Review: Star Wars Episode III- Revenge of the Sith (12A)

THE epic story behind the birth of one of cinema's most memorable villains comes to a cataclysmic end in the final part of writer/director George Lucas's lavish prequel trilogy to the classic Star Wars series.

For years dedicated Star Wars fanatics have been waiting for the moment when Jedi Anakin Skywalker gives into the dark side of the force and turns into Darth Vader - and they aren't disappointed.

The film starts near the end of the Clone War, with Skywalker (played by Hayden Christensen) and his master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) staging a daring rescue of the Galactic Republic's Chancellor Palpatine after he was kidnapped by General Grevious.

While the war goes well for the Republic and the Jedi order that leads its armies, Palpatine has been secretly orchestrating the war and is slowly coercing Skywalker to the dark side.

It's Palpatine, played Ian McDiarmid, who really steals the show in this movie. He seems to enjoy himself thoroughly as the cunningly evil figure, playing a father figure to Anakin and finally rising to power as Emperor by the end.

While the story is still lightweight, it still makes sense compared to the paper-thin plots that Revenge's predecessors (The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones) had and provides enough depth to make you actually care for the characters.

But the plot still comes second best to the draw dropping action sequences that pack the film from start to finish.

George Lucas wades straight into the film with a series of elaborate, truly spectacular and well-conceived set pieces that would leave even the most cynical film buff impressed.

Brilliant fight scenes, culminating with a battle between Skywalker and Kenobi on a river of lava, also help gloss over some of the script's poorer moments.

Fans of the original movies and the new films have been at loggerheads about which trilogy is better, but both groups would agree that Revenge of the Sith is a lung-busting action adventure.

Peter McKinney

l Star Wars Episode Three - Revenge of the Sith is on general release from May 20.