A well-lit theater turns dim, leaving just the smell of buttered popcorn and the whispers of fan excitement to fill the void.
Instead of the patented opening crawl, auditorium 12 is instead met with a message from a familiar face.
Hayden Christensen, who plays protagonist Anakin Skywalker, walks into frame smiling, eager to share a quick thought. After thanking the loyal fan base, he prepares them for their next two hours and twenty minutes, ending with a playful phrase – “This is where the fun begins.”
After a short pause, composer John Williams’ opening masterpiece pierces the crowd’s ears as the title card appears, closely followed by the opening crawl with a round of applause from the viewers, excited to experience the thrill of Star Wars on the big screen once again.
“Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with a week-long re-release in theaters across the country, lasting until April 30.
For many fans like me, this is the first chance to see the film in theaters. Despite the film now being 20 years old, the movie still holds up in both story and production.
Betrayal, fading hope and a constant struggle to remain a positive light in a galaxy full of darkness are all on full display.
Episode III works so well because you can’t help but feel for Anakin Skywalker’s inner struggles. He is living in constant fear of losing his wife, failing his master and disappointing the only father figure he has left.
With all of this looming in the background, Skywalker loses himself along the way, not knowing what he should do. The normally confident general is reverted back to the little boy he used to be, alone in a cold galaxy.
What makes this movie so unique is that the good guys don’t actually win. While there is a small glimpse of hope through a new generation, eventually seen in the original trilogy, the war ended up being for nothing. Greed, ignorance and a lust for power from the Jedi led to the evil being triumphant in the end.
Simply put, the Sith got their revenge.
Despite knowing what would happen, having seen the movie on DVD so many times, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of hope that it would all work out in the end, which eventually was followed by a massive pit of hopelessness when it didn’t.
There is something to be said about the theater that made the characters and scenes get turned up to an 11 out of 10 in intensity.
Seeing General Grievous first burst onto the screen simply by walking into frame made me remember just how terrifying this character really is. Later on, his duel with Obi-Wan was somehow made even cooler on the big screen as the clash of blue and green lightsabers illuminated the theater.
A scarred Emperor Palpatine giving his speech to the Senate, brainwashing the entire political sphere into believing in his new empire, still causes goosebumps.
Anakin and Obi-Wan’s blue lightsabers clashing together against the backdrop of persistent eruptions and flowing lava make for the ultimate climactic finish.
Now, don’t get me started on the Order 66 sequence. Seeing the Jedi get betrayed by their most trusted allies in the clones still hurts my soul. No matter how prepared I am for the tone switch during this scene, I am always emotionally rocked when it rolls around.
The combination of the actors and the production comes together to make a perfect story.
From the big action sequences like the opening Battle of Coruscant, with Anakin and Obi-Wan racing through the carnage of space warfare, to the commanding performances by actors like Ian McDiarmid, who played Chancellor Palpatine, simply telling a story at the opera, this movie is a masterpiece.
Speaking of performances, I still do not understand why Hayden Christensen received so much flak for his acting in this movie. He constantly walked the line between good and evil depending on the scene. From the tears he shed during his dark deeds at the Jedi Temple to his gut-wrenching screams on Mustafar, Christensen deserved his flowers 20 years ago.
There weren’t any new additions or changes to the movie, but this is more about an experience.
I know I am not alone when I say that Star Wars is my childhood and getting to watch Episode III in a theater has been a dream of mine since I first saw it at home.
I couldn’t help but feel emotional when the credits rolled, as it suddenly hit me – I finally got to watch my favorite movie in theaters. Walking to my car with tear-filled eyes was not what I anticipated when I bought my ticket. But there I was, struggling to remember where I parked, moved by the beautiful story George Lucas made 20 years ago.
This movie has and always will be a 10 out of 10 in my book. It is a perfect ending to the prequel trilogy, but sets the scene to be able to roll right into the original trilogy.
If, for some reason, you’re on the fence about going to see the re-release, it’s quite simple.
Dew it.
