Star Wars: Five Times ‘Revenge Of The Sith’ Was The Best Movie

We’ve given the Prequels a lot of grief in the last few weeks. Let’s talk about some things Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith got right.

Lately, we’ve been taking a look at some of the things Star Wars movies have gotten right, and a few things they’ve gotten wrong here or there. We’ve looked at mistakes made in Revenge of the Sith and Attack of the Clones. Some silly git even had the temerity to pan The Phantom Menace.

But as with all things, there must be a dark and a light side. There must be balance.

We’ve talked about what The Phantom Menace got right and where Attack of The Clones really shone. So today, let’s take a look at some places where Revenge of the Sith took at shot at being the best Star Wars movie.

5. The Opening Battle

The Battle of Coruscant is up there in the running for best space battle in Star Wars. Its opening shots are of seemingly peaceful space, but it turns into a hectic battle with some amazing wide-shots.

It’s packed with visuals that are rarely beat, even a decade and a half later. Combined with amazing music and sound design? This is the amazing spectacle you want from Star Wars.

4. The Epilogue

Let’s jump straight from the  start of the movie to the end. I absolutely love the last couple minutes of the film.

After it has been decided to send Leia and Luke Skywalker off to be raised by others, we get four final scenes with no dialogue. These scenes offer closure for most of the character arcs.

They act as a somber counterpart to scenes of various worlds celebrating in Return of the Jedi. We first see Padme’s funeral, and the touch that they’ve made it look like she’s still pregnant.

This is a dark but beautiful scene. And in some ways, it symbolizes the death of the Republic.

Next, we see Vader, Tarkin, and the Emperor watching early-construction on the Death Star. This is the future of Empire.

Then, Leia arrives on Alderaan to the sound of hopeful music. It’s a rising of hope, set against the foreboding Death Star scene. Alderaan looks stunning as well.

Finally, we have Obi-Wan delivering Luke to Owen and Beru Lars to be raised in secret.

This scene is just… chef’s kiss. The visuals are stunning, and feature a jaw-dropping sunset. You’ve also got a great call back (call forward?) to A New Hope‘s iconic twin sunset shot with Luke.

And this is where the movie ends, on that New Hope. Just… just a great ending.

3. Did You Ever Hear the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis The Wise?

Man. I know this scene isn’t for everyone, but I love it. It’s such a weird bit, but it works.

First off, you got the strange alien-opera with really otherworldly music. Yeah, its odd, but its also Star Wars to a T.

It’s great to see some really out-there stuff in sci-fi. Stuff that we might look at and be “wtf is that”, but this alien culture would find normal.

Then you’ve got Palpatine just oozing evil seduction. This is one of the hinge-points of the movie and it’s perfect.

2. Order 66

Oof. This is it. This is the moment you as the audience have been waiting for for 3 years. It’s arguably the defining moment of Star Wars– the fall of the Jedi and the Republic after thousands of years.

The movie doesn’t pull any punches here. Jedi die. Lots of them. Some of them you may only have seen here or there. But many of these characters are well-known in the books and comics.

It’s exactly what we were told it was: a massacre. And it’s beautifully done. The shots here, like the moment Anakin marches on the temple? Iconic.

If you’d seen the other movies and were a fan, then you knew what was going to happen. And it still hit hard. If you somehow didn’t know, well then, damn.

Here, on the cusp of victory, the good guys lose– and they lose hard. This is a classic tragedy.

I’m always struck by the shots of Padme in her apartment watching on helplessly as the temple burns. They are still striking.

Order 66 is pulled off pretty much perfectly. It’s rare for actual tragedies to get made. They aren’t really a super popular film subject these days. But Revenge of the Sith pulls it off.

1. Anakin and Obi-Wan

In many ways the core of this movie is the Anakin/Obi-Wan relationship. This relationship is front and center to the film.

We start off with them flying together in sync, quipping back and forth. The whole first act shows off their friendship to great effect. You really buy that they are brothers.

It’s a lovely and beautiful relationship, but it’s also filled with foreshadowing. Their connection is just done so well that when we come down to their final confrontation, it really is heartbreaking.

The Order 66, the Fall of the Republic, everything is distilled down and given a human face in the conflict between these two best fiends. The full brunt of the tragedy is told in their final duel.

Obi-Wan’s “You were my brother Anakin! I loved you!” That’s it, right there. That’s the movie.

Let us know what you liked best about this movie, down in the comments! 

Author: Abe Apfel

Abe is that rare thing, an Austin local born and raised here. Though he keeps on moving around, DC, Japan, ETC., he always seems to find his way back eventually. Abe has decades of experience with a wide range of tabletop and RPG games, from historicals, to Star Wars to D&D and 40K. He has been contributing to BOLS since almost the start, back when he worked at and then owned a local gaming store. He used to be big into the competitive Warhammer tournament scene but age has mellowed him and he now appreciates a good casual match. He currently covers 40K tactics and lore, as well as all things Star Wars, with occasional dabbling in other topics. Abe remains in mourning over the loss of WFB to this day.