Finally!

Rating: 6/10 (19 May 2005)

Wow I really liked this movie. A highly entertaining return to a pretty decent story and good characters. Episodes I & II are rendered totally useless (as if they weren't already) by this installment. After you see this, you'll be left a little sad because of that fact. There was absolutely Zero learned from those movies, and absolutely Zero added to the mystique of the series. Really a shame, those two.
But III, ah yes, III - this is the third best of the whole series, behind "Empire" and "Star Wars." Less talk, more action, more magic, more tragic. And Lucas quit having everybody blab on and on so much. The setup for Episode IV is seamlessly woven into the plot. Much is explained as we *see* events unfold. Contrast this with I & II, where they'd explain every damn thing instead of *doing* anything. Here in III the right cool stuff happens. Again, contrast with II: Obi-Wan and that water planet bit was particularly annoying. Here's this great set, fantastic aliens and we get ... a fight with Jango Fett??.
The guy playing Palpatine did a great job and that's not easy in these movies. Same for Natalie Portman. It's not easy saying these lines and these two weather the storm very well. That said, the dialog here is Far, Far Better than I & II.
Now that George has done all that diddling with the original trilogy, I suggest he goes back to the computer, erases I & II, and renumbers again - and release the series as a Quadrology instead.