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Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Starring Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, and Samuel L. Jackson. Cinematography by David Tattersall. Edited by Ben Burtt and Roger Barton. Produced by Rick McCallum. Written and Directed by George Lucas.
Faced with a choice between losing the one he loves and giving up his soul to gain the power to save her, Anakin will fall prey to the seductive temptations of the dark side of the Force.
They will discover for themselves exactly how and why heroic Anakin Skywalker – prophesied to be the Chosen One, the single individual who would bring balance to the Force and ensure peace throughout the galaxy – becomes the dreaded Darth Vader, right hand to the Emperor.
They will learn how Anakin’s mentors, the swashbuckling Obi-Wan Kenobi and the diminutive Jedi Master Yoda, managed to survive the fabled destruction of the Jedi order only to live the rest of their days hiding on distant, hostile planets.
They will learn what turned seemingly benevolent and thoughtful Chancellor Palpatine into the dictatorial leader of the feared Galactic Empire.
They will learn how Anakin’s children, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, came to be born, then separated … destined to lead the legendary Rebellion against the Empire.
Chancellor Palpatine has been taken hostage by the nefarious General Grievous, leader of the droid army – the mechanized battle troops of the Separatist Alliance.
Preying on Anakin’s fears of losing Padmé, Palpatine reveals to Anakin another side of the Force, one that is forbidden to him, but which promises to teach him powers he never imagined possible.
Obi-Wan recognizes Anakin’s inner conflict, and ultimately must face off against his once-promising Padawan learner in a lightsaber battle on the volcanic planet of Mustafar.
Grievous, who is a chilling combination of droid and human
During Revenge of the Sith, the Clone Wars are still taking place throughout the galaxy, so everyone is in full battle mode, prepared for anything to happen at any moment.
It is the final episode in a saga that Lucas outlined in the early 1970s. “It was a long back-story outline, mostly about how the characters came to be where they are in Episode IV A New Hope,” Lucas says. “Even though I didn’t start writing the prequels for another 20 years, the structure of that story has never changed very much; it has always been one epic story of a father who is redeemed by his children.”
In many ways, Lucas says, the events of Episode III will change audiences’ perspectives on the story told in A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
It is virtually impossible to pinpoint exactly when production began on Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. In many ways, it’s a movie that has been in development for nearly 30 years, since George Lucas first sketched out his ideas for the saga of the Skywalker family, a story set against a tumultuous war raging in a distant galaxy.
Principal photography began at the Fox Studios Australia in Sydney, New South Wales, at 8:07 a.m. on June 30, 2003, when writer-director Lucas, producer Rick McCallum and two of Episode III’s stars –Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor – gathered together with R2-D2 and a crew of more than 100 people for the first day of shooting.
Episode III was a remarkably smooth and really enjoyable production,” McCallum says. “The initial round of principal photography lasted 55 days, which is standard for a Star Wars movie, and far shorter than most major movies.
In addition to soundstage production in Australia and the United Kingdom, the movie was shot in China, Thailand, Switzerland and Tunisia, which served as the basis for creating many of the new planets seen in Revenge of the Sith.
When Lucas quietly proclaimed, “Cut – that’s a wrap” to the crew, it was the last time cameras would roll on a Star Wars movie. Suitably, it happened on Elstree’s Stage 8, the same stage where Lucas committed the first soundstage shot to film on A New Hope in 1976.
to use Episode III as a visual link between the lush, romantic opulence of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones and the harder-edged yet classic feel of the original Star Wars trilogy.
In 100 years of cinematic history, there have been countless epic battles between heroes and villains. But none has been as hotly anticipated or will be as closely dissected by moviegoers as the final showdown between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi that forms the climax of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith.
Anakin Skywalker’s journey to the dark side of the Force lends Revenge of the Sith a darker, more tragic tone than any of the other movies in the Star Wars saga.
Budget: $115,000,000
Total US Gross: TBD
Genre: Science Fiction
Runtime: 140 Minutes
US Release Date: 5/19/05
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Awards: TBD
Tagline: none
Quote: “Something's happening. I'm not the Jedi I should be. I want more.”
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