Released in 2005, “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” (ROTS), remains one of the most pivotal and striking films within the Star Wars franchise. This year, the film recently finished its 20th year anniversary theatrical re-release.

ROTS centers around what is arguably the most important plot point in the entirety of the Skywalker Saga: the downfall of Anakin Skywalker. Hayden Christensen’s dramatic performance of the failed Jedi delivered all of the emotions that were meant to be felt: fear, pain, and anger. His portrayal of a conflicted young man is truly spectacular. The most painful part of the entire movie – Anakin’s fall to the darkside – is perfectly executed, especially during the disturbing Order 66 scenes.

During those scenes, the film grabbed my attention and held it. It was a whiplash of tragic action scenes, with amazing story telling and transitions, as well as haunting music that made for the best sequence in the movie. The rapid cuts between Jedi being slaughtered and continuous battles across the galaxy make it an extremely effective set of scenes.

The other action scenes are also extremely standout. The opening fight scene in the skies of Coruscant is purely enthralling, and the climactic duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) on Mustafar remains the most emotionally captivating fight in the entire franchise. I really enjoyed the attention to detail in every fight scene, as I felt immersed in the fights myself. It captures the heartbreaking culmination of a broken friendship, which resonated with me and many others around the world.

The music by John Williams enhances every single scene. The emotions, and the sense of scale are both elevated by the score. The special effects and epic backdrops combine with the score to make the movie truly larger than life.

Unfortunately, ROTS still falls short of truly being a perfect movie. One of its largest flaws is a trademark of George Lucas: awkward dialogue and uneven pacing. Certain lines, especially between Anakin and Padme, felt very unnatural, which ruined scenes that were supposed to be emotional or heartfelt.

Additionally, the Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) in the movie is very dated. Although it was groundbreaking in 2005 and still looks decent in certain parts of the movie, it lacks immersion factors that modern day technology can only recreate. Granted, Coruscant and Mustafar both looked great, but other effects simply lacked realism, especially when compared to the original trilogy’s practical sets. 

Twenty years later, ROTS has undergone an extremely significant reappraisal. What was once brushed off by many as a flawed conclusion is now recognized as one of the darkest and richest entries in the franchise. Although it is not a perfect film, it is completely essential to Star Wars as a whole. Its emotional highs outweigh any of its technical or dialogue flaws.

Though it has concluded its theatrical re-release, the film is available to stream on Disney Plus and Apple TV, and available to rent on Amazon Prime.