Almost redeems the others....

Rating: 8/10 (22 May 2005)

THIS is the ONE movie that should have been made as a prequel to the classic trilogy. The single best opening shot in the series opens into an eye-popping space battle that delivers action, gravitas and even humor within its opening five minutes. Things seem tightened up -- even just the shot scale is more intimate than previous prequels. Performances are better and the VFX artists keep improving on Yoda (it makes me WANT them to go back to the previous 2 prequels and digitally enhance him). Oh yes, and I think I even CARED about Anakin in this one (though still not so much about his forbidden romance with Padme). I think it is a bit difficult to go all out and say it's a home run, but I'll take this triple over any of Lucas's previous fouls with the prequels.