In this regard, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith falls flat. The final film in the Star Wars saga presents us with Count Dooku, General Grievous, Darth Sidious, and eventually, Darth Vader. However, because Episodes IV and V did such a great job of setting them all up, there was never any confusion as to who did what, where they came from, and what their motivation was. In case you aren’t keeping count, that means that like Revenge of the Sith, Return of the Jedi also featured four villains. The inclusion of Jabba in Episode VI was also well-executed, as the character served less as a villain, and more as a plot device to grab the audience’s attention early on.
Because of this, when Episode V introduced the Emperor and Boba Fett, we were more than ready to accept these new villains into the fold, as Vader was already a well-established character. In Episode IV: A New Hope, Darth Vader was the main villain for the entirety of the movie. However, these first three films were able to make use of them perfectly, as they each occupied a specific role. Now, as we explored previously in our analysis of Episode I, the original Star Wars trilogy had no shortage of villainous figures. All right! He’s back! What, you don’t remember him? (Source: ) Rather than keeping the film focused on a central threat, Lucas instead opted to present us with not one, not two, not even three villains-but four. Unfortunately, as was by now the trend, George Lucas seemed totally incapable of making the simplest, most obvious decisions. But in order to truly make up for the mistakes of the previous prequel movies, Revenge of the Sith needed to feature a great deal of emotional weight and conflict, something that would require a strong antagonistic force to drive the tone of darkness home. This film’s entire premise hinges on the allure of the dark side, unrest within the Jedi order, and the machinations of the Supreme Chancellor. Rather than learning from past mistakes and creating something informed by the experience, Episode III comes across as an awkward attempt at something totally different from the other prequel films: namely, a dark emotional experience. The Overabundance of VillainsĪs was the case with Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith seems to embark on its own unique journey of mediocrity, in which the film manages to avoid the narrative pitfalls of its predecessors without actually being anything special.
As always, we’re going to stick to five things Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith did wrong, and how making them right might very well have restored the series to its former glory. However, being better than the worst is hardly a glowing compliment, and Episode III still suffers from its own set of issues. Revenge of the Sith proved to be a step up from Episodes I and II, and the bleak tone made for a more interesting film.
If Lucas had failed to prove his ability to entertain with light-hearted material, how exactly would he fare with more mature content? A darker tone for a Star Wars film (Source: )Īnd yet, strangely enough, it worked. Both The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones were kid-friendly affairs, and yet despite that fact, still managed to be totally devoid of any fun or energy. It seemed George Lucas had set out to finish his saga on a somber note, though it was hard to imagine how. For the first time, a Star Wars flick would be rated PG-13. With Episode II‘s failure still fresh in their minds, filmgoers had good reason to be suspicious of the third film and all it stood for. The third and seemingly-final installment in the Star Wars saga came with characteristic fanfare and merchandising, but something had changed. As Episode VII releases in just two short months, we can only hope that the new film learns from its predecessors’ mistakes, and that at long last, that galaxy far, far away will be a place worth visiting once again… Contents: INTRODUCTION – THE OVERABUNDANCE OF VILLAINS – THE TRANSFORMATION OF ANAKIN INTO DARTH VADER – THE WRITING – THE CONTINUITY ISSUES – THE ISSUE OF VADER AND FALSE ADVERTISING Episode III: Revenge of the Sith – How the Final Prequel Film Left the Series in DarknessĪfter having sat through two colossal misfires, no sane person should have set their expectations high for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. And so we’ve come at last to the third and final entry in our exploration of the Star Wars prequel trilogy.