Star Wars Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
January 2006 Reviewed by: Rad Bennett Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

It has taken nearly 30 years, but an end has finally come to the ambitious double trilogy that visionary director George Lucas started in 1977 with the original Star Wars. That movie was labeled Episode IV -- A New Hope, and was followed by parts V and VI, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Lucas then went back in the storyline to make Episode I and Episode II, The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Episode III ties the two trilogies together. It also changes George Lucas back into a good director, something he was definitely not in parts I and II.

In Revenge of the Sith, we learn how Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker’s father, slipped from grace as a Jedi knight and was turned to the Dark Side of The Force, where he became Darth Vader. I haven’t had a chance to re-watch the episodes in order, but Lucas points out in one of the documentaries contained on disc two of this set that when we do, we’ll see that Darth Vader is really the main character of the saga, and certainly the unifying one. I would emphasize the importance of Obi-Wan Kenobe, Anakin/Darth’s mentor, as well. Though he dies in part IV, his spirit is very much present in parts V and VI.

The casting of Obi-Wan is excellent throughout. Both Sir Alec Guinness, who took over in A New Hope, and Ewan McGregor, who owns the role for parts I, II, and III, are entirely credible. Darth Vader is more problematical. Once he’s in the black suit with the oxygen helmet, there is no problem. But his transition from fair-haired boy to that Halloween look is incredibly complicated, and Hayden Christensen, though better than many critics have said, lacks the acting chops to go very deep into the role.

Thus the first two-thirds of this last film are flat. They require an actor who can convince us that Vader is innately a good person even when he is killing younglings. It is evident that Lucas wants us to consider Anakin/Darth as a flawed hero and tragic character. Then there’s the last third of the movie, which relies on quick editing, special effects, and John Williams’ incredible score. This sequence encompasses the duel between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan set on a volcanic planet, Vader’s physical reconstruction, and the birth of Luke and Leia. If the rating was for this long sequence alone, it would be outta sight, but the rating must be for the overall film.

As usual with DVDs of movies from this series, the THX transfer is crisp and colorful. It is good enough that you can tell how much of the first half of the film is CGI, and that is a little irritating. The sound mix improves at midpoint. In the first half, the music is down in the Foley mud, but in the last part of the movie the effects and music are expertly mixed and give a thrilling effect.

There is a somewhat dry commentary on the first disc from Lucas and his production staff. The second disc has many extras. Deleted scenes have to do with a subplot that eventually was removed from the film, and many short featurettes on various aspects of the filmmaking process. The one on John Williams is the best. And then there’s a documentary in which a short segment of the film is thoroughly examined from a production aspect. It shows us just how many people are involved to create a finished minute of the movie. Production photos and theatrical posters are sharply etched in still-frame galleries.

I mentioned John Williams above and should note what a feat his incredible scores have been. Without them, it simply wouldn’t be Star Wars. The score for the first movie was recently named best score of all time by the American Film Institute, beating out works by Max Steiner, Jerry Goldsmith, Franz Waxman, and many others. I believe that award was well deserved. Watch the last half of Revenge of the Sith without the music and you will immediately see what I mean. One of these movies without music by John Williams is unthinkable.

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