Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
Theatrical release poster by Drew Struzan
Directed by	George Lucas
Produced by	Rick McCallum
Written by	George Lucas
Starring	Ewan McGregor Natalie Portman Hayden Christensen Ian McDiarmid Samuel L. Jackson Christopher Lee Anthony Daniels Kenny Baker Frank Oz
Music by	John Williams
Cinematography	David Tattersall
Editing by	Roger Barton Ben Burtt
Studio	Lucasfilm Ltd.
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	May 15, 2005 (2005-05-15) (Cannes) May 19, 2005 (2005-05-19) (United States)
Running time	140 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$113 million
Money made	$868.4 million

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith is an exciting space adventure film from 2005. It was written and directed by George Lucas, who created the entire Star Wars universe. This movie stars actors like Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, and Hayden Christensen.

It is the sixth movie in the Star Wars series and the last part of the prequel trilogy. It tells the story that happens before the original Star Wars movies. The film is set three years after the start of the Clone Wars. In this war, the Jedi Knights are fighting against the Separatists across the galaxy.

The story follows Anakin Skywalker, a powerful Jedi Knight. He starts having scary visions that his wife, Padmé Amidala, will die. Meanwhile, the Jedi Council asks him to spy on Palpatine, the leader of the Galactic Republic. What Anakin doesn't know is that Palpatine is secretly a powerful Sith Lord. Palpatine uses Anakin's fears to trick him into joining the dark side of the Force. This leads Anakin to become the evil Darth Vader, changing the galaxy forever.

Revenge of the Sith was filmed in Australia and other places like Thailand and Italy. It was released on May 19, 2005, and many people liked it. It made a lot of money, becoming one of the highest-grossing films that year.

What Happens in the Movie

The Rescue Mission

The movie begins with a big space battle above the planet Coruscant. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are on a mission. They need to rescue Supreme Chancellor Palpatine from the Separatist leader, General Grievous. They get onto Grievous's ship and fight the Sith Lord Count Dooku. Anakin defeats Dooku. Grievous gets away, and Obi-Wan and Anakin crash-land their damaged ship on Coruscant. Anakin then meets up with his wife, Padmé Amidala, who is pregnant. He starts having visions that Padmé will die when she gives birth.

Anakin's Doubts and Palpatine's Plan

Palpatine makes Anakin his personal helper on the Jedi Council. The Council agrees, but they don't trust Palpatine. They refuse to make Anakin a Jedi Master and ask him to spy on Palpatine instead. This makes Anakin feel like the Jedi don't trust him. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan goes to the planet Utapau to find General Grievous. He fights and defeats Grievous. Yoda, another wise Jedi Master, goes to the Wookiee planet of Kashyyyk to help defend it.

Palpatine tries to convince Anakin to join the dark side. He promises that the dark side can save Padmé from dying. Anakin realizes that Palpatine is the secret Sith Lord behind the Clone Wars. He tells Mace Windu, a powerful Jedi Master, about Palpatine's true identity. Windu confronts Palpatine. Anakin, desperate to save Padmé, stops Windu from killing Palpatine. Palpatine then kills Windu. Anakin pledges himself to the Sith and becomes Darth Vader.

The Fall of the Jedi

Palpatine, now the Emperor, gives a terrible command called Order 66. This order tells the clone troopers to kill all their Jedi generals across the galaxy. Darth Vader and a group of clone troopers attack the Jedi Temple, killing the remaining Jedi. Vader then goes to the planet Mustafar to defeat the Separatist leaders. Palpatine declares himself Emperor to the Galactic Senate, changing the Republic into the evil Galactic Empire. He tells everyone that the Jedi are traitors.

The Final Duels

Obi-Wan and Yoda return to Coruscant and learn that Anakin has turned to the dark side. Yoda tells Obi-Wan to face Vader, while he will confront Palpatine. Obi-Wan finds Padmé to learn where Vader is and tells her about Anakin's betrayal. Padmé travels to Mustafar, not knowing Obi-Wan is secretly on her ship. She tries to convince Vader to leave the dark side. When Obi-Wan appears, Vader thinks Padmé has betrayed him and hurts her. Obi-Wan and Vader have a fierce lightsaber duel. Obi-Wan wins, leaving Vader badly injured near a lava flow.

On Coruscant, Yoda fights Palpatine, but neither wins. Yoda escapes with Senator Bail Organa. They meet Obi-Wan and Padmé on the planetoid Polis Massa. Padmé gives birth to twins, a boy named Luke and a girl named Leia. She dies soon after, still believing there was good in Anakin. Palpatine finds the badly injured Vader. Vader's body is treated and put into a black, armored life-support suit. When he asks about Padmé, Palpatine lies and says Vader killed her in his anger.

A New Hope

Obi-Wan and Yoda decide to hide the twins from the Sith. They go into hiding until the Empire can be challenged. Padmé's funeral takes place on Naboo. Palpatine and Vader watch as the Death Star is being built. Bail Organa takes Leia to Alderaan to raise her as his daughter. Obi-Wan takes Luke to his aunt and uncle, Owen and Beru Lars, on Tatooine. Obi-Wan stays nearby, watching over young Luke.

Main Characters

Left to right, top to bottom: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jimmy Smits

Ewan McGregor plays Obi-Wan Kenobi: A wise Jedi Master and Anakin's best friend and teacher.
Natalie Portman plays Padmé Amidala: A senator from Naboo and Anakin's secret wife.
Hayden Christensen plays Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader: A brave Jedi Knight who becomes a Sith Lord.
Ian McDiarmid plays Palpatine / Darth Sidious: The leader of the Republic who is secretly a powerful Sith Lord. He becomes the Emperor.
Samuel L. Jackson plays Mace Windu: A strong Jedi Master and a senior member of the Jedi Council.
Jimmy Smits plays Bail Organa: A senator from Alderaan who helps the Jedi.
Christopher Lee plays Count Dooku / Darth Tyranus: A Sith apprentice and leader of the Separatists.
Anthony Daniels plays C-3PO: Anakin and Padmé's helpful robot.
Kenny Baker plays R2-D2: Anakin's loyal little robot.
Frank Oz is the voice of Yoda: The very wise leader of the Jedi Council.

Other actors like Peter Mayhew (as Chewbacca) and Joel Edgerton (as Owen) also appear. The scary voice of General Grievous is done by Matthew Wood.

How the Movie Was Made

Writing the Story

George Lucas first thought of the Star Wars story many years ago. He wanted the end of this trilogy to feel like a sad love story. This would explain how Darth Vader became the way he is in the later movies. Lucas started writing the script for Episode III even before the previous movie, Attack of the Clones, was finished.

Fans guessed many names for the movie, like Rise of the Empire. The final title, Revenge of the Sith, is a nod to an earlier Star Wars movie that was almost called Revenge of the Jedi. Lucas decided a true Jedi would never seek revenge.

Lucas thought about adding a 10-year-old Han Solo to the movie, but it didn't happen. He also considered a scene where Palpatine tells Anakin that he created him, but this was also removed.

After filming, Lucas made more changes to Anakin's story. He wanted to show that Anakin turned to the dark side mainly because he wanted to save Padmé from dying.

Designing the Look

The art team looked at old Star Wars shows for ideas, especially for the planet Kashyyyk. Lucas approved hundreds of designs for the film. These designs were then used to create early computer-generated versions of scenes, called animatics. This helped them see what the movie would look like before they filmed it.

Filming crews even went to Mount Etna in Italy when it erupted. They filmed the volcano to use as the background for the fiery planet Mustafar.

Filming the Scenes

Most of the filming happened in Sydney, Australia, from June to September 2003. They also filmed in other places like Thailand. The filmmakers used special high-definition cameras. This allowed them to send the filmed scenes to the editors on the same day they were shot.

Hayden Christensen (Anakin) worked out a lot to look stronger for the role. He and Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan) practiced their big lightsaber duel for a long time. They trained with a stunt coordinator to learn all the moves. They did most of their own lightsaber fighting without stunt doubles.

Revenge of the Sith was the first Star Wars movie where Hayden Christensen played both Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader in his suit. He convinced George Lucas to make the Vader costume fit him perfectly.

Releasing the Movie

George Lucas in 2005. Portrait by Oliver Mark.

Getting Ready for Release

The first preview for Revenge of the Sith was shown in movie theaters and online in November 2004. Another preview came out in March 2005. George Lucas said the movie was "a little bit emotional" and like Titanic in space.

Showing in Theaters

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith first showed at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2005. It was released in most countries on May 19, 2005. This date was chosen to match the release dates of other Star Wars movies. Some people even lined up for over a month to see the film at famous theaters. In London, there was a special Star Wars marathon showing all six films, with Imperial stormtroopers guarding the area.

Movie Rating

Revenge of the Sith was the first Star Wars movie to get a PG-13 rating. This was because of the intense action and some dark scenes, especially when Darth Vader is badly hurt by lava. George Lucas felt the movie should be PG-13 because it was the darkest of all the Star Wars films.

Home Release

The movie was released on DVD in October and November 2005. The DVD had special features like documentaries about the making of the film and deleted scenes. It also included a fun hidden feature (an Easter egg) with a hip hop music video.

Later, the film was released on Blu-ray in 2011 and digitally in 2015. It also became available for streaming on Disney+ in 2019.