Lucasfilm

Jedi shouldn't have excessive pride, but no one said anything about film directors, producers, and space opera gurus. George "Nerd God" Lucas has enough pride to name his own production company after…himself.

Lucasfilm, the production company that was founded in 1971 by (who else?) George Lucas, produced Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. It's the same production company that brought all of the other Star Wars films to the big screen, as well as all of the Indiana Jones movies and countless others as well. Known for its cutting-edge special effects technology, Lucasfilm really outdid themselves with this one.

But, using only the most advanced technological special effects can be both a good and a bad thing, in the eyes of critics and the public alike.

In the Star Wars movies from the 1970s, the field of visual special effects was groundbreaking stuff. When Lucasfilm figured out that they could make spaceships "hover" by smearing Vaseline on the film to hide their wheels, people went crazy. (Source)

Nowadays, however, CGI (computer-generated imagery, something George Lucas pioneered) is practically ubiquitous. That doesn't stop Lucasfilm from being amazing at it, though. In his review for The New York Times, A.O. Scott writes:

Even as he has pushed back into the Jedi past, Mr. Lucas has been inventing the cinematic future, and the sheer beauty, energy and visual coherence of "Revenge of the Sith" is nothing short of breathtaking. The light-saber battles and flight sequences, from an initial Jedi assault on a separatist stronghold to a fierce duel in the chambers of the Senate, are executed with a swashbuckling flair that makes you forget what a daunting technical accomplishment they represent. (Source)

On the other hand, other reviewers thought that this computer-generated perfection was a bit too perfect, taking moviegoers away from the possibility of feeling the film's gritty realness. Anthony Lane, a reviewer for The New Yorker says:

All of the interiors in Lucasworld are anthems to clean living, with molded furniture, the tranquility of a morgue, and none of the clutter and quirkiness that signify the process known as existence. Illumination is provided not by daylight but by a dispiriting plastic sheen, as if Lucas were coating all private affairs—those tricky little threats to his near-fascistic rage for order—in a protective glaze. (Source)

Regardless of the varying opinions on the effect CGI can have on a film (and there are so many opinions on that particular topic), CGI is one of Lucasfilm's most identifiable trademarks. The company lives to produce the latest-and-greatest in special effects, and has since their conception in 1971.

So, in Revenge of the Sith, Lucasfilm produces what could be called an iconic film to represent the company. Broad, sweeping panoramas of alien horizons? Check. Amazing effects that make you question reality? Check. Moments where you wonder if the actors ever saw any set other than a green screen? Checkity check check.