Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith - PG-13
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this episode is not for young children. (Lucas, in a somewhat mixed message, said he would take a nine-year-old but a mature eleven-year-old would be the youngest we think appropirate) Unlike the others, its content is darker emotionally and the action is more violent. Beyond the customary battle scenes, there are severe injuries -- a character is horribly burned. Children are slaughtered (although the massacre itself is offscreen.) There are beheadings and limbs hacked off. Childbirth is pictured in a scene that might be frightening for younger viewers. We recognize it's hard to say no to your younger kids who have been raised on Star Wars, and you are the expert on your own children. But don't underestimate the impact of a beloved figure going bad in a violent way.
If you do take your kids, please talk to them about why Anakin makes the decisions he does and what forces exist in the world that make people make destructive decisions. Families can also discuss the reasons for Anakin's unhappiness and ask their children how they feel when they aren't recognized by people they respect. Other excellent topics include asking about conceptions of good and evil, fairness and revenge. How can you deal with anger by talking with close friends or relatives, instead of lashing out? How are wars justified by two sides, both believing they are right?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Cynthia Fuchs
This middle part of the Star Wars saga has been foretold for nearly three decades. REVENGE OF THE SITH shows how young, ambitious, and idealistic Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen, still rather stiff) is convinced the Dark Side of the Force will benefit his community and Padmé (Natalie Portman). They have married in secret (as a Jedi, he's supposed to remain single); to make matters even dicier, she is now pregnant with the twins Luke and Leia. His desire to not to lose Pame (and oh yes, to gain power) leads him to the dark side
The origin story of the infamously heavy-breathing, black-caped, and very tall villain Darth Vader is not uninteresting, but neither is it innovative. Anakin's motivations are conventional (even if he doesn't bother discussing his decisions with her, not showing his very capable and intelligent partner much respect). In fact, the most compelling angle in the movie is that he is so young, that his thinking is so immature: afraid of loss, Anakin can't accept what happens, and so changes the shape of the entire galaxy, essentially to get his way.
Like the other Star Wars movies, this one is filled with great special effects: though the futuristic urban sets look rather flat (seen from the windows of apartments or government chambers), the space-fighting scenes are very video-gamey (fast cuts, explosions, clever banter among pilots and robots). Yoda is especially well rendered here, his expressions, gestures, and general 3D-ness all very convincing; as well, Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) rides on a giant lizard in order to fight an enemy in a multi-legged mechanical vehicle: this episode is lively and sometimes funny, but also involves violent fighting, which might worry some younger kids.
As much as REVENGE OF THE SITH focuses on Anakin's dilemma, the secondary characters are often more compelling, especially Obi-Wan, again revealing patience, wisdom, and charisma and Padmé (though she's stuck in her apartment mostly, she is persuasively worried (they share an especially absorbing, if brief, scene, trying to figure out Anakin's antagonism and increasing detachment). Palpatine is convincingly vulnerable just before he becomes utterly fearsome, but Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) and Senator Organa (Jimmy Smits) have very little to do, embodying the predominant problem in the Star Wars franchise -- too much emphasis on technical displays and "universal" plotting, and not enough attention paid to character details.
Families who like this movie might also enjoy the other movies in the series, and might want to see other saga series (The Lord of the Rings or Star Trek), Natalie Portman in Tim Burton's space invasion spoof, Mars Attacks!; Samuel L. Jackson's voice work in The Incredibles, featuring a different take on superheroes making hard, sometimes wrong decisions.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentAnakin and Padme kiss, and she is pregnant. |
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ViolenceExplosive space fights, lightsaber action, and in the end Anakin is brutally injured. |
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Social BehaviorDarth Vader, who emerges here, is very bad. |
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CommercialismPart of the Star Wars marketing machine, every image sells some product -- an action figure, a game, a toy, or Burger King. |
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