Quiroga 1

Gael Quiroga

English 1301-102

Dr. Sharity Nelson

24 October 2023

Star Wars Revenge of the Sith Movie Poster Analysis

On May 19, 2005, the beloved Star Wars franchise released the poster for their upcoming

movie, Revenge of the Sith (FIG.1). The poster was illustrated by Drew Struzan, a renowned

American artist and illustrator who has designed numerous movie posters, including the iconic

Indiana Jones movie poster. The movie poster features multiple main characters, including Obi-

Wan, Anakin, and Padme. It also showcases important illustrations that are very familiar to Star

Wars fans, such as fighter jets, the Death Star, and a dark figure known as Darth Vader in the

background. Additionally, the poster features Obi-Wan and Anakin fighting with lightsabers on a

volcanic planet. The poster promotes the movie by effectively communicating to a diverse

audience, emphasizing the film's universal themes rather than explicitly catering to the interests

of Star Wars fans. The poster uses visual elements like sword fighting, a character triangle, and

the background to engage various audiences.

The poster appeals to a wide range of audiences, including those who enjoy action. This

is evident from the illustration of sword fighting. The aspect that grabs the attention of action

fans is the sword fighting depicted in the poster. The audience is shown two people fighting,

which are Anakin and Obi-Wan. The two are engaged in a battle using lightsabers on a volcanic

terrain. Since the setting is on a volcanic landscape, the audience can see how intense the fight is

and the sacrifice of their duel. This intrigues the action audience since many fans enjoy a fierce

battle between two characters. The lightsaber duel also holds a strong meaning for Star Wars fans
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who have watched all the trilogies. The battle is a heartfelt duel since it shows the relationship

between Anakin and Obi-Wan, which is very amusing for Star Wars fans since they see the

master and apprentice fighting. It also leaves Star Wars fans questioning the reason for the fight,

compelling them to watch the movie. The poster does an excellent job promoting the film by

attracting action and Star Wars fans using lightsaber fighting.

While the poster clearly promotes the movie as being about action, the movie poster also

conveys a romantic plot, which can engage romantic audiences. The poster shows a sign of

romance by using a character triangle between Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme. The character

triangle can be seen as a love triangle, which will appeal to romance fans to watch the movie. All

three main characters are in a triangle in the middle of the poster. To the left is Obi-Wan, in the

middle is Anakin, and to the right is Padme. The poster also features the characters' expressions,

with Obi-Wan and Padme gazing out into the infinite space, which shows a sense of

contemplation. At the same time, Anakin looks at the audience with an evil face. Anakin's face

hints at an internal conflict that will be showcased in the movie. The romantic audience can

identify that Anakin is angry with both Padme and Obi-Wan, which hints at a potential conflict

over Padme. The poster shows Anakin and Obi-Wan fighting with lightsabers, suggesting they

are fighting for more than just a different ideology but for the love of Padme. Additionally, the

poster is primarily red, which is a color that can often be associated with love and passion. Red

sets romance and conflict between the relationships that will be explored throughout the movie.

The movie poster suggests a combination of romance and action, but the true focal point

is the background. While looking into the poster's background, the audience can observe the

fighter jets, the volcanic setting, the prominent use of red, and the ominous figure of Darth Vader.

Firstly, the fighter jets are in the poster next to Darth Vader. What the fighter jets convey is that
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this movie will be action-packed, and the film will be set in outer space. The presence of fighter

jets in a space setting draws the immediate attention of fans of air combat and science fiction.

The scene is set in a volcanic land filled with fire. The audience can see the poster as red, which

brings up that red is the color of love, sacrifice, and rage. The volcanic landscape and the rivers

of lava in the background show a powerful message. It adds to the intensity of the battle between

Obi-Wan and Anakin and represents the intense emotion and internal conflict these characters

will face throughout the movie. Red is also a significant feature of the movie poster since red

symbolizes a wide range of emotions and themes in the story. The color red shows love, which

can be depicted with the three main characters, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme. Since the

background is volcanic, audiences can interpret that love can be very destructive. Red also

illustrates a sense of sacrifice. The audience sees sacrifice since both Anakin and Obi-Wan are

fighting in a land filled with lava, which they could quickly die due to the fact. Finally, red can

also show rage and conflict. Rage is shown in Anakin's face and can be interpreted as intense

anger towards something. In addition to the color red, the background features the very dark

figure, Darth Vader. The presence of Darth Vader right behind Anakin signifies the dark future

ahead of him, further emphasized by the ominous look on Anakin's face that symbolizes his inner

darkness. The poster's background provides a sense of story and purpose, giving meaning to the

placement of everything on it.

To sum up, the Revenge of the Sith poster promotes the movie by effectively

communicating to a diverse audience, not specifically Star Wars fans. The poster uses visual

elements like sword fighting, which can appeal to the action audience due to the combat between

the two main characters. A love triangle is shown in the center of the poster and attracts the

romantic audience. Finally, the setting helps engage various audiences due to the meaning of the
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setting. As readers look back and view the poster in a new way, they should draw their own

conclusions of the poster from what they see.

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Appendix

Figure 1. Drew Struzan Illustration, “Star Wars Revenge Of The Sith”

movie poster, May 19, 2005.
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Work Cited

Drew Struzan. “Star Wars Revenge of The Sith”. 2023. https://encrypted-

tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTfyoVPjY_kCTpEDw7oUySjrgBP25iiC0DxfIC

J5VH4SkuVlWHI. Accessed Oct. 4.