There is no doubt that REVENGE OF THE SITH, the last of George Lucas’ STAR WARS films is better than the redundant PHANTOM MENACE and ATTACK OF THE CLONES. But that is not saying much, though the sound, action sequences (there is a chase between lizard creature and a large mechanical wheel contraption), sets, CGI effects and even the human elements are most impressive. REVENGE makes the necessary closure to the entire series of films, and as closures go, they could often face a problem. (Recall that the required closure for the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy was an unbearable 30 minutes of movie time.)

Everybody — even those unfamiliar with the plot of STAR WARS — knows that Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) transforms into the most evil of villains, Darth Vader and the Jedi knights are banished from the Republic.  So, plot-wise, there are no new twists in the story — in fact, the entire tale is revealed in the first few minutes in the titles after “In a far away galaxy long time ago…”

Writer and director Lucas comments that this is the darkest of the STAR WARS films. Those who remember can recall him making a similar claim during the release of ATTACK OF THE CLONES. But there is more truth here. The sets are indicative of an apocalyptic fiery hell and doom i.e. the fate of the Republic is always in the foreground. At Cannes during the film’s world premiere, Lucas claims a similarity of what is happening in his film to many governments in history. This is perhaps an interesting (though simplified) feature to view — to observe how a democracy sacrifices itself to a dictatorship to strengthen itself against its enemies.

Acting is still as wooden as in the other films but one cannot blame the actors given the lame dialogue. However, the ultimate transformation of Skywalker from good guy to baddie and the climatic fight at the end between good and evil still bats an eyelid. Humor is again, noticeably scarce and only provided by the machines. “Let the fun begin,” cries Skywalker in the beginning battle of the film. If only REVENGE OF THE SITH echoed the young Jedi’s words. Passable timewaster for STAR WARS fans!