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20 years of Revenge of the Sith

Discussion in 'Star Wars And Film Music' started by cubman987 , Apr 16, 2025.

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Where does the Revenge of the Sith Soundtrack rank for the PT soundtracks?

  1. 1st

    33.3%
  2. 2nd

    66.7%
  3. 3rd

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  1. cubman987

    cubman987 Friendly Neighborhood Saga/Music/Fun & Games Mod star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 7, 2014
    Somehow we are quickly approaching the 20th anniversary of the 3rd instalment of the Prequel Trilogy Revenge of the Sith. In this thread we will celebrate 20 years of the ROTS soundtrack! Share your thoughts and stories related to the soundtrack. Did you buy the CD when it came out? Where does it rank compared to the other Star Wars soundtracks? Have your feelings on the soundtrack or movie itself changed over the years? Battle of the Heroes is the main highlight for most but are there other tracks that you love? Can you believe it's already been 20 years?
     
    Dagobahsystem likes this.
  2. Dagobahsystem

    Dagobahsystem Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 25, 2015
    Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith has been one of my favorite soundtracks since 2005. I bought the CD set that also came with a DVD called Star Wars A Musical Journey which is very cool and hosted by Ian.
    The 6 panel booklet folds out into a poster of Vader, Kenobi, Anakin, and Grievous.
    GL writes a paragraph for JW. There is even a mini 4 page booklet advertising the novels Labyrinth of Evil and ROTS, the other 5 films' soundtracks, the OT CD boxset, and ROTS for PS2 and Xbox.
    Sheev is on the CD and Vader is on the DVD.

    They put a lot of attention and care into the packaging and presentation of this soundtrack release and it's appreciated.
    Don't make 'em like they used to.

    There was a time where I listened to this CD every night quietly before sleep for a couple weeks. It's really intense, beautiful music. I like all the tracks. Anakin's Dream is really cool as is Padmé's Ruminations. Battle of the Heroes of course stands out. The whole soundtrack is brilliant, epic, and intense. Reminds me a bit of Wagner's Ring Cycle with all the heavy themes and leitmotifs for characters. Epic material no doubt.

    ROTS soundtrack is my favorite of the PT, although I love TPM soundtrack as well. And AOTC is obviously great too, but that's how I rank them personally, 3, 1, 2.

    I'm glad I still got me CD and DVD set of this masterful classic work of art.
     
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2025 at 1:16 AM
    BLemelisk, cubman987 and AndyLGR like this.
  3. darkspine10

    darkspine10 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Dec 7, 2014
    I think I rank it second of the PT scores. Nothing’s ever going to knock TPM if it’s perch as my favourite score of the Saga, but ROTS is no slouch either. So much grand, operatic music, some the best action music in cinema, and some haunting choral work. Anakin’s Betrayal is Williams at his peak, tragic and sweeping and mournful, the reprise on Mustafar is also excellent. The full opening battle cue with its pulse pounding war drums is a thing of beauty. Grievous gets a few fun action pieces, very bouncy and evoking the cyborg’s twitch tendencies and fondness for escapes. Meanwhile we get some of the eeriest backing tracks for Palaptine’s slow temptations over Anakin, coming to a head during the painful transformation into Vader and the dramatic re-use of Qui-Gon’s funeral dirge.

    There’s thankfully far less tracking than AOTC, which suffered somewhat by its third act being mostly recycled tracks from TPM. While there is still some amount of repeated cues, they’re spread out more sparingly and all the big sequences are covered by exciting new material.

    I sometimes consider my favourite track of all Enter Lord Vader, with the incredible buildup to Vader’s arrival on Mustafar. Not the album mix, mind, which removed some instrumentation, it’s the full version that really packs the most punch:


    I recommend any fan of the soundtrack check out Film Score Media, as they’ve done by far the best job of presenting the complete score, sourced from various video games.
     
  4. Strilo

    Strilo Manager Emeritus star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 6, 2001
    For me, I think it's #1. Especially with the unreleased music. Anakin's Betrayal, Battle of the Heroes and even tracks like Padmé's Ruminations and the Immolation Scene are serious highlights, not just of the film but of the trilogy and even the Saga. Incredible work.
     
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  5. Jedi Bluth

    Jedi Bluth 2x Two Truths & a Lie winner star 7 VIP - Game Winner

    Registered:
    Sep 4, 2021
    Phantom Menace will always be my favorite SW soundtrack.

    I love RotS soundtrack, Battle of Heroes is my 2nd favorite SW song, after Duel of the Fates. In all honesty, those two soundtracks are my favorites over all. I love all the soundtracks, but Episode 1 & 3 have a special place in my heart.
     
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  6. BLemelisk

    BLemelisk Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 19, 2003
    I voted for 2nd to put it behind TPM, primarily because of the magnitude of new themes in TPM.

    Remember buying this right when it came out, well ahead of the movie release. I chose certain tracks to listen to before May 19 that I thought wouldn't spoil anything. I ended up having an entire structure to the movie in my imagination due only to the track names. Vader shows up halfway into the movie and duels Mace!

    Favorite track is Star Wars and The Revenge of the Sith, largely for the epic battle music throughout, but there has always been something about how this is the only score where the end of the main theme doesn't fade out, it shifts into a higher gear!
     
    Last edited: Apr 21, 2025 at 6:50 AM
    Dagobahsystem and darkspine10 like this.
  7. Master Jedi Fixxxer

    Master Jedi Fixxxer Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 20, 2018
    Just bought my tickets for this Friday. I will go watch my favorite SW movie in the theaters for the first time in 20 years.
    I cannot tell you how excited I am. Even though I have watched it at least 20 times throughout these years.

    Since you guys are talking about the soundtracks, ROTS is also my favorite SW soundtrack, and that's a high bar.

    Padme's Ruminations, Anakin's Dark Deeds, Battle Of The Heroes, are all legendary tracks.
    This soundtrack is the only soundtrack that can bring tears to my eyes. Thank you John Williams for all the feels!