Star Wars ? Revenge of the Sith ? The Visual Dictionary
by James Luceno
Published by DK Publishing
Scott's Rating: 4 out of 4
This Visual Dictionary features props, costumes, photos, creatures, ships, and more from Revenge of the Sith. Along with detailed photos comes text describing the origins, functions, and uses of the items shown. Highlighted in this book are the following:
Galactic War
Anakin Skywalker
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Jedi Knight
Count Dooku
Separatist Droids
Separatist Ground Forces
R2-D2
Supreme Chancellor Palpatine
General Grievous
Alien Cyborg
Trade Federation
MagnaGuards
Coruscant Ground Crew
Coruscant High Life
Padme Amidala
The Senate
Yoda
Mace Windu
Anakin ? Fallen Jedi
Elite Clones
Clone Specialists
Clone Troopers
Support Droids
Utapauns
Chewbacca
Tarfful
Wookiee Weapons
Bail Organa
Separatist Council
Polis Massans
Darth Sidious
Darth Vader
Scott:
If you?ve seen the previous Visual Dictionaries then you already know what a wonderful book it is for fans. The detailed photos are great for costume enthusiasts, artists, or fans in general. It also features detailed background information for Expanded Universe fans. And the beautiful photos allow you to stop and admire the details in the props or background costumes which you?d otherwise miss in the film. So as you can see, there?s something for everyone.
Scanning through the book, I found a few highlights which particularly stood out for me. For example, the Visual Dictionary shows George Lucas and his daughter in their cameo attire for the movie. You learn that the MagnaGuards were predecessors to IG-88. It is revealed that Captain Panaka told Palpatine about Anakin and Padme?s secret marriage. It goes on and on. I think having James Luceno at the helm helped make the text all the more interesting and connected with the existing Expanded Universe. This book is also a good reference for the incredible number of variations of clone troopers. They?re all documented here.
If you?re a fan of Star Wars, then the Visual Dictionary will be a valuable addition to your collection.
Scott:
While some of the comments that point to pictures are very informative, others are silly to the point of being parody. For example, one line points to a background character?s Mohawk and says ?Hairstyle is a plea for peace?. Another points to Mace Windu?s mouth and says, ?Somber expression.? While mildly amusing, they just get in the way of the good stuff.
Scott:
Palpatine looks like he's wering a mumu in one shot. Dark Side indeed.