Now this is the star wars movie that was meant to be

Rating: 9/10 (21 May 2005)

I just saw it last night, and must say, loved it from start to finish. To get the bad stuff out of the way first, which there is very little, Jar Jar actually is in the movie, HOWEVER, he only says "scuse me" and THAT"S IT, plus is walking up in a (SPOILER) Funeral scene for Amidala.(END SPOILER) Other than that, the only thing you really have to worry about is the scenes being too slow, which when they are are actually well done scenes (SPOILER) either dealing with Anakin and his slide to the dark side, disputes with the Council, and romance scenes.(END SPOILER) Now for the wonderful stuff, at least in my opinion. I wanted to believe that this one, in the end, was only a tad better than episode 2, but instead, I got what is miles and miles over that, and even better than return of the Jedi. As for New Hope and Empire, it does in my opinion surpass both of them, but only by a tiny margin. Why because I found the acting to be very well done, thanks to a supposed dialogue coach that Coppolla got Lucas, but still, no cheesy dialogue in love scenes, and no overacting the part of a drama king this time by Christensen. I know most people will say he can't act, but for crying out loud. Watch his other movies like Shattered Glass and Life as a House. The only reason he didn't do well in Episode 2 is because Lucas CANNOT communicate with his actors. But in this one, he has matured a little bit, but it's really when he's in the dark side that you'll see a greater performance.
Other than Christensen, Kudos to Portman, Ian McDiarmand, and Ewan McGregor, they did miles better than in the last one, particularly McDiarmand.
As for the story, well, duh, it's the one everyone's been wanting to see, and it is done carefully and effectively. need I say more? Special Effects- Well, that's the other thing that helps this movie, for me, surpass the original trilogy. It is basically modern movie technology at it's finest, especially in the battle scenes with Grievous, the battle above Coruscant, Obi Wan vs Anakin, the wookie battle, and (possible spoiler) scenes of the Jedi getting wiped out (end spoiler)
Overall, my eyes were glued to the screen from start to finish, especially during the fight scenes, which were beyond electrefying. They were moving so fast in some of them, I couldn't even tell where they were putting their lightsabers at times. It will not disappoint even those who are just looking for a good movie, and it is a very good movie, and a fantastic closure to STAR WARS. 9/10