Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith [DVD]

From the opening onslaught of the now over-familiar theme to the poignancy of the film's emotionally silent finish, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a guiltlessly enjoyable sci-fi romp, encompassing the now familiar Lucas themes of Love, Regret, Responsibility and Greed.From the iconic use of original dialogue ("This is where the fun begins!") in the oddly calm opening battle, to the poetic justice of Obi-Wan's tainted victory over the corrupted Anakin, ROTS is unique, the end of a dynasty, a film saga that is truely timeless, despite all the criticisms of the new prequels ("Too many SFX", "Pathetic dialogue", "irritating characters").Fortunately, ROTS manages to address many of these problems (except the FX, still billions of those). Yes, the dialogue is still occasionally cringe-worthy, but who cares when it looks this good? The film that Star Wars fans have always wanted to see, with all the things we wanted to see. Clone Wars. Check. How the Jedi got wiped out (and SO cunningly!). Check. How Palpatine ended up like a prune. Check. Obi-Wan V Anakin/'Vader'. Check. Yoda V Emperor Palpatine. Check. Kids being born. Check. What happened to Mum. Check. How Anakin became the asthmatic poster boy of the Empire. Check, check and check mate.ROTS is everything you could possibly want, minor quibbles aside: 'What? He had 28 YEARS to write the opening crawl, and he came up with "War!"? Oh, Bra-VO!', 'Why are the Clone Troopers all random colours like Red, Yellow and Green when they all look the same in the future?', 'That's our lot for Kashyyyk? After waiting for that for 28 years too? Utapau is better!', 'What? He turned to the Dark Side just like THAT? Jeez...', and the best one, 'DARTH VADER DOESN'T TALK LIKE THAT!!!'But it dies away. While the opening space battle isn't quite as billed, it is intriguingly shot, showing the calm serenity that the Jedi can exude in the most turbulent atmosphere, further exemplifying the cruel sadness of their unbeknown fate. Also, Lucas moves the action along at a cracking pace, with some terrificly boys-own set-pieces, as well as freneticly gruesome lightsaber duels, the standout obviously being the duel between the two Jedi on the delectably designed Mustafar, with a quite ghastly coup de gras, fully deserving of the 12A certificate bestowed upon the film (the common Star Wars mythos still doesn't quite prepare you for Anakin's horrifying destruction).To further complement it, Ian McDiarmid is outstanding, compensating somewhat for the slightly wooden Ewan McGregor (who almosts seems disbelieving in some of his deliveries) and the woeful Natalie Portman, whose transformation from strong individual to pathetic floozy is startling over three films. The scenes between McDiarmid and Hayden Christensen (a real star turn this time), especially in the the Opera sequence, are among the best in all six (!) Star Wars films, although, as noted, Anakin's final capitulation to his dark inklings is woefully underplayed, but that should be contributed to Lucas, not his cast.All without mentioning John Williams' masterful score, fully embellished in the tragic segment following the murders of the Jedi Order across a far-flung array of war-torn planets. To call it a minor triumph is like saying how relieved fans were to see that Jar Jar Binks only managed a single line, "Excuse me", which is, incidentally, unnoticeable.Tying up loose ends, being loud, and proud with it, ROTS is popcorn fun all the way, just as Star Wars always has been, even in the much-maligned prequels (I saw The Phantom Menace no less than 3 times at the cinema and enjoyed it every time. Hell, I even liked Jar Jar.)And I challenge you not to get AT LEAST a lump in your throat when Yoda chokes on his words: "Failed, I have".Only when I stop watching. Only then.

First off, I was pleasantly surprised to find Amazon had delivered Star Wars Episode 3 through my door on October 31st, the actual day of it’s release! Thanks for that Amazon.Anyway, to business.I will avoid writing a lengthy synopses on the film it’s self. There are already countless reviews out there.What I’m more interested in is the DVD.Once again we find a beautifully packaged two-disk set, the cover fitting perfectly with the other available five episodes.The film rendered in 16:9 Widescreen does perfect justice to this visual masterpiece, and my mind was cast back to the cinema where I first watched it, save for the kid kicking the back of my seat through half the movie.The sound in Dolby 5.1 Surround EX is an audio feast that has to be heard to be believed. You can almost feel the vibration of lightsaber clashes.The THX Digital Mastery has created an image that looks so crisp and sharp it is better than what you saw in the cinema, highlighting colours and polishing up computer generated imagery.Disc Two is jam packed to bursting point with special features.“Within A Minute” gives you possibly the most in-depth look into filmmaking that has ever been created to my knowledge, giving a well-deserved nod to every department involved in the film.“The Chosen One” is a must-see for anyone who has witnessed the journey of Darth Vader through Episodes 4-6, and Anakin’s fall to the Dark Side in the prequel trilogy.If you want to know the ins and outs of the gruelling training involved in Jedi battles throughout the saga, “It’s All For Real” a nice little addition to the special features.In addition to these new documentaries, 15 Web-Documentaries taken from the site make a welcome appearance on the disc, including one I have not seen before, “Becoming Sidious” explores the experiences of the talented Ian McDiarmid as he looks back on his performance of Palpatine over the last four films.“A Hero Falls” music video is created in the style of “Duel of the Fates” (found on Episode One Disc Two) for the John Williams track “Battle of the Heroes”. Although a wonderful piece of music, tied in with important scenes from the film, it does not quite live up to the incredible sound and storytelling of it’s Episode One counterpart.The theatrical teaser and launch trailer are included, both enjoyable. The teaser in particular holding a place in my heart, voiced over by the late great Alec Guinness.For those who own an Xbox, you are treated to two playable levels from Star Wars: Battlefront 2, which leave you wanting more.To top the second disc off we have superb theatrical poster, print campaign and production photo galleries, enough to fill an evening’s viewing on their own.All in all, Star Wars Episode 3 is a great buy and well worth Amazon’s asking price.Finally, after 28 years the Star Wars saga is complete and available to own on DVD.One man’s vision has changed the way films are made, and his creation has inspired and influenced an entire culture the world over.Do not listen to the critics who have an aversion to success, or the self-proclaimed Star Wars purest’s who abhor anything post Return of the Jedi.This saga is the creation of one man, a tale that he wanted to tell for the last 28 years. It is not an invention of corporate greed or market researchers, it was not made for “everyone to like”.Star Wars Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith, and the saga as a whole are films that people can enjoy, lose themselves in possibly come away inspired.Episode 3 answers questions the fans have asked from the beginning, and explores the true nature of the Dark Side, as we see Anakin’s descent from the light.Buy this DVD now. You will not be disappointed.It is a fitting “end” to the most incredible sci-fi series ever made, and will become as much of a classic as the original New Hope, filmed what seems a long, long time ago...