Polished Garbage

Rating: 5/10 (19 May 2005)

No amount of slick CG visuals can overcome laughable dialogue, inconsistent and unemotional acting, misdirected tone and annoying contrivances.
Revenge of the Sith fails miserably at its core reason for existence: telling the story of how Darth Vader. Were the trilogy of prequels to stand on their own, the character of Vader would hardly be remembered as so menacing, so complex, and so dominating. Whether by dialogue or by action, Anakin-cum-Vader's journey from Jedi to Sith is entirely unconvincing -- spare for the knowledge that moviegoers already know where he'll end up.
The visuals in the film are certainly stunning, and Lucasfilm continues to impress whether it involves grand battles, mano-e-mano duels, or sweeping landscapes on alien worlds. Yet for all of Lucasfilm's successes in this area, they continue to miss the mark when it comes to giving flesh to alien characters, who blend better with the background than they do with conversation and action.
That is, all characters except for Yoda, whose dialogue and mannerisms are by far the most tangible of any character on this film -- including the human actors. Full credit to Frank Oz for bringing such a marvelous being to the world of film, first in puppet form and now in CGI.
Fortunately the base plot of the film stays to a much, much simpler path than it's two predecessors, something that goes a long way to making this the most accessible of the three. Unfortunately the dialogue has not followed a similar path, as the film serves up chatter that will forever induce vomiting in even the most dedicated of fans.
It's hard to believe that Lucas was an integral part of such wonderful projects like Star Wars (Episode IV, if you must) American Graffiti, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Films that were lovingly crafted and paced, with stories that drew you in, empathetic and charismatic actors, and memorable sequences that served the picture as a whole -- not a simple excuse for a special effect or future merchandise deal.