Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith starring Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker, Natalie Portman as Padme Amidala, and Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, turns 20 this May. To celebrate the epic finale's anniversary, we're looking back on some of the most shocking moments from a movie that had no shortage of them.
Even though this list doesn't include every jaw-dropping scene from this movie, here are five moments that have stayed with fans for nearly two decades:
1. Anakin kills Count Dooku
After a long war, Anakin and Obi-Wan had Dooku where they wanted him. As Palpatine watched with satisfaction, Anakin cut off Count Dooku's hands and hesitated to kill the Sith Lord, who was "an unarmed prisoner." Despite not being the Jedi way, Anakin gave in to Palpatine's manipulation and killed Count Dooku, aka Darth Tyranus. Despite seeming like a formidable opponent throughout the Clone Wars, Dooku's life came to an abrupt and shocking end at the hands of the Jedi Knight.
This electrifying scene sees Dooku's horrified expressions and Anakin's uncertainty collide, foreshadowing his inner turmoil years later. It's a masterclass in storytelling, solidifying its place among the saga's most shocking moments.
2. Anakin confronts Palpatine
The shocking moment when Sheev Palpatine reveals himself to be a Sith Lord is one of Revenge of the Sith's most underrated scenes. After years of hiding his identity, Palpatine reveals his dark side powers as he tempts Anakin with the knowledge of how to save Padme. Anakin is naturally horrified by the discovery, so much so that even his desire to save Padme doesn't overpower his determination to do the right thing and expose Palpatine.
As for Sheev, his audacity is on another level, as he does nothing to hide his identity and uses Anakin's weaknesses against him cleverly, laying the foundation for his fall later in the movie. This scene is both shocking and heart-wrenching, as it makes it clear that to an extent, Anakin had enough goodness in him to turn in a man he confided in and trusted, just to stand by his Jedi values.
3. Palpatine versus Mace Windu
A lot happens after Mace Windu and the Jedi Council members show up to arrest Palpatine. This scene allows Windu to witness the full extent of Palpatine's dark side powers, and the results are shocking and terrifying.
Apart from the dramatic and visual merits, this is another great duel from the prequel trilogy with massive stakes. You can argue that it's up there with Maul versus Obi-Wan and Anakin versus Obi-Wan as one of the most fateful duels in the franchise. After Windu disarms Palpatine, the scene takes another shocking turn when the latter unleashes a force-lightening attack. Windu could've defeated Palpatine here and ended everything, but Palpatine's emotional blackmailing game was too strong.
This shocking scene led to Windu's demise (or not if Samuel L. Jackson has any say) and ended in Anakin's shocking submission to the dark side.
4. Anakin submits to Sidious
After ending Windu, Anakin had officially crossed over to the dark side. As he dropped to his knees and questioned, "What have I done?" Palpatine used his love of Padme to ensure he crushed every last spark of light left in him and submitted to the dark side. In this shocking and heartbreaking scene, Anakin sheds the last bits of himself in hopes of saving his wife, and he's given his new name, "Darth Vader."
5. Obi-Wan defeats Anakin
The greatness of Episode III lies in the tragic inevitable moments in the film that we wish we could change despite knowing how it turns out. Every time we watch Obi-Wan warning Anakin not to "try it," we can't help but hope he listens. However, this scene contains the most shocking and disturbing moment in the trilogy, as Anakin's hubris leads to his ultimate defeat.
Obi-Wan proceeds to slice Anakin's legs off. The shock of this scene remains as fresh as Ewan McGregor's heartfelt performance as a broken Obi-Wan Kenobi, who believes he's failed his best friend.
Star Wars; Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is streaming on Disney+.