I used to be as upset as any with one villain from Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, however this was all the time the purpose. My opinion on the third movie in George Lucas’ trilogy usually aligns with many others; I feel Revenge of the Sith is without doubt one of the best-ranked Star Wars motion pictures. It is undoubtedly the very best film within the prequel trilogy and, in my view, falls behind solely Star Wars: The Last Jedi and The Empire Strikes Back concerning its place in my franchise rating.

One of the explanations I maintain Revenge of the Sith in such excessive regard is as a result of movie’s incredible Star Wars motion scenes. The good battles of The Clone Wars and the lightsaber duels match the movie’s bleaker tone and solidify Revenge of the Sith‘s place on the chronological Star Wars timeline as an integral stepping stone in creating one of many franchise’s most iconic villains. Although I agree with many who Darth Vader’s set-up works splendidly in Revenge of the Sith, I can’t assist but additionally agree that one of many movie’s different villains is disappointing, however this was all the time their supposed goal.

General Grievous Was Never Meant To Be An All-Powerful Threat

Grievous Was Always A Misunderstood Villain

The villain I’m speaking about is General Grievous, a personality whose first launch order look got here in Revenge of the Sith. I’ve lengthy discovered Grievous disappointing, primarily resulting from his unthreatening persona, his tendency to run away from skirmishes all through the timeline of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Episode III, and the considerably ease with which Obi-Wan Kenobi defeats him within the latter. However, I now notice that this disappointment was misplaced due to an evidence of the character by Star Wars’ Dave Filoni within the Star Wars Insider journal:

”
Some folks need Grievous to be Darth Vader, however he isn’t. That’s a essential factor to recollect.
Fandom made him this highly effective weapon of concern earlier than we noticed Revenge of the Sith, which is what Dooku needs you to consider Grievous. But as Obi-Wan sees within the film, whenever you meet him face-to-face, he is not this terrifying creature. In truth, very like any Frankenstein’s monster, there’s this unhappiness to him, about what he most likely as soon as was and what this mechanized wickedness has turned him into.”

As identified by Filoni, my notion of Grievous has been improper this whole time. Rather than seeing Grievous as an extremely highly effective, Vader-like villain of The Clone Wars, I used to be imagined to view him precisely because the movie introduced him. Grievous is extra of a tragic determine, one whose disappointing presence considerably conveys his hidden backstory as a dwelling being who has slowly been become a monster akin to Vader, solely with out the latter’s menace.

The Clone Wars Micro-Series Shaped Our Understanding Of Grievous

Admittedly, one of many major causes as to why I perceived Grievous as a extremely menacing menace was his depiction in Genndy Tartakovski’s Star Wars: Clone Wars. When I first watched the Star Wars collection, I did so in chronological order, nestling my first watch of the Clone Wars micro-series between my first watch of Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and its sequel. As it seems, this formed my understanding of what Grievous was – or extra aptly, what he was not – within the period of the Star Wars prequels.

In Grievous’ first look in Star Wars: Clone Wars, he was depicted as a terrifying monster. The scene noticed him stalking towards six Jedi, together with highly effective masters like Ki-Adi-Mundi, Aayla Secura, and Shaak Ti, his presence indicated solely by the threatening sounds of his mechanical limbs. This, mixed together with his battle in opposition to six Jedi concurrently, satisfied me that Grievous was imagined to be an almighty menace to the Jedi. Naturally, his depiction in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith was all the time going to come back as a disappointment after this, although Filoni’s rationalization – and Clone Wars being dubbed Legends – makes Grievous’ canon portrayal extra logical.