Review for Star Wars Episode III Revenge Of The Sith (UK) (Review)
Wednesday, 7th September 2011, 16:32

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Introduction
The Blu-rays are coming! The Blu-rays are coming! Which in no way explains why I'm reviewing the DVD of Revenge of the Sith, the final movie in the Star Wars saga, or the third one depending on how you look at it. It's been six years since Revenge of the Sith was released, and a big reason why I've finally put fingers to keyboard is that it is the one film that I have yet to opine on. The advent of High Definition Star Wars has also impelled me in the direction of finally getting my thoughts down in print. Also, this year I belated jumped on the HD bandwagon, invested in the big screen TV and a Blu-ray player, and I have been re-watching all my old DVDs to take advantage of the big screen up-scaled experience. You'd think that the Star Wars movies would have been first on the list. Actually it's been over six months and only now have they crossed my mind as worth watching.

If that isn't enough of a hint as to why I'm so hesitant in approaching Star Wars again, I'll spell it out for you. I'm utterly jaded with Star Wars, I'm actually tired of the franchise, and have been ever since 2005, when Revenge of the Sith was released. This is actually only my third time watching the film, the first in the cinema, the second when I bought the DVD, and today, six years later. Actually my disillusionment stretches back even further to 2004 with the release of the original trilogy on DVD, an event that ought to have been a cause for fan celebration, but turned into a grand controversy as it became apparent that George Lucas can't stop tinkering with the films. He treats them like an Internet Browser, adding new features and changing things with each new release, except he doesn't do us the courtesy of issuing release notes with each version, and neither does he allow those of us who prefer the earlier versions to have them as we would wish.

After the degree of alteration to the 2004 versions of the original trilogy became apparent, my cynicism eclipsed any feelings of joy and wonder I may have once had for films that, as a child, I considered my favourites. I approached news of the Blu-ray release warily, excited at the idea of having these films look as good as they possibly can, but concerned at what may have been altered yet again. I already hate the idea of the packaging for the 9-disc complete saga. Putting discs in card sleeves is a recipe for having them pre-scratched before they even get near the player. I can already envisage the hardcore collectors buying all three releases, the complete saga for the extras discs, and the two trilogy collections in their sensible plastic cases for everyday play. And somewhere in Hollywood, there's a massive 'kaching' sound. Then word started filtering out on just what had been changed for the original trilogy this time around, and the likelihood of me buying the Blu-ray release diminished considerably. Just so you know, this is the state of mind with which I am going to watch Revenge of the Sith. This'll be as fair and balanced as Fox News!

The Clone War that began at the end of Attack of the Clones is coming to its conclusion as Revenge of the Sith begins. In a last ditch attempt to gain ground, the Separatists lead a daring attack on Coruscant, capturing Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, in an effort to hold him and the galaxy to ransom. It's down to two plucky Jedi to mount a rescue attempt, and free him from the grasp of Count Dooku, and the reptilian cyborg General Grievous. In actuality, this is the first move in the endgame for the Dark Lord of the Sith, Lord Sidious, as one of the plucky Jedi is none other than Anakin Skywalker, the prophesied one, the one who will bring balance to the Force. Lord Sidious has decided who his next apprentice shall be, and all that remains is to sow seeds of mistrust, and lay the perfect breadcrumbs of temptation, and the plan that has been developing a thousand years will unfold, and the Sith will rule the galaxy once more.

For Anakin Skywalker is a powerful Jedi, rapidly growing in ability. It's that growth of power, and his close relationship with Supreme Chancellor Palpatine that already causes the Jedi Council to mistrust him. When Palpatine insists that Anakin be his liaison to the Council, and the Council hesitates in making him a Jedi master, that only increases the mistrust on both sides. In addition to that, Anakin starts having nightmares about his pregnant wife Padmé, the same precognitive visions that presaged his mother's death, and the Jedi can't help him protect her, teaching him that death and loss are a natural part of life. At the same time, his mentor and best friend Obi Wan is sent halfway across the galaxy to hunt down General Grievous. Separated from his friends, lustful for power, fearful for his wife, the conditions are ripe for a Jedi to fall to the dark side.

Picture
Revenge of the Sith gets a 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer, which is I quote, "Movie captured and created directly from the digital source." I'm not going to be picking nits about the transfer, as Revenge of the Sith looks absolutely fantastic. The image is clear and sharp, and the digital cinematography borders on the filmic on occasion, when it comes to richness of detail, depth and dimension.

Then there is the CGI. I had a whinge about CGI when I wrote about Attack of the Clones, and you can multiply that whinge by 10 for Revenge of the Sith. If you watch the making of for these films, you'll see that as time has progressed, sets and locations have vanished to be replaced by greenscreen, partial sets, digitally manipulated location stills. Aliens are quite obviously CG, more surprising is that all of the clone troopers are CG as well, not a single costume was made. Any scene where Temuera Morrison removes his helmet is actually a head replacement on a CG model. The droids are CG; stunts are accomplished by CG stuntmen, with actors morphing to CGI for the more complex (and physically impossible) actions, and morphing back for their close-ups. It's seamless, looks fantastic, and I'm not fond of it at all. The actors don't have an environment to interact with, and the way George Lucas directs and edits his films, the actors aren't necessarily interacting with each other either. There are too many moments in this film that make me feel like I'm watching a videogame that I'm not allowed to play, the opening rescue mission, the Utapau battle, the Kashykk battle, and disappointingly, the climactic Mustafar battle.

Sound
No complaints about the sound here, computer generated or otherwise. Just place DVD in player, turn amp on, choose the DD 5.1 EX Surround audio track, turn up the volume, and sit back with a grin plastered to your face. Revenge of the Sith sounds fabulous, the action, John Williams' music, the quieter, more subtle moments, the richness of the sound design and the sheer bombast of the surround audio truly makes this a spectacular disc to revel in. You also have the choice of DD 2.0 Surround, and the sole subtitle track is an English one.

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