Much better

Rating: 9/10 (20 May 2005)

Better than the other two prequels? Yes. Good as the holy trilogy? Not quite.
While not quite a return to form, Sith is still a vast improvement on the earlier prequels, which were rather thoughtful and political. Sith is a return to what star wars does best - lots of battles! We were promised more light-saber action, more space dogfights. Well, the promise was kept - and more! The film opens with a space battle on a mind-boggling scale - reminiscent of Return of the Jedi, but more ships and more chaos! The plot begins with action, and keeps it packed throughout the 2 hours and 20 minutes, so you really do not notice the runtime at all. The light-saber battles are more frequent than in any other film, and considerably beefed up, and varied.
Although there are numerous battles in the first half of the film, the first hour mainly sees all the pieces falling into place for the grand finale that Mr Lucas has been building towards since the Phantom Menace. The second half is where the proverbial will really hit the fan.
Unfortunately, between the fight scenes, the first half of the film isn't as great as it could be. For one thing, there is just too much 'witty banter and slapstick' and the like; but this is forgivable given the overall dark nature of the film. The droid army seem to be providing comic relief in the first showdown, and R2-D2 seems to have become a comedy sidekick. He also seems to have numerous new gadgets, making him resemble a swiss army knife on wheels. The film also becomes rather soppy and slow in places in the aftermath of the opening sequence, with tepid exchanges between Anakin and Padme  very un-Star Wars.
The dialogue is typical Lucas  corny to say the least. "Another happy landing" is just one 'gem' from Mr McGregor, and of course where would a Star Wars film be without the required phrase "I've got a bad feeling about this!" Sure enough it appears. But we have become so used to the scripting's unique nature that it has grown beyond criticism, it is simply accepted.
The acting this time is much improved upon the last instalment. Hayden Christensen seems to visibly improve over the course of the film, and Ewan McGregor displays a superb new intensity (although the attempted Alec Guinness accent is rather wobbly). Samuel L Jackson is his usual charming self, but Natalie Portman is rather wet. The star though is the show-stealing Ian McDiarmid as Chancellor Palpatine, who hams it up superbly as the villain of the piece. He is clearly revelling in the role, and so obviously enjoys the chance to finally wield a light-saber of his own  red of course.
Although the film is rather slow at first in between the fight sequences, it reaches a turning point with the final revelations about Palpatine and the confrontation with Jackson's Mace Windu. Here, finally we see the beginnings of Darth Vader  what everyone has come for. Ever since that little boy in Episode I announced himself as Anakin, we have known what was coming, and awaited it with baited breath. It has now arrived. With Anakin's final turn to the dark side, the pace of the film exponentially increases. The last hour simply whistles by, scarcely giving the audience time to draw a breath. And of course there is a new quote destined to become part of that legendary canon including "May the force be with you" and "If you strike me down." Well, you know the rest of that. It is of course, that one simple word uttered by Palpatine to the newly christened Darth Vader: Riiiissssseee. It is said understatedly and dripping with menace. Fans however may feel aggrieved that it was not quite used as portrayed by the trailer.
So, what warrants a 9 rating given the flaws already highlighted? Well, quite simply it is a return to the sheer adrenaline rush and excitement the original trilogy generated. While nothing may ever compare to that trench run at A New Hope's climax, the second hour of Sith makes a fair go of matching it. The sheer buzz of the joint climaxes of the Anakin-ObiWan and Palpatine-Yoda fights are tempered by the delicious darkness caused by the Jedi deaths and Anakin's descent into evil. It is a headying mix. The fight scenes are a wonder to behold, rivalling anything seen in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon for their intensity. The special effects, as always, are excellent. The lava planet Mustafar is a standout, creating the epitome of hell for Anakin to face his final demise into the suit of Vader.
And what all fans wanted to see was how well it tied the prequels to the original trilogy? The answer is, with one or two minor quibbles, expertly. Lots of deft touches create links to the old films, and watch out for a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo from a Peter Cushing-lookalike at the very end. And of course the final link is made with the arrival of Luke and Leia, and the former's immediate departure to Tatooine with ObiWan.
To an extent, the film fell victim to its own success even before it was even released thanks to the unprecedented hype it generated. The film simply didn't stand a chance of living up to the sky-high expectations placed on it, and critics have been so quick to slate the film you might think their minds were made up before seeing it. I suspect that some had written their scathing reviews even before they saw the film. With the film's inevitable success, it was going to be extremely fashionable to heckle it, whether it was justified or not.
But although many critics will relish the opportunity to lay waste to the film, undoubtedly fans of the original trilogy will love it. And surely, that is all that matters.