Awesome, but probably a film mostly for the fans

Rating: 10/10 (19 May 2005)

I went to opening night of this film and saw it in a theater packed full of more than 700 screaming fans. Revenge of the Sith is a very good action and adventure film, although the story is a bit convoluted since it has to tie up a lot of knots left over from the two first films. Because of this, I'm afraid this one is very much a film for Star Wars fans, alternatively fans of Science-Fiction in general, not so much a blockbuster that "anyone" can enjoy, like for instance the Lord of the Rings-films. This is not necessarily a bad thing though, George Lucas has clearly made this one with the fans in mind and as a fan I couldn't be more happy. I can remember six years ago when Episode I was released, and I was convinced that it would beat Titanic as the highest grossing film ever at the box office. Today I'm not that naive, and I can even say that if you didn't like Episodes I-II, then stay away from this film because it has more in common with those films than it differs from them. There's just a small portion of the running time in which the film starts to feel and look like the original trilogy (which, by the way, is awesome and sent shivers down my spine when it finally happens).
The film is packed to the brim with eye candy, cool villains, creatures and space battles which are really nice and well-made with computer generated special effects, but the action parts are for the most time relatively very innocent and something children probably enjoy more than someone my age and older (I'm 22 years old). Not to worry though, the script is really good and the movie is naturally more serious and darker than Episode I and II, so there's a lot for adults to appreciate here as well. Lucas ties up most of the knots very well, and if you know anything about Star Wars you know exactly what will happen, what's interesting is to find out *how* it happens.
Story-wise, the movie reminds me of a classical Greek drama, or perhaps being told a great fairy tale that you've heard before but still is told in such a unique way that it captivates you entirely. The dialogue I have to admit is still a problem, it's stiff and there are a lot of silly unnecessary jokes that aren't funny, but the acting and mise-en-scene in general make up for this more than enough. Ian McDiarmid takes his role extremely seriously and shines in his performance, easily his best in any Star Wars-film as he has gotten to know his character throughout the films. Other minor gripes with the film is that the composing of real-life actor's heads and their CG bodies don't always look convincing (on the whole, the CG is flawless though, just take a look at those close-ups of Yoda's face), and the way some of the story elements's knots are tied in the end have a bit of a deus-ex machina-feel to them.
I can't imagine any true fan of Star Wars to be disappointed by this film. When push comes to shove and he has to, Lucas really delivers with a masterful achievement like this one. Revenge of the Sith is one of the best Star Wars-films out there, and no question the very best of the new trilogy. I will see multiple more times at the theater and I can't wait for the TV-series. Long live Star Wars, and May the force be with you!