Epidode 3 successfully completes the saga

Rating: 8/10 (23 May 2005)

Finally! The caliber of Star Wars I remember as a kid is back. This time, though, the bad guys win. The story of Anakin's fall is much more compelling than his rise in the first two episodes. Although his romantic scenes with Portman are a bit weak, Christiansen does a believable job as the dark lord of the sith. Ewan McGregor stands out in this episode. He and Yoda(one of the best performances even though he's digital) make for interesting characters as they try, unsuccessfully, to stop the republic's transformation to an empire controlled by the sith. Palpatine's seduction of Anakin makes you want to scream at him not to listen even though you know the outcome in advance. The Vader/Kenobi battle on the lava planet is everything it was built up to be. Applying the Jedi code that Anakin could not achieve, Obi Wan walks away from his horribly injured former friend. As Yoda told Anakin earlier in the film, " Learn to let go". Vader's Frankenstein like emergence in his new form was a bit much but overall it was a great film experience. Everything falls into place to set up episode 4. kudos!