I still think George Lucas is becoming senile, but someone did SOMETHING right.

Rating: 6/10 (10 July 2008)

The problem with the prequel "Star Wars" trilogy is obvious: it is largely, if not entirely, an orgy of hyperrealistic and inordinately expensive special effects capitalising on a hugely successful and endearing franchise with little attention paid to the basic framework for what makes a good movie, well, good. Of course, it all starts with the scripts, which overall are remarkably poorly written: no special effects could gloss over this tripe; nor could the fabulous talent of Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen possibly shine through these mousy lines; nor could any actor convincingly portray a character so incongruously contrived as Anakin Skywalker. Episode III is not an exception and judged objectively as a film it is not a great one.
Nevertheless, "Revenge of the Sith" succeeds impressively from a literary standpoint, emerging as arguably the most pivotal and even, in spite of its script, the most interesting installment of the "Star Wars" franchise. For one thing, it is here that we see the emergence of everything so ubiquitous of the original Trilogy: the toppling of the Republic and the establishment of the Palpatinian Galactic Empire, the near-extinction of the Jedi, Obi-Wan the hermit, the anonymous twins Luke and Leia Skywalker, Darth Vader, the Death Star, etc. ad infinitum. Sure, in so doing the scriptwriters commit blatant breaches of continuity (didn't Leia remember her "real mother"?) and as in Episode II trip over themselves waving, to paraphrase an acquaintance, the magic pen ("We've always talked of adopting a little girl") to accomplish what everyone knew what was going to happen anyway, but they got the job done, and everything was tied together in a fashion that was aesthetically pleasing (if nothing else). And as mightily as they tried, they couldn't undo the coolness of Obi-Wan Kenobi or Ewan McGregor.
But Episode III does more than tie the saga together: it gives it at last a human and social context to which Earthlings can relate on a deep level. The allusions to the growth of presidential power were obvious to everyone (although if he claims that, "Only the Sith deal in absolutes!" then Obi-Wan is either a Sith or a liar). The more politically and historically savvy will catch the close parallels to the imperialisation of Rome (though that was not entirely negative), the Communist coups d'état and the destruction of religion and the priestly caste, and so forth. Episode III goes into far more depth than any other film about the role of morality, religion (in this case, something straddling a wide and bizarre gulf between Roman Catholicism and Buddhism), parenthood and politics both in personal life and in society writ large in the "Star Wars" universe. In the process there is a great deal of intelligent (if asininely delivered) commentary about the beauty, fragility and necessity of traditional order in society. (Romantics will also appreciate the swordsman's remark of the clumsy firearm, "How uncivilised!")
I give "Episode III" a 6 out of 10 because it is not a "great," nor even objectively "good," movie: its success rests entirely on the strength of its franchise. But it rides that wave well, if lazily, and adds its own essential colour that makes the wave truly worth beholding, at least briefly.