Mediocre, and quite disappointing.

Rating: 5/10 (23 May 2005)

What an endeavor! The culmination of a six-movie plot in the making over 27 years.
Was it destined to disappoint ? I don't think so.
But something quite sad has happened to the quality of films written and directed by George Lucas. In 1973, he did "American Graffiti", and in 1977 he did "Star Wars: A New Hope".
(One of the best SciFi/Adventure films ever made, "The Empire Strikes Back", was written by Lucas, but directed by Irvin Kershner. Then came "Return of the Jedi", directed by Richard Marquand.)
Plenty has been said about what went wrong in the next two Star Wars films, both written and directed by Lucas. But they filled in some plot elements, introduced necessary characters, and were preparation work for this final connecting summary. In general, the poor reviews centered on the characters being a combination of non-credible, irritating, or flat, and also on editing, and pacing.
After seeing ROTS, you have to wonder why Lucas, with all his power, wealth, and connections, did not have someone review #1) the key plot element (SPOILER: transition of Anakin from good to evil), #2) the pacing, #3) the editing, and #4) How to direct believable characters.
ROTS. What an unusual, unfortunate, perhaps prophetic acronym.
OK - #4 is the director's job, but somehow he seems to have lost touch with it since his 1973 and 1977 successes.
The #1 plot element was simply not believable. BIG SPOILER ALERT: How can someone be so tormented by nightmares about the impending death of his beloved wife that the stress barely shows on him ? How can he buy into a whimsical concept of supernatural power that might give him the power of that death, and proceed to execute and murder all his comrades ? Next he proceeds to take on the role of a murderer, to the point of methodically and thoroughly murdering children he probably helped train in the peaceful ways of the Jedi ? ?
SPOILER: Why did he do this ? Out of love for his wife, and fear of losing her, with no real threat, from person or group, in sight. Hello - trying to prepare for the situation where one loved life might be in jeopardy, so you'll murder dozens of friends and allies ??? Just hoping that this power might work if the one life you believe you care about is threatened.
Sarcasm: The dark side made him did it. Yeah - right. (It's a good thing that dark side is in a galaxy far, far away. In our neighborhood, we don't have such a handy scapegoat.)
The MPAA review board was kind with their PG-13 rating. Lucas pushed it right to the limits.
As for my rating of 5 out of 10, I can defend it, and it's my scale. I give so much weight for each of the various elements of a film, based on its target audience, and certainly in comparison of other works. However, in this case, the bar is very high, due to how much money and time Lucas had,and how much power he had over the final product. It sure does not look like anyone was telling him how to do anything creatively in this film, and it shows.
My recommendations for better films in the ScFi/Adventure Family genre:

The Incredibles

The Abyss (Far better on many levels, but can be intense)

Independence Day (watch the DVD extra features, to see what an editor is supposed to do: cut unneeded scenes, characters, elements.)

Willow (A LucasFilm, directed by Ron Howard.)

Pirates of the Caribbian (I know - not technically SciFi)

Raiders of the Lost Ark (written by Lucas, but directed by Spielberg)

If you want a wild ride for action and adventure, and don't mind a character that is evil enough to terrorize, try "Speed(1994)".

For sheer incredible special effects, see "Jurassic Park".

Anyone can make a list of worthwhile movies like this. There have been so many films that are better than ROTS. I'd recommend making your own list, and not expecting to put ROTS on it.
What a waste ! You will see fantastic cities, air-ships, creatures, machines, and sets fly by at a staggering rate. The attempt at pacing seems to involve expressionless dialog, although (SPOILERS) Senator Palpatine seemed to have the most depth to him. Whatever depth the Anakin character had got thrown away, and translated into blind rage.