Pretty darn excellent!

Rating: 7/10 (11 September 2005)

Quite a few things can be said about the Star Wars prequels and it is not all positive. It is pretty safe to assume that you either love or hate them but in my opinion Episode III is pretty close to the high standards of the original three films. Many people felt that Episode I was to much directed towards children, a lot of people felt that the main character (Anakin) was too weak in Episode II but Episode III remedies both these things.
The tone in Episode III is much darker, in fact it could be said that Episode III is the darkest of all the Star Wars films and like it was the case with Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back this darkness suits the universe very, very well. The darkness also gives the film less of a computer game feel (a thing much loathed about the previous installments although I didn't mind) and somehow makes the film seem more real. The dark tone is also very appropriate given the contents of the film because this film more so than any of the other Star Wars films is dominated by the dark side of the force. This film tells of oppression and how the Galactic Empire came to be and also it is the culmination of the battle between Anakin and Obi Wan who are like two brothers.
The effects in this film are also better than ever before. They are still not as good as the effects in Lord of the Rings but they are pretty close and it seems to me that a lot more attention has been paid to the details in this film than in the previous two films and I can't help but wonder if the Episodes I and II would have been better films if as much attention had been paid to them as in this one. In fact looking back it would seem that the previous films were nothing but build ups to this film which has the obvious climax. Every scene in this film has some form of special effect and it is done so well that you don't even notice the effects which is of course a good sign meaning that the effects work.
The acting has improved in this film and I think people will think better of Hayden Christensen after seeing this film than after seeing the Episode II. He seems more at home in the character and the fact that he has obviously been working out in preparation for the film helps making him look menacing rather than pathetic like in Episode II. He deals better with the dialog which is still not good enough (but then again Lucas never could write dialog). Christensen seems to be able to portray the emotions of the character better this time around which was a nice change from Episode II where all he could do was create broad strokes. His chemistry with the other actors have improved partially because his chemistry with Natalie Portman is still pretty much non existent but his relationship with Obi Wan seems to be much better. You feel real warmth and sincerity between the two (Anakin and Obi Wan which makes Anakin's claims of seeing Obi Wan like a father seem more plausible unlike in Episode II where all they did was argue). Ewan McGregor is absolutely brilliant in this film. Not only does he look increasingly like the now deceased Sir Alec Guinness but he also sounds like him. His sense of timing and his use of his voice makes him an ideal younger Obi Wan and the most well rounded character of the bunch (in fact because of Mcgregor's performance Obi Wan has become my favorite Star Wars character). He steals every scene he is in and he still kicks ass on the battle field. Natalie Portman has nothing to work with making her character flat and unbelievable but I don't blame her. I blame Lucas. Ian McDiarmid finally gets his chance to shine and he shines brightly. He seems to be the actor who deals best with the cheesy dialog and delivers every line with confidence and experience. He truly becomes the Emperor and is completely credible all the way through.
Not everything is positive in this film, however. First of all much of Anakin's development seems rushed and is therefore not completely believable. Also I really don't get why Lucas had to introduce General Grievous. He is not at all menacing and Matthew Wood's voice acting is horrendously bad. He is just plain annoying and a character whom I hate nearly as much as Jar Jar Binks (who didn't say anything in this film YAY!). Needless to say the dialog is still quite bad but that is to be expected.
All in all the best of the Star Wars prequels and (I feel) as good as the original films.
9/10