Bringing Darth Vader To DVD

Hayden Christensen and Ian McDiarmid On 'Revenge Of The Sith'

(CBS)  The last "Star Wars" movie is finally out on home video. Thankfully, you don't have to travel to a galaxy far, far away to get it. Entertainment contributor and People magazine Senior Editor Jess Cagle has details in The Early Show's Home Theater.

Many "Star Wars" fans agree that the third time was the charm. "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" earned $380 million at the box office, and many thought it did the best job of recapturing the spirit of the original movies.

Writer/director George Lucas gives us the ultimate battle between good and evil, Jedi style. This is the film where young Anakin Skywalker is finally transformed into Darth Vader, seduced into the dark side of the force by the evil chancellor Palpatine.

Hayden Christensen plays Anakin. The chancellor is Ian McDiarmid. They recently had a reunion at George Lucas' new state-of-the-art headquarters in San Francisco, Calif., within shouting distance of the Golden Gate Bridge.

"I have a certain affection for sort of the darker sides of people's personalities, and getting to explore that," Christensen says. "And this was a great character to get to do that with. They don't get much more villainous than Darth."

Christensen knew that this was the film "Star Wars" fans were waiting for, but he took a low-key approach to a great acting challenge.

"I was trying to not undermine people's expectations, and trying to create something that will live up to what they were hoping for," he says. "Luckily, it's just really putting on a costume, and you've achieved that. So it wasn't that difficult, I think."

The "Sith" DVD contains six hours of bonus features, including a documentary explaining why one scene that lasted less than a minute took 70,000 man-hours to create. It's a different movie-making universe since McDiarmid first played the evil emperor in "Return Of The Jedi," more than two decades ago. This kind of fight scene would have been unthinkable back then.

"Lots of things have changed, mainly the technology, which is one of the reasons George wanted to get back in the director's seat and make those movies," McDiarmid says. "There was so much more to be done with all these brilliant effects. And I think, in some kind of way, they reached their apotheosis in 'Revenge Of The Sith.' I mean, it's operatic in terms of what he's able to achieve. But, in some ways, it hasn't changed that much. You know, George is George."

Even though "Star Wars" made him an international star, Christensen says working with George Lucas is what he values most.

"He's truly one of the great filmmakers, and just a visionary storyteller," Christensen says. "So to get to sort of be a part of his world for these past couple of films has been pretty amazing. I feel greatly indebted to the man."

The DVD has other special features as well. You get a close-up on some little jokes the filmmakers threw in, including a kitchen sink that was thrown into a battle scene.

The centerpiece of the bonus materials is Within A Minute, a newly produced feature that offers unprecedented insight into the complexity of creating a single 49-second sequence of "Revenge of the Sith." From pre-production artists to costume designers, from camera operators to make-up artists, from sound designers to musicians, and is hosted by Episode III's producer, Rick McCallum.

And if you don't love "Star Wars," there's something else out that people are buzzing about — "Sex and the City: The Complete Series." The deluxe, limited edition DVD box set is available Nov. 1 for the suggested retail price of $299.95.