From the gloriously detailed starship battle above Coruscant to Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker’s epic duel on Mustafar, “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” was re-released to the silver screens April 25 to celebrate the 20th anniversary since its debut.
Star Wars fans across the world were excited to rewatch one of the most beloved movies in the franchise. Movie theaters across the nation sold out tickets and filled seats with fans that wanted to rewatch the iconic film on the big screen. Over the week that the re-release remained in theaters, it garnered $55 million at the box office.
This film, being the sixth installment in the franchise and third chronologically, follows Skywalker’s fall to the dark side. Skywalker, later known as Darth Vader, is a pivotal character in the franchise, being the chosen one in Episodes I-III and the main antagonist in Episodes IV-VI. This film is also the last “Star Wars” film that the original creator, George Lucas, wrote and directed. Due to this, many fans view this as the last true film in the franchise, showing their distaste for the newest Disney takeovers. Yet, when the prequels first debuted, Episodes I-III, fans of that time were wary to latch on to the more eccentric installments.
A cameo by Hayden Christensen, who played the main character Skywalker, was played before the film started, and he also made multiple appearances in theaters greeting fans. Christensen’s portrayal of Skywalker was debated when the “Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones” was first released–the first film he was in in the franchise–but now fans have shared their support and praise on how he defined the character. Ewan McGregor, actor of Kenobi, was also spotted greeting fans at showings of the movie.
Other actors and actresses, such as Natalie Portman, who played Padmé Amidala, and Ian McDiarmid, who played Emperor Sheev Palpatine, also appeared for fan meet-and-greets. The cast’s dedication to Star Wars is due to the fans’ passion and support for the franchise over the almost 50 years since the first movie. This re-release of “Revenge of the Sith” truly brought many Star Wars lovers together once again.
