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Parents' Guide to

Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

By Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Anakin moves to the dark side in moody, graphic sequel.

Movie PG-13 2005 146 minutes
Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 10+

Based on 80 parent reviews

Kagoodrum
Kagoodrum Parent of 10-year-old
June 5, 2022
age 11+

A very violent movie

A very violent movie. Should be supervised by an adult especially for younger kids.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
1 person found this helpful.
MovieFlame321
MovieFlame321 Parent of 11 and 15-year-old
February 2, 2022
age 11+

Best of Hayden Christensen

Though Revenge of The Sith is not one of the best Star Wars movies as a whole, it is the best prequel by far. Hayden Christensen is just a lot better in it than in Attack of The Clones, largely because the writing is just a lot more felt out. I've also noticed that he acts a lot better when he becomes evil, probably because he was trying to suppress his acting before. Revenge of The Sith is probably the most violent Star Wars movie, with a few beheadings and a burning, but there isn't any blood so it's not that bad. Still, I don't think anyone under 11 should watch this.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much violence
1 person found this helpful.
See all 80 parent reviews

What's the Story?

REVENGE OF THE SITH shows how young, ambitious, and idealistic Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is convinced that using 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's now pregnant with the twins Luke and Leia. Anakin's desire to not to lose Padmé (and, oh yes, to gain power) leads him to the dark side -- and his destiny of becoming Darth Vader.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (80 ):
Kids say (329 ):

The origin story of the infamously heavy-breathing, black-caped villain Darth Vader isn't uninteresting, but neither is it innovative. Anakin's motivations are conventional (even if he doesn't bother discussing his decisions with Padmé, not showing his very capable and intelligent partner much respect). In fact, the movie's most compelling angle is that Anakin is so young that his thinking is immature: Afraid of loss, he 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, Revenge of the Sith is filled with great special effects: Though the futuristic urban sets look rather flat, the space-fighting scenes are very video-gamey. Yoda is especially well rendered here, and a scene in which Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) rides a giant lizard and battles enemies in a multi-legged mechanical vehicle is lively and sometimes funny but also involves violent fighting, which might worry some younger kids. As much as this story focuses on Anakin's dilemma, the secondary characters are often more compelling, especially Obi-Wan, again revealing patience, wisdom, and charisma, and Padmé. 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.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith's violence impacts the story. Was it disturbing to watch Anakin's transformation into Darth Vader? Why or why not?

  • How does this movie compare to others in the series? Do you think each movie should be equally intense, or was it OK that this film be more violent and darker than the others?

  • How does Anakin deal with anger in this movie? What are some other options for managing frustration and disappointment? What are the two sides of the Force?

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