Revenge of the Sith (ROTS) is a movie of two halves

Rating: 7/10 (19 May 2005)

Revenge of the Sith (ROTS) is a movie of two halves, the first is scattered with poor performances and terrible dialogue, while the second is much improved, with some real character and emotion coming to the fore. Still, there is nothing in this movie that comes close to Luke's anguish at finding out who his father is in Empire Strikes Back. There's also nothing in this movie that comes close to creating the sense of joy that accompanies Han Solo's return to the fray at the end of A New Hope or the sadness you feel for the Ewok's in Return of the Jedi.
Much like the previous two films of this prequel trilogy, ROTS lacks character and emotion. There are no good guys to root for because they're simply all far too dull. There are some good villains (and one great one), but without good opposition they're rendered useless. Our main character is a petulant child who you simply cannot like or care for and it beggars belief that Padme does at all.
The prequel trilogy is hamstrung by it's characters (or lack of them). Certainly the original trilogy proved poor dialogue can be overcome if the actors are given real characters to enjoy and are allowed to play off one another, but here we get carbon copy Jedi with no soul.
Far too many reviews have raised expectations on this movie, but it truly doesn't reach the heights of the original trilogy. The story is certainly well constructed, Christiensen and McGregor do much better work this time around and McDiarmid is a joy to watch, but unfortunately the rest of the cast fail to give them the support they need. The exception being Jimmy Smits (Bail Organa) who get's far too little screen time.
A lot of the movie also seems quite rushed. Lucas seems to have acknowledged that the previous two movies didn't do their fair share of the work setting the scene for the final act and so he's crammed even more into this one. In no place is this better highlighted than in the scene where Anakin finally joins the darkside. A choice that should have taken far longer and elicited far more anguish than is shown.
It's easy to be overly critical of a movie that had such great expectations placed upon it's shoulders, but then Lucas has talked this film up for months. So much so that then end result is a disappointment, but not a major one. If I seem overly negative, it's merely because of the passion Star Wars evokes in me. This is an enjoyable movie, but perhaps Lucas is right, this movie is more for a new generation than for mine. In saying all that, ROTS is definitely the best of the prequel trilogy and although I had hoped it would surpass Return of the Jedi, I'm afraid that's not the case. Close, but no cigar Mr. Lucas.
A New Hope - 10/10 Empire Strikes Back - 9/10 Return of the Jedi - 8/10 Revenge of the Sith - 7/10 Attack of the Clones - 6/10 A Phantom Menace - 4/10
I realise I'm a freak for liking the first movie above all others, guess I'm a sucker for a happy ending!