Unexpectedly Awesome

Rating: 9/10 (22 May 2005)

It was with a certain apprehension that I went to the theatre in order to watch "Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith". Much like many of the "old farts", I couldn't personally relate to EP1's Jar-Jar Binks and 30-min long Pod race; nor could I enjoy the poorly written and acted dialogue in EP2.
And to my huge surprise, EP3 was such a beautiful, dramatic and epic movie. It cannot really be compared to 4/5/6, but I'm not implying that it's not as good, because it's quite excellent! EP3 sets a really particular mood, with the most AMAZING visuals ever, an ominous/sombre atmosphere and of course an extremely epic tone, full of lightsaber, space and blaster battles.
But of course, what's fantastic-looking CG and epic battles without a solid plot and quality acting? And that is where EP3 actually succeeds where the two previous opuses of the new trilogy failed. Hayden Christensen - for the pleasure of all - finally brings solid and believable emotions, and does a good job at acting (same goes for the oh-so-gorgeous Natalie Portman). The love dialogue is finally more mature and has you absorbed in the romance rather than feeling disturbed watching. Ewan McGregor has raised the bar as well and perfectly acts a really attaching and caring Obi-Wan Kenobi, resulting in a quality transition for the character from the new trilogy to the old one.
EP3 sets a much darker tone, a lot of visuals have those special tints and shades and the ambiance is just really engulfing; which leads me to sir John Williams' score, absolutely fantastic! The new musical themes are - as always - soundtrack genius & a lot of familiar themes from both the old and new trilogy also get thrown in as fillers and transitions. EP3 is not just a wonder for the eyes, but is also an aural delight for the whole 140 minutes of playtime.
In conclusion (and without giving any spoilers) there may be one or two moments where the acting could have been further pushed, but we are WORLDS beyond the acting in episode 2. "Revenge of the Sith" is the movie you should see if you're familiar with Star Wars or not. It is a spectacular, action-packed piece of cinema, with a rich plot, solid acting and wonderfully orchestrated visually and musically, and it also creates the transition to the trilogy of old flawlessly. So I guess my final words to SW fans will be: If you were angry with George Lucas, give him a last chance and go see this movie. I was skeptical but I have to admit: it exceeded all the secret hopes I had for it!