Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Rating: 7/10 (7 May 2005)

Revenge of the Sith is the best of the prequel trilogy (The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones being the two films that complete the trilogy). Revenge of the Sith is probably the third best film in the Star Wars canon -- behind only the original film and The Empire Strikes Back.
Revenge of the Sith shares the same weaknesses and strengths exhibited by the other Lucas-scripted and directed Star Wars chapters. On the plus side, special effects that create visually stunning images -- on the minus side, tinny dialog, choppy story sequencing and uneven acting. It's possible that Lucas should have only provided the vision while letting someone else write the script (a la Brackett and Kasdan) and possibly even direct (think Irvin Kershner).
As Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ewan McGregor puts forth the most solid acting in the film. Hayden Christensen is definitely better as Anakin this go around, but there are still points in the film where you wonder if it's Christensen's acting or Lucas' writing that makes Anakin seem overly petulant. Natalie Portman doesn't have much in the way of screen time and is reduced to little more than the excuse for Anakin's apprehension and turmoil. Thankfully, Jar Jar Binks seems to have been sent into exile (meesa really think so).
Revenge, like the other prequels, lacks the spirited performances and on screen chemistry of Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Alec Guiness. Go back and watch the original Star Wars and you'll definitely notice patches of dialog made of tin -- the actors just make the dialog work.
The storyline for Revenge, when aggressively pursued, presents a host of opportunities for the viewer to scratch her or his head and ask questions. On the initial viewing, I suggest just going with the flow -- save the questions for subsequent viewings -- either theatrical or later at home with the inevitable Super Nuclear Special Edition DVD box set.
The film itself is gorgeous. The special effects readily create worlds which we the viewers just accept as existing. For better or worse, the special effects have become so sophisticated that viewers almost take them for granted -- especially in the Star Wars films. The worlds created by Lucas and his technical staff are both stunning and fascinating. -SPOILER- And if you're a light saber fan, there must be a dozen (all of them exciting) light saber duels in Revenge.
By film's end all of the principal characters have been neatly moved into position for the start of "Episode IV -- A New Hope."