A more extreme and less consistent Return of the Jedi

Rating: 6/10 (2 June 2005)

Future directors, let Episode III be a lesson to you. If you do everything else right, but fail to make your audience connect to the characters, you'll never have more than a mediocre movie.
Compared to I and II, Episode III has a much tighter plot. The editing was also very solid. I didn't leave the theater with the feeling that Lucas could have cut half the scenes and had a better movie. In fact, I believe that Episode III is on par with the original trilogy here. Bravo.
World design was excellent, although Lucas continues to indulge in making absolutely everything a proto-version of something in the original trilogy. The effect is nice at first, but Lucas overdoes it to the point of disbelief, perhaps even desperation. Like Van Helsing's monster-rama, but more so.
Special effects continue to be technically superb. However, Lucas's brand of special effects suffers from a cartoonish feel. You look at a scene, and your first impression is that it is just a picture, not something real. A human touch, a bit of empathy, is needed to get the viewer to suspend disbelief.
Which brings us to Episode III's major flaw. The characters are even more extreme caricatures than before, yet still lack well, character. Hissing a lot or adopting a really bad vampire accent just doesn't make you scary, any more than looking stuck-up every time democracy is mentioned makes you a hero. Sorry. Lucas attempts to build a bridge by having people wear costumes from the original trilogy, but that only makes the gaps in charisma and presence even more glaring.
The dialog also continues to suffer. Although better than I and II, you still find yourself wincing during more than one conversation. In addition, Lucas's new-found love of exposition is still alive and kicking. When the entire scene is screaming that X is happening, your characters do not have to comment that X is happening. X is blatantly obvious. The dialog should focus on the characters reaction to X.
But overall, the result is adequate. If you are looking for a summer movie to while away some time, Episode III is worth watching. If you are looking for a classic, then this is not the movie you are looking for. Move along.