Over the course of the late spring and summer of 2005, as “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” hit theaters to conclude George Lucas’ epic six-movie story, Star Wars-mania took hold of me and wouldn’t let go.
This movie, which was to be Star Wars’ swan song (but actually ended up being Lucas’ instead), represented the end of an era and could have realistically been the end of Star Wars in movie theaters … forever.
That thought motivated repeat viewings in a way no other movie had before or since, at least for this writer. Four in-theater viewings remains my record for a single film to this day.*
* This total, high by my standards, but low by some Star Wars fans’, I am comfortable with. I like that this film holds the record … and also that I never got up to five.
Given what we knew at the time, that this movie could be the last of the series, it was a time of great reflection and celebration … but only for those who were still bought in (like me). Many fans had by that point been disillusioned by “The Phantom Menace” or couldn’t recapture the magic through “Attack of the Clones.” And to their point, “Revenge of the Sith” didn’t exactly break the mold of the other prequels. A sudden turnaround on the prequels at large just wouldn’t be engendered by this movie.
Non-fans were more impressed, whether because they wanted to be more charitable coming into it or they simply didn’t feel burned in the same way. Regardless of the reasons, the box office rebounded significantly from Clones, while the Tomato-meter bounced up from 54% to 66% and finally to 80% as the prequels went along.
Many non-fans (and many fans as well) were grateful to have the series go out on a relative high note.
Of course that theme of gratitude would permeate the narrative. As dramatic war drums beat and our heroes sail their fighters into the middle of a ginormous, chaotic battle above Coruscant (the BEST intro to any Star Wars movie EVER), the audience is treated to a kind of scope never before seen — in much the same way “The Empire Strikes Back” raised the bar back in 1980 — while the “good friends” hinted at in the first movie back in 1977 are finally on full display. Their brother-like dynamic works from the outset. Bickering is now playful instead of resentful. Each character has his turn meeting objectives to achieve the overall goal. Leaning on one another to emerge victorious, both men clearly have a great sense of appreciation for the other (credit both actors, especially Ewan McGregor).
But said victory doesn’t come without cost, as our protagonist’s soul takes a hit in the process.
The seeds of Anakin Skywalker’s fall were planted with general proclamations of fear leading to the dark side in the first movie, then sprinkled with fertilizer in the form of his mom’s death in Episode II, but the vines really didn’t begin to run wild until we got to part 3. The serpent Palpatine whispering sweet nothings into Anakin’s ear as Yoda and the Jedi make him feel unappreciated … well, it made sense. It felt natural that he would turn.
Anakin’s own words are particularly instructive:
“I want more. And I know I shouldn’t.”
In these early scenes, his tapping into the dark side to remove Dooku of his head comes almost out of left field (though we can be instantly reminded of his interactions with the sand people in “Clones”). It’s jarring. This is not how heroes act.
Echoes of “Return of the Jedi” begin to creep into our minds. Luke flirting with a dark path inspired doubt and perhaps even dread that he might NOT emerge from the narrative with his soul intact.
Barely ten minutes into this movie, and our hero is facing the same challenge, albeit in a decidedly less successful manner.
This theme of fathers and sons and repeating the sins of the father is the point of the whole damn thing, and it comes home to roost here.
Unlike Luke, Anakin keeps getting tested … and he keeps failing.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” the oft-repeated signature line of the series, never had so much meaning as it does here. Six movies in, this line will finally be paid off. And it’s a far cry from the little boy who could do no wrong in Episode I. Sadly, the audience knows this can end only one way.
Mileage varies for folks on how this ultimately plays out. Expectations always dictate our experiences, particularly when it comes to “Star Wars,” and I don’t doubt there were many who envisioned this all playing out differently and subsequently had a hard time seeing it go a different way.
Judged on its own terms, Anakin’s turn to the dark side is laid out for us with the hints in the previous films, his deeply disturbing cut re: poor Christopher Lee, and of course the masterful seduction in the opera scene executed wonderfully by Ian McDiarmid.*
* If he hadn’t cemented his Emperor as one of cinema’s all-time great villains before, he certainly did here.
But it HAS to play quickly, because Lucas painted himself into that corner in previous movies. He has a lot of ground to cover in two-ish hours here to connect the two trilogies, and that he mostly succeeds at doing so is an absolute marvel. After a few scenes of talking and brooding in the movie’s first act (leading to Anakin’s turn), the pacing of this movie cranks it up to eleven and is relentless until the end credits roll.
The tragedy of Anakin’s story is Faustian, and obviously, the comparisons to Faust are deliberate. Lucas has admitted as much, and let’s be honest: he’s not subtle in the film itself. Anakin makes a literal deal with the devil in trying to save his wife. Fire and brimstone rain down on our characters during their penultimate confrontation. Anakin is left battered, disfigured, charred, a slave to a maniac, his wife dead. Hell is more than alluded to; it’s a main character.
To its detriment, the movie makes room for this “new character” by giving short shrift to one of our existing ones, Padme. The strong, bold, vividly interesting young girl from “Menace” is now totally relegated to the sidelines before dying of a “broken heart.” It’s a bitter pill to swallow for fans of the character, and it’s one of the bigger missteps in the movie.
And there are other flaws … enough to keep this movie from earning a place alongside the saga’s two gold star entries, “A New Hope” and “The Empire Strikes Back.” But as stated before, the frantic storytelling pace has the effect of disguising (or at least moving on quickly from) the warts. Ambitious setting design and other bold film-making choices aside, there’s so much damn tragedy here that the film establishes a resonance and importance that many of the other movies can’t match.
“Sith” was the first film in the saga to earn a PG-13 rating, and it certainly does earn that moniker. Shortly after Anakin’s turn, we are treated to a montage of Jedi being murdered, and we are even hinted to the slaughter of children (subsequently confirmed, though thankfully occurring off-screen). Coupled with Anakin’s later exploits (among them choking Padme unconscious), this is a dark movie. It’s possibly the darkest of the bunch, actually.*
* “Rogue One” has a gritty realness that “Sith” doesn’t, and it also murders its entire cast. Somehow, despite all of that, it arguably ends on a more hopeful note. Our heroes in “Rogue One,” after all, achieve their goal.
The tonal change is welcome. Sure, parents now have to think much longer and harder about when to expose their kids to all of this stuff, but the shift in tone is required by the story … and it breaks up the routine. This movie is different. It tries new things. Yes, we have our own Star Wars “best practices” by now, but at least here we break some of our previously established rules.
As Lucas’ last contribution to the film universe (aside from treatments that are only partially referred to in the sequel trilogy), there’s an appropriate sadness to it. And yet, despite this finality, it ends hinting at a new dawn, with the Lars family cradling Luke, gazing at what might be construed us a sunrise (it could also be a sunset … either image works), hoping for a better future.
This movie caught me at the right time, transitioning into proper adulthood with a new job and promises of a new career, yet still holding onto the nostalgia of my youth.
Ending one chapter, beginning another.
As it turns out, that’s dead accurate. “Sith” would NOT be the final film in the saga. Lucasfilm’s eventual sale to Disney in 2012 ensured that fans will continue to get to visit this universe far into the future.
Fathers and sons.
A new generation will always come along.
I remain grateful for that.
Liked this post? Check out:
My retrospective on “Attack of the Clones”
My retrospective on “The Phantom Menace”
My retrospective on “Return of the Jedi”
My retrospective on “The Empire Strikes Back”
My retrospective on “Star Wars: A New Hope”