Good movie, not the best

Rating: 7/10 (23 May 2005)

I watched this movie on opening weekend. I enjoyed it a lot, but I guess I must think differently from most Star Wars fans. Those I talk to seem to have a great love for the movie I liked least, which was "The Empire Strikes Back". I liked Episode I and I loved Episode 2, which was and is my favorite. This probably comes from my Political Science background.
In Episode 2 I saw real political intrigue as it is revealed that the Dark Lord is not only controlling the Republic as the Supreme Chancellor, but also the opposition through his apprentice.
Episode 3 seemed more like a tie-up-loose-ends plot than a truly intriguing movie. Of course we all came into this one knowing that Anakin is going to the Dark Side, that the Jedi were going to be killed off, that Luke and Leia are going to be born to Anakin and Padme, and that somehow Anakin is going to need artificial everything to survive by the end. It was very predictable. I kept wondering what was taking Anakin so long. He already wanted to make the move to the Dark Side from almost the first frame of the movie. The whole story could have been told in 5 scenes in about 20 minutes. It had good special effects, though, which successfully dragged those 20 minutes into a fairly enjoyable 2+ hours. I was very disappointed in how fast the Jedi were killed off. My wife went to the bathroom for 3 minutes and missed the whole thing, seriously. I liked the battle between Yoda and the Emperor in the Senate Chambers throwing around the flying saucers. I have to question the battle 1 foot above the surface of molten lava, the survivability of being burned by said lava, and baby Luke "going into hiding" with Anakin's step-brother.
I've probably said too much about the negatives. I did enjoy this movie quite a bit but I just wouldn't say it was my favorite, probably my third favorite Star Wars movie.