Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is back out in theaters for its 20th anniversary! It’s the third of the Star Wars prequels and it’s widely considered the best of them. Now, I’m a Phantom Menace girl myself (what can I say, it was my first Star Wars movie), but I love Revenge of the Sith as well. As someone who had “met” Anakin Skywalker when he was just a little kid, it was horrifying to see him fall to the dark side.
Make no mistake: Revenge of the Sith wasn't a very kid-friendly Star Wars movie to the young me. Gone was the comic relief (no more Jar Jar), and there were some quite upsetting moments as Anakin transforms into Darth Vader. Parents should probably think twice about letting their younger kids watching this flick. Teenagers will have no problem but small children will be horrified at the carnage Anakin unleashes.
Revenge of the Sith is rated PG-13
Revenge of the Sith was the first ever Star Wars movie to receive a PG-13 rating. Let’s take a look at how it earned it.
Sex and nudity: There’s no sex or nudity in Revenge of the Sith. Even when Padme Amidala is giving birth to the twins Luke and Leia, she’s artfully covered up. Don’t worry, this isn’t The Pitt.
Violence and gore: No actual gore (lightsabers cut a person up very bloodlessly), but there is violence. Christopher Lee’s Count Dooku is beheaded by Anakin in the first part of the movie, although we don’t see anything. Mace Windu is electrocuted by Force Lightning and thrown out of a window. The closest the movie really gets to gore, though, is the innards of the cyborg General Grievous.
Language: Star Wars has no swears!
Drinking and drugs: In Attack of the Clones, the previous Star Wars prequel, mention of made of “death sticks” the Star Wars equivalent of drugs. But there’s none of them in Revenge of the Sith.
Frightening or intense scenes: See, here’s where the movie earns its PG-13 rating. Kids aren’t really prepared to handle the amount of fictional death Revenge of the Sith presents. Multiple cool background Jedi are murdered (bloodlessly, but still) before they even have a chance to understand what’s happening. Padme dies giving birth (or perhaps loses the will to live after Anakin’s betrayal). Anakin lands in lava during his battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi and catches on fire. His screams are quite horrific, and his injuries ruin him – they’re why Darth Vader always had to wear a suit.
Perhaps worst of all for parents, though, is the scene where Anakin kills a small Jedi child. Nothing is seen, simply Anakin igniting his lightsaber and the look on the face of the child. But the implications are, of course, horrible.
If you’re a Star Wars fan, you’ll probably want to watch Revenge of the Sith with your kids once they’re old enough not to be disturbed by it. And you can use it as a starting point for many interesting conversations. Anakin is “redeemed” by killing Emperor Palpatine to save his son Luke during the events of Return of the Jedi – but can there ever be a redemption for someone who killed children? It’s something that Star Wars fans, a famously argumentative bunch, will never be able to agree on.