A Delayed Negative Reaction....

Rating: 7/10 (29 June 2005)

When I first saw this film I was looking forward to it a lot like many other people. Yet after-wards I had mixed feelings about how Lucas ended an otherwise seamless saga. Unlike some, I didn't think the other prequels sucked. Episode I was a introduction so I could understand that we wouldn't see scads of Anikan in the first film. Episode II was good besides Anikan's whining and no Darth Maul. Yet Episode III was somewhat disappointing...
It took until now to really realize how many faults there where... For starters, Anikan's fall to the dark side was not gradual enough. After he helps in Mace Windu's death he has the right reaction but then when confronted with an obviously evil Palpatine he surrenders to the dark side. Now by then I was like "ok..." but then he leads an army of clone troops to kill off all the Jedi in the temple just like that !
The dialogue was not that bad but it wasn't up to par to the original trilogy. I agree with everyone 100% when they say George Lucas should not have written the script nor directed. As a producer and editor of the script and directive process I can see, but Lucas does not have what it takes to make his own story go out with a bang! Empire Strikes Back was written and directed by other people with George Lucas still involved and it worked out beautifully. Yet despite having that formula for the ultimate Star Wars movie he went back and did all that work for nothing.
ROTS has it's good points but they are few and far between. The only actors that really made me impressed where Ewan McGregor, Christopher Lee (who was screwed out of his screen time) and Ian McDiarmid. I'm sure Natilie Portman, Sameul L. and Hayden Christensen are good actors but they where denied by the sub-par script.
I also must question Lucas for dropping the audience a bunch of characters and events only the most hardcore of Star Wars fans would recognize. Prime example is General Greivous and his coughing... many people don't know why he is coughing because it is not told in the film but only in the animated Clone Wars series that only 20% of the audience would have seen the episode that explains what happened prior to ROTS. Also Greivous despite being the major villain in this film is denied any justice by being beaten quickly. The whole film was rushed because of George Lucas's silly wipes and long introductions that don't tell anything. I also found it weird that he threw Chewbacca into the mix, created a plot hole with Padme dying when Leia was just born and making Darth Vader seem less "scary".
I know I'm echoing a lot from what others have said but I guess the feeling is mutual. At first I liked the film but I think I was in denial... I didn't change my mind just because some people thought it sucked but I reevaluated the scenes after seeing the film a second time. After the fan enthusiasm and excitement was washed away after the first showing I realized these glaring errors that seemed to fall short of many a fan's expectations.
There where some good points however... The score for the film by John Williams was one of the best I have heard in all the Star Wars films. If anything was excellent that was it.
The action and lightsaber battles where satisfying especially the Dooku vs. Anikan & Obi-Wan fight. If only it lasted longer...
Seeing the Taintive IV... C-3P0 golden and R2-D2 being a bad ass was very good. Even though the majority of the so-called "comedic relief" was lame I liked R2-D2's antics. Who needs Jar-Jar Binks when you have R2 in a scene? In all, ROTS wasn't what I thought it was... yet I'm still going to be a Star Wars fan but ROTS is not the best in the six films made. I will get it on DVD but don't expect it to be "the best" or a masterpiece in the Star Wars saga. It was enjoyable but not the bang that we all expected.