Revenge of George Lucas

Rating: 9/10 (20 May 2005)

I was one of the lucky ones to see on opening night in Leceister Square and I was willing to spend 250 quid or so for the ticket (my girlfriend also paid for hers).
We proceeded with caution. After watching the mediocre Episodes I and II, I was fearful of how this one would turn out to be. I am a big fan of the saga but the previous two outings were slightly icky for my taste. The special effects were the main star, and the somewhat shallow plot and wooden acting (especially from the younger actors Christensen and Portman). And JAR JAR BINKS! I hated that bugger SO MUCH that I dreamt of stabbing him with my lightsabre! Little did we know that this film was at last the one we've been waiting for! We came out with awe that this movie was easily the best of the prequels and also unseats Return of the Jedi as the third-best of the two sagas.
There are many reasons: the special effects are more developed, but also more contributing to the story line instead of being obstrusive, Hayden Christensen is more comfortable with his character and you can see it there (there's still a degree of thickness, particularly in the romance subplot, but such moments are rare), and, for the first time since Jedi, there's a real plot that shows the way. The first 20 mins, which are action-packed, are just a sweet and vital introduction for a film whose tone rapidly gets darker, and this feeling is what makes it interesting (it has a host of references from Greek tragedies like the Oedipus trilogy, among other things). The veterans Ian McDiarmid and Christopher Lee gives the movie more colour with their evil revelations (although the latter one is in it only briefly...), Samuel L. Jackson, a Star Wars fan himself, makes a great job as Mace Windu as he makes the character meet his fate as a hero. Ewan McGregor makes a very believable performance as a wiser and more experienced Obi-Wan this time (remember how he played the young man in Episode I?). I admit, Hayden Christensen has also done a very good job as the more mature Anakin whose insecurities promote his temptation to go to the Dark Side. The movie has a very strong emotional pull that fits the standard of movies like the Godfather, and in my case, I almost ended up crying after the film's tragic conclusion.
The actions are well-staged and imaginative, and give the story movement and excitement (the Skywalker-Kenobi final fight at the volcanic planet Mustafar is a wow!). I must warn, especially the children, that this film is EXPLICIT and GRAPHIC in comparison with the rest, but its rating-- whether be PG-13 in the US, 12A here, M in Australia, FSK-12 in Germany-- makes the movie even MORE INTERESTING. The dialogue on some scenes-- particularly the romance sub-plot-- needs improvement, but again, it's nowhere as near as corny as the Phantom nor Attack and these two flaws-- the first being Natalie's mediocre acting-- are more like observations than real criticisms, and they are of no consequence.
People either love it or hate, but this movie will remain as the the best movie of the saga since the Empire Strikes Back. And it's going to be the undisputed winner of the summer season and of the year. It's just a matter of time of who'll reach second and third. The series ends with a dark tone, but also with a bang! George Lucas finally enacts his Revenge on the critics. The Force is strong with this one.
***1/2 (out of ****)