Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Rating: 5/10 (4 November 2019)

Directed by George Lucas. Starring Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Ian McDiarmid, Natalie Portman, Samuel L. Jackson, Frank Oz, Kenny Baker, Anthony Daniels, Jimmy Smits, Christopher Lee, Temuera Morrison, (voice) Matthew Wood. (PG-13)
The "Star Wars" prequel trilogy comes to a close as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (McDiarmid) lures Anakin (Christensen) to the Dark Side, turns him against the Jedi, including his former master, Obi-Wan (McGregor). Best of the prequels is still a frustratingly uneven experience, full of bold, operatic highs and misfired, cringe-worthy lows; dialogue is still often atrocious and performances vary wildly, but at least one can feel real stakes and stirring drama as the darkness grows and tragedy looms. Portman is often sidelined in this outing, and McGregor spends a lot of the mid-section in a comparatively inconsequential sub-plot; the last hour, however, delivers the goods with only a few hiccups (the overblown battle between Yoda and Palpatine in the Senate chamber, Vader's plaintive wail, etc.). Like Darth Maul from "Phantom Menace," General Grievous (voiced by Wood) is an intriguing villain, but is underdeveloped and insufficiently used. Manages to shoehorn in a Peter Mayhew cameo as Chewbacca.
54/100