With that said, the prequel trilogy is one of the worst trilogies of films of all time in terms of acting, writing, and generally less than spectacular special effects, proving that Lucas is more interested in telling a story that is visually compelling instead of relying on the kind of writing that brought out such classics as "A New Hope" and "The Empire Strikes Back". In these posts, I will be focusing on what could have made Episodes I-III not only as good as the original trilogy, but even more superior when compared to such famous trilogies as "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Dark Knight".
The film opens to the following crawl:
The Galaxy is on the brink of destruction. The Republic and Confederacy have
annihilated virtually the entire galaxy in their conflict. Evil is everywhere.
The person most responsible for the heinous war crimes is the fiendish
Droid leader, General Grievous, who is responsible for the death of nearly
100 Jedi knights in the last few years of war alone.
On the Galactic Capital of Coruscant, The Jedi Council continues the
command of the war, unaware that the war will come closer than they
ever anticipated...
The film then shows several Confederacy flagships approaching Coruscant. Led by Count Dooku and Grievous, they plan to obliterate Coruscant and all it stands for. Several million droids are deployed onto the planet's surface, while Grievous is sent out on a special mission.
In Palpatine's office, he and Jedi Master Mace Windu are discussing a recent victory achieved by Jedi Knight's Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. Just then, Grievous bursts through the door and demands that Windu hand over Palpatine, Mace and Grievous then engage in a lightsaber duel, while the droids take Palpatine away. Grievous retreats, which forces Mace to launch a desperate attempt to save the Chancellor.
With the deflector shields up at maximum, no Republic cruiser can get near Dooku's flagship. With several thousand Clone Troopers dying every minute, Mace and Yoda agree to give out a call to Anakin and Obi-Wan. The two immediately arrive, having heard that Coruscant is under siege.
Dooku and Palpatine discuss their plan: Dooku and Grievous are to separate Obi-Wan and Anakin from each other. Grievous is to distract Anakin, while Dooku murders Obi-Wan. In a rage, Anakin will slaughter Grievous and apprehend Dooku on Palpatine's orders, and the new Sith will be inducted.
Anakin and Obi-Wan easily fall for the ruse and are separated once they land on the ship. Obi-Wan arrives on the main deck, where Dooku is. Dooku and Obi-Wan duel each other, until Obi-Wan is rendered unconscious by Force Lightning. Dooku then hurls the Jedi out of the ship's window and into space. Little does he realize that Kenobi's limp body is picked up by a Republic Cruiser.
Anakin and Grievous encounter each other where Palpatine is being held. Anakin fends off several of the General's Magnaguards, until he realzies that the Chancellor is gone. In a rage, Anakin goes off to find Dooku.
Anakin arrives in the General's Quarters and duels Dooku in an effort to save Palpatine. As Dooku taunts Anakin, Anakin unleashes his rage on the Count, slicing the Sith Lord's lightsaber in half. Palpatine orders Anakin to apprehend Dooku and return to Coruscant. Palpatine explains that he will have Dooku surrender the Confederacy to the Republic, to which Dooku (as planned) announces over the comlink that he is resigning his post, making Grievous the new Confederacy Leader. Dooku is knocked out and brought to an escape pod and brought to Coruscant.
When Anakin learns that Obi-Wan is still alive, he is overjoyed but still hesitant to tell his friend that he had a brush with the Dark Side. When they arrive, Anakin sneaks away from the ceremony and goes to Padme. Padme tells Anakin that she is pregnant. Anakin is happy, preparing to declare his fatherhood to the world, but Padme reveals that if anyone finds out that she is pregnant, the Jedi Council would bar Anakin's upcoming Master Ritual Test and she would be dismissed as the Jedi Council Informant and sent home to Naboo.
Grievous is able to elude custody and retreats to the Confederacy stronghold of Kashyyyk, where he has rounded up thousands of Wookies to act as slaves. Darth Sidious contacts him, telling him that Dooku has betrayed them and that he requires a new apprentice.
Anakin suffers a premonition, where he sees Padme being choked by a hooded figure wielding a lightsaber. Anakin fears that it will be prophetic like it was with his mother. He decides to go to the Jedi Temple to discuss the matter with Yoda. Yoda only informs him that his premonitions only have a 50% chance of occuring, as all Jedi have them a lot. Anakin tries to go to the library to learn more, but Jocasta Nu informs him that what he seeks is restricted to Jedi Masters only.
In the Republic Courts, Dooku acts as if he has seen the error in his ways and gives the Senate virtually everything they need to know about the Confederacy, in the hopes of being released early. But he is deemed guilty and sentenced to 100 years of servitude to the Republic and 3 years in prison.
At the Jedi Temple, Anakin and Obi-Wan undergo the Jedi Master Ritual to see if they qualify as Jedi Masters. The test goes on, but Anakin is constantly distracted by his fear for Padme. As a result, Obi-Wan is granted Mastery, but Anakin fails.
That night, Anakin is contacted by Palpatine to come to a meeting with him. The Chancellor informs Anakin that with a new emergency power the Senate has granted him, he is making Anakin his personal representative on the Jedi Council, telling him that he would be working closely with Padme and earn the rank of Jedi Master. The Council tries to block the move, but Palpatine's new power prevents the Council from having any say in the matter.
The next day, Anakin confronts Dooku in his cell at the Jedi Temple. Anakin was told by the Council that they needed to know where Grievous was hiding, but Dooku immediately turns the table by telling him of an old Sith fable about saving the ones you care about from dying. He also tells him that only Darth Sidious knows of this and that if he finds him, he finds his answer.
At the Temple, Obi-Wan and Padme are discussing Jedi matters when he tricks her into revealing her pregnancy. Although happy for her and Anakin, he warns her that if the Jedi Council finds out, Anakin would be in danger of being expelled from the Order.
Anakin begins a manhunt for Darth Sidious, surprisingly tracking him to Palpatine's office. He is stunned when he finds out that Palpatine is in fact the evil Sith Lord. Anakin contemplates reporting this to the council, but Palpatine goads him into becoming a Sith Lord, in order to save Padme, while also warning him that the Jedi are planning to murder him and take over the Republic.
At the same time, Obi-Wan and Yoda are sent to Kashyyyk to kill Grievous, while several other Jedi knights are dispatched to search for the Confederacy Chairman Nute Gunray. Anakin keeps his knowledge a secret from Obi-Wan, who had had nothing but nice things to say about their friendship and Qui-Gon. Anakin does decide to report to Windu however. Mace decides to take Anakin with him to arrest Palpatine.
On Kashyyyk, Obi-Wan and Yoda confront Grievous, who uses his four armed lightsaber assault to attack Kenobi. Yoda tells Obi-Wan that he doesn't need the lightsaber to beat this droid leader. Obi-Wan and Yoda use their combined force power to obliterate Grievous's windpipe.
Palpatine and Mace duel in Palpatine's office and Palpatine is ultimately subdued. At the same time, Dooku breaks out of the Temple and shuts down the defense protocols. Anakin is stunned when Mace decides to kill Palpatine. Anakin stops him by blocking Mace's lightsaber with his own. Mace shoves him back, but Anakin force chokes him to prevent him from murdering his "one chance" to save Padme. Palpatine shoots Mace with lightning and blasts him out the window. Anakin, realzing that he can not return to the Jedi now, pledges his loyalty to the Sith, and is knighted Darth Vader. Palpatine tells Vader to reunite with Dooku in the Jedi Temple and stop the Jedi from taking over the Republic. Palpatine then issues secret command "REVENGE" to the Clone Troopers.
The clones, as programmed, turn on their Jedi Commanders and slaughter them. Meanwhile, on Coruscant, Vader and Dooku slaughter Jedi knights with the help of the Clone Troopers. Sidious then arrives and informs them that only one of them can be his True Apprentice. Dooku is stunned by this turn of events, but Vader simply decapitates him.
Obi-Wan and Yoda narrowly avoid execution and escape to go to Coruscant. There, they learn about the destruction of the Order and that Anakin is now Darth Vader. Yoda decides to confront Palpatine on this matter, while Obi-Wan goes after Vader, but is sidetracked when he learns that Padme is going into labor with the twins.
Vader flies to Mustafar and slaughters the remaining Confederacy leaders, Nute Gunray last. Yoda arrives in Palpatine's office and the two have duel. This time, Yoda reveals a lightsaber (here it makes sense, because he needs all of the power he can get to defeat Sidious. The two duel and Palpatine tricks Yoda into forcing the duel into the Senate chamber, while the senate was still in tact, deacivating his own lightsaber before he is seen. The Clones open fire on Yoda and he is forced to retreat. One of the senators, Bail Organa, believes Yoda and takes him to his ship to depart from Coruscant.
Padme has both Luke and Leia, but is then informed that Anakin is now a Sith Lord. Refusing to believe Obi-Wan, Padme has herself transported to Mustafar to speak with him herself. Obi-Wan sneaks aboard her ship to face Vader
Palpatine informs the Senate that the "Jedi Rebellion" has been crushed and that with the power given to him, he appoints himself Emperor of the new Galactic Empire.
Padme finds Vader and begs him to tell her what she heard isn't true. Vader lies to her and says Obi-Wan has been jealous of their relationship for a while. Padme slowly begins to recognize the Sith Lord's strategy and begins to break down. She tells him that she will always love who he once was, but not the monster he's become. Enraged, Anakin Force Chokes her into submission. Obi-Wan steps out of the cruiser and the two have their intense duel. In the end, however, Anakin is knocked into the volcano and burnt to death by the lava.
Palpatine travels to Mustafar just as Obi-Wan is leaving with Padme's body. Palpatine uses the Sith Method of saving people from death and saves Vader from death, but understands that his apprentice will be forced to live in a mechanical suit for the rest of his life.
Obi-Wan, happy that Padme hadn't gotten around to telling Vader that she had given birth, decides along with Yoda and Bail, that the twins need to be hidden. Bail agrees to take Leia, while Obi-Wan suggests that Luke be brought to Anakin's step-brother Owen and his wife Beru on Tatooine. Yoda also tells Obi-Wan that if he can learn to communicate with the force completely, he will be able to speak to Qui-Gon from beyond the grave.
Padme is buried on Naboo and Palpatine is intrigued by a plan Commander Tarkin has for a Space Station with enough fire power to destroy a planet, and secretly has his construction crews begin building the Death Star. Vader, who has been put into the suit, secretly plans to murder Palpatine for lying to him about saving Padme.
Obi-Wan delivers Luke to the Lars Homestead and departs into the desert. He finds an abandoned hovel and decides to live there. He begins to meditate and then he hears Qui-Gon say: "You have become a great Jedi, Obi-Wan. And you will one day save the galaxy once more."
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