Decent... but dumb

Rating: Null/10 (27 May 2005)

Pretty decent movie overall.
Saw it on my day off yesterday. Too bad the other previous two movies weren't like this one, or the entire Star Wars saga would have gone down as, bar-none, the most cherished cinematic event of all time. But... 3 outta 6 ain't bad, I guess.
There were a few parts that actually moved me, primarily the sequence where the Jedi's were picked off one by one (done very well) and Anakin in the Jedi Council as he slaughtered anyone who moved and could scream. The portion between Mace Wendu and the Emporer was done very well, too. (Does this mean that Mace was the most powerful Jedi alive, since he was actually "beating" the Emporer before Anakin intervened?)
I was also pleased to see that the final saber duel didn't seem as long as I expected - some told me it lasted 40 minutes - although I did chuckle that the battle was like an X-rated movie at times. How so? Well, usually in X-rated movies, the uh... participants (ahem) always seem to find for the camera the most unnatural, not to mention agonizing, sexual positions possible. When you see it on TV, you chuckle and roll you eyes, knowing that No one in their right mind would hang from the rafters like that and still feel any sort of lust toward their partner. Well, during the final duel between Anakin and Kenobi, they seemed to seek out the worst places to have a saber duel, from the tight and narrow hallway to that single metal beam where both were working hard to keep their balance. But it was all good fun. Not to mention taking a wild ride on a river of molten lava. Ludicrous, but entertaining nonetheless.
There were some cheesy moments, but they were thankfully rare Â— the Vader's howling "NOOOOOOOOO!" was downright seat shiftingly embarrassing; and the humor was stuck at the front of the movie and nonexistent afterwards (again, thank God, since Star Wars humor is rarely funny - "Help me, I've fallen and I can't get up' or 'You scruffy NERF herder!"
Overall the movie was good. As good as Star Wars, still below Empire, IMO.
Having said that, I still can't wait for "War of the Worlds."