Annlyel James 
Annlyel explores the finer moments of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith to select her top five moments from George Lucas’ climax to the prequel trilogy
The prequel trilogy may be viewed to some as a blight on the Star Wars franchise but Revenge of the Sith is clearly a great film. It’s climactic, it provides some truly epic scenes, and it’s well composed from beginning to end. Yeah, there are elements to the movie that could definitely be better but George Lucas delivered a trilogy finale worth getting excited for. So, on that note, here are my five favorite scenes in Revenge of the Sith.
5. The Imminent Showdown
George Lucas did a phenomenal job bringing a climactic vibe to the showdown between Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. The lava, the music, the well-choreographed lightsaber duel, the emotional stakes, everything about this duel is enjoyable from beginning to end. It’s chill-inducing, riveting, and can even draw a tear from the eye at the duel’s heartbreaking conclusion.
4. Yoda vs. Palpatine
Jedi Master Yoda versus Darth Sidious? There was a time when a duel that cool sounding could only be conceived in fanfiction. Thankfully, George Lucas realized that a battle between two of the greatest Force-wielders in the galaxy would be rather epic and this sequence lives up to the hype. Paired with the goosebump-producing score for The Duel of the Fates composed by John Williams and this scene gets a 10 in awesomeness.
3. The Beginning of the End
Palpatine always had his eye on young Anakin Skywalker but it wasn’t until Revenge of the Sith that he put on the turbo boosters to bring Anakin to his side. He knew the time was upon him to convert young Skywalker to the dark side and so he began to manipulate him with the one thing he knew Anakin couldn’t resist; the idea of saving people from dying. He knew how much Anakin’s mother’s death affected him and he knew he was afraid to lose Padme in childbirth.
The scene when Palpatine and Anakin conversate during the opera is chilling because it truly is the beginning of the end for Anakin Skywalker. Palpatine is literally telling him a story about a Sith Lord (RED ALERT Anakin, he’s evil!) and yet Anakin doesn’t feel threatened or suspicious. He harks on Palpatine’s every word and even asks whether he can learn the incredible power of Darth Plagueis. Yeah, Anakin was doomed.
2. The Death Star Is Forming
The final five minutes or so of Revenge of the Sith is actually my favorite part of the film. It’s emotionally impactful as we see Padme’s funeral which I’m not ashamed to admit brings tears to my eyes every time, Leia is sent to Alderaan to live with her new family, the Organas, and Luke Skywalker is given to his uncle and aunt on Tatooine, a scene I will talk about next. But there’s another moment in this conclusive set of scenes that puts goosebumps on my goosebumps and that’s when Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, and young Governor Tarkin are overseeing the construction of the Death Star.
Between the fantastically dramatic rendition of The Imperial March and the implications for the future, this scene gets me every time. In fact, I’m getting chills just writing about it. The prequels may be considered garbage to some but with scenes like this Revenge of the Sith is clearly an amazing film.
(I love Darth Vader.) 🙂
1. The Hopeful Conclusion
It was a really difficult choice picking between The Death Star Is Forming and The Hopeful Conclusion for the #1 and #2 spots but I found this scene to be a little more enjoyable for a couple of reasons. First off, it’s amazing seeing Obi-Wan Kenobi and knowing his story leads. I’m really hoping we get an Obi-Wan Kenobi standalone film one day so we can see the continuation of his journey on Tatooine before the events of A New Hope.
Secondly, John Williams’s score at that moment is phenomenal and with Owen and Beru Lars staring at the twin suns, it’s a conclusion worth clapping for.
So, yeah, these are my five favorite scenes. And now, after revisiting these sequences in my brain, I think I’m going to watch Revenge of the Sith pretty soon. Lol.
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Annlyel James is a Senior Correspondent of The Future of the Force. She is passionate about Star Wars and Marvel but loves a wide variety of movie genres. Aside from her role with Future of the Force she also writes for her blog: annlyelonline. Follow her on Twitter where she channels the Force frequently!
