This is one of the finest we've seen

Rating: 9/10 (21 May 2005)

I liked the previous two but they really were a disappointment. Some of the worst dialogue ever heard riddled Attack of the Clones, which is a shame since so much rides on the love between Anakin and Padme. For me the dialogue wasn't much of a problem with Revenge of the Sith (or maybe I am so used to it by now I don't really notice). I snickered a couple of times but the story was so engaging, the tragedy was so perfectly played out that I came out of the theater in a strange trance that I don't have happen often.
This movie is absolutely awesome. It may not work for everyone, but I bought it. I didn't remind myself that the love scenes from the last one were completely unbelievable, and the ones in this play off much better.
Having fixed many of the things that hurt the previous two movies, George Lucas did the two things that were needed for this to work: story (for the movie to work) and continuity/integration (so it logically connects with prequels and sequels alike). I think the story of Anakin's descent is absolutely believable and sad, and it really gives the following films (ep IV, V, VI) more significance. There was a gradual progression in these prequels to some of the things we were familiar with in the sequels that by the end of this film I was left with a smug little grin on how smoothly they played it off.
I won't gripe about the acting: it's only as good as the script dictates. They're all a little flat but Ian McDiarmid and the CGI Yoda are absolutely fantastic. McDiarmid is snaky, and 100% evil incarnate while Yoda is his usual greatness, only a lot more of him. Ewan McGregor perfectly tackles the difficulty in making me believe that he will be the grey bearded Alec Guiness in the sequels. Acting all around is better though, and mostly because we now care about what they are saying. There is a LOT of action in this film and the improved pacing makes it much more enjoyable this time. I have seen enough lightsaber duels from this movie to last me a lifetime. There can't be anything left to do with a lightsaber beyond we see in this film (unless there is a pornographic spin off, of course).
What sets this film apart from the others is its dark and violent tone. Probably welcomed by fans, but it will likely frighten young children. Which is too bad, since Star Wars has generally been made to appeal to kids. But that is only bad from a marketing and business standpoint, not artistically. It was essential to have these dark and violent elements to believe the character arcs that occur over all 6 films.
For the first time since I was a youngling, I have seen a Star Wars movie that I have no objections to and no major complaints about. I was not expecting that and the surprise only adds to the pleasure of seeing this film.