Star Wars - Episode 3 - Revenge Of The Sith (DVD)

...special effects on all the star wars movies ever made return with some style. It raises the bar yet again in terms of visuals and at times just sheer variety. Fantastic stuff from the guys at ILM, yet again I might add.

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Conclusion
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I walked out of the theatre feeling it had all come together for Lucas on this one. Any short comings in previous instalments were ...
...star wars. If you are a Star Wars fans this will not disappoint, delivering the final saga with the exit it deserves. The tragedy, the action and the betrayal is all anyone could hope for. Its the end of Star Wars movies but what an end it was.

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DVD Extras:
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When Revenge Of The Sith came out I saw it opening day and then gave a review on this site immediately after. Whilst that review dealt in detail with the movie, its occurred to me after owning the 2 disc DVD for nearly 2 years, its time I reviewed the extra features too. I did however include a heavily edited version of my film review of the movie too (this review was even longer without it). If you want a more in-depth film review check out the other one in its entirety before I chopped it to pieces. The extras are separated below by a divide, if you feel like simply delving through them and not the movie review. Enjoy.

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The Plot
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After three long years of battle, the clone war seems to be finally drawing to a close. Now with the end in sight, the Jedi order grow increasingly suspicious of chancellor Palpatines motives. Anakin Skywalker, now a Jedi Knight, has grown exceptionally strong with the force and now longs to become a Jedi Master. After many long months away from Padme, she tells him she is pregnant and will be expecting very soon. However Anakin has a disturbing vision of Padme dying in childbirth and goes about finding any means possible to prevent it from happening. Obi-Won Kenobi, now a general, is given the mission of taking out General Grievous unknowingly leaving his friend and apprentice Anakin at a time when perhaps he needs him most.

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The Movie
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From the start we are treated to a spectacle of special effects as it opens from one Republic Cruiser to a huge battle over Coroscant. This is the space battle that was sorely missed during the last two instalments and its one of the most impressive in the entire saga let alone the prequels.

Characters which people have grown to care about will of course now meet their end. None of the scenes are more graphic than Jango Fetts decapatation. If you let your kids see that then no problem this time around. It is 12A after all, it can push it a little more in the violence department but there’s one scene i think that truly marked it as a 12A. Anakin’s injuries that force him to dawn the dark life supporting suit are perhaps the scene that earned the rating. Its a brief but fairly graphic scene. I believe most kids even the most timid can handle 99% of this without worry.

Revenge excels in many areas where the previous instalments may have fell short for some that much I will tell you. Dialogue is far superior, some odd moments such as the love interactions between Anakin and Padme are still not quite past cheesy while admittedly there is more chemistry. If you want action look no further than this instalment, simply amazing and so many different lightsaber battles, locations and battle scenes it delivers perfectly.

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Characters
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Anakin Skywalkers ( Hayden Christensen ) depiction is much stronger this time around. He still has issues and frustration like in episode II but this time around they are of a much grander scale and Hayden exudes a Jedi with more maturity and even some awareness of his own faults. Now Christensen seems much more self assured in the role and it shows, he is the likeable hero at the beginning of the tale and excels even more so when he falls to the darkside.

Obi-Won Kenobi ( Ewan McGregor ) comes across as the guy who’s certain to become ‘Old Ben’ in "A New Hope." His relationship with Anakin is now much more a friendship than master and pupil. When the time comes to face off against his friend and pupil the emotion and attitude is all there.

You cant talk about the performances of the other actors without mentioning the one that nearly stole the show from Anakin altogether. Ian McDairmuid plays the evil Palpatine with such style and ease its like the 30 years between his performances never occurred. Padme ( Natalie Portman ) did well with what she had this time around. A better performance but you cant help but feel she was a necessary plot device for firstly Luke and Leia and secondly Anakin’s demise.

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Music
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This instalment has brought another strong score to forefront. What is different is the unnerving scores or even unsettling sounds which fit so well in this dark story. The tragedy conveyed by some tracks is utterly spot on just multiplying the impact of moment. I expected nothing less from John Williams on this movie.

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Special Effects
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Industrial, light and magic ( ILM ) the guys we all know are responsible for the special effects on all the star wars movies ever made return with some style. It raises the bar yet again in terms of visuals and at times just sheer variety. Fantastic stuff from the guys at ILM, yet again I might add.

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Conclusion
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I walked out of the theatre feeling it had all come together for Lucas on this one. Any short comings in previous instalments were wiped away in the movie everyone wanted to see from star wars. If you are a Star Wars fans this will not disappoint, delivering the final saga with the exit it deserves. The tragedy, the action and the betrayal is all anyone could hope for. Its the end of Star Wars movies but what an end it was.

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DVD Extras:
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- 6 deleted scenes, with intro by George Lucas & Rick McCallum

Grievous Slaughters a Jedi
An unlucky Shaak Ti finds herself stabbed from behind by Grievous in front of Obi-Won and Anakin resulting in an interesting escape scene which is only partly complete and places emphasis on the bond between the two Jedi. Due to time restraints its understandable why it got cut though.

A Stirring In The Senate
In a scene that really should have featured in some form or another we see the beginnings of descent amongst Bail Organa and other senators. Not only is it a well acted scene which is perfect in tone its effectively the birth of the Rebel Alliance. Something simple like this would have had huge impact.

Seeds Of The Rebellion
Less than a minute long but its clear that these ‘Alliance’ scenes like this and the one above should have been in the movie. Despite the very quick passing of this scene it would have given much more depth to a heated conversation between Anakin and Padme later on in the movie regarding the war.

Confronting The Chancellor
The final scene involving the rebel alliance sub-plot shows Padme confronting Palpatine about his recent actions within the senate on behalf of 2,000 fellow senators. The petition is met with little warmth from the chancellor and there’s a great deal of tension brewing in this scene. It’s interesting seeing Palpatine trying to place doubt into Anakin’s mind about Padme’s true intentions. Perhaps this scene would have worked well in the final cut but only in conjunction with the ‘seeds of the rebellion’ as it would have much less impact on its own.

A Plot To Destroy The Jedi?
Not so much a deleted scene as an alternative take on a conversation that took place in the film without Obi-Won present in the war room. Mace Windu’s suspicions regarding a move against the Jedi take place in a more discreet location with Obi-Won present. The scene basically serves the purpose of showing a different take on the same dialogue but no more than that.

Exiled To Dagobah
30 second scene that I feel is one time Lucas should have indulged himself and simply stated the obvious. The scene is basically Yoda landing on Dagobah and serves as a strong nostalgia moment that fans would have appreciated. Sure we know he ends up there but I just feel it would have been a nice nod to ‘Empire’ seeing as he won’t be seen until then again. Still its understandable why its not in the movie given Lucas wanted to focus on the fate of the twins.

- "In a Minute" Documentary

This documentary gives a glimpse into the hundreds of individuals who worked on Revenge Of The Sith by simply showing the immense work that went into a mere minute of the movie. The sheer scale of the work is unimaginable as everything goes from concept to film. Displaying everything that went into a minute from Vader vs. Kenobi on Mustafar. It’s a great insight into the business and how much man power and effort is required to bring Star Wars to life. Artists, office workers, set designers, catering, digital artists, fight choreography , technicians, actors, stunt guys and the list goes on and on for much longer. Considering the movie ran at around 135 minutes, its only a fraction of the work that goes into Star Wars movies. Great documentary and one that gives behind the scenes a whole new meaning.

- "The Chosen One" featurettes

Lucas, Hayden Christensen and others discuss Anakin’s fall from grace and his role as the chosen one. Interesting hearing his motivations behind making Vader the tragic hero of the films rather than the symbol of evil he became. Lucas had never intended Anakin to be regarded as the ultimate evil but rather a victim of his ability not to his fears. Christensen also talks about holding back Vader until this episode and the obvious joy at dawning the dark lord’s iconic suit. Its always good to hear opinions from the people behind the characters on why they were motivated to take certain directions. Certainly you get the impression that Lucas was motivated to make the prequels in order to tell Anakin’s story and bring opinions of Vader closer to that of a fallen hero rather than ruthless villain.

- "It's all for Real" Featurette"

Despite the digital effects being a dominant feature in the prequels, Nick Gillard is quick to remind us that there’s still a lot of stunt work being done without digital stunt doubles. The obvious hard work involved in choreographing the fights and the efforts of the actors to get involved as much as possible. Interestingly it sheds light on the fact that whilst a digital double may be used, the stunt will still be filmed by Gillard and his team as a reference point for ILM when they come to created it using special effects.

- 15 individual behind the scene featurettes ( web docs )

Two Worlds, One Movie
With the aid of modern technology Lucas is able to stay in the loop of the creative process, despite being on the other side of the planet dealing with other aspects of the film.

One World, Two Movies
Bridging the gap between episodes 3 and 4 proves to be one of the many challenges Lucas and his team face with Revenge Of The Sith.

We Still Do A Bit
Practical effects and stunt work are still very much part of the special effects driven movie.

Creating General Grievous
The art department is charged with creating a new alien villain for Lucas, with some intriguing looks
on what the general might have looked like.

This Weapon Is Your Life
The huge array of weaponry that has to be made in-house for the movie from lightsabers to huge wookie rifles.

Video Village
This featurette displays how digital technology is being used to provide immediate on-screen feedback for Lucas, who can see in great detail what the product of his filming is immediately. Featuring director Rob Cohen being shown the technology and confessing his envy. The vast amounts of large screens also allow make-up artists or wardrobe to see if they need to make any adjustments as well as providing digital artists with a much clearer idea of the task at hand from the off.

Epic Designs For An Expanding Universe
A look into the huge scale operation involving costume design in the movie as well as showing how the actors respond to some of the unique costumes they wear.

C-3PO: His Moment To Shine
Threepio in his element (and camera reflecting glory). Anthony Daniels speaks of his love for the character and the dangers of unseen obstacles on set. Also due to his shiny exterior reflecting camera and crew alike we see the woman charged with making sure the audience is none the wiser.

Pick-Ups & Reshoots
The intense period of tidying up 500 different shots as well as redoing scenes that don’t quite fit the tone of the rest of the movie. Furthermore we get to see Lucas utilise technology to tweak footage and edit it in a way so he can introduce completely new ideas.

Becoming Obi-Won
Ewan McGregor discusses following in Alec Guinness’ footsteps and the transition from padawan learner to Jedi Master. McGregor talks about seeing Star Wars for the first time because his uncle Dennis Lawson was in the film. Whilst tying to emulate his predecessor Ewan did have to contend with showing Kenobi at a much younger age and then in episode 3 bringing both performances closer together.

The Wookies Are Back!
The return of the Wookies and none other than a young(er) Chewbacca fighting amongst an army of his kin. Of course now Lucas has the luxury of being able to hire actors even taller than Peter Mayhew and we hear from a variety of wookie extras on the experience as well as from Chewy himself. Also we get a look at the costume making process and the work involving ILM.

B-107: The Life Of A HD Tape
Taking a look at the benefits of digital technology when it comes to filming. The digital tape allows for quick processing and most importantly a faster editing process. Effectively the editors can have something for George to look at by the end of the very same day they received footage. Additionally ILM also reap the benefits of this process when it finally comes to their doorstep.

The Creatures Of Episode III
A look into the massive creature workshop which creates huge amounts of aliens to populate the Star Wars world. Whilst getting an insight into the creative processes and additionally the advancement in technology such as animatronics.

Endlessly Compelling: The Music Of Episode III
The musical score provided by who else but John Williams himself, who speaks about coming to the end of the saga after 6 movies and 3 decades of working with Star Wars. Discussing not only ‘Revenge’ but the composing for the saga as a whole and his experiences working with Lucas. The featurette also promotes the ‘Star Wars : A Musical Journey’ DVD.

Becoming Sidious
Ian McDairmuid revels in discussing his final transformation into Palpatines true self, Darth Sidious, seemingly enjoying the fact Lucas and himself wouldn’t come out and admit the two were one. It features several interviews discussing their enjoyment of the actors performance and of course Ian’s own connection with Sidious.

- Trailers & TV Spots
Featuring the ‘Nostalgia Teaser’ and full length trailers plus the many TV trailers and shorts promoting the movie.

- "A Hero Falls"
The music video featuring the ‘Battle Of The Heroes’ by John Williams.

- Theatrical posters and print campaign

- Production Photo Gallery

- Special Xbox demo for Star Wars Battlefront II videogame, trailers for "Battlefront II" and "Empire at War."

- DVD-ROM weblink to exclusive star wars content

Its rare you'll find extras that match the star war DVDs. This is no exception to that fine tradition. Its sheer depth alone warrants praise but it covers so much of what fans would like to know goes into the film making process. The documentary "Within a Minute" deserves a special mention displays the unimaginable scale of work that goes into a mere minute of making revenge of the Sith. Over 6 hours of content, cant ask for more than that on a special features disc. 

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