Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5004 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-10-31
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 134 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Ending the most popular film epic in history, Star Wars: Episode III, Revenge of the Sith is an exciting, uneven, but ultimately satisfying journey. Picking up the action from Episode II, Attack of the Clones as well as the animated Clone Wars series, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), pursue General Grievous into space after the droid has kidnapped Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). It's just the latest manoeuvre in the on-going Clone Wars between the Republic and the Separatist forces led by former Jedi turned Sith Lord Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). On another front, Master Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz) leads the Republic's clone troops against a droid attack on the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk. All this is in the first half of Episode III, which feels a lot like Episodes I and II. That means spectacular scenery, dazzling dogfights in space, a new fearsome villain (the CGI-created Grievous can't match up to either Darth Maul or the original Darth Vader, though), lightsaber duels, groan-worthy romantic dialogue, goofy humor (but at least it's left to the droids instead of Jar-Jar Binks), and hordes of faceless clone troopers fighting hordes of faceless battle droids.

But then it all changes.

After setting up characters and situations for the first two and a half movies, Episode III finally comes to life. The Sith Lord in hiding unleashes his long-simmering plot to take over the Republic, and an integral part of that plan is to turn Anakin away from the Jedi and toward the Dark Side of the Force. Unless you've been living under a rock the last 10 years, you know that Anakin will transform into the dreaded Darth Vader and face an ultimate showdown with his mentor, but that doesn't matter. In fact, a great part of the fun is knowing where things will wind up but finding out how they'll get there. The end of this prequel trilogy also should inspire fans to want to see the original movies again, but this time not out of frustration at the new ones. Rather, because Episode III is a beginning as well as an end, it will trigger fond memories as it ties up threads to the originals in tidy little ways. But best of all, it seems like for the first time we actually care about what happens and who it happens to.

Episode III is easily the best of the new trilogy--OK, so that's not saying much, but it might even jockey for third place among the six Star Wars films. It's also the first one to be rated PG-13 for the intense battles and darker plot. It was probably impossible to live up to the decades' worth of pent-up hype George Lucas faced for the Star Wars prequel trilogy (and he tried to lower it with the first two movies), but Episode III makes us once again glad to be "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away." --David Horiuchi, Amazon.com

Synopsis
The Force is with us in EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH, the final chapter of the six-part STAR WARS series, which began a long time ago (1977) in a galaxy far, far away... and is now complete in its cyclical perfection. This visually awe-striking kaleidoscope of interplanetary imagination features the unmatched digital animation and special effects of George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic. With pink and orange skies casting a golden sheen over magnificent landscapes through which space ships dart and light sabers flash, the spectacle of the film, while hypnotising, is but a complement to the intense, crucial plot. Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) remains the Jedi apprentice of master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). Battling dark forces that threaten the Republic, the duo quickly eliminates enemy Count Dooku (Christopher Lee), and Anakin proves as he states more than once that his powers have doubled. An intimidating warrior with superior knowledge of the Force, Anakin becomes the pet of Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), who is connected to the dark side. Meanwhile, Padme (Natalie Portman), the senator and former queen who is secretly married to Anakin, is pregnant, and Anakin is tortured by dreams of her dying in childbirth. With Obi-Wan on Utapau battling cyborg General Grievous (Matthew Wood), and Yoda (Frank Oz) joining the Wookiees of Kashyyyk, the sage warnings of the Jedi council (Samuel L. Jackson, Jimmy Smits) go unheard by Anakin. His moodiness and glowering are a clear precursor to his inevitable, terrifying metamorphosis into Darth Vader, the dark leader of the evil Empire who haunts the remainder of the series. John Williams's famous orchestral score with its thunderous marching themes adds more continuity, with refrains reminding viewers of STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE, in which Padme's children Luke and Leia take charge.

Customer Reviews

Lives up to expectations... unfortunately
Revenge of the Sith is undoubtedly the best of the 'prequel' movies, but that's like saying that cabbage tastes nicer than sprouts. There is still a mammoth gulf between this film and the original Star Wars movies.
There is, however, much here to enjoy. The tone is much darker than any of the other five Star Wars movie, and includes numerous dismemberings by lightsabre. Indeed it's a surprise that it wasn't slapped with a 15-certificiate. The visual effects are also an improvement over the previous two instalments, with the CG spaceships and characters actually looking almost real (although that creature that Obi Wan rides looks utterly ridiculous). There are some good lightsabre duels and action sequences, and it's great to see the Wookiees again, although their involvement is disappointingly brief. The acting is also a notch better, with Ewan McGregor and Ian McDiarmid both in good form. Natalie Portman is also more convincing this time around, although Samuel Jackson is spectacularly wooden. The movie also sounds great, thanks to another brilliant John Williams score and Ben Burtt's sound department.

But then there are the flaws. For one thing the plot is far too busy. The original Star Wars movies were beautifully simple, but Revenge of the Sith, as with its predecessors, is a mess. The characters spend the movie darting about from one planet to another, with the result that the film feels awkward and disjointed. If the original films might be described as taking a trip on a recently resurfaced motorway, Revenge of the Sith feels like driving on a concrete road in a council estate that hasn't been repaired in years.

The movie also suffers from too many silly moments. I've already mentioned the ridiculous creature that Obi Wan rides, but there are plenty of other examples. Personally the sight of Yoda engaged in a lightsabre duel cracks me up every time, and for me the epic scrap between Obi Wan and Anakin is ruined by the sequence with them battling it out while perched precariously on pieces of metal junk floating on the lava river (actually I thought the backdrop to the duel was totally unconvincing anyway).

While the dialogue is better than in the previous two movies, there are still plenty of clunky moments, notably whenever Anakin and Padme get touchy-feely. However what I also found annoying was the inclusion of catchphrases from previous movies (e.g. "Here's where the fun begins"). This was totally unnecessary and I can't help wondering whether this was a desperate attempt by Lucas to make the audience connect with the original trilogy.

There are also countless plot holes. Why doesn't Obi Wan remember the droids? Why erase C-3PO's memory but not R2's? And why leave Luke with Owen and Beru - wouldn't that be the first place Vader would look for him?

However, the biggest problem with Revenge of the Sith is Hayden Christensen. He is undoubtedly better here than in Episode II, but most of the time he still comes across as a sulky teenager, and his fall from grace fails to convince. It is impossible to believe that this bland youth becomes one of the most memorable and menacing screen villains in screen history. And considering that is what this trilogy is all about, that's a fairly major flaw!

The final few scenes of Episode III, though, are great, with Vader and the Emperor on the bridge of the star destroyer looking out at the Death Star, followed by the scenes on Alderaan and Tatooine with Leia and Luke delivered into the care of the Organa and Lars families. And the very last moment, with Owen and Beru watching the twin suns of Tatooine setting behind the horizon, really make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. If only the rest of the prequel trilogy had been like this...

The circle is complete...
From the opening onslaught of the now over-familiar theme to the poignancy of the film's emotionally silent finish, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a guiltlessly enjoyable sci-fi romp, encompassing the now familiar Lucas themes of Love, Regret, Responsibility and Greed.

From the iconic use of original dialogue ("This is where the fun begins!") in the oddly calm opening battle, to the poetic justice of Obi-Wan's tainted victory over the corrupted Anakin, ROTS is unique, the end of a dynasty, a film saga that is truely timeless, despite all the criticisms of the new prequels ("Too many SFX", "Pathetic dialogue", "irritating characters").

Fortunately, ROTS manages to address many of these problems (except the FX, still billions of those). Yes, the dialogue is still occasionally cringe-worthy, but who cares when it looks this good? The film that Star Wars fans have always wanted to see, with all the things we wanted to see. Clone Wars. Check. How the Jedi got wiped out (and SO cunningly!). Check. How Palpatine ended up like a prune. Check. Obi-Wan V Anakin/'Vader'. Check. Yoda V Emperor Palpatine. Check. Kids being born. Check. What happened to Mum. Check. How Anakin became the asthmatic poster boy of the Empire. Check, check and check mate.

ROTS is everything you could possibly want, minor quibbles aside: 'What? He had 28 YEARS to write the opening crawl, and he came up with "War!"? Oh, Bra-VO!', 'Why are the Clone Troopers all random colours like Red, Yellow and Green when they all look the same in the future?', 'That's our lot for Kashyyyk? After waiting for that for 28 years too? Utapau is better!', 'What? He turned to the Dark Side just like THAT? Jeez...', and the best one, 'DARTH VADER DOESN'T TALK LIKE THAT!!!'

But it dies away. While the opening space battle isn't quite as billed, it is intriguingly shot, showing the calm serenity that the Jedi can exude in the most turbulent atmosphere, further exemplifying the cruel sadness of their unbeknown fate. Also, Lucas moves the action along at a cracking pace, with some terrificly boys-own set-pieces, as well as freneticly gruesome lightsaber duels, the standout obviously being the duel between the two Jedi on the delectably designed Mustafar, with a quite ghastly coup de gras, fully deserving of the 12A certificate bestowed upon the film (the common Star Wars mythos still doesn't quite prepare you for Anakin's horrifying destruction).

To further complement it, Ian McDiarmid is outstanding, compensating somewhat for the slightly wooden Ewan McGregor (who almosts seems disbelieving in some of his deliveries) and the woeful Natalie Portman, whose transformation from strong individual to pathetic floozy is startling over three films. The scenes between McDiarmid and Hayden Christensen (a real star turn this time), especially in the the Opera sequence, are among the best in all six (!) Star Wars films, although, as noted, Anakin's final capitulation to his dark inklings is woefully underplayed, but that should be contributed to Lucas, not his cast.

All without mentioning John Williams' masterful score, fully embellished in the tragic segment following the murders of the Jedi Order across a far-flung array of war-torn planets. To call it a minor triumph is like saying how relieved fans were to see that Jar Jar Binks only managed a single line, "Excuse me", which is, incidentally, unnoticeable.

Tying up loose ends, being loud, and proud with it, ROTS is popcorn fun all the way, just as Star Wars always has been, even in the much-maligned prequels (I saw The Phantom Menace no less than 3 times at the cinema and enjoyed it every time. Hell, I even liked Jar Jar.)

And I challenge you not to get AT LEAST a lump in your throat when Yoda chokes on his words: "Failed, I have".

Only when I stop watching. Only then.

Remember, they are aimed at children NOT adults!!
I really can't get my head around all the negative reviews for this film. Surely by now people realise that the Star Wars movies are aimed at kids!!

The new generation of films have not been aimed the thirty somethings who have such fond memories of the originals. I am 31 now and will always love the originals as they make me feel like a little kid all over again every time I watch them. Viewed as an adult they are hardly the best films ever made and would be very easy to criticise. This does not make them bad though. They are aimed at a specific market, and hit it perfectly.

This is the problem with people watching the prequels now. They are watching them through adults' eyes and are totally missing the point. Watch it with the mentality of an 8 eight year and it is equally as enjoyable as any of the originals. Yes the acting is dodgy, yes the dialogue is appalling but the scale is unbelievable and the sheer imagination of what is on screen is mind blowing.

The best way to sum up this film is using my 8 year old nephew as an example. When the credits rolled in the cinema he stayed in his chair sobbing his eyes out. When his Dad asked him what was wrong he said "I don't want Anakin to be Darth Vader". If you think this film is rubbish, ask an 8 year old. I am sure they will not understand how bad the acting or dialogue is. They just get wrapped up in this amazing world for a couple of hours and enjoy the ride. George Lucas has come up with three great prequels (OK, even I can admit The Phantom Menace was not all that great) and I applaud him for pitching it at the kids again, rather than try and aim at 30 somethings who are such huge fans of the originals.