This Day In Star Wars History: Revenge Of The Sith Premieres In Theaters
By Elaine Tveit
Today in Star Wars history: The penultimate episode in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Revenge of the Sith, premiered in theaters in 2005.
Revenge of the Sith is often regarded as the best of the Star Wars prequel films, or at the very least is the universal favorite of the trilogy. Its dramatic story of love, tragedy, and darkness was a satisfying if heartbreaking conclusion to Anakin Skywalker’s fall to the dark side, but it also served as the tale that finally filled in the holes of Darth Vader’s past. And it was also, as far as we knew in 2005, the last live action Star Wars film ever.
Fortunately, we found out in 2012 that Revenge of the Sith would not, in fact, be the last Star Wars live action film, but audiences oblivious to this fact eleven years ago made the most of the experience at the time. Episode III made $108,435,841 opening weekend in the U.S. alone, and grossed $848,754,768, almost $1 billion, worldwide throughout its entire theatrical run.
Reviews of the film were mixed from critics, but there were many who had positive things to say, like Kirk Honneykutt of The Hollywood Reporter (via StarWars.com).
"“The final episode of George Lucas’ cinematic epic Star Wars ends the six-movie series on such a high note that one feels like yelling out, “Rewind!”"
A.O. Scott of the New York Times was duly impressed.
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"This is by far the best film in the more recent trilogy, and also the best of the four episodes Mr. Lucas has directed."
Revenge of the Sith is, bar none, the most emotionally gripping and heartwrenching of the entire saga. Watching Anakin succumb to the dark side and betray his friends, seeing Jedi, knights, masters, and padawans alike, be murdered, is a moving experience. The film has its faults, among them the underused Padme Amidala and stiff dialogue, but as a whole it stands on its own as a great Star Wars film. I hope the directors of the sequel trilogy have the courage to apply elements of Revenge of the Sith‘s dark tone to Episodes VIII and IX.
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What are your favorite memories of seeing Revenge of the Sith throughout the eleven years since its premiere? Do you any favorite moments in the movie? Talk to us in the comments below.