Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and some intense images. 140 minutes. Directed and written by George Lucas. Released in theaters May 19, 2005.

Sick of the Star Wars barrage yet? Don’t despair. This final prequel (which Lucas says is truly the last) is worth all those Burger King toys and plastic light sabers cluttering up the back seat of your car. You might want to re-visit the previous movies, though, just to reconnect with Anakin, Obi-Wan, Yoda, and the rest of the droids, wookies and clones.

First, let’s figure out where we are. This is the third film in the Star Wars series, chronologically, following Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and preceding the original trilogy: Episode IV: A New Hope (the one we always think of as Star Wars), Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. (George, here’s a little tip: wouldn’t it have been easier to just start with Episode I?)

Revenge of the Sith starts three years after the ending of Episode II, during a massive battle that is part of the final days of the Clone Wars. Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) have emerged as heroes in the battle against evil Gen. Grievous' droid warriors.

Skywalker returns to his secret wife, Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), only to discover that she’s pregnant. He soon starts having nightmares that she dies during childbirth. To prevent his fears from becoming reality, Skywalker starts venturing down that shadowy path to the Dark Side, resulting in a dazzling light saber duel between he and his mentor, Obi-Wan.

THE WRAP-UP: How cool to have a movie that wraps up a 28-year saga. Revenge of the Sith is definitely the darkest of the Star Wars films, but still has the cool gadgets, weird creatures, non-stop action, and killer storyline that made the others so popular (well, ok, so Episodes I and II were a bit lacking, but still...). I think back to what I was doing when I saw the original Star Wars in 1977 (I was a junior in high school), and it's almost as if I've grown right along with the characters and Lucas' vision.

Also, many of the mysteries were finally solved. We all knew Anakin was Darth Vader, and that Vader was the father of Luke and Leia, but now we know how and why they were separated. We also know how Darth Vader came to be and why he needed that heavy-breathing headgear and costume. Knowing all that, I feel a little sorry for the guy, to be honest.

My only complaint about Sith is that the dialogue is often dull as a dead droid, and the delivery equally dismal. Christensen (Skywalker) and Kenobi (McGregor) were supposed to be like brothers at the beginning of the movie, but it felt like they were reading their lines from a prompter off-set. Christensen also didn't really reach his stride until he started turning to the dark side, where you can see his rage starting to boil over. Still, an enjoyable way to spend 2.5 hours, and a must-see if you're a Star Wars fan.

[NOTE: SPOILER AHEAD]

With all the hype surrounding this movie, you might be wondering whether to take your kids or not. My 10-year-old Will has been begging me to take him and his friend, Chris, so to be on the safe side, I previewed the movie by myself first.

Rated PG-13, Revenge of the Sith contains violence in a number of ways, including intense fighting with lightsabers and other weapons, spaces ships being destroyed or damaged, and various characters being killed or injured. Most of the violence is bloodless, although a few limbs are severed and two characters are decapitated.

In one scene, it’s implied that a group of kids will be killed (we don’t actually *see* this happen, but the implication is there). And when Anakin Skywalker takes his final path to become Darth Vader, both legs and one arm are cut off, then he catches on fire amidst a sea of raging lava and darkness. We then see various views of his charred and bloody torso, before he eventually dons the familiar Darth Vader outfit.

My benchmark for Will is always, “Is it worse than Lord of the Rings?,” a trilogy he loves and has seen many times. To me, Revenge of the Sith is nowhere near as violent or dark as Lord of the Rings with its gruesome orcs, giant spiders, and bloody battle scenes.

I also checked with Chris’ mom, to see if she thought he’d be disturbed by the “Sith” images I just described. She said no, that she’s more concerned about sexual references, of which there are none. There are a few scenes between Anakin and his pregnant wife, but nothing that goes further than a kiss.

Generally speaking, I would say this movie is ok for kids 10 and older, but only if they’re not disturbed by movies like Lord of the Rings. If they are, I would wait a few years and let them watch the DVD. For the record, my husband and I have opted *not* to take our 8-year-old daughter. First of all, she’s not big into action-adventure movies (and this one IS non-stop action, with lots of cool gadgets and weird creatures). But we also felt the content would be too intense for her.

NOTE: In 2003, the Cartoon Network began airing animated Clone War shorts; a 69-minute DVD compilation called Star Wars: Clone Wars, Vol. 1, was released on March 22, 2005. Rumor has it that Lucas is also working on two new TV series, one computer-generated and one live-action, based on the Star Wars series. The latter will feature characters from the movies, although they won't be the big names.