Not quite what the first three were, but better than the last two and as such an adequate closer to the Star Wars trilogy

Rating: 8/10 (10 January 2006)

As the final installment in the Star Wars trilogy, I at least expected Revenge of the Sith to be better than Episodes I and II, both of which are, in my mind anyway, an insult to the Star Wars name. In this regard, I wasn't disappointed, but it still doesn't even come close to matching Episodes 4,5 and 6. Still, by normal movie standards, Revenge of the Sith is pretty good and has only a few real flaws. As such, it is an adequate closer to the Star Wars trilogy.
The plot is centred on a young adult Anakin Skywalker and his master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. They invade General Grievous' ship: kill Count Dooku (I call him Dookie) and rescue Emperor Palpatine. Not long after, Skywalker has delusions about his wife Padme (Queen Amidala) dying in childbirth. Emperor Palpatine gradually convinces Luke that turning to the Dark Side is the only way to go, in order to have powers greater than that of a Jedi and more importantly, save his wife. You guess what happens next.
Now, on to the review. The acting here is better than that of the first two, but still a mixed bag. Hayden Christensen is good during his confrontation with Obi-Wan Kenobi, but unconvincing during the romantic scenes. Ditto Natalie Portman. Ian MacDermid (the guy who plays Emperor Palpatine) only occasionally emits a callousness that envelops the best villains. On the other hand, Ewan MacGregor does a good turn as Obi-Wan Kenobi, not looking lost like he did in Episodes 1 and 2. He acts particularly well during the confrontation with Anakin, when he yells: "I loved you, Anakin!". Samuel L. Jackson is OK, but only occasionally appears up till his death. By the way, General Grievous was a 'grievance', a real letdown. The romantic part, as always, is difficult to watch.
The CGI here is very good, but so was the CGI in Episodes 1 and 2. The only difference here is that the CGI doesn't have an undue effect on the cast like it has in the past. Instead, the cast blends in perfectly with it. The dialogue also doesn't make you groan, which was a feature of Episode 1 and a more minor issue in Episode 2. Also, the focus on the film is on Anakin's evolution to Darth Vader, as it should be, rather than some other unimportant subplot. The battle scenes here are pretty good. The fight scene with Mace Windu and Emperor Palpatine is eye-catching. Ditto the fight with Count Dooku. As for the scene between Obi-Wan and Anakin, it is long-lived, emotionally charged and quite entertaining.
So is Revenge of the Sith a masterpiece? Hardly. Is it a bad film? Definitely not. Did I enjoy it? For the most part, yes. It is worth buying the DVD? Maybe, if you're a really big Star Wars fan (I wouldn't, but that's just me). Does Revenge of the Sith get a good rating? Yes. I feel that it rates in between Episodes 4-6 and Episodes 1-2.
So now to the final and most important question: Is it a quality movie? Yeah, I think so.
4/5 stars