ONE of the best of the entire series

Rating: 9/10 (20 May 2005)

First, I will tell you the one thing that is bad about this movie: The acting is rather bad. The actors are very wooden and just don't seem to mesh well. Though, I must say two things about this. First, NONE of the Star Wars movies has had great acting. And, the acting in this movie is MUCH better than ep 1 and 2. I especially enjoyed Hayen's acting AFTER he swore loyalty to Palpatine.
Now that we have that out of the way, let me list the many good things about this movie: 1. The special effects are AWESOME. There is SO much to see in every single scene that when you get finished, you have not even seen half of what you want to. That is one of the good things about the original series.
2. The story is very very good. I thought it connected so much and allowed no huge questions between this one and New Hope. Of course there are questions about what Obi-Wan and Yoda do in between the two episodes and how Leia and Luke grow up. But, the really big questions like how Darth Vader comes into being are answered. That more than anything else is what I was looking for from this movie.
3. Ian McDiarmid's acting is extraordinary. I didn't think a lot of him during eps 1 and 2. But, in this movie, he shines. The conversion scene with him transforming into the dark evil emperor was very well done. His ability to turn Anakin was also ingenious.
4. Yoda was once again a BAD ASS. Yoda has always been one of my favorite characters. I am sure I am not alone in this opinion either. When he was created for ep 5, Lucas simply did not have the technology to make him move like he did in the first three episodes. Now he does, and he uses technology to bring Yoda truly to life. The scene where Yoda confronts Palpatine is great. When Yoda drops those two guards at the entrance, the audience I was with cheered.
5. The transformation of Darth Vader into the hulking figure we know today was very interesting. We get to view him in "human" form when he swears loyalty to the emperor, when is badly burned after his fight with Obi-Wan and then the big transformation when he is rescued by Palpatine and is fitted with his suit. I thought the stages of transformation were very well done and really made it seem that each step was progressively painful for Anakin.
Well, anyway, there are some of the good things about this movie. Overall, I think Lucas has really redeemed himself. While I enjoyed ep 2, and to lesser extent ep 1, this is the one that really brings everything together. It is also an excellent story and has just jaw-dropping special effects. 10/10 rating.
Oh, one thing, is this the best of the series? At this point, I'd have to say no. I am still in awe of Empire. This I would put at number 2. I need to see it a few more times though. It might replace Empire eventually.