One of the best yet, a strong ending.

Rating: 9/10 (19 May 2005)

Fresh from my cinema-going experience I am full of nothing but admiration for the folks who made George Lucas' vision come to life on film. As a hobbyist CGI model maker and animator I was unceasingly amazed by the work the ILM people must have done, the sheer man-hours and talent that must have gone into this movie must boggle the mind.
Anyway, what we have here is easily the darkest chapter in the series. Empire Strikes Back doesn't come close to this, with people being shot, blown up, melted, flattened and hacked to bits all through the movies 2+ hours of visual candy. I'd have to see it again to accurately count the number of times someone loses a hand, leg or head to a lights, but it's got to be into double figures. And frankly, the movie is better for it. This is no kiddie flick with funny puppets, the tone gets very dark very quickly, and keeps on going until the unavoidable end.
As for the corny dialogue so often brought up by the critics, I think it's pretty much relegated to one or two of the scenes between husband and wife team Annakin and Padme. No surprises there then, we know Lucas is not the best at teen romance, but in bringing us amazing visions of other worlds he leads where others can only follow. Go see this movie to complete the story, to close the cycle and come full circle with the characters that many of us grew up with. I actually shed a single tear at the very end, which must mean something.