Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

Yep, I got to catch an advanced screening of the long awaited final episode of the Star Wars saga, up here in Nothern California.

All I can say is, WOW! This has the best action sequences of any of the six Star Wars films! The battle sequences at the beginning with Jedi star fighters and separatist forces is by far the most spectacular special effects sequence ever put to film.

Anakin's downfall towards the dark side begins after an opponent of his is killed, which lures him more and more towards the dark side of the Force.

Anakin and Obi-Wan spend the first half of the film trying to end the Clone Wars between the Republic and the Separtist forces.

Acting wise, Heyden Christensen does a much better job this time around portraying the darker Anakin Skywalker as he heads towards his destiny, all of the wooden Anakin from The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones is finally free from his shackles this time around.

Ewan McGregor, excellent as always does a great job portraying Obi-Wan Kenobi as a jedi master who knows his pupil is headed for the dark side.

Natalie Portman does a great job portraying Padme Amidala as the tragic wife of Anakin who knows that the Republic and her husband are slowly drifting away from her. Padme's final scene is heartbreaking to say the least and adds some serious emotional impact towards the ending of the film.

But, the real scene stealer is Ian McDiarmand who does an excellent job portraying the kindly Supreme Chancellor Palpatine as well as another major character in this film.

The new villain, General Grievous, is cool, but I liked Jango Fett and Darth Maul a little more. Grievous isn't in the movie too much but when he and Obi-Wan are fighting on the planet Utapau, it's war on a large scale, with Obi-Wan riding this large lizard and Grivous riding this wheeled vehicle. While this is going on, Anakin grows even more closer towards the dark side, with fits of rage and jealousy towards his fellow jedi and towards the Republic.

In this film you see how all of the jedi are exterminated, what finally happens to Padme, the mother of Luke and Leia, how Anakin becomes Darth Vader, and how the crumbling Republic becomes the first Galactic Empire. Warning though, Anakin's change to Darth Vader is quite scary and will definitely upset the little ones! Wow, Lucas has done it, and made a successful connection to the original Star Wars film, A New Hope! One of the coolest bits is seeing the Tantive IV, Bail Organa's rebel blockade runner, from A New Hope in action towards the end of Revenge of the Sith.

We finally get to see Alderaan, and the wookie Chewbacca for the first time since the classic films, and the best bet, only a short glimpse of Jar Jar Binks towards the end of the film during a highly important funeral.

The final confrontation between Obi-Wan and Anakin on the planet Mustafar, a lava planet, as well as the final duel between Yoda and Darth Sidious are far the best lightsaber battles of any of the films so far, and their tragic endings will only highlight the impact of the events that unfold in the film!

While I'm sorry to see the cinematic portion of Star Wars come to an end, Lucas has ended the Star Wars saga on a grand fashion. All of John Williams music has pieces of the earlier prequels and some elements from the classic films to tie Revenge of the Sith with the other five films of the saga.

Now, I'm more excited than ever for the upcoming television series, which takes place right after the events of Revenge of the Sith! Here's hoping that Revenge of the Sith, knocks off Titanic as the highest grossing film of all time!

Buy your tickets now, because Sith doesn't just happen, it rules!

By far the best of the three Star Wars prequels. Thank you George for thirty years of great entertainment! Get in line now!