So, what began a long time ago in 1977 has now come full circle to climax not very far away from a DVD player near you. Now that the Matrix has disapeared up its own backside and The Lord Of The Rings has gone to the Grey Havens, it was the third (or sixth, depending on your point of view) of George Lucas' space opera that was left to fill the void and it does so quite nicely.
With the Republic teetering on the brink of collapse, this takes up the story after the Clone Wars that begun and the end of Episode II has been largely fought with Chancellor Palpatine having been captured and thus, needing rescued. Enter the Jedi. Obi-Wan and Annakin set things ablaze from frame one in a startling space battle reminisent of the climactic fracas from Return Of The Jedi. It's only when things take a break from the action - which fortunately in this installment is fairly relentless - that Lucas begins to falter. Whilst not quite plumbing the depths of Episode I or even II's tedious 'flat spots', this manages to stay just on the right side of cringeworthy, helped in no small way by the sheer darkness of the material. It's here we find out why Darth Vader became the "more machine now than man" he did, giving a surprising amount of soul to a character most of us thought was devoid of such trappings. But a dark journey it is - especially the scenes in which the Jedi are systematically slaughtered - and one that just gets darker and darker. There is to be no medal ceremony for our heros this time.
Again, by-the-book performances from Ewan Mcgregor and hayden Christensen help cement the whole shebang with previous heavyweights like Samuel L Jackson's Mace Windu and Christopher Lee's Count Dooku relegated to almost cameo status.
But it's Palpatine's show this time round - whether as the charming chancellor or the manipulative sith lord Darth Sidious, Ian Mcdiarmid steals evert scene he appears in - and, thanfully, there are many. A highlight being when, as the now deformed sith, he finally dons his dark cloak to materealize as the Emperor we all know and hate. A "boo, hiss" moment if ever there was one.
Natalie Portman's once spunky Amidala, is now heavily pregnant and is confined this time to hanging around on balconys awaiting someone from the script department to give her something to do. Unfortunately, they never arrive.
No new baddies this time round other than the wheezing droid leader, General Grevous, whose quadruple sabre waving arms are still no match for a good blaster. Never shoulda killed Darth Maule!
With the action spread over a host of new planets, including a glimpse of Chewbacca's homeworld and of the walking carpet himself, Sith is a revelatory experience for those of us who grew up with Star Wars and for those weened on Star Wars: AJJ (after Jar-Jar). All the essential SW ingredients are there in buckets, loose ends are neatly tied up in "Ah, so that's....?" moments giving closure to several generations of fans.
Disc two contains the expected doc and extras - the deleted scenes are particularly enlightening.
So, slip the disc into your player, crank up the sound and ignite that wobbly plastic Light Sabre you got for Christmas circa '78 and forget about your troubles and your strife for two hours. This is Star Wars people, it's what DVD was invented for.
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Science Fiction - Director: Hiroyuki Yamaga - Original Language: Japanese - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Ayako Kawasumi, Fujiko Takimoto
Production Year: 2007 - Science Fiction - Director: Francis Lawrence - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Dash Mihok, Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith
Some good style shines through in your writing, liked Padme waiting for her script though perhaps she ate it with mayonnaise and gherkins while waiting for Anakin to bring some ice-cream back from the local shop.
mum52 21.11.2005 17:08
Nice review of the film, but are there any extras on the DVDs?
soamiguy 20.11.2005 21:13
Although this film does tie up the looses ends really well - I could have died happy without the'new' ones being made i think. 4-6 rule! Rob
Ending the most popular film epic in history,Star Wars: Episode III, Revenge of the Sithis ... more
an exciting, uneven, but ultimately satisfying journey. Picking up the action fromEpisode II, Attack of the Clonesas well as the animatedClone Warsseries, Jedi M...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The Star Wars saga is now complete on DVD with Episode III Revenge Of The Sith. Torn ... more
between loyalty to his mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the seductive powers of the Sith, Anakin Skywalker ultimately turns his back on the Jedi, thus completing his journe...
Advantages: Action; opening space battle; lightsaber fights galore; last third of film is superb Disadvantages: Some parts drag on; others do not go on for long enough; the lover's dialogue
![Star Wars Episode III : Revenge of the Sith (2 Disc Edition) [DVD] [2005]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78507693.jpg "Star Wars Episode III : Revenge of the Sith (2 Disc Edition) [DVD] [2005]")
Nov 20th, 2005
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