A Strong Conclusion To The Star Wars Saga

Rating: 9/10 (3 June 2006)

"Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of The Sith," while not exactly as epic as some of its predecessors, is still a very fine conclusion to the greatest science-fiction saga of all time. Although it lacks the pioneering feel of the original, the power of "The Empire Strikes Back," and the sheer all-around perfection of "The Phantom Menace," it still holds up better than "Return Of The Jedi" and certainly more than "Attack of The Clones."
The film centers around how Anakin Skywalker, the noble, heroic, Jedi Knight, finally succumbs to the temptations of the Dark Side of the Force and becomes the terrible Darth Vader. The story brings us back smoothly to the beginning of the original, "Star Wars." Along the way, we bear witness to the end of the Clone Wars, the massacre of all the Jedi, the destruction of the Jedi Temple, the birth of the Galactic Empire at the hands of Lord Sidious, and the back-story of Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke, Leia, C-3PO, R2-D2, Chewbacca, and other supporting characters.
As in Episodes I & II before it, "Sith" delivers in the fields of visual effects, CG characters, and well-choreographed fight scenes, but fails to deliver in the fields of acting and direction of human actors. Although most are significantly better this time around than in the other two (namely Hayden Christensen as Anakin), the actors are, for the most part, weak, and are unable to provoke much emotion or empathy for the characters they portray. The two actors the really deserve some credit, however, are Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ian McDiarmid as Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious. The emotion and power that we do feel in the film's final 1/2-hour comes from seeing how everything is set up for the "next" chapter and the realization that this will be the final installment in the saga. The final shot of the film is especially moving, and those who have criticized George Lucas for his direction in these films will definitely lighten up a bit after viewing this installment.
Although not a classic in my book (nor the best in the series), "Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of The Sith" is still a powerful and moving end to a space saga that many are not ready to say goodbye to. While the story, action, and visual effects are spectacular (It's rather insulting to ILM that their work on this film was not even nominated for an Oscar for Visual Effects), the acting is still rather wooden. All said and done, however, "Episode III" is definitely a film that's not to be missed by anyone, Star Wars fan or not.
Rating-***1/2
Star Wars film ranking-Phantom Menace, Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Revenge Of The Sith, Return Of The Jedi, Attack Of The Clones.
P.S. In case you are unaware, the original, unaltered "Star Wars" films will be released on DVD on September 12, 2006. Look out for that, fans.