Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

⭐ 10/10

Ah yes, the worst perfect movie of all time. I absolutely adore this movie. Definitely very clumsy here and there, but boy is it effective. At times it can be completely haunting or even moving, and then that final sequence just knocks your socks off. This is basically a meme movie now, but it is also simply a very good movie. 

Right from the start, it's clear Lucas spent the years between 2 and 3 in his alchemy lab working on special effects because this movie looks as good as any movie today, and often better. This movie happened in the mid-2000s which seems like the apex of effects for reasons I'll never fully understand. The space scenes, the droids, and even most of the aliens look great. I have also never mentioned costumes in any review of these, but that's a tragedy because the costumes in every movie are great, and this is the best of all. Anakin, Obi Wan and Padme all rock iconic fits, especially Anakin with his all-black robe. 

Okay, one more tiny point that I mean to make every review but keep forgetting: the naming! I love a good name, and Star Wars has nothing but good names. I feel like this is a quality nobody knows better than Lucas (aside from expert namer GRR Martin) but ya, Mace Windu is a cool character, but I think the coolest thing about him is his name. Every random character has a cool name that sounds like song lyrics. 

As far as THIS movie goes, I think it's good from the jump. You see how far Anakin has come, and in fact he tells us! He's doubled his power! They do away with the villain immediately because this movie is about Anakin vs himself. Some nice moments with him and Padme where you see he's matured a bit... But still not much. 

But this movie really takes off during the second half. It gets incredibly dark, darker than I remembered. I like that Anakin has a few moments of self doubt, though I suppose it could have been explored more. But still, after he makes his decision, he has to double and triple down and you kinda get why he needs to keep going down that road. And everything gets so incredibly bleak and it really made me feel some strong things. 

Then that final fight comes and your breath is taken away. I honestly, truly think this is the best fight in a movie. It's so fast, and the music so epic, and the background so grand, and yet it's just two characters who we feel strongly about trying to kill each other. It's played alongside Yoda vs Palpatine, which is great in its own right, and would probably also be celebrated if it weren't for the other. The final speech, while once corny, is now super emotional! You were my brother Anakin! 

I actually don't love the final 20 minutes. It's a lot of unnecessary thread-tying, or maybe even fan service. But hey, this is the end to an epic series, so have your moment. I think if we just didn't hear Vader's new voice, I'd be more forgiving. 

So yeah, I just think this movie is phenomenal. I think I'd put it on my top-10 of all time, though of course that's clouded by a bit of nostalgia and my love for Padme. This has been a great journey, but I feel like I'll be lower on the sequels. We'll see!