Best of the new trilogy but still flawed

Rating: 7/10 (27 May 2005)

At long last we have the third and final part of the new Star Wars trilogy  Revenge of the Sith. Critics have widely cited this to the best of the three parts, and I couldn't wait to see if it matched up to the original films and managed to improve over the decidedly average Episode II.
In short, this film is a substantial improvement over Episode II both on a technical and pure entertainment level. The computer graphics are the most detailed of all the films, and Lucas has finally toned them down slightly, which gives this film a tad more realism that the previous two. The plot too holds together much better than previous offerings. Many people poked Episode II for its poor acting, and in this respect Episode III jumps over both these two films and possibly even the original Star Wars for quality acting. Hayden Christiansen finally feels right as Anakin and gives a stunning performance, proving that he wasn't just included for eye-candy. Add this to the list of excellent supporting actors including Natalie Portman, Euan McGregor and Ian McDiarmid, and there are no problems at all on this front.
Lucas creates an emotional epic and the character development is such that the audience really feels empathy with the good, and some of the bad, characters in the film. The whole film is fully coherent, refreshing after the previous two outings, and enjoyable to watch. Arguably the most impressive aspect of this film is that it ties in so well in terms of semiotics with Return of the Jedi. Everyone knows that this is the film in which Vader emerges, and Lucas includes tens of hidden references to the final film in which Vader is converted back to good.
Unfortunately there are still some serious flaws. The two biggest of these are Lucas's continued inability to use computer graphics appropriately with style and his decidedly dodgy script. Whole sequences are still computer-generated, used instead of real-life scenarios far too often. While the film is a massive improvement over Episode II, it feels unreal  it lacks the realism of the original trilogy. The graphics also feel out of place; they are far more detailed than either Episode I or II due to moving technology and already makes Episode I's graphics especially feel very out-of-date. However when juxtaposed next to the original trilogy the graphics don't appear to fit in with this either, especially in terms of the technical regression and changes in type of shot that appears to have occurred in the 25 years or so between the films. This film will suffer from the same fate as the other two; the graphics make it perishable and not timeless.
Poor old Lucas doesn't give a good first impression with the script. The rolling screen text is absurd and poorly written, magicing a new major character out of no-where. Shortly into the film the characters stop and recite some cheesy lines, almost like a spoof, before the film continues. Frequently, the actors appear have problems trying to recite sections of ill thought-out dialogue with conviction. Several black-penned scenes leave you wondering what the hell they were for.
Overall this film should be seen as a final ending to Star Wars. It's above the previous two films, however is still too flawed to make it a timeless great.