Tremendously satisfying conclusion to the Star Wars saga

Rating: 10/10 (23 May 2005)

First off, let me state that this film is clearly the best of the new trilogy, and, at times, achieves a power and grandeur matching or even superseding the best moments of the original trilogy. The moments of greatness, especially late in the film, are what make this film truly shine, even above films that would otherwise be considered "better" films.
The acting and screenplay, by far the weakest aspects of the previous two Star Wars pics, have been improved, sometimes dramatically so. Obviously, some performances are better than others. The love scenes in this movie are, for the most part, still the weakest parts. They are, however, very effective in that I truly believed that Anakin and Padme were in love (something that was NOT the case for Episode II). This added power and resonance to the later tragedy of Anakin's fall, as well as to the reasons behind his fall.
The acting and screenplay, then, are fairly uneven, but they really do shine at times, and these times in the end outweigh the weaker parts of the movie. Hayden Christenson definitely pulls off the part (merely competently in some scenes but spectacularly in others), Ewan McGregor is steady as usual, Ian McDirmid is deliciously sinister, and even Natalie Portman has her moments (her character seemed a little too weak willed for me - where's the Leia sass?).
The visuals, obviously, are tremendous. Yoda is probably the best CGI character ever put on film, even more effective than Gollum in the Lord of the Rings. The visuals for the final two fights scenes in particular were awe-inspiring. You will find yourself catching your breath as Anakin and Obi-Wan, and Yoda and Sidious duke it out in amazing locales.
The music in the film is incredible, and really adds a lot of emotion. The soundtrack, a mix of tracks from the other two prequels and themes from the original trilogy, does a great job of tying the two trilogies together. And the new music, especially that of the last 30-45 min, is fantastic (I loved the beating drums during the final fight scenes).
In summary, much of Revenge of the Sith is "good," better than the previous two movies but not particularly inspiring. But what makes the film stand out are about 45 minutes of absolute magic that, if you see the film, you will remember forever. These scenes convey a powerful sense of grandeur, tragedy, and a whole range of other emotions that are rivaled perhaps only by the best scenes of recent films like Lord of the Rings or the original trilogy (think Luke and Darth Vader's climactic battle in Empire Strikes Back).