A solid 'Star Wars' movie

Rating: 10/10 (2 June 2005)

I don't want to compare 'Sith' with its predecessors and go through the inevitable ranking of all the Star Wars movies. This film stands up very well on its own. Even, for the Star Wars novice who doesn't know the back story well, he/she could follow the plot easily.
This is Lucas' final masterpiece in the saga. The most important events in the SW Galaxy are finally unfolding through spectacular imagery. Everyone knows about the ultimate transformation of exceptional Jedi-Knight Anakin Skywalker into our all time favorite villain Darth Vader. And that was very well done. What I didn't expect was yet another transformation that almost stole the show. Chancellor Palpatine doesn't just 'become' the Emperor politically. He undergoes a physical transformation as well, and we see how the old 'Return of the Jedi' Emperor came to be. Ian McDiamid's portrayal of the Emperor Palpatine was 5 times more evil than in 'Return of the Jedi', yet he retains much of the identity of the original character.
So the fall of Anakin, the Jedi Order, and the Republic is complete. Several moments in the movie was positively gut-wrenching to watch but you wouldn't want to miss a single moment. You'll never watch the Original Trilogy the same way again. The final scenes of 'Jedi' will mean so much more, now that we know all about the man behind the mask.
Of course, this is very much a tragic story, and its highly recommended that you watch Eps IV 'A New Hope' immediately afterward to counteract the downer of an ending. But that's what makes a movie great. It brings out the appropriate emotions in you. You feel the despair and anguish that the movie characters feel. It should be an emotional roller coaster ride for those who knows the story well. But even if you're not a die-hard SW fan, you should find the movie highly entertaining.