Arguably Lucas' best directed film

Rating: 7/10 (23 May 2005)

It seems that a handful of dissenting voices out there are hell-bent on making sure this film fails (an exercise in futility, if ever there was one!), having apparently regurgitated their 'The Phantom Menace' and 'Attack of the Clones' reviews on a film which doesn't deserve anywhere near such vitriolic criticism. Indeed, I question whether or not some of these people have even seen the film at all given that I for one found little to no evidence to support their claims. And no, I wasn't sitting in my local multiplex sporting a brand new pair of Rose tinted glasses.
I have to say that although Episodes 1 and 2 weren't flawless, they were enjoyable and opened up the mythology of Star Wars somewhat. Unpredictable twists such as the Stormtrooper Army being used initially to support the Jedi in Episode 2, for example. No way could I have predicted that! Such creativity in the story line made these prequels a joy to watch, despite their flaws.
Upon watching Episode 3 however, I found myself completely taken in. From the opening frames it just felt different, better. I didn't find the banter between Obi-wan and Anakin to be cheesy or poorly written as some have said, but actually a great pleasure to watch. This time around I felt Anakin and Padme's romance to be really quite sweet and genuine rather than awkward and forced. Christensen's and Portman's handling of the material was very natural, the former really showing what he is capable of throughout the entire film. Moreover, the character of Anakin is a heck of a lot more likable in this picture and the audience will finally see what Alec Guinness referred to in the original film when claimed that Anakin was 'a good friend'. This is down to two things: Good writing and a good performance, courtesy of Messrs Lucas and Christensen.
As for the story itself, I feel that it could be the best overall Star Wars story. Nothing felt rushed, unlike the middle section in Episode 2, and yet the pace was more relentless than than of any Star Wars movie. I think this illustrates just how much Lucas has improved as a director over the three prequel films. The moment where Anakin actually chooses the Dark side involves no dialogue whatsoever, but some brilliant cross-cutting between himself and Padme elsewhere on Coruscant and some brilliant scoring by John Williams. Given the lies and half-truths that have been fed to him by Palpatine, this scene allows Anakin the time to deliberate, and in terms of the audience, prevents Anakins choice from seeming that it was one made lightly. Never has Lucas' sense of visual story telling been so strong. Another example of Lucas' visual brilliance is the way in which he cuts together the execution of Order 66. Other visual motifs's which Lucas employs are just as strong. In fact, I don't feel that it would be inappropriate to say that Revenge of the Sith is the best directed of all of Lucas' films and even rivals The Empire Strikes back in this respect. That is not to say that it is the most enjoyable, it is a tragedy after all, but in spite of this, I can't help but feel that during the first hour of Episode 3, that Star Wars has not been this much fun since the classic trilogy. Its descent in to hell however, will have just the same lasting impact on young audiences that 'I am your father' had all those years ago.
Smoother, faster, more even, more dramatic, more artistic, just downright better in every respect and it ties episodes 1 and 2 brilliantly to the classic trilogy, and yet never does it feel like that is the sole purpose of the film. In my eyes, still free of those rose tinted glasses, the main purpose of this film was to tell a great story and tell it well. It succeeds admirably.