The 20 year anniversary re-release of George Lucas’ Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith invites an audience of both new viewers and seasoned fans back to the theaters to see a staple of one of cinema’s most beloved film franchises on the vinyl screen once again, bridging a generational gap of its new and returning viewers and strengthening the everlasting Jedi alliance.
Twenty years after the initial release of the third Star Wars prequel, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, its widely-regarded best installment, once again encapsulates the attention and energy of audiences nationwide. Bringing in $42 million dollars globally at the box office, the movie became the second highest grossing re-release of all time following James Cameron’s Titanic. The aggregate box office total exceeded $900 million including its initial release in 2005. Hayden Christensen’s portrayal of a young and rebellious Anakin brings new life to a film which has been progressively more appreciated by the community of fans young and old it has excited since the release of the original trilogy in 1977. Senior Theo Alsinawi shares this sentiment as part of the group of progressive devotees; ḧe recounts ¨when I first watched it as a kid, I appreciated the Star Wars element most. But now I appreciate the themes more, I comprehend the meaning more watching in the theaters more grown up.
On its opening weekend, the film grossed $25 million dollars at the box office as fans rushed to see the film back on the big screen. Although it didn’t sustain this rate of revenue throughout the entire week, its fever lasted throughout its week-long duration in theaters. Coming into this movie I was expecting some hype due to the iconically huge star wars fan base, especially right before the May 4th weekend. When I arrived there weren’t as many people as expected during one of the last days of screening.
However, I found myself surprised. The atmosphere and energy of the movie was quite thrilling and exciting. While there were very few, the diehard star wars fans I was in the theatre with were ecstatic and made the energy rival almost Endgame-levels of movie theatre hype.
While audiences both seasoned and new were given the authentic experience of watching this movie in the atmospheric context of its initial release, it bridges a generational gap between fans struck by the franchise as a whole and those who were raised watching Luke Skywalker’s ascension through the Jedi alliance. Watching this movie personally for me was very special as someone who was raised as a “nerd”. I went with my father who saw the first Star Wars movie in theatres in 1977. I was raised on the original trilogy and saw the Force Awakens in theatres in 2015. However, my father’s pure disdain for the prequels kept me from watching them until just last year excluding Revenge of the Sith making this the first time seeing this film for me. Coming from someone older than Star Wars, he says that his hate for the prequels has a lot to do with the CGI and Jar Jar Binks. He says that “George Lucas wasn’t able to use advanced technology in the original trilogy because it didn’t exist yet, therefore he had to tell a much simpler story that turned out to be the New Hope we know today. Now with advanced technology, Lucas got too distracted with all the visual effects rather than telling a good story.”
He also takes exception with how Darth Vader was introduced, being one of his favorite characters of all time. The vulnerability of Anakin is shown in the newly ironclad Darth Vader when he is infamously seen screaming “NO!” as he realizes what he has done to his wife Padame. The emotions of Anakin should have died with the rest of him on Mustafar when he was a burning ash and the revelation of what he had done should have been while he was burning and announcing his hate for Obi-Wan. In other words, my father does not enjoy the prequels. However, as someone 30 years younger than him watching this, I found it awesome. What he had problems with, I found intriguing. The CGI and battles were breathtaking and while I did find the story and Jar Jar Binks a bit cheesy, I thoroughly enjoyed the watch.
Reception of the prequels as a whole, of which Episode III is widely regarded as the best, has always been highly contentious, with many being underwhelmed by the quality following Lucas’ iconic first trilogy. Meanwhile, after being given two decades to process feelings about the film and the presentation of five separate Star Wars franchise films since, its longtime appreciators have earned the opportunity to appreciate Revenge of the Sith as if it was being released for the first time. Academy senior Cillian Connolly, a casual fan of the Star Wars saga, learned how generationally transcendent the movie has remained. ¨My uncle was [devastated] to watch Padme dying again- he relived the trauma he felt watching it 20 years ago for the first time,¨ Connolly recounts from a conversation he had with his family referencing his watch. Reflectively, another movie goer said they loved the events of Order 66, emphasizing the scene of the murder of the younglings. “It shows how the new empire and the new ruthlessness of the new Anakin and essentially the birth of Darth Vader before his iconic armor is put on.“
The Star Wars saga has energized movie goers and created fans young and old since the release of the original trilogy beginning in 1977. Upon the re-release, many of its original fans get to share with their children the experience of seeing new additions to the franchise as if another new and to-be beloved movie is first being screened. The screenings prompt new conversation of what it means for a film to be entertaining, memorable, or a classic; at its minimum, it provides Star Wars fans of all generations another chance to immerse themselves in the world of some of the most prominent films of the past fifty years, and at that, a franchise who’s memory will last much longer.