The classic Star Wars cinematic series is back on the big screen, and the time to watch the featured film is NOW! It’s been 20 years since it was released, and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith still remains one of everyone’s favorite films from the early 2000’s trilogy. In a movie fanatic environment, the theater is a wonderful place to experience the grand finale of the Star Wars prequels. 

Directed by George Lucas, Revenge of the Sith is a continuation of Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s (Ewan McGregor) origin stories. It’s a setup for the rest of the chronological series, and it truly shows its amazing execution through the carefully crafted plot and strong attention to perfection. No detail is missed, and at the final minutes of the film you realise how mapped out the film was in order to lead up to the original trilogy. 

This episode offers a huge turn of events for the protagonists in the movie series. The Clone Wars must continue on since General Grievous (the commander of the droid armies) escapes battle. Now, the Jedi are on a mission to destroy him and end the war. Whilst the conflict rises, the Jedi Council grows concerned of the Chancellor and develops a suspicion of his political beliefs. Anakin Skywalker is asked to spy on Chancellor Palpatine, but instead explores the power of the darkside under Palpatine’s ideals. 

A major con of the earlier episodes of the series are the complexity of the politics in these movies, making it hard for first time viewers to truly understand the ways of this fictional world. Hopefully after a few watches, it will become easier to learn.

The filmmaking aspects of the film were incredibly impressive, as this is where we saw a lot of improvement in the graphics. Even though they aren’t as technically advanced as the more recent episodes like The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, they deserve the credit for the improvement since the late 70’s and early 80’s movies.

In all, I believe the real showstopper of the film was the score. The phenomenal music conducted by the classic John Williams and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra enhances every moment by bringing tension, passion, and pure talent to the screen. Alongside this fantastic soundtrack is the actors expertise in perfecting the emotions in their roles. Seeing Anakin’s rage portrayed by Hayden Christensen, or watching what seemed like genuine tears of anguish only made the movie more immersive. It had a loaded cast, with stars previously mentioned and others like Natalie Portman, Christopher Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, and countless more.

“Seeing the movie on the big screen was so special and really let me see all of the effort that goes into making a movie that becomes so successful,” says Apex senior, Abigail Verburgt. “All of the action became so real and I felt like I was there with the characters.” She goes on to say how the final battle scene was her favorite, and I believe most would agree. It’s not something that fans should miss, as the power of a larger screen transforms the action into something even more intense. “Getting to see Revenge of the Sith in the theaters was such an amazing experience. As a Star Wars fan, I had seen the movie a few times before, so I decided to go see it in theaters for the 20th anniversary because I love it so much.”

Whether you’re attending for the characters, graphics, music, or to view it for the first time, you don’t want to miss the one week special release of this Star Wars gem (started April 25th). With May 4th also coming around the corner, this is the perfect opportunity to binge your favorite film from the collection, even if it isn’t by taking the chance to see the greatest cinematic duel on the big screen.