Rate Revenge of the Sith *SPOILERS*

[John Crichton]

Oh I don't even see a need to compare ROTS to ROTK. They both masterfully capped off the greatest two series in the history of film, and there's room enough in that top drawer for both of them. ROTK will probably take the cake in the end, but SW has had such an impact on my life as a whole that to basically see my dream SW flick is a cinematic treat like no other.

Too true. The wacky thing about RotK was that I did the Trilogy-in-Day thing for it. It was my first viewing of the film and it really felt like I went to war with the Fellowship by the end of it. I was spent. I had the same feeling at the end of this movie, which I really didn't see coming. I can only imagine watching all six consecutively. And I can't wait.

And like you, I have no interest in reading other people slamming such a great experience. Over a week later (I've only seen it once) and I'm *still* recalling new scenes that thrilled me.

Like Vader's entrance into Gunray's bunker being preceded by a whole pack of fleeing droids like the one Chewie spooked on the Death Star. You just know that's not a good sign if you're in that bunker....

It's the little things that make all the difference. For all the dialogue blunders in Star Wars, Lucas has made up with it in the details. Where the devil is and all that...

 

[Mark Chance]

I can bring myself to rate RoTS as average. To beat the dead horses:

* Lousy dialogue, especially between Anakin and Padme. Not to mention the "Noooooo!" from Vader upon learning about Padme's death. I had to concentrate on not laughing.

* Too much reliance on CGI effects, some of them distractingly obvious. "Hey, look, Obi's surrounded by CGI people...again."

* Fight scenes repetitive with too much tight focus on the action. "Oh, look, Anakin's blocking blaster shots...again. Oh, look, a CGI doing a somersault...again. Oh, look, lots of glowing sticks being waved around...again." Often looked less like a fight than a dance at a rave.

* "She's lost the will to live." Yeah. Right. I guess that's one way to handle an otherwise inexplicable death scene.

* Yoda's quitter routine. "Well, I failed to defeat the bad guy. I guess I'll run off into exile."

* Younglings? Younglings? Who wrote this drek? Oh, yeah, that's right. The same guy that had Jar-Jar speaking Spanish in Episode II.

Et cetera.

I watch a lot of movies every month, whether in the theater or on DVD. RoTS isn't getting any repeat business from me.

 

[Kai Lord]

Too true. The wacky thing about RotK was that I did the Trilogy-in-Day thing for it. It was my first viewing of the film and it really felt like I went to war with the Fellowship by the end of it. I was spent.

That must have been pretty cool. A couple of huge bonuses for me in seeing ROTS were that it was the first new SW film I've seen since being married and it was the first since ESB that I got to see spoiler free.

I casually perused Star Wars newsgroups before TPM and AOTC and both times happened upon threads where the title stated things along the lines of "Obi-Wan kills Darth Maul after Qui-Gonn dies!!111!!" and "Mace Windu kills Jango!11!!!!!" Pretty annoying to say the least. But before ROTS I went on an almost total internet lockdown and got to be surprised all throughout the movie. It was awesome not knowing how Count Dooku, General Grievous, Nute Gunray, Mace Windu, or even Jar Jar ended up.

And then sitting there the whole time, remembering being three years old and watching the first SW with my parents and now being 30 and watching the final chapter with my wife. What an amazing cinematic journey. It must have been even more amazing for those fans who were watching it with their kids.

There are things in ROTS that could have been better, a couple CGI clonetrooper shots that were a little too obvious, a rewriting of the "beauty is blind" exchange or however it went, but those are tiny things in the grand scope of the film. Heck I was a little distracted by some cheezy lines in ROTK that seem lifted from Star Wars, "Is Frodo alive," "What does your heart tell you?" and "I've got to save you," "You already did." But I sure didn't let those small things affect one of the greatest films of all time (possibly my absolute favorite, I'll have to let you know when the "Sith buzz" subsides, assuming it does... )

 

[fett527]

On a second viewing, it doesn't quite hold up as well in my opinion. Still a strong film, still the strongest of the prequels, but Anakin's fall feels much too "steep" this time. So I would re-vote an 8 if I could.

I saw it for the second time on Monday and I would bump up my previous rating to 9. I enjoyed it even more the second time. I thought Hayden and Natalie's acting was better than ever- I tried to pay particular attention this time around. Also, the Vader "NOOOOOOO!!" scene was a little better, but still bothers me. At least Palpy's evil grin at Vader's reaction made the scene better. I didn't focus on that the first time.

At this point my favorite scene is probably Vader's massacre of the Separatist leaders. Chills.

 

[Warrior Poet]

7

I was gonna vote 6, but decided that the fun nostalgia factor was enough for 6.5 and I rounded up, even though D&D doesn't, thus shaking mathematics to its foundations. Well, maybe not.

Overall, not too bad a film, definitely better than I and II, and a fine way to end the whole series, as far as I'm concerned.

One of the things I liked overall was the nods to the earlier (that is to say, later, ?) films. I liked seeing how the ships were going to evolve, I liked the corridor of the corvette/blockade runner that was Organa's ship. I liked seeing a young Tarkin, I liked seeing the gantry that became so famous later. I liked the red imperial guard armor (actually, my favorite part of the movie is Yoda walking into Palpatine's chamber. I always thought the imperial guard looked so cool, even though I never saw them do anything, and I loved that it takes 1 second to show how much more significant Yoda is. Nice job, George! THAT'S what we mean when we say, "Show, don't tell").

Nice to see Chewbacca (who did, basically, nothing as far as I can tell. Did I miss something? Sure, there was some Kashyyk battle shown, but I didn't recognize Chewy until the specific Yoda comment. I understand the wookies got cut for length of film, but why are the wookies always gettin' dumped on? Here's an 8 ft. sentient kodiak with opposable thumbs, intricate mechanical knowledge, and precision shooting ability, and Han orders him around like a step'n'fetchit, chiding him for pulling this apart now when they're trying to get out of here? Blood stripes? You wanna see blood stripes, little man? And stuck putting 3PO back together, who later shouts at him to finish when there are clearly more important things to do? Why does Chewy get all the abuse? The more I think about it, why haven't the wookies taken over the galaxy?)

But I digress.

I liked the lightsaber fights for the most part (including the Grievous lightsaber pinwheel, and how cool about it Obi-Wan was, when all I could think was, "Now, how the hell is he gonna get around that?"). I liked Palpatine throwing balcony box seats at Yoda -- very evil, and I liked Yoda handling it, very calm, and sad.

I thought the hardest part was Yoda, actually, and it made me sad to see him sad, like everything he knew and thought and was wise about was crumbling around him despite his wisdom. It was especially poignant when he could sense the other jedi dying. A nice touch, and made me love the little green guy even more. Can't be easy to live 900 years. See a lot of good, but a lot of pain, too.

There was some bad acting, but then there always is. However, my biggest peeve is Vader's cry. There was so much great stuff leading up to that, like the lowering of the mask, and Anakin's terrified expression, and the oh-so-brief glimpse of how Vader sees through that mask, and then that first iconic breath. I really thought the telekinetic rage was awesome, and I wished it had finished with that. Just silence, crushed steel, and the dark figure standing still in his hate. I liked that he stumbled, getting used to his new body, but the yell seemed undignified for a Sith lord (I know, he wasn't a Sith lord yet).

My all time favorite Vader moment in all the movies isn't his revelation to Luke, or his lightsaber fights, or his breathing, or the remote-controlled asphyxiation. It's a tiny, miniscule moment in Empire. The empire has captured Echo Base, and are invading. The door to the control room blows open, and in rush two stormtroopers, followed immediately by the Dark Lord of the Sith ahead of all the other troops. At the front lines, Vader is RIGHT THERE. The generals aren't, and I didn't even see any other officers. The reason Vader isn't first through the door is he isn't running like the stormtroopers, and that's because Darth Vader doesn't run for anybody. That moment solidified, for me, Darth Vader as the baddest bad man in the galaxy. I know he hadn't evolved to that point in Ep. III yet, but the cry of "NOOOOO!" just felt silly to me.

Wow. How did this turn into a rant? Uh, so, uh, anyway, a 7.

Warrior Poet

 

[Vocenoctum]

* Yoda's quitter routine. "Well, I failed to defeat the bad guy. I guess I'll run off into exile."

Obviously one of the spoilers you couldn't avoid, was that Yoda and Palpatine both survived. Seeing Yoda in the commercials hanging from the edge, may have actually lowered the movie in my view before seeing it, since you know he doesn't die.

So, the entire thing with Yoda and ObiWan returning to the Jedi temple, then Yoda heading off to confront Palpatine, it just lacked for me. Yoda goes there to Melee with the Sith Lord, and then retreats suddenly, when there didn't really seem any obvious reason for him to.

I enjoyed Yoda taking out the two guards, probably the moment I enjoyed most in the movie. The rest of the battle was badly written IMO, and the fight looked very fake to me.

I'd have prefered no Jedi Homing Beacon.

 

[Jeremy Ackerman-Yost]

So, the entire thing with Yoda and ObiWan returning to the Jedi temple, then Yoda heading off to confront Palpatine, it just lacked for me. Yoda goes there to Melee with the Sith Lord, and then retreats suddenly, when there didn't really seem any obvious reason for him to.

Exhaustion? That's how I read it. He didn't have it in him to keep up the battle. He's 800 years old, after all.

I'd have prefered no Jedi Homing Beacon.

Curiousity: what about it bothered you?

 

[David Howery]

finally saw it tonite. I regard it the same as the other prequels... middle of the pack... not great, not awful... give it 5.5....

BTW, did any of you notice the Millenium Falcon in one of the dock scenes?

 

[Mark Chance]

Exhaustion?

Then go home and take a nap, not flee into hiding for the next couple of decades while the Emperor and his minions run roughshod across the galaxy, killing people by the bajillion.

The SW movies are, by and large, horribly written and poorly plotted, especially Episodes I through III. For example: How many years did Lucas have to come up with how Anakin is defeated yet not killed by Obi? And the best he can come up with is Anakin's legs getting sliced off because Obi had "the high ground"?

Examples could be nigh endlessly multiplied.

 

[Villano]

And the best he can come up with is Anakin's legs getting sliced off because Obi had "the high ground"?

I don't mind the fact that he jumped over Obi-Wan's head and got cut. What I hate is that they had to bring the movie to a screeching halt in order to explain what was about to happen.