Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

Episode III is a desperate fugue in which the wandering torso of the Jedi order tries to patch up what it can to end up in utter disillusionment and agony. Lucas indulges the viewer with his spectacular tricks, but almost from the beginning of the film, he amplifies an evil hunch and amplifies the dark undertone that culminates, both audibly and visually, in a scene where Anakin makes a fatal decision in the abandoned Jedi Temple to help his seducer Palpatine. Although George Lucas is a mediocre director, this scene and several others (especially the destruction of the Jedi) are among the most emotionally powerful in the six-part series. In Episode III, he manages to maintain a rhythm and pace that escalates brilliantly towards the end to the wild staccato of hopeless scenes that form the imaginary highlight of the new trilogy. It is unusually naturalistic and completely resonates with the new atmosphere that Star Wars has received both through new episodes and, above all, with a series of computer games. The impression is monstrous, urgent, immediate. There's not much to add – Revenge of the Sith is proof that all the mistakes of the previous two films were worth it, as they built the bridge to the truly grand finale. Complaints – the action scenes are too stretched and suffer from the classic visual gluttony of the digital age, of which Lucas is the guiding spirit. Too many colors and effects lead to clutter. John Williams' music is kind of stiffened, but it works at key moments. Yes, and then the few reminisces of incredibly starchy love dialogues. But very few. Too few to ruin an episode that really doesn't have to be ashamed to be in the company of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. (05/19/2005)

Peter Jackson said that the first two Lord of the Rings movies were made so that the third one could exist. However, such a statement better applies to Star Wars. It is surprising how Episode III gradually changes form – it starts out in the spirit of the popcorn flicks Episode I and Episode II, then begins to take on the style of the original trilogy, and ends in such a way that you have a powerful need to see Episode IV. This transition shows us why the two preceding volumes were so weak dramatically and confirms WHO the main “hero” of the whole saga is and WHAT the most important element of a narrative fantasy film is. In Jackson’s case, it was Sauron; for Lucas, it’s Darth Vader. In filmmaking terms, Episode III is better than the two previous episodes only in the last 20 minutes (which reach the dramatic level of Episode V). The rest of Episode III is more engaging not because it was written or filmed with greater skill, but because it’s about something. What would The Fellowship of the Ring be if Sauron hadn’t been mentioned in it and depicted as the greatest and most powerful evil? It would be good to edit Episode I and Episode II into a single two-hour prequel and start the saga that we all love with Episode III. May the Dark Side be with you, Anakin! (05/21/2005)

Dramaturgically, it’s much more mature and immersive than the two previous episodes. It’s incredibly spectacular and dynamic in its individual attractions, which exquisitely heightens the atmosphere and, for the first time in the new trilogy, revels in fatality and visual darkness. While Lucas is absolutely incapable of any psychological level, and SW in his hands remains a cold showcase of intergalactic filmmaking possibilities and worlds, this instalment at least has the narrative balls and verve to make me gladly forgive him for the mechanical dialogue or the dull character shift by the awful Christensen. It's got major conflict, pivotal moments of the entire saga, and an ultra-cool Yoda and Obi-Wan whose separate story-arcs, capped by two parallel and iconic duels, I would sketch in the starry sky at night and always watch before falling asleep. The transition to A New Hope is finally completed, George Lucas, you have my respect... (12/28/2011)

The dark side of the Force suits it. Even so, I don’t think even retrospectively that it makes any more sense than the previous ones; quite the opposite, in the light (excuse me, “the darkness") of this episode I find that the absolute superfluousness of the saga becomes even more obvious. The imbalance in pace is a huge mistake. The first fifteen minutes involves a monumental battle, then we get a boring hour with starched amateur dramatic dialogs and then during the last hour it turns into a serious drama with convincing (as far as the Star Wars universe is concerned) characters. Too bad that the transformation of Anakin into Vader seems unbelievable and rushed. The idea that this mentally unstable character was in fact the embodiment of living charisma that we know from the original trilogy is ridiculous. The weaker moments are saved by the stylish over-acting of Ian McDiarmid. The greatest faux pas is that, although this was supposed to be emotionally tense due to the tragic context, sadly the opposite is true. While on screen we see something technically impressive, it leaves you absolutely cold. (05/20/2005)