Excellent!!!

Rating: 10/10 (5 June 2005)

I just want to say that I am a Star Wars fan but nowhere near the level of most of the die hard fans. I was very excited for the release of the third and final prequel. I actually saw it the first weekend which is very unusual for me.
The entire movie was action packed and in my opinion was the most entertaining of the ENTIRE SERIES (although this does not mean it was the best). The light saber battles were great and this movie kept you on the edge of your seat. The effects were great and it had everything you could ask for in a Star Wars movie.
Now as far as the saga, I think that most questions were answered effectively. It really did tie the first two prequels to the original trilogy.
I know that some people think that things in the movie were not adequately explained according to some of the reviews. When Leia in ROTJ says that she does remember her mother, it could have been the force that had somehow given her those "images" and "feelings." Luke on Dagobah says that it seems familiar when we know he could never have been there before.
Besides it is a Star Wars movie. Maybe some humans can remember things that happened when they were infants in this Star wars universe. It is fictional! People need to let their imagination soar! That is why so many of us like these movies.
The acting was not great but what can I say. Hayden Christiansen is far better in this installment than in the second. He still perhaps was not the intimidating "Vader type" that we remember from the OT. But,he was more confident and spoke much more forcefully as his character was supposed to be older and more powerful.
The transformation of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine into the Emperor is very well done and it may be one of the best parts of the movie.
I also think that the Lucas critics overlook the fact he really did lay the foundation for the Anakin's turn to the dark side in Episode II. Anakin proclaimed that he would one day be "the most powerful Jedi" and "even learn to stop people from dying." He has dreams in that movie that his mother is suffering and those dreams become real.
Now the way the Emperor tries to turn Anakin is by telling him that the dark side has powers that could stop people from dying. Beautifully done. Anakin was vulnerable. And his fear ultimately did lead to his turn to evil.
I would have liked to have seen more of Owen Lars and Beru as they take on Luke and perhaps some dialog with Obi Wan where they state that they don't want Luke to have any part of this Jedi "stuff." I think that that would have really made the movie even better.
I also would have liked to have seen more of Vader after he is in his suit and maybe some clarification as to how the rebellion started but most of the important points were there.
Overall, I can see how die hard SW fans maybe expected to be captured the way that they were when Episode IV came out, but I was thoroughly entertained.
This was an excellent movie and the best of the prequels!