Revenge of the Sith: We caught a 20th Anniversary screening – how does it hold up?

It’s hard to believe nowadays, but there was a time when the announcement of new Star Wars content was not only rare, but hugely anticipated. There’s currently a ton of content available on Disney+, which is great, however the mouse house has produced more misfires than hits in that galaxy far, far away recently. The sequel series, despite boasting great production design, and a clear affection for the original trilogy in parts, stuttered due to a lack of narrative cohesion over the three movies as well as a director who was given too much creative control over the middle installment. However, one thing that has materialized from Disney’s controversial handling of the franchise, has been a greater love for the prequels from the generation of fans who grew up with them. And, what’s more, fans have the opportunity to catch what is arguably the best of the prequels, Revenge of the Sith, in theaters for a week to mark its 20th anniversary. However, does the movie still hold up all these years later? I had the good fortune to find out on a huge Dolby Atmos screen this weekend…

When George Lucas announced that he’d be making the prequel trilogy in the late 90s, which would focus on Anakin Skywalker, his journey to becoming Darth Vader, and the fall of the Republic to the Empire, fans went into a tailspin with excitement. However, despite some truly iconic set pieces, and some great additions to the lore, both The Phantom Menace, and Attack of the Clones, angered some fans due to questionable characters, clunky dialogue, and a badly written love story. So, when the trilogy closer, Revenge of the Sith, went into production in June 2003, not only did it have to finally show how ‘little Ani’ became the most feared Sith Lord in the Galaxy, but it also had to address some of those concerns. 

The perception from a large population of Star Wars fans, for a long time, has been that the prequel series are the worst thing to come out of the franchise. However, cast your minds back to 1999, and the reviews for The Phantom Menace weren’t as bad as you may remember. Sure, Empire magazine will never live down their legendary five star review for Attack of the Clones in May 2002, but while it’s the trilogy’s weakest movie, it still delivers an excellent spectacle in parts. However, Sith is the movie that delivers everything that’s so great about the prequels, while also failing to address the issues that bogged down parts one and two. Seeing it again on the big screen also further cemented the fact that Lucas and co. really threw everything, including a kitchen sink during the opening space battle, at the screen, to make it one of the most visually rich of the entire franchise.

By now, everyone must surely know the plot of the movie. However, for those who have spent the last couple of decades festering in the Great Pit of Carkoon, here goes. The action takes place three years after the onset of the Clone Wars, which was established in Attack of the Clones of course, and focuses on the rise of the manipulative Chancellor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, and the Galactic Empire, the fall of Anakin Skywalker, plus the demise of the noble Jedis. There’s a lot this movie needs to shoe-horn into its 140 minute runtime, and it mostly succeeds in doing so.

Right from the bat we’re plunged into the movie’s opening space battle, which is just as frenetic, and spectacular, as I remember it being when I first saw it in theaters back in 2005. It’s one of the franchises best moments, with the focus staying firmly on Anakin and Obi Wan’s fighters as they navigate the onslaught and eventually rescue the captured Chancellor Palpatine from the wheezing General Grievous. It’s a breathless start to the movie, and manages to establish how cocksure, and confident Anakin has become; taking out buzz-droids, beheading Count Dooku, and rescuing both the fallen Obi Wan as well as Palpatine in the process. It’s not long before we’re back on solid ground though, and the movie’s biggest weakness emerges; the stilted and badly written scenes between Anakin and Padme. Their romance over the course of the movies is essential to the story, naturally, yet it almost derailed Clones, and is the clunkiest part of proceedings in Revenge of the Sith. Anakin’s fall from grace, and his reasons for finally succumbing to the dark side, all rest on his fear of losing Padme, like he did his mother in Episode 2. Unfortunately, they have zero chemistry, and some of the worst dialogue in the franchise to contend with. The only saving grace is John Williams’ beautiful theme, ‘Across the Stars’ that plays along with their doomed romance.

However, dialogue has never been George Lucas’ strong point, and what we’re really here for, 20 years on from its first release, are the space battles, lightsaber duels, and Yoda hopping on Chewbacca for a lift after beheading a couple of clones. Everything fans love about Sith are still just as thrilling on the big screen, bolstered in my case by a thumping, and immersive Dolby Atmos sound presentation. The aforementioned space battle is explosive, and the lightsaber duels hit the right action beats, especially when we see Anakin kill Dooku after being egged on by Palpatine. The final battle between Anakin and Obi Wan looks incredible on the big screen again, with the Mustafa lava acting as the perfect backdrop for their fateful battle. General Grievous is a great addition to the pantheon of Star Wars villains, and gives Obi Wan a fun mission to go on while Anakin and Padme brood and ponder his increasingly worrying behaviour. It’s also great to witness the Wookie battle on the big screen, plus Palpatine going full on pantomime villain by tricking Anakin into killing Mace Windu, cackling like a demented witch in the process.

In terms of the cast, Hayden Christensen does his best with some terrible lines of dialogue, but if we’re being honest, he wasn’t the best choice to play such a conflicted, and complicated character, as Anakin Skywalker. Ewan McGregor chews the scenery up nicely by embracing his role as Obi Wan Kenobi, and it’s such a shame that his small screen series was hampered by bad writing and ridiculous moments. He owned the role in all three movies, and deserved a better series to showcase his talents. Natalie Portman does her best with the terrible script but is largely relegated to the background, until she literally gives up on life after giving birth to Luke and Leia. One shining light in the prequels, however, has been the great Scottish actor, Ian McDiarmid. He may ham it up massively in Revenge of the Sith, but his gravitas, plus the awesome duel with Yoda at the end, is a highlight.

At the end of the day, if you’re a Star Wars fan with a soft spot for the prequels, like I have, I’d highly recommend checking out Revenge of the Sith for its 20th year anniversary, on the biggest screen possible, with the most immersive sound you can find. Sure, the CGI may be pretty ropey at times, and the script seems like it’s been written by one of those unfortunate younglings, but it’s nonetheless a pulsating, exciting, and vibrant entry in the Star Wars franchise, and easily the best of the prequel series. As always my young apprentices, may the force be with you…Always!

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