Held to any normal standard can only be considered excellent ...

Rating: 8/10 (10 December 2005)

Because it's Star Wars, I think viewers don't see this as just another movie, but tend to micro-analyze everything. Since I don't really care that much about Star Wars, compared to something more serious such as 'Shadowlands' or any one of a hundred other movies, I think this movie comes off really well. It's gorgeous to watch, especially the imaginative scenic renderings of the different planets. The acting is quite credible, the storyline has way more dramatic tension than you'd normally expect in sci-fi, and there's an ominous brooding presence I find quite amenable to our lives and the times. So I give this an 8/10 (only a very few of my ratings get up this high).