy, no matter how many people declared it to be bad. He had a vision, and got it done, something thousands of film makers past and present could only dream of. While many people may not find much enjoyment from this part of the saga, it still shows the passion of a man sticking by his goals.

And topping off this prequel trilogy, John Williams gives a stellar music score, booming with epic orchestral music for the space battles, and operatic flare for some our the biggest moments between characters. And the return of Duel Of The Fates for some of the final clashes was a superb choice, giving this climax the gravitas it truly required.

Overall, Revenge Of The Sith is definitely the strongest of this prequel trilogy, giving us the moments that many expected to see, it's just a shame how much of this trilogy was wasted. Had these moments been built up and spaced out properly, this trilogy could've been an incredible story of a man falling from grace. Yes the fan service isn't incoperated as well as I'd hope, and the performances are still wooden. But for it's failings, it was a step in the right direction. This film didn't stick the landing for this trilogy, but it was a survivable crash landing.

SCORES Story - 3/5

Characters - 3/5

Production - 4/5

Acting - 2/5

Music - 4/5

Total - 6.4/10