Pigs are flying and hell's frozen over

Rating: 8/10 (25 February 2020)

One of the Star Wars prequels is actually... good?! I'm in shock.
Don't get me wrong, Hayden Christensen is still appalling but he's not AS bad as in the last one and they've basically got rid of Natalie Portman by making her the stay at home pregnant wife then too sad to live.
Revenge of the Sith is a genuinely very fun and enjoyable film with memorable moments, genuine emotions, and strong main characters.
Christopher Lee's Count Dooku is quickly dispatched but General Grievous proves an effective and more memorable villain to represent the Separatists. The true villain of the film (and the series) shines though as Ian McDiarmid brings Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidieous to life as one of the best villains in cinema history. Even Hayden Christensen as a younf Darth Vader is quite good most of the time - turns out anger is the one emotion he does know how to display (some of the time anyway).
As for the heroes, Ewan McGregor moves from good to outstanding this film, with Obi-Wan's role as a war hero explored, his friendship with Anakin effectively delved into, and the raw emotion of the character as the film goes on expertly portrayed. Frank Oz as Yoda is predictably iconic and delivers everything you want from our little green friend. Even smaller roles like Mace Windu and Bail Organa shine.
As for the plot, you can probably see most of it coming a mile off but that doesn't make the turning point any less moving. Order 66, particularly with John Williams' as-ever excellent soundtrack, is one of the best scenes in Star Wars. The dialogue finally hits the right balance between ridiculous and dramatic to fit Star Wars with, sure, some stinkers, but also a lot of memorable quotable dialogue.
Stand out though is our final battles between Yoda and Palpatine, and Obi-Wan and Anakin. The Mustafar battle particularly stands out as just exceptional - entertainment rarely gets better than this.
There's still a fair number of flaws (did I mention Hayden Christensen enough yet?) but it's a highly enjoyable sci-fi experience and I love Ewan McGregor (and his beard) more than words can express.