Flawed but still great

Rating: 8/10 (1 June 2016)

ROTS is my favourite of the live action Star Wars movies. Does that make it perfect? No. There's some bad dialogue ("It's only because I'm so in love", "No, it's because I'm so in love with you"), Sidious killed three Jedi Council Members far too easily and Dooku only had a cameo. However, unlike TFA, which was such a pitiful excuse for a Star Wars film that I think it wounded the franchise, ROTS can stand on its own and deserves its place in Star Wars canon.
First of all, the hatred for Hayden Christiansen is very unfair. People keep insulting his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker but I think he actually did a good job with what he had to work with. He spoke in a monotone but he was playing a man who was taught to control his feelings. One of Anakin's character flaws is that he doesn't understand the difference between controlling your feelings and suppressing them. To me, Hayden's monotone showed that Anakin was suppressing his emotions which was partially responsible for his fall. I see it as a warning about how dangerous it can be to suppress your feelings without giving them some kind of outlet. Furthermore, Hayden's actually rather good at acting with his expressions and body language. For example, when he was alone on Mustafar after killing the Separatists he didn't have a single line, but the tear track running down his face showed that part of Vader hated what he'd become.
Samuel L Jackson nailed the role of Mace Windu, particularly during his duel with Palpatine. The fight itself wasn't brilliant, particularly when Sidious killed the other three Jedi, but Samuel used some subtle gestures to make it work. For example, the biggest flaw in the fight, apart from the ignominious deaths of Agen Kolar, Saesee Tinn and Kit Fisto, was when Sidious held Mace at blade-point. One might wonder why he didn't strike Windu down then and there but to me, the way Windu spread his arms basically said "come and have a go", subtly undermining Sidious' confidence and causing him to hesitate. The confidence with which Mace held himself explains why Sidious didn't take advantage of the opening straight away. There's also that tiny gesture Mace gave to Anakin when he held Sidious at blade-point, subtly motioning for him to stand back. Mace also represents all the Jedi Order's flaws, making him an unlikable character despite Samuel's excellent portrayal of him. However, I think George Lucas had the right idea when he created a character who showed how corrupt and arrogant the Jedi had become and how they were partially responsible for their own destruction.
Ewan McGregor did an excellent job as Obi-Wan Kenobi. I mean no disrespect to the late Alec Guinness who was great in the Original Trilogy, but I think Ewan surpassed him. He was certainly better at lightsaber duelling and also nailed Obi-Wan's calm, confident presence. For example, when he jumped into the middle of a group of battle droids to confront General Grievous, he just had to say "Hello there" to show he meant business. He was also great at conveying Obi-Wan's anguish after defeating Vader on Mastafar.
Natalie Portman also did a great job as Padme, although the explanation for Padme's death was a bit weak, and Leia shouldn't have been able to remember her since she'd only just been born. Padme's most powerful line in the film was "So this is how liberty dies... with thunderous applause". ROTS, AOTC and TPM taught me not to trust politics and I think that although the political scenes were dull, they were essential for the story. I'm grateful that George Lucas warned me about the dangers of politics. I think the weakest part of the Prequels is Padme's romance with Anakin but Natalie and Hayden both did a very good job in the scene where Anakin found out that Padme was pregnant.
Ian McDiarmid seemed to love being Darth Sidious. He could portray Sidious' subtle, calculating, manipulative side but when Sidious was able to use his powers openly, he absolutely loved it, behaving like a complete psycho. He was over-the-top when killing Mace and battling Yoda but he also did well in quieter moments.
Christopher Lee only had a cameo, but in the short time he had, he BECAME Count Dooku. He nailed Dooku's arrogance but when he was on his knees in front of Anakin, you can see the fear in his eyes. General Grievous was a much weaker villain. In addition to being a coward, Grievous didn't stand a chance against Obi-Wan in lightsaber combat, although he did nearly kill him in hand to hand combat, albeit only because of his mechanical body.
George Lucas isn't a great script writer but he possesses intelligence, creativity and passion and it clearly shows in this film. ROTS isn't a perfect film but I think the good things about it make up for its flaws.