If you're too critical you'll miss the point

Rating: 8/10 (26 May 2005)

Bad dialogue, yes. Cheesy romance, yes. Improvement over the last two, definitely.
If you go in to watch this movie to be critical of it, do yourself a favour and turn around before you get to the box office. If you want to watch this movie to complete the circle, live in the Star Wars world for the last time and to have some good entertainment, then come right on in, because that's what you'll get.
When I watched this the first time I enjoyed it a lot, regardless of it's faults, of which there are certainly a few. There are a lot of pluses though - the sumptuous visuals, the fantastic battles and lightsabre duels, the epic storytelling, the closing of the circle (at last) and the sheer drama at times, particularly Ian McDiarmid's performance. He really relished the chance to play the Emperor one last time.
If you want a critical view, I'd say it felt a little rushed, the editing was a little annoying (e.g. just when a battle was getting under way it suddenly cut to something less exciting) and some of the acting and dialogue was wooden and clunky, but there were flashes of brilliance alongside these issues, exciting battles, great dark drama and some resolution to the last space opera. Lucas' ability to create a story is by no means in question, for he has come up with many stories for movies that have become cult classics of our time, but he himself is not necessarily the best person to tell these stories.
Look past the problems. Look at the story. Enjoy what you can, and you'll be happy. Don't be a grouch!