TravelingbeebryantRN & Flicks_withNick

When Revenge of the Sith premiered in May 2005, it was burdened with huge expectations. Not only was it coming off two prior lackluster prequels, but it also had to close out the trilogy and tell the story of the fall of Anakin and the rise of Darth Vader. Twenty years later, there’s still a big debate around the movie: is it genuinely great, or did it simply shine brighter than the previous two films?

Honestly, I think it’s somewhere in the middle. It’s never going to reach the heights of the original trilogy, but it has earned far more respect than The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. The emotional downfall of Anakin, portrayed with raw vulnerability by Hayden Christensen, still hits hard. Obi-Wan’s heartbreak, captured beautifully by Ewan McGregor, gives the film a gravitas that transcends the shortcomings of the earlier prequels.

The film’s most memorable moment, of course, is the breathtaking duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin on Mustafar. It’s not just visually spectacular — it’s physically stunning. Both McGregor and Christensen trained rigorously and performed the entire fight without stunt doubles. That dedication adds an even deeper level of authenticity and intensity to a sequence that remains one of the most thrilling and devastating in the entire saga.

Revenge of the Sith is not without its imperfections. George Lucas’s visionary imagination is unquestioned — he built entire worlds and political systems that feel vast and complex — but his dialogue often remains stiff and mechanical. Characters sometimes speak in proclamations rather than conversations, a flaw that can pull viewers out of otherwise emotionally charged moments. (“So love has blinded you?” comes to mind.) Compared to The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, where directors Irvin Kershner and Richard Marquand emphasized naturalistic, grounded performances, Lucas’s direction here can feel distant, more concerned with the big picture than letting his characters fully breathe.

Even with its flaws, though, the emotional core of Revenge of the Sith has only grown more powerful over time. Ian McDiarmid’s chilling turn as Chancellor Palpatine, manipulating every event to his advantage, cements him as one of the saga’s greatest villains. Lines like “Kill him, kill him now” and “DO IT” still send chills down your spine. John Williams’ score — especially “Battle of the Heroes” — ensures that the tragedy lands with full mythic force.

At the time of its release in 2005, Revenge of the Sith was praised mostly for being “the best of the prequels.” But now, two decades later, it’s clear that it’s more than that: it’s a powerful, deeply human story in its own right. How many times have you caught yourself quoting lines like “I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new empire,” or, of course, “I have the high ground!”?

Every time I rewatch this movie, part of me still hopes Anakin will stay on the Light Side and take down Palpatine — and every time, I’m crushed all over again.

What do you think of Revenge of the Sith twenty years later? Has it aged with time? I’m especially happy that Hayden Christensen is finally having his comeback tour with the glorious applause he always deserved. If you caught it in theaters this weekend, let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Flicks_withNick gives Star Wars Episode Three: Revenge of the Sith a rating of 3.75/5.

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