Media

Home Theater Movie Renter's Guide - October, 2011

"Star Wars - Episode III" (Blu-ray) - Reviewed by Chris Heinonen

Synopsis

As Padme and Anakin struggle to keep their affair secret, they discover that she is pregnant.  Shortly after hearing the new, Anakin begins to have visions of the future of Padme dying during childbirth.  Determined to not let this happen, he follows the advice of Chancellor Palpatine and looks into the dark side of the force, which promises the ability to live forever.  The Jedi order has begun to grow suspicious of Chancellor Palpatine and asked Anakin to report back on him to them, leading him to question the order and role of the Jedi in protecting the Republic.

Commentary

Easily the best of the prequels, Episode III documents the rise of Anakin Skywalker to becoming Darth Vader, and the collapse of the Republic.  The plot and structure of the film are better than the previous ones, though the acting by Hayden Christensen still leaves much to be desired as he fails to really bring across the emotions that he is going through.  One thing that did surprise me was just how violent the film was yet still managing to keep a PG-13 rating.  This might be one that I hold off showing my kids until they are a few years older than I would with the original films.

The transfer of Episode III is just stunning.  Facial features and textures just pop off the screen, and the detail present in each frame is fantastic.  I had thought that Episode II looked good, but it’s nothing compared to this.  Even though you might not want to watch it over and over again for the plot, you will for demoing your home theater.  The soundtrack once again blows you away with great detail and envelopment during the whole film.

Extras

The disc itself has commentary, though there are a lot more extras if you buy the box set of all six films.