Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (Rifftrax)

Film Year:  2005
Genre:  Fantasy, Science Fiction
Director:  George Lucas
Starring:  Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Frank Oz, Peter Mayhew, James Earl Jones, and of course Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks
Rifftrax Year:  2007
Riffers:  Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbett

The Movie

*I HAVE SURVIVED WATCHING THIS MOVIE UNRIFFED*

The good news is that Revenge of the Sith is undoubtedly the best of the Star Wars prequel trilogy.  The bad news is that it's still a film in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.  Hayden Christensen is still here, screaming shrilly and talking stiffly, while given a more melodramatic than usual script by George Lucas, who tries to make the film sound like an operatic stage play and mostly falls flat on his face.  At the same time there is something pretty enjoyable about this movie, as a lot of the Star Wars prequel tropes attempt to meld into the Star Wars original trilogy tropes, while giving us some fairly fun action scenes to boot.

This chapter of the franchise follows the end of the Clone Wars, at the tale end of those Cartoon Network animated shows you probably have heard about but never watched because you don't give a shit.  Anakin Skywalker is now secretly married to Padme, who fears her death that he's seeing in his dreams.  He turns to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who is discovered to be the Sith Lord Darth Sidious (in the surprise twist everyone saw coming), to teach him the ways of the Dark Side and becomes his apprentice Darth Vader.  Anakin then helps turn the tide of the war to wipe out the Jedi and give birth to the Empire that those ragtag pilots of the original series hated so much.

I'll be honest, normally when I pop in a Star Wars movie for entertainment value, I'm probably more likely to watch this one over the others.  Despite this movies weaknesses it is a fairly aesthetically pleasing movie at the very least, with some stunning visuals, dated but still fun effects work, gorgeous cinematography, and a booming score by John Williams.  Even still when the movie is kind of crummy I still kind of dig it, with Ian McDiarmid's hamfisted, scenery chewing performance as Palpatine being a highlight and his cackling cartoony battle with a CGI Yoda at the end being one of my favorite sequences in the entire saga.

Is it a bad movie?  Ehhhhhhhhh...that's up to you.  I'm not really comfortable passing judgment on what constitutes a "good" Star Wars movie since I find just about all of them to be hollow special effects shows that I have zero emotional investment in.  Revenge of the Sith is one I think of more positively than most when it comes to the Star Wars spectrum.  And if that makes you angry, just wait until I tell you that I think positively of The Last Jedi.

Yeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssss goooooooooooooooood, let the hate run through you!

The Trax

"I sense a plot to destroy the Jedi."

"That's funny, we can't sense any plot whatsoever."

Bill at long last sits in with Mike and Kevin for a Star Wars movie, but unfortunately it's for the final and "least bad" prequel film, which honestly makes me feel like he's a little too late.  This riff opens with the trio mocking the idea of Revenge of the Sith being the best prequel, stating "That's like saying that was the best headbutt to the junk my nephew ever gave me."  With the tone that this opening sets I start to prepare myself for yet another riff that goes on the offensive and just attacks the movie, which is what Phantom Menace primarily was and to a lesser extent Attack of the Clones as well.  But their harsh anger toward the movie is pretty much confined to the intro as Revenge of the Sith is a far more traditional riff than any Star Wars riff we've seen yet.  The result is a massive improvement.

Jokes are steady and lighthearted, counteracting the dark tone George Lucas has gone for in this film.  It's fairly welcome and enjoyable, making the shady twists in the film somewhat goofy.  At times they become a tad bit frustrated when the film gets talky in between the action bits, and during lengthy, slow talking exposition sequences, such as a backstory sequence in a theater where Bill observes "So they're just going to sit alone in those theater seats and make wisecracks about the show?  Those jerks!"  During endless CGI on CGI battles they tend to share their annoyance at the film the most, however they try to make the best of the situation by putting on little skits as well, such as Mike pretending he's hosting a cooking show during the Mace Windu vs. Palpatine fight.

I imagine some people might enjoy the previous Star Wars riffs more because they tear into the movie more.  I've never been one for the more mean-spirited riffs myself, with a few exceptions.  The ribbing of Revenge of the Sith is far more my speed as far as comedy goes, and so far in their Star Wars line I'd say it's easily the most recommended of the bunch.

Note:  Like all of the pre-Disney Star Wars films, Lucas has a tendency to tamper with them.  While from my understanding changes to Revenge of the Sith from DVD to blu-ray are more minimal than the other films, I chose not to risk it and synced with the DVD.  The blu-ray runs four seconds longer, and I imagine it's not hard to sync up with the riff if you tried though.

Good