Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith (2005)

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith - 2005

Our next film is the third episode of the Star Wars franchise, 2005's "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith", in which we learn the identity of evil Darth Sidious and witness an attack on the Jedi, the destruction of Anakin Skywalker, and the end of the Republic.

The film's cast includes Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Jimmy Smits, Frank Oz, Anthony Daniels, Christopher Lee, Keisha Castle-Hughes, James Earl Jones, Kenny Baker, Temuera Morrison, and Ahmed Best.

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are on the hunt for Separtist commander General Grievous.  They board his ship in an effort to free captured Chancellor Palpatine.

They find Chancellor Palpatine, but they must face Sith lord Count Dooku before the can free him.

After knocking Obi-Wan unconscious, Anakin unarms Count Dooku (literally) and on orders from Chancellor Palpatine, he kills the Count.

General Grievous escapes, and Anakin must pilot a ship that's burning and torn in half in order to save their lives.  He does so, and he and Obi-Wan return the Chancellor to Coruscant.  "Another happy landing," grins Obi-Wan.

Padme quietly waits for Anakin.  When they are reunited, she tells him that she is pregnant.

General Grievous has contacted Darth Sidious, who informs the General that he will soon have a new apprentice.

After a long separation, Anakin and Padme are clearly glad to be back with each other.  Padme tells Anakin that she wants to have their baby on Naboo at their lakeside home.

Their reunion is marred by the fact that Anakin suffers from nightmares.  The object of his dreams this time is Padme's eventual death.  He tries to conceal this fact from her.

After he awakens, he goes to think.  Padme also wakes and follows him.

Padme wears the necklace that Anakin gave her when he was just a boy.  Anakin tells Padme his dream.  He also tells her that he won't allow it to come to pass.

Anakin goes to see Chancellor Palpatine.  The Chancellor tells Anakin that he wants him as his representative on the Jedi Council.

The Council agrees, but does not grant Anakin the level of Jedi Master.  They are mistrustful of Palpatine, and rightly so.  He wants to use Anakin as a spy.  The Jedi also want to use Anakin as a spy against Palpatine.

Cracks in Anakin and Padme's relationship begin to surface.  It seems they have very different views on the way the Republic should function.  "What if the democracy we thought we were serving no longer exists, and the Republic has become the very evil we have been fighting to destroy?" asks Padme.

As the two spend more time together, Chancellor Palpatine begins to talk about the Dark Side of the Force with Anakin, who is surprised by the nature of the conversation.  The Chancellor talks of ways to prolong life and hold off death.

When he talks to Padme about his ambitions, Anakin is conflicted.  He wants more than a Jedi, but he knows that it's wrong.

Obi-Wan tracks General Grievous to the planet Utapau.  Obi-Wan is able to destroy him, and then helps the planet's occupants from an army invasion.

Palpatine later reveals himself to be Darth Sidious to a very confused Anakin.

Anakin goes to Master Windu and tells him that Palpatine is knowledgeable in the Dark Side of the Force.

Master Windu goes to confront Palpatine.  After a battle which leaves the Chancellor disfigured, the Jedi Master has the Chancellor at his mercy.  Anakin watches the battle.  Palpatine calls to him for help, saying that only he can save the ones he loves from certain death.

Anakin unarms Master Windu and Palpatine kills him.

Anakin pledges himself to the Chancellor, who renames him Lord Vader.  He then tells Anakin to go to the Jedi Temple and destroy all the remaining Jedi there.  Afterwards, he is to go to Mustafar, where he is to destroy the Trade Viceroy.

He does as the Chancellor commands, destroying every single Jedi that he finds, including the children.

The Chancellor then issues Order 66, which calls for the destruction of the Jedi not in the capital city.

One by one they are struck down.  Yoda is able to subdue his attackers and escapes with his life.  He has been on the planet Kashyyyk assisting the Wookies in their war.

Padme watches the Jedi Temple burn, and she sinks into despair over the fate of Anakin, which so far she does not know.

Yoda says farewell to the Wookies (including Chewbacca) and heads off in the direction of Coruscant.

Anakin returns to Padme.  He tells her that the Jedi have mounted an attack on the Republic.  She cannot believe it is true.  He leaves and heads to Mustafar.

The Chancellor gives a speech to an emergency session of the Senate.  He tells them of his attack and resolve to go on with the business at hand.

Anakin, meanwhile, has made it to Mustafar, and destroys the Trade Viceroy and gathered dignitaries.

Padme listens to Palpatine from her seat in the senate gallery.  He takes the unheard of step of forming the first Galactic Empire with himself as Emperor.  The room bursts into applause.  Padme whispers to Senator Bail Organa, "So this is how liberty dies...with thunderous applause."

Obi-Wan comes to Coruscant and secretly visits Padme.  He tells her of how Anakin killed Jedi, even children, and has turned to the Dark Side.  She doesn't believe him.  When he presses her for Anakin's location, she refuses to tell him.

After Obi-Wan leaves, Padme boards a transport that will take her to Anakin.  Unbeknownst to her, Obi-Wan has hidden onboard.

She arrives on Mustafar and is reunited with Anakin.  During the course of their conversation, she finds out everything that Obi-Wan said was true.  Anakin is angry that she won't side with him.

When he sees Obi-Wan coming off of Padme's ship, he begins to choke her.  Obi-Wan commands Anakin to let her go.  He pushes her aside and she goes unconscious.

Yoda has also secretly entered Coruscant and has made his way to the office of the Emperor.

The Emperor sneers at him, "I have waited a long time for this moment, my little green friend.  At last, the Jedi are no more."  Yoda stares intently back at him and says, "Not if anything to say about it I have!  At an end your rule is, and not short enough it was."

The two battle it out with lightsabers.  After using the Force to push them apart, Yoda manages to escape and tells Senator Organa that he must go into exile.

Obi-Wan and Anakin continue to fight on Mustafar.  They must also battle the intense heat of the molten lava planet.

When Anakin tries to overtake Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan cuts off Anakin's legs.  He watches sadly as Anakin screams hatred towards him and begins to burn.  Obi-Wan walks back to his shuttle, where C-3PO has loaded Padme, who needs medical attention, on board.

The Emperor arrives on Mustafar and finds Anakin barely alive.  He orders a medic to assist him.

Padme gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl she names Luke and Leia.  Because of her ordeal with Anakin, she has lost the will to live and dies shortly afterwards.  Her parting words to Obi-Wan were that she knows there is still good in Anakin.

Anakin is given prosthetic arms and legs.  He's also given assisted breathing equipment.  His transition to Darth Vader is complete.  When he awakes, he asks about Padme.  The Emperor tells him that she is dead.  Vader moans in agony as he realizes his path to the Dark Side has been for nothing.  He was unable to save Padme.

Senator Organa, Yoda, and Obi-Wan travel with Padme's body to her home planet of Naboo.

On board, they decide the fate of the children.  They must be taken far away so that the Sith cannot sense their presence.  Senator Organa says he and his wife will take the girl.  Yoda tells Obi-Wan to take the boy to Tatooine to his father's family.  Obi-Wan agrees and says he will watch over him.

Yoda also mentions training for Obi-Wan.  His old master Qui-Gon Jin has learned the path to immortality, and Yoda will teach Obi-Wan how to commune with him.

Padme's funeral is held on Naboo.  A large number of friends (including Jar Jar Binks) have come to participate in the candlelight procession.  In her hands, Padme holds the necklace that Anakin gave her so long ago.

The Emperor and Darth Vader watch the beginnings of a new battle station, the Death Star.

Senator Organa takes Leia home to Alderaan, where he presents her to his wife, Queen Breha.

Luke is taken to Tatooine by Obi-Wan, and he is given into the charge of his uncle and aunt, Owen and Beru Lars.

They look out over the horizon as Obi-Wan retreats into the darkness.

Cast rundown:

   Ewan McGregor...............................Obi-Wan Kenobi

   Natalie Portman..............................Padme Amidala

   Hayden Christensen.........................Anakin Skywalker

   Ian McDiarmid................................Chancellor Palpatine

   Samuel L. Jackson...........................Mace Windu

   Jimmy Smits...................................Senator Bail Organa

   Frank Oz.........................................Yoda

   Anthony Daniels...............................C-3PO

   Christopher Lee................................Count Dooku

   Keisha Castle-Hughes........................Queen of Naboo

   James Earl Jones..............................Darth Vader

   Kenny Baker.....................................R2-D2

   Temuera Morrison.............................Commander Cody

   Ahmed Best.....................................Jar Jar Binks

And that's all for Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith.  Apparently, the original cut of the movie ran over four hours.  The opening scene with the rescue of Palpatine ran for over an hour on its own.  A fun fact: the sound of General Grievous coughing is actually that of director George Lucas.  He developed a bad cough during the production and had it recorded for use in the film.

One scene (only 40 seconds long) that did not make the movie was Yoda's arrival for self-imposed exile on the planet Dagobah.  One of the producers begged George Lucas to include it at the end of the film, but Lucas wanted to keep the focus on Leia, Luke, and the Skywalker family.  This deleted scene was included on the DVD release.

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