Best of the New ones, but Hayden cant act!

Rating: 8/10 (13 December 2005)

Star Wars Episode III is, and I stand by this, the best of the new films. George Lucas, after two strikes with the Episodes I and II, hits a home run here, and he made my day when I saw this movie. Its visuals are some of the best I have ever seen, the fight scenes are insanely good, and the cinematography and costumes are well created. But, there is one major key point I would like to address here: Hayden Christensen, the Anakin Skywalker who becomes the evil Darth Vader, nearly ruined all of his scenes because of his acting.
His monotone voice and stiffness did not convince me that this Jedi Knight is to become the Dark Lord that everyone fears. Now, granted, his acting has improved since Episode II, but for the love of God, will he just stop being George Lucas's little pet and just blow him away with good acting, like what he did in 'Shattered Glass.' Now, in that film, he showed a charismatic portrayal of the accused writer, but here, he is just reading lines, not entirely becoming the character. His scenes with Padme (Natalie Portman, who has also improved) were pretty bad and boring. Lucas just doesn't seem to know how to create a heartfelt relationship like it was done in 'Empire Strikes Back.' But other than that, Christensen can bring out some emotion when he is angry and growling a lot.
As for the other actors, they fare a lot better. Ewan McGregor makes an Obi_wan Kenobi that is right on target, and I think he does a great younger impersonation of Sir Alec Guiness. Samuel L. Jackson, playing Samuel L. Jackson was always, plays Mace Windu with authority and confidence. But the person who stole the movie was Ian McDiarmid as the Palpatine. I have been waiting for a long time for this man become evil again, and he embodies Palpatine's corrupt menace perfectly. He was, in one word, magnificent.
Too bad for people like Christopher Lee (Count Dooku) and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca). It would've been great to see them some more on the screen. But they do justice to the time they have. To conclude, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith is a good ending point to the awesome saga, and it is a near-perfect transition into the original Star Wars. Thank you George Lucas, for a great adventure through the galaxy you have created. It has been a dream that ends just right.