Of all the anniversaries of late, this one is the most shocking. It’s unbelievable to think so much time has gone by so quickly, but to celebrate this landmark film here are 20 reasons why we love Revenge of the Sith. So, in no particular order:
1. The Opening Shot
The two-minute tracking shot that begins the film after the opening crawl is nothing short of tremendous. From the pounding drums, to following the Jedi Starfighters, it’s all a showstopping way to begin the film before anything really happens.
2. We Finally See Kashyyyk
It had been talked about for years and was even first floated as an idea for Return of the Jedi until budget reasons meant they couldn’t dozens of Wookiee costumes. (Hence why Ewoks came into existence) Though digital of course, Kashyyyk delivers on all fronts and really satisfied fans who had been waiting so long to see it on the big screen. The return of Chewbacca was delightful, and the biggest surprise of course was that Yoda had such good relations with the Wookiees.
3. Ian McDiarmid
He’s always delivered the most delicious of performances but in this film, he plays the devil himself and plays him perfectly. McDiarmid had the most screentime here and you can see that both with the writing, costuming and McDiarmid himself on fine form, he delivers his finest performance as the galaxy’s puppet master.
4. CGI Yoda
First introduced as computer generated in Attack of the Clones the team at ILM, led by Rob Colman, really made Yoda feel like a real living, breathing lifeform. The colour texture and movement is second to none and the Jedi Master himself never evoked such emotion. The moment he drops his cain and feels his heart as Order 66 begins still makes me emotional. Twenty years on and he still holds up.
5. A Night at the Opera
When we first saw this scene in cinemas two decades ago, you could have heard a pin drop across the world. As Palpatine recounted the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise, it oozed with tension and twisted venom. The seeds of Anakin’s downfall were truly sown and McDiarmid deserved every bit of credit he rightfully got for this scene. By saying just a few short sentences, the scene set in motion the events to come whilst also holding true to the maxim that less is more. A fun note here is that it’s J.J Abrams’ favourite scene.
6. The Hype
The hype for this film was insurmountable. Star Wars was once again everywhere. Billboards, fast food tie ins, tv spots, merchandise galore, film magazines – there was no escaping Star Wars in 2005. We thought that this was it. George had said time and time again that there was no Episode VII or beyond, so the hype engine really went into overdrive. It had a brilliant advertising campaign, and they were right to drown to world in Star Wars. It was the end of an era and we wanted it all.
7. The Perfect Teases
George Lucas was a master of not hitting fans over the head with information that we already knew. He knew that we knew these stories inside out and therefore didn’t need to be shown how to join the dots. The perfect example of this comes at the end of the film when Yoda tells Obi-Wan that he’s communed with Qui-Gon and will teach him how to do the same. Fantastic. A few short sentences and we were able to know how Obi-Wan trained to be a force ghost. We didn’t need it all laid out for us.
8. Nick Gillard’s Masterclass
The stunt coordinator and sword master of the prequels certainly earned his paycheck with this film. The prequels had done a fantastic job of showcasing the Jedi in their prime and this was no exception. Full credit goes to Nick and his team for not accepting anything less that 10/10. There are no less than five lightsaber fights in this film and, in my opinion, they have not been surpassed or even equal since.
9. Order 66
The execution, quite literally, of this crucial moment in the saga was perfectly done. It was both heartbreaking and horrifying to witness and, most importantly, made total sense. We’ve also seen this play out many times now in different shows and books and has made for fantastic ground for fertile storytelling. It also told us how all those Clone Troopers became the Stormtroopers we knew from the original trilogy. Hands up who still looks out for Order 66 on fast food receipts. I do and it happened, so wonderfully, on May 4th in Germany.
10. John Williams
Once again giving it nothing less than his all, the soundtrack for Episode III is one of the finest of the saga. It features the sweeping and grand pieces such as Battle of the Heroes but also moments of quiet and emotion. We saw a return of Duel of the Fates and Williams composed pieces here that would go on to be features classics in the saga and themes that would be returned to in the sequels also.
11. All Roads Lead Here
By this I mean that if one thinks very carefully about it, this film was the trickiest of all the prequels to get right. After all, it had wrap up this new trilogy, but it also couldn’t contradict any canon from the original trilogy. With this in mind, this script was so good that it could have been written in 1977 and then put in George’s desk for all those years. Every storyline felt perfectly where it should be. Nothing seemed added in for the sake of it and there were no silly choices made to get a character where they needed to be by the start of A New Hope which takes place nineteen years later.
12. Matthew Stover’s novel
I worked with a chap many years ago who was a general movie fan and despised the prequels with a genuine passion. He did, however, loved with every ounce of his being the novelisation of the film written by Matthew Stover. Over the years it’s considered a masterpiece among the fandom and the first time I read it twenty years ago I remember being moved to tears by it. The writing and raw emotion was so good. It’s also one of only three books I’ve read more than once in my lifetime. It also gave us one of the most powerful lines written in Star Wars literature. It’s the final line of the book and it goes as thus; “Love can ignite the stars.” A special anniversary edition of the book will be release this October.
13. A Fantastic DVD Release
When the time came for the film to be released on home media you could count on Lucasfilm to deliver the goods. The standout, of course, is the superb making-of documentary called ‘Within a minute’ that took 60 seconds of footage from the film and showcased every single element that went into making it and all the crew involved. Perfect time to revisit this if you haven’t in a while.
14. Mother, Father, Daughter, Son
One of my favourite bits of trivia about the film is that in the final moments of the movie we would witness Yoda arriving on a certain swamp planet and thus setting him up ready for the next time we see him in The Empire Strikes Back. George just wasn’t having it, however, as it would have disrupted the flow of the final four scenes involving Padme’s funeral, Vader overlooking the Death Star, baby Leia being delivered on Alderaan and baby Luke being delivered on Tatooine. George could have easily stuck Yoda in there for the fans but the story was more important. That’s why we love you, George. The scene is available on the DVD extras and has been completed.
15. Grievous Make an Impact
He was teased through concept art for a long time and even introduced in the 2003 Clone Wars Micro-series AND he was even released as a ‘Sneak Preview’ figure by Hasbro in February 2005. George wanted a villain that would foreshadow Anakin’s own downfall and Grievous captured that perfectly. He would go on to be a memorable villain and fill the shoes of Count Dooku until Anakin’s fall to the dark side and with Matthew Wood’s brilliant voice performance and some stunning CGI, it was all destined to be great.
16. Battle of the Heroes
The prequel trilogy had, thanks to George telling us from the off, always hung on this massive centrepiece of Anakin Skywalker in a climactic duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi. He did not let us down. The music, the stunt work, the scale, the emotion, the energy, the heart pounding feeling of weight that the galaxy hangs in the balance is all on display here in one of the most stunning sequences ever shot, not only in a Star Wars film, but in cinema as a whole.
17. Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan
When Ewan McGregor took on the role of a young Obi-Wan Kenobi he had an incredibly difficult task ahead of him. Not only was he taking on the role of one of Britain’s most celebrated actors but also the role of an iconic character in an already iconic franchise. He had to be a young Alec Guiness but also make Obi-Wan his own whilst also delivering the vision of George Lucas. I think we all know that he did it all and did it so effortlessly. When I saw Revenge of the Sith on the big screen last month for its re-release I was reminded, and told many friends, that when McGregor is on screen in Star Wars we are not watching Ewan McGregor because he quite literally is Obi-Wan Kenobi in his body and soul.
18. Adult Themes and Epic Tragedy
If The Phantom Menace was accused of being too ‘kiddy’ for some then Revenge of the Sith most definitely could not be. Anakin’s turn to the dark side is utterly compelling and believable as he tries to save the person he loves most and acts out of fear for doing so. All his decisions are authentic. We then see mass bloodshed and massacre with Order 66. There’s the loss of so many loved characters and even Padme dies in childbirth and loses the will to live. These are complex themes that we face ourselves in an ever-evolving world. I haven’t even mentioned the obvious one that, whilst not shown directly, there is the murder of younglings. Brutal stuff for the soul.
19. George’s Magnum Opus
It’s well documented that George Lucas could see all the scenes in his head but with budget issues he could never quite get some of the things he wanted for the original trilogy. Well, by the time we got to Revenge of the Sith this was well and truly George executing his vision. This is it folks. If you want to see what George Lucas the writer/director is capable of then this film is it. I shall never forget the review from Empire magazine for this film. I don’t need to pull out the drawer – it’s seared on my brain. It went like this, and I think they nailed. “Nothing is perfect in this life but Revenge of the Sith is as near to perfection as Heaven doth allow.”
20. “Hello there.”
See above.
So, happy birthday Revenge of the Sith. You’re some of my favourite memories as a Star Wars fan just as I was coming of age. I thank you, and most importantly, the greatest thanks of all goes to George Lucas himself. Here’s to the next twenty!
