The Media Man Reviews: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (May the 4th Special)

It's that time of year again Star Wars fans, May the 4th! Star Wars Day again!

And I have the PERFECT way to celebrate this special occasion. What better way to celebrate Star Wars Day then to do a review on one of the films? And I have the perfect movie to review for this occasion: the finale to the prequel trilogy itself. Ladies and gentlemen, fans of all ages, it's time themediamanblog finally reviewed one of the Star Wars prequels. And this one happens to be my favourite of the bunch: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

Not only is this something to do for Star Wars Day, it's another special occasion for this year marks Episode III's 20th anniversary. Wow, this film's going to be twenty years old? I remember when it was brand new! Let me tell you, 2005 was THE year for Star Wars fans. The hype for this movie was through the roof! I just remember being surrounded by merchandise for this film, both in shops and at home. My brothers and I had all kinds of Episode III merch from action figures to annuals to sticker books and posters and so much more! It really did feel like I was part of some big event and not just another movie release and as a result, I feel quite nostalgic whenever I reflect on this movie and its release. Christmas in 2005 especially was very Star Wars heavy with most of my presents being Star Wars merch. God I miss those times. This is what it felt like to be a Star Wars fan back then, not like nowadays where the discussion around Star Wars is dominated by "fans" screaming and crying about woke culture because...black people and women existing is somehow offensive to them or something, whatever, those guys don't deserve to call themselves "fans" if this is how they think and act. I miss 2005. We never had this kind of garbage to deal with back then...

But enough about me going on a nostalgia trip. Let's review this movie. 20 years later, does it still hold up? Or is the reason why it's titled "Revenge of the Sith" because the Sith want revenge on the filmmakers for making this film? Let's grab ourselves a Starfighter and take flight into Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith...

But I'm also bringing a friend for this review. Time to welcome back my fellow comrade and Star Wars fan, Thomas Holmes!

Thomas: "Greetings and salutations, friends and readers and fans! May the Fourth be with you today!

I too remember when this film first came out. Admittedly, I didn't see it (to my current regret), but I do remember the hype surrounding it. I even purchased a few LEGO sets from this film, and did I love playing with them! It's also my favourite Star Wars film of all time to this day, even with all the new films that came out since. And it's time to relive the glory of Episode III! Let's do it!

Alright if I start us off here, Media Man?"

Media Man: "By all means."

Thomas: "Alright then!"

Section 1: The Story:

"Set three years after the events of the previous movie, Attack of the Clones, we see the Clone Wars reach its climax as Jedi heroes Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi find themselves caught up in a tragic chain of events where the eponymous revenge of the Jedi's ancient enemy, the Sith, come to fruition courtesy of the cunning Darth Sidious. Sides are taken, resolves are tested, heroes fall, and evil arises!"

Media Man: Revenge of the Sith is the climax of the prequel trilogy, and it really does feel like a grand finale to everything that's been built up since The Phantom Menace. We see Sidious's plans going to fruition, we see Anakin Skywalker finally becoming Darth Vader, we see how the status quo from the original trilogy came to be and how the Jedi Order ultimately fell and lead to the rise of the Galactic Empire. As predictable as the outcome of this movie was (remember this IS a prequel to the original trilogy so we knew it wasn't going to end well for our heroes), it still makes for a really engaging watch as we see how everything comes together and gives us what we originally saw in the original trilogy. The events of the prequel trilogy as a whole feel like logical stepping stones that lead to what we got in the originals, a sharp contrast to the sequels where they felt like they were making it up as they went along.

The story itself also carries some insanely relevant themes that make the movie especially timely even in this day and age such as political corruption and manipulation of the masses. There are people in the real world who rely on the same tactics that Sidious uses here in order to paint their side as the good guys and demonize others just so they can gain power and depressingly, these people are still in power even to this day. Fiction really does reflect reality, doesn't it? The story also carries a cautionary tale of how arrogance can lead to your downfall. The Jedi Order were too self-important and full of themselves to see the corruption right under their noses and as a result, they fell into Sidious's trap and almost all got wiped out as a result. It's pretty heavy stuff and also another thing that keeps the story surprisingly timely. You could say that this movie was ahead of its time when it come to the story and its themes.

But of course, it's not just about the themes and how it reflects real world issues. This is still a movie after all and the purpose of movies is to entertain. Does the story make for an entertaining movie? HELL YEAH! Even now I still have a great time with this movie from all the crazy action scenes to some funny moments (Obi-Wan's "Hello there!" much?) and the creative looking sets and alien designs. This is Star Wars when it's done right to me: entertaining and a good time from beginning to end and I forever love this movie for it.

Thomas: "We'll cover the action in more detail later on, but needless to say, ROTS has one of the most memorable fight scenes in the franchise, from the opening sequence, to the five - yes, five! - lightsaber duels throughout the picture, to the vast battles on Utapau and Kashyyyk. George Lucas and his team really went to town with the action in this movie, and it truly shines!

This movie also epitomises Star Wars' status as a space opera. We see that Anakin's fall to the Dark Side and transformation into Darth Vader was ultimately out of fear of losing his pregnant wife Padme to death at childbirth and his frustrations with the Jedi Council for not fully trusting him. This is the main source of the film's emotional drama; having seen him as a troubled hero before, it's heart-breaking to see Anakin ultimately fall to evil, and turn on those he once saw as friends, especially Obi-Wan. We truly feel the pain Obi-Wan, Anakin and Padme are all going through, and given we already know the Originals, we wonder just how tragic it'll become in the end.

What truly clinches it is that after betraying the Jedi, killing children, attacking his best friend, and choking his wife, Vader is told he killed Padme, thus meaning it was all for nothing. Truly a sad case of a self-fulfilling prophecy…"

Media Man: It sure was. Many people (wrongly) mock the scene where Darth Vader screams "NOOOO!" at the end and have memed it to death, and I have to ask those heartless b*****ds what's wrong with them. This scene isn't worthy of mockery whatsoever, it's heart-breaking! Just seeing Anakin be reduced to this and losing that last bit of himself once he found out he himself killed Padme just breaks me every time I watch the movie. This in turn leads into another thing this movie excels it: hitting you in the emotions. This is one of Star Wars' darkest stories ever depicted in media and it's a pretty emotionally weighty film as a result. Not to the point you feel miserable watching it of course, but you'll definitely feel like you're getting an emotional punch to the gut as you watch this. Seeing everything fall apart and the galaxy falling into the Empire's hands, as inevitable the outcome was, is just tragic to watch and really makes this movie more engaging as a result. A good story can make you feel a lot of emotions after all, and this movie does just that.

Another thing this movie is often praised for is another thing Star Wars excels at: world-building. The prequels did a lot to add more to the lore of Star Wars and give us an idea on what a pre-Empire galaxy looks and functions like and this movie gives us more stuff to take onboard. Need I bring up the legendary Darth Plagueis story that any Star Wars fan worth their salt can recite in their sleep? Who knew one of the movie's most beloved scenes would be a scene where Sidious (as Chancellor Palpatine) and Anakin are just talking about some old story about some old Sith? And yet it's not lore for the sake of lore, Sidious telling this story is relevant to the film's plot given it pretty much inspires Anakin to learn how to get that kind of power, which further fuels his heel-turn.

Thomas: "Said scene would later inspire one of the most popular novels in the original Expanded Universe.

If there are any problems - and we say that somewhat heavily - it's how the film treats Count Dooku and General Grievous. Dooku is axed off by Anakin within the first 15 minutes, getting very little screentime and dialogue (though Sir Christopher Lee still makes it all impactful); and while Grievous lasts significantly longer, he doesn't really get much in terms of character or motives before he too bites the dust. They do serve purposes, mind - Dooku's execution taints Anakin further towards the Dark Side, and Grievous serves as both someone to draw Obi-Wan's attention and a precursor to Anakin's cybernetic transformation, but beyond that, it would fall to EU material to really flesh them out."

Media Man: I'll cover more in the characters section, but I'm inclined to agree that both of them were wasted here.

And while I wouldn't say I agree with this criticism completely, I can agree that in some aspects, Anakin's fall to villainy might seem a little too fast here. Having him murder the children especially was probably a step too far and not really that necessary. They can show he's fallen to villainy without adding the child murder as well. It just felt too extreme of a switch from good to evil in my eyes. The rest of his fall to villainy is fine, just take out the child murdering and it might not have felt too extreme here.

And of course, I too agree that Padme's death was just...silly. Anakin chokes her into unconsciousness and then suddenly next scene she's dying? The baffling dialogue doesn't help either. If she's physically healthy, then why is she suddenly dying? Just take that line out and have it so that Anakin's Force choke did some damage to her that's causing her to die and presto, the scene isn't stupid anymore. It wasn't that hard George. Even EU material managed to make her death seem less silly by having it stated it was damage to her throat by Anakin's Force choke, so why didn't the movie itself just say that?

Aside from that, I have very few criticisms regarding the film's story overall.

Thomas: "Me too.

"And to end this segment on a positive note, while the film ends with Padme dead, Anakin as Vader, the Empire having arisen, and the Jedi almost completely wiped out, the birth of classic characters Luke and Leia, and their successful hiding away on Tatooine and Alderaan respectively, gives audiences a ray of hope that someday, things will swing back in the heroes' favour. And of course, as we saw in the Original Trilogy, they did, indeed.

The Sith had their revenge, but the Jedi would return.

And that, my friends, is how this movie tied all the previous movies together, completing George Lucas' epic saga!"

Media Man: Couldn't have put that more elegantly or perfectly myself. ^^

Section 2: The Characters

In the words of Anakin Skywalker himself: This is where the fun begins.

These characters have had their stories built up over the course of the entire prequel trilogy, so naturally a lot of them see the conclusion of their arcs here and there's a few to cover, so let's get into it!

Let's start off with arguably the main character of this movie and easily the most important character of the entire prequel trilogy: Anakin Skywalker (played by Hayden Christensen). While it's easy to mock Hayden's performance in these films and some aspects of the writing around Anakin, I feel he was handled greatly here. This poor kid has been through a lot in his life and the Clone Wars, his secret marriage to Padme and the Jedi Council constantly hyping him up as some Chosen One only to then not trust him isn't doing his mental state any favours. If I were in his shows, I'd be an emotional wreck too. Anakin is ultimately a guy who wants to do good and protect those he loves, and like some people in his situation would, he is driven to extreme lengths in order to achieve his goal. Even when he finds out Chancellor Palpatine is a Sith Lord and warns the Jedi Council about it, he ultimately stands by Sidious's side because Sidious manipulated him into believing he can save Padme's life. In the end, he chooses the path of the Dark Side and at the end of the movie, Anakin Skywalker stands no more. There is only Darth Vader.

As mentioned earlier, I do agree that it's a bit extreme of him to suddenly be OK with murdering children so soon after turning evil and they probably should've left it out, but I think his heel-turn was expertly and delicately handled throughout the entire trilogy and despite it being inevitable, it still feels so tragic to see him fall to the Dark Side and become Darth Vader. He ultimately just wanted to do good and save those he loved and it cost him his humanity and most of his physical body in order to achieve what he wanted...and he STILL failed in the end because Padme still died! Now he's left a broken man with no wife, the belief he's possibly lost his children too and no other friends. It's just him and the Empire. This makes for one of the greatest tragedy stories ever put to cinema, and it's so heart-breaking to watch every time. Darth Vader was already an incredible character in the original trilogy, and the prequels only made him more fascinating. George Lucas doesn't get enough credit for his writing talents, so I'm going to give him what he deserves:

Well done George. Your writing for this character was excellent and nobody could've done it better than you did. :)

Thomas: "I couldn't agree more, pal.

Next, we have Anakin's former Jedi mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor). First established as the wise mentor in A New Hope with Alec Guinness, the Prequels were about how Obi-Wan went from impulsive Padawan to seasoned Jedi Master, while also showing us how he tried his best to train Anakin to honour his fallen Master, Qui-Gon Jinn. As such, Obi-Wan's story is just as fascinating and sad as Anakin's. He's a dutiful, compassionate and at times snarky Jedi Master (Hello there, anyone?). He's also spent 13 years looking out for Anakin, and being first a father-figure and then like a brother to him, despite their arguments. And in the first half, we see how close they've become with rather wholesome scenes.

But here, not only does Obi-Wan lose many of his fellow Jedi, but worse of all, he's forced to watch helplessly as his brother is turned to the Sith and helps destroy everything Obi-Wan holds dear. Perhaps appropriately, rather like Anakin, Obi-Wan just wanted to do good - in his case, do well by Anakin as his mentor, yet he too failed miserably by not truly understanding Anakin's mental condition, despite his best efforts. And keep in mind, he promised Qui-Gon he'd train the boy. So he effectively failed his own Master too! Just how sadder can it be for his poor guy?

And Ewan McGregor delivers it all perfectly! He studied footage of Alec Guinness before each take to ensure he could pull off a younger Obi-Wan, and it truly shines here. Ewan, you did Alec proud! And your uncle Dennis Lawson too!" ;)

Media Man: You got that right buddy. Obi-Wan was such a show-stealer and I'd say this movie was one of his best showings in all of Star Wars.

Next on the list is Padme Amidala (played by Natalie Portman). She does take a bit of a backseat compared to the prequels since, you know, she's pregnant and all, but she still plays a vital part in the story for she's basically Anakin's entire motivation. He wants her and her babies to be safe and worries about visions of the Force telling him she'll die in childbirth. Unfortunately, as we know, Padme does end up dying in the end, but her legacy lived beyond this film as she sired the two twins that would help bring peace back to the galaxy once more. Padme is more of a plot-device than a character in this film, but she's a very effective one here and we still have scenes of her and how she reacts and feels regarding the events of the movie happening around her, so it's not like George forget to still make her an actual character here.

We also have Yoda in here of course (voiced by Frank Oz). Yoda is the wise old mentor who manages to survive the Jedi purge and he even gets to take on Darth Sidious during the climax. Yoda really gets his time to shine in this movie and much like with Obi-Wan, it's easy to feel sorry for him as the Jedi Order crumbles around him. That scene where he looks pained as he senses all the death and destruction around him was especially effective. It's also nice we get to see some of his compassionate side here too as we find out he's really good friends with the Wookiees, which in turn allowed for Chewbacca to make a welcome cameo in at least one of these prequels. Seeing someone as small as Yoda riding on them tall Wookiees is honestly pretty funny.

And now we have our villains of this story, starting with the big one himself: Chancellor Palpatine. Or, should I call him...Darth Sidious? (played by Ian McDiarmid). Oh my gosh, if ANYONE was having a good time when making this movie, it was easily Ian. He just devours the scenery whenever he's onscreen whether it's his over-the-top acting or his equally over-the-top dialogue. This is Sidious at his hammiest and I love it. Yet he's still a very dangerous threat and whenever he's onscreen, we get the impression that things are going to get serious VERY quickly. This is the same guy who killed three Jedi within seconds and can hold his own against Yoda after all. While some might question how well formed his plan was given there are a lot of steps to it and quite a lot of conveniences just happened to fall in his favour so he could win, I think it's believable for the most part. Unlike some characters where the story tries way too hard to make us believe that they're really that smart, Sidious actually CAN make us believe he's that smart with how meticulously crafted and carefully planned out everything was. It's no wonder he's one of media's most successful villains ever created.

Thomas: "Indeed.

Next, we have the Separatist leader, and Sidious' apprentice preceding Anakin, Count Dooku (played by the late but legendary Sir Christopher Lee). As mentioned in the story section, Dooku is kinda wasted in this movie. He only appears on screen for a few minutes, if that, and has just as few lines of dialogue, all within the first 15 minutes. To his credit, Christopher still manages to sell Dooku as an illustrious, elegant and somewhat formidable villain, especially given he's able to rag-doll and knock out Obi-Wan during their fight. But beyond that, we get no real depth from Dooku before he's beheaded by Anakin. He's more of a plot-device than even Padme; at least Padme got some characterisation. This is sadly a common problem with a lot of secondary characters from the films; they're only really fleshed by the Expanded Universe. I know film is 'show, don't tell', but there had to be some way to give Dooku more; Christopher Lee deserved better than that."

Media Man: Quite so. At least The Clone Wars and Tales of the Jedi fleshed him out more.

If anyone else also feels wasted in this movie, it's General Grievous (voiced by Matthew Wood). He pretty much exists just as foreshadowing for Anakin's fall to the Dark Side and throughout the movie, he doesn't really accomplish much. He also isn't really given the best display of his supposed battle skills and Jedi-hunting abilities as the first time, he runs away without even battling Obi-Wan or Anakin and then during the battle with Obi-Wan, he's disarmed pretty quickly. The animated properties depicted him much better in my opinion and it once again shows that animation has its advantages over live-action at times. If you want a good impression of the Jedi-killing cyborg, this is NOT it.

And I think that's more or less the most important characters in the movie to cover. I suppose I should bring up Mace Windu (played by Samuel L. Jackson) just before we finish. Mace is the stoic and powerful Jedi that we've seen in the previous two films and here, we get to see that he has a bit of a ruthless side to him as he was more than willing to execute Palpatine on the spot without even letting him stand trial. Not saying he's in the wrong here, just pointing out that Mace is more willing to get down and dirty compared to most Jedi. He also spends a lot of the movie pretty much just being cold towards Anakin and it's only when Anakin brings up the truth about Palpatine that he seems to finally start taking him seriously. Too bad it ends up with him losing a hand to Anakin and thrown to his death by Palpatine, so yeah, that didn't end well. I will say that Mace's death was perfectly handled and placed in the story here. He's one of the most powerful Jedi in the Jedi Order and he's the first to die before Order 66 is given. It's so fitting that the fall of the Jedi should start with Palpatine slaughtering four Jedi, Mace included, back-to-back and then afterwards, Order 66 is given. Talk about one way to make a death meaningful...

Thomas: "Not to mention, the guilt left Anakin at his wit's end, allowing Palpatine to reel him in completely…

Speaking of the Jedi, while we may not really know any of them, given we have seen the Jedi fighting against evil, it's still tragic to see these guardians of peace and justice get slaughtered so brutally, especially when they're also vilified by Palpatine. They may have been arrogant, but the Jedi certainly didn't deserve such terrible destruction.

And of course, it wouldn't be Star Wars without the classic droid duo: C-3PO, human-cyborg relations (played by Anthony Daniels), and his counterpart, R2-D2 (played by Kenny Baker). Aside from now sporting his iconic gold plating (which required editing to ensure audiences didn't see the camera reflected), Threepio doesn't do too much beyond servicing Padme, as well as neatly summing up Anakin's condition ("He is under a lot of stress"). He's also the last character who speaks in the film (appropriate, given he was the first character to speak in the whole franchise), and we see why he has no memory of the Prequels, as his memory is wiped. Artoo, meanwhile, has some awesome moments during the opening first act, helping Anakin and Obi-Wan rescue the Chancellor, as well as some funny ones when they use the lifts. Remind me to never get on this droid's bad side.

Finally, we have Senator Bail Organa (played by Johnny Smits). He has some important scenes, being Padme's support when they witness Palpatine create the Galactic Empire, rescuing Obi-Wan and Yoda after Order 66, seeing a Jedi Padawan callously gunned down, and taking Leia in as his daughter - all showcasing his commitment to justice and honesty. But a deleted scene would have also shown his plans to one day form a resistance movement against the Empire, which would've tied the Prequels and Originals together even better in my opinion.

Overall, the characters serve their respective purposes brilliantly in this movie. True, some aren't done the justice they deserve, but those that are get some of their greatest moments in the franchise."

Media Man: Quite so Tommy.

Section 3: The Cinematography

If there's anything the Star Wars movies are renowned for, it's their incredible visuals and cinematography. The original trilogy was considered ground-breaking back in the day and the prequels only continued to break more ground. Episode III for me is when the prequels looked their best. It's amazing how this film came out in 2005 and it STILL looks incredible even now! I'd even say the CGI on this has aged better than some modern movies, even if it does look a little dated at times.

As is, the movie takes full advantage of the fact it has live-action and CGI to its visuals. For the live-action side of things, you have all the human characters in various costumes that fit in with the world of Star Wars from the Jedi Robes to Queen Amidala's dresses and much more and you also have the alien characters where some are practically done and some are CGI. The practical ones are people in costumes and caked in prosthetic make-up, and it looks extremely convincing. From the fur on the Wookiees to the wrinkled skin and sharp teeth of the Pau'ans, they really do makes these aliens look real, like they filmed this movie with real aliens rather than people in costumes. And let's not forget the prosthetic make-up on Ian McDiarmid when Palpatine ends up scarred and deformed. It actually looks like he really ended up that way. I swear effects and make-up artists don't get enough credit for their work, these guys have mad skill! Oh and it goes without saying that the iconic Darth Vader costume was very faithfully recreated here while also looking improved from the original trilogy as it looks more fresh and new and the helmet doesn't look wonky. This movie is one of the times Darth Vader has really looked his best in my eyes.

As for what's real and what isn't, even some of the CGI characters like the droids look real! General Grievous is especially a feat of filmmaking as he's a pretty complex character to depict in live-action and he's a CGI character, yet it looks like he's really there most of the time and our heroes are confronting a real alien cyborg. There are times such as extreme close-ups of his eyes where he looks less convincing, but it's still pretty impressive how they brought Grievous to life here. And it also never ceases to amaze me how the prequels make the scenery look so real. Even some of it is greenscreen and some of it is a real set, it's so seamless that it looks like they really are on these alien planets and you can't tell how much of the scenery is real and how much of it is CGI! I swear sometimes, filmmakers are wizards when it comes to their craft!

Thomas: "Some of the sets were actually miniature, like on Felucia and Utapau. But they're shot so well, you honestly wouldn't notice!"

Speaking of planets, each world is a visual marvel - from Coruscant's vast, retro-futuristic metropolis and Kashyyyk's lush jungles and treetop buildings (filmed in Phuket, Thailand, and Guilin, China), to Utapau's vast sinkholes and Mustafar's hellish, volcanic landscape. In the case of Mustafar, they even had Rick McCallum and Ron Fricke film the eruption of Mount Etna in Silicy to ensure accuracy of constant volcanic activity on the planet.

And then, of course, there's the action Star Wars is famed for. Revenge of the Sith has some of the most amazing action in the whole saga. The choreography is stellar, the angles are dynamic, the explosions, whether digital or real, feel intense, and the tension is always palpable. Just to give you an idea, in the opening scene after the text crawl, one of the classic space dog-fights above Coruscant, it begins with an amazing tracking shot that helps us feel as if we're flying with Obi-Wan and Anakin when their star fighters swoop into view!

This movie also has the distinction of not one, not two, not three, but FIVE lightsaber duels! Yeah, that's right! And all of them are awesome to watch - to varying degrees - with high stakes, incredible acrobatics and movements from the actors (for the most part; they're not always done right) and excellent use of the environment. In chronological order, there's Anakin and Obi-Wan vs Count Dooku on the Invisible Hand ship; Obi-Wan vs General Grievous on Utapau; Mace Windu vs Palpatine in the latter's office; Yoda vs Palpatine in the Senate Hall; and, best of all, Anakin vs Obi-Wan on Mustafar! The last one has been covered on this blog twice, but to summarise, it's everything awesome about lightsaber duels rolled into one! It is THE lightsaber duel, no questions asked!

Fun fact, cinema legend Steven Spielberg was brought on board to help choreograph the fight!"

Media Man: He was?! That's awesome!

As is, I agree for the most part that the lightsaber duels are great, except for two of them. Obi-Wan vs. Grievous looks a bit limp-wristed in execution and just shows why a character like Grievous works better in animation than in live-action since at least animated characters can interact more convincingly with him. Palpatine vs. Windu also looked extremely silly at the beginning with Palpatine performing that over-the-top spinning trick and then killing Saesee Tiin, Agen Kolar AND Kit Fisto very quickly with neither of them putting up a fight whatsoever. Kit Fisto especially looked pretty pathetic with what he tried to do before getting killed. Some skilled Jedi you brought with you, eh Mace? =P Once it's just Palpatine vs. Mace, it gets better.

Also, I still can't help but wonder why the Clone Troopers are all CGI. If they could get guys in costumes to play Stormtroopers back in the original trilogy, then why couldn't they do so for the Clone Troopers? Surely they could've got at least one guy in a Clone Trooper suit and just duplicated him. I dunno, it's just odd to me that they did that.

As is, there's very little to criticize regarding the visuals. It's amazing this film turns 20 this year and STILL looks this good...

Overall

What else needs to be said? Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith was amazing 20 years ago and is still amazing now. Easily the best Star Wars movie out there in my eyes. The plot is engaging and well crafted, the characters reach a logical conclusion to their arcs and leave a memorable impression on everyone, the visuals are stellar and the action is exciting and thrilling to watch. If you're a Star Wars fan, then I shouldn't need to tell you to watch this movie. Chances are you already have. If you want to get into Star Wars, then this movie and the rest of the prequels are a good place to start. It's movies like this that serve as a fond reminder of the times when Star Wars used to be good and how we had it great until Disney got their grubby hands all over the franchise. Ah well, at least some content from Disney Star Wars is still good such as The Mandalorian Seasons 1 and 2, Rebels, The Bad Batch and the Jedi games. Still, I'll always come back to this movie and reminisce on what an awesome time it was to be a Star Wars fan when it was coming out. And really, what better way to celebrate Star Wars Day than to remember why you loved the franchise in the first place?

Thomas: "I can agree on that.

This is easily my favourite Star Wars movie of them all, and I never get tired of watching any part of it. It practically epitomises everything that makes Star Wars so compelling and epic, and I cannot recommend it enough, even to casual moviegoers!

While I personally have appreciated Disney's additions to the Star Wars mythos (for the most part, I do have limits), none of them could possibly top Revenge of the Sith in terms of quality and entertainment. Disney, I love you, but you can't beat the original creator himself in this situation.

It's stuff like this that makes me realise just how much unnecessary flak George Lucas has received from fans. He might not be perfect, but he's done far more good for Star Wars than bad, most notably the fact he CREATED STAR WARS IN THE FIRST PLACE!!! At least be grateful for that.

Anyway, I'd like to devote this review to two incredible actors - Sir Christopher Lee (Count Dooku), who passed away ten years ago; and James Earl Jones (voice of Darth Vader), who died just last year. You guys gave us many amazing villains with your iconic voices, especially in Star Wars. May the Force be with you both…"

Media Man: May the Force be with them indeed...

And that's it for this review. We hope you enjoyed it and I invite you all to share your thoughts down below. Do you love Revenge of the Sith? Do you not love it? Tell us all what you think!

And many thanks to Thomas for joining me for this post. It's always a pleasure to talk Star Wars with you mate. ^^

For now, I'll cap off by saying Happy Star Wars Day everyone, and May the Fourth be with you all...