It promised a return to the gravitas of earlier films, and it had Ewan McGregor and Ian McDiarmid on board. But it also had Hayden Christensen
If there has ever been a movie with greater pre-release fanboy goodwill than Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith enjoyed, it is hard to remember it. George Lucas’s epic finale to his misguided prequel trilogy about Anakin Skywalker’s transformation into Darth Vader was released in cinemas 15 years ago this week, and it is still possible to recall the palpable sense from acolytes of the space saga that this time ... surely, this time ... they would get it right.
We really should have known better. Episodes I and II had already come and gone over the previous six years with the highs of pre-release buzz followed by the lows of crushing disappointment. Why should Revenge of the Sith be any different? Still, the whole point of
Star Wars is blind faith in the cosmic divine, so you can forgive us for holding on to a little bit of hope.