---
title: "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-of-the-sith/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-of-the-sith"
critics_score: 64
critics_reviews: 19
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005): what the critics said

Critics' score 64 from 19 reviews: 14 positive, 1 mixed, 4 negative.

## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert

Rating 3.5/4. 19 May 2005. 

The film returns to classic space opera with spectacular action and effects that stimulate the imagination, making it a great entertainment despite weak dialogue.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-of-the-sith-2005)

## IndieWire — Christian Blauvelt

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 28 April 2025. 

The piece argues that time has been kind to the film, positioning it as George Lucas's most personal blockbuster and the best Star Wars movie overall due to its emotional depth and thematic resonance. It highlights how the prequel's messiness and personal vision contribute to its lasting appeal.

[Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/commentary/revenge-of-the-sith-best-star-wars-movie-1235118702/)

## Total Film

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 18 May 2015. 

Flawed but enthralling, this is Star Wars’ darkest hour and sends the saga home on a high as the first among the prequels by a mighty stretch. It recaptures the magic of the franchise with pace, passion, purpose, and a jaw-flooring finale that crosses between duels and birth scenes with poetic cross-cutting.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/star-wars-episode-3-revenge-of-the-sith-review/)

## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 25 April 2025. 

The review praises the film as the saddest and sincerest Star Wars entry, embracing bleak tragedy and the nature of evil in its second half while matching the saga's grim mood. It singles out the exploration of Anakin's rage and Palpatine's manipulation as particularly resonant.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/in-praise-of-revenge-of-the-sith-star-wars-saddest-movie.html)

## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. 

Episode III is better than the other two much-derided prequels—leaner and funnier—while delivering a darker tale about power, control, and the dark side that functions as an adult movie for kids. Stylistic faults remain, including overload of technical trickery, cod language, and stagey acting, but Lucas redeems himself with this treatise that may frighten but ultimately welcomes viewers to the dark side.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/welcome-to-the-dark-side-7384833.html)

## Empire — Colin Kennedy

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2005. 

From a certain point of view, this is the best and most pleasing surprise in the saga, outclassing the earlier prequels with stronger effects, production design, and set pieces while addressing key myths. However, it is let down by rushed plotting, ludicrous dialogue, and an unconvincing dark-side turn for Anakin in the middle act.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-sith-review/)

## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 16 May 2005. 

It is easily the best of the prequels and the only one worth watching for its energetic visuals and creation myth of the Empire and Vader, but it shares the weaknesses of stilted dialogue and poor work with actors.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-revenge-of-the-sith-review-20151202-story.html)

## Screen Daily

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 6 May 2005. 

The film is more satisfying than the previous prequels, offering strong action, effects, and a fitting dark conclusion, though politics slow it down.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-of-the-sith/4022926.article)

## The Hollywood Reporter — Kirk Honeycutt

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 6 May 2005. 

The critic finds the film a qualified success that delivers thrilling tragic inevitability as Anakin's fate unfolds, with strong action sequences and improved integration of comedy and drama. Poor dialogue and wooden acting remain flaws but are outweighed by the epic design and pioneering digital filmmaking.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/star-wars-revenge-sith-review-752673/)

## The New York Times — A.O. Scott

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 16 May 2005. Festival review. 

This is by far the best film in the recent trilogy and ranks with the strongest in the cycle for its spectacle and mythic resonance, though it suffers from Lucas's indifference to acting and writing.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/16/movies/some-surprises-in-that-galaxy-far-far-away.html)

## Time Out — PW

Rating 3/5. 16 May 2005. 

The review describes it as breathless and effects-filled but badly acted and slightly disappointing, noting the known ending limits suspense.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-of-the-sith)

## Sight and Sound — Kim Newman

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 1 July 2005. 

Kim Newman finds the film visually impressive with strong action sequences and duels but hampered by poor dialogue and acting. It excels in spectacle over substance.

[Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-sith-archive-review-darth-vaders-wobbly-rise-power)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 13 May 2005. 

The film is dramatically weightless and bores the viewer into submission with its overlong, artificial plotting and lifeless performances. The one spark of real dramatic life comes too late in the final sequence showing the birth of Darth Vader.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/may/13/starwars)

## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 16 May 2005. 

The film is a dismal morality tale of moral cleansing resolved only by violence, with an ear of purest cloth and an art of flawless and irredeemable vulgarity, though it improves slightly on the prior prequels.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/05/23/space-case)

## The Telegraph — Tim Robey

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 20 May 2005. 

The film is a mightily disappointing slab of cinema far from a satisfying payoff, with an opening dogfight that gives way to two hours of encroaching tedium. It fails to deliver on the promise of pulling the prequel saga together despite some technical dazzle.

[Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-sith-review-disappointing-slab/)

## /Film — Rick Stevenson

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 4 May 2025. 

The critic argues that Revenge of the Sith is George Lucas's true masterpiece and the film he had always wanted to make, blending high melodrama, bold audiovisuals, Greek tragedy, and a critique of American neoliberalism. While acknowledging flaws such as its treatment of Padmé, the review celebrates the prequel's ambition and emotional stakes over the originals in this 20th-anniversary retrospective.

[Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1847838/revenge-of-the-sith-star-wars-creator-george-lucas-masterpiece/)

## Den of Geek — Rob Leane

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 18 November 2019. 

The film succeeds as a confident closer to the prequels, with strong action sequences and an epic tone despite some tonal unevenness and sidelined characters. It stands as an important cultural moment that answers long-standing saga questions while delivering fan-favorite set pieces like the Mustafar duel.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/star-wars-revenge-of-the-sith-story-recap-legacy/)

## Digital Spy — Daniel Saney

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 May 2005. 

Lucas returns the saga to form with a darker tone that makes it the best since The Empire Strikes Back, featuring excellent effects, improved acting, and fast pacing that ties threads together effectively. Romance scenes remain a weak point with cheesy dialogue, but overall it works well as a standalone film.

[Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a21267/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-of-the-sith/)

## The Ringer — Miles Surrey

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2020. 

The critic argues that Revenge of the Sith is the strongest of the prequels and deserves more credit as a compelling operatic tragedy despite its flaws in dialogue and structure. They single out its entertainment value and dark moments for praise while noting its place as Lucas's final directorial effort.

[Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2020/05/19/movies/revenge-of-the-sith-star-wars-15-years-later)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-of-the-sith.md