Official Site: Star Wars: Welcome to the Official Site Directed by: George Lucas
Cast:
Ewan McGregor: Obi-Wan Kenobi
Natalie Portman: Padmé
Hayden Christensen: Anakin Skywalker
Ian McDiarmid: Supreme Chancellor Palpatine
Samuel L. Jackson: Mace Windu
Jimmy Smits: Senator Bail Organa
Frank Oz: Yoda (voice)
Anthony Daniels: C-3PO
Christopher Lee: Count Dooku
Keisha Castle-Hughes: Queen of Naboo
Silas Carson: Ki-Adi-Mundi & Nute Gunray
Jay Laga'aia: Captain Typho
Bruce Spence: Tion Medon
Wayne Pygram: Governor Tarkin
Temuera Morrison: Commander Cody
Matthew Wood: General Grievous (voice)
Finally George Lucas serves up the last (?) installment of the star wars saga and boy is it hot! So does the final episode answer all those questions that the audience had in mind for more than 2 decades? To an extent it does and is fairly reminds me of the old installments more than the first two episodes did. The first two episodes weren’t as appreciated by the audiences world wide as the older movies were. However Lucas manages to answer all the answers that the fans of the old series had put about the origin of Darth Vader and others. The movie isn’t a rollercoaster ride as compared to the old series though nor does it exude its energy. But a great effort it indeed is (Yoda influence there ).
The movie starts off where episode II attack of the clones left. The clone wars are almost coming to an end. Jedi Master Obi Wan (McGregor) and his young knight (Christensen) are sent out by the republic to seek out the evil Count Dooku and general Grievous and rescue chancellor Palpatine from their clutches and end the war. However, the young jedi knight learns upon his return that his wife Padme (Portman) is pregnant with his baby. Soon he starts having the same kind of nightmares that he had about his mother. Anakin is greatly disturbed by the dreams he has and vows to save the life of his love and children at any cost.
However in a twist of events Skywalker comes under the evil influence of the chancellor which leads Anakin to the path of the dark side. The chancellor puts doubts inside the young jedi’s mind regarding the loyalty of the jedi council to the cause of the Republic. With so much chaos and distraught and plus the hinting at the so-called wonderful powers of the dark side by the chancellor, the young knight is seduced to the dark side easily. However the transformation of Anakin from the good to the dark side isn’t convincing one bit. The character of Padme doesn’t etch well in the viewer’s minds since it is also unconvincing at best. From a powerful leader in the phantom menace to a weak lover in Revenge of the Sith. The final sequence of Darth Vader finally rising also looked a bit funny and out of place to me.
The acting department is a bit flawed in the movie all thanks to the mechanical acting of Hayden Christensen and the below par performance of Natalie Portman as Padme’ Amidala. Now only Lucas knows why he trusted a role as meaty as Anakin Skywalker’s to someone like Christensen. As the treacherous Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, Ian Mcdiarmid radiates pure malevolence and wickedness. He steals the show with his power house performance. The lack of similar such performance in the movie is definitely bound to irritate a few fans and movie goers. Samuel Jackson as Mace Windu and Christopher Lee have too little a role in the movie to show any kind of brilliance, however they manage their parts very well. It’s the second time that a digital actor has far superseded the acting talents of the human actors and Yoda does just that and more. The legendary Frank Oz lends his voice to the wizened Yoda. R2D2 and C3P0 as usual provide the comic relief in what seems like the darkest movie in all of the new episodes.
The action sequences are breath taking especially the face-off between Obi Wan and his now powerful disciple Anakin Skywalker on the planet Mustafar. The saber fight between Yoda and Darth Sidious is one of the best and is worth watching all over again. The film also features a creature and wheel bike chase between Obi Wan and General grievous. The sequence between General Grievous and Obi Wan though short is awesome especially when the General uses 4 light sabers! All the digital artwork, the graphics and CGI and the old school models that Lucas used create a colourful tapestry of a galaxy at war. The movie score by John Williams is as good as it any of his previous works. He doesn’t let Lucas down on that front. Worth mentioning is the starting space battle sequence which is done very well. The dialogues from this film won’t reside in people’s memory for a long time. As a matter of fact they weren’t up to the mark when compared to the other movies and there were some really bad ones! The costumes and props deserve a special mention as in all star war films. They definitely add to the quality of the end result.
All and all finally most fans will be satisfied with the movies as it answers most of the questions that were left unanswered. However if you still feel left out I say you go and watch the original trilogy once you are back home after watching Episode III. . Trust me it will be an immensely satisfying experience. Even with so many imperfections the film really defines another milestone in fantasy film genre and is like a diamond with flaws. With that said, May the force be with you!
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith 
