Fast, intense, epic, fun, and... engaging!

Rating: 8/10 (19 May 2005)

I'll give this scattered review a shot without using that now ubiquitous movie-review buzzword: "flawed": When "Sith" is at its best, it ranks right at the top of the series. "Phantom" wasn't nearly as bad as everyone makes it out to be (more like a good movie wanting to break out of a mediocre one), and despite the romance angle, "Clones" overall was better than "Jedi." Going into it, I'd suspected "Sith" might end up side-by-side with "Clones" in the middle two as far as ranking the series goes, but one has to give serious thought that this may even be better than "A New Hope" (but why stop there?).
It's more of an action film than one might expect going in, and some will opine that it's too action-oriented, too fast-paced, too busy. I have no doubt that the original trilogy got the same criticism back in their time, but Lucas himself had a hand in creating the notion of the big-time blockbuster movie. Thus, Lucas now ends up eclipsing himself.
This installment nearly makes the old movies look slow and clunky, and may make those new to the franchise wonder what all the commotion was ever about. It's no wonder now why Lucas so badly wanted to visually revamp them with his special editions.
SPOILERS: The duel between Yoda and Palpatine was a surprise, matching the much-anticipated Obi-Wan/Anakin one, and perhaps even exceeding it: the shot of the two rising into the senate chamber with sabers a-blazin' was inspired. Lucas doesn't pull out all the stops as expected with Obi-Wan/Anakin, and it ends up being perhaps a bit of a disappointment, though we do care about the duelists (not a common occurrence in this trilogy).
Great performances abound, including that of Yoda/Frank Oz, and McGregor. McGregor shines and actually looks like he (or at least his character) is having fun. Obi-Wan may very well be the most memorable character of this trilogy, and it's only a shame that he was so underused in "Phantom." McDiarmid does an excellent job as always, now with a proverbial "villain role you can sink your teeth into." Hayden does respectable work as Anakin here. If there are any weak-points in any of the trilogy's performances, it's attributable to the unconvincing parts of the dialogue more than anything.
Unlike I and II, this film includes several engaging scenes in between the action. Tension runs thick when Palpatine reveals to Anakin that he's a Sith, and during Anakin's final scenes with Padme, and later, Obi-Wan. The last is even more tragic that one might've expected.
One memorable moment is Anakin proclaiming his desire to one day rule the new empire with Padme (foreshadowing the same desire he shares with Luke in "Empire," and giving that scene even more weight). The montage of Jedi being turned against by their clone armies is as emotional as one could've hoped for.
Portman is underused and, as I'd feared, does little more than give Anakin motivation for his actions. Lucas had the same problem with Leia in "Jedi" (making her more of an underling for Han on Endor, and having no involvement with the Luke/Vader angle). Seeing Anakin Force-choke Padme is quite a stunner, though, and an earlier scene where the two look out at each other from other sides of the city is poetic. The birth scene (a bit awkward for a Star Wars film) is greatly helped out by John Williams quoting the Leia and Luke themes, and by running parallel with Anakin's final transition to Vader.
Dooku is unfortunately reduced to a cameo. Grievous makes for an interesting villain but dies too early and a bit too easily. The Wookiees are also underused, but add to the scale of the clone wars. Chewie's limited screen-time actually seems about right.
The fact that the action scenes are so intense and lightning-quick makes the expository dialogue scenes feel longer than they should be, which was seldom a problem with "A New Hope" and "Empire." And despite claims that this one ties up all the loose ends, it really doesn't, once you start to quibble. So, after one viewing, anyway, "Sith" currently floats somewhere above and below "A New Hope," as far as overall quality goes (if I had to be a man and choose, I'd make it #3 for now).
But on the fun factor, it may very well be at the top, edging out "A New Hope." While there's no Han and Chewie flying in from nowhere to save the day, "Revenge of the Sith" is a fun ride from beginning to end.