By far the best of the prequels

Rating: 8/10 (23 August 2007)

Star Wars is, in my opinion, one of the greatest film sagas of our time. Every film has been an enjoyable one, some less than others (most notably the first two prequels and certain aspects of the chronologically final film). I admit that I was expecting a little less satisfying ending. But this film blew the other two prequels out of th ball park. I connected with the characters. Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, and even Hayden Christensen were very well played and had improved greatly since their last two appearances. Natalie Portman was better, but I could not identify with her as well as I could the other three. Count Dooku's face as he realizes he has been betrayed was a pang in my heart, as was his silent pleading for Anakin's mercy. Kudos to Christopher Lee. Yoda was a CGI character, so his acting can't really be judged, but towards the end, Yoda's facial expressions are heart-breaking as he takes in everything that happened. The classic duel is well done, and the final parting of Anakin and Obi-Wan made me cry because it was so well-done. Mace Windu's death...Samuel L. Jackson certainly made sure his character died with a bang, and a bang that was a real emotional shocker. The Jedi death scenes were also very emotional, and Ki-Adi-Mundi's face (Yeah, enough with the faces) as he turned to see his fellow comrades turn on him....Pricelessly tragic.
I would like to make special note of General Grievous. A cool character, but he had potential that was never exploited. However, the duel between him and Obi was one of the highlights of the film. His purpose in the plot is definitely not a big one, but nevertheless he was a good secondary villain.