StarWars Revenge Of The Sith Review

[Sithlord]

Well I saw the movie at the midnight session. We all had to endure 15min of ads and trailers before the main event. Ok I will start with the negatives first and get them out of the way. The opening to the movie was, I thought a make or break for this film. Again we are treated to lush special effects and groundbreaking sound no surprise. The only problem was that the action on screen was uninteresting and pointless. We follow two Jedi (guess who) and watch them fly around avoiding any obstacles that are thrown their way. There simply wasn't any immediate danger as both Jedi are taking it all in their stride. Silly dialogue again was misplaced and took you out of the action and the seriousness of the situation was lost. LUCAS why must you insist on making the droids sound like Looney Toon characters? They are battle droids not lego toys with sounds :roll: and they present no threat what so ever to the Jedi pointless. The battle seems to be the main event then it just stops or we just never see it again. General Grevious was the Jar Jar for this movie, lets see what we can do with a special effect just not as irritating. A very under used character and wasted, disappointing. The lightsaber battles we see are much more intense but again very quick especially the early ones, seemed rushed. Samual L Jackson was the weakest actor in this chapter he seemed like he was just going through the motions. Now the ending... when you see it (Two Jedi fighting), the way it finishes is like we are short changed, it just didn't make any sense to me. Quote: "I have the high ground" huh?? You will understand hopefully when you see it. There are a few bad editing moments which I thought were badly done can't mention without spoilers. Sorry and one more thing those that are expecting the Wookies to have alot of screen time be prepared for disappointment and wasted opportunity. Thats it for negatives onto the good stuff.

The second half of the movie is where it really shines. It is definatley the darkest of all the movies and for good reason. It felt like the OT and the most talked about moments (we know what they are) are handled beautifully. The music was amazing and suited it perfectly. The first half of the film is light but the second is just plain gritty and dark. The acting has improved hugely thank god, and everyone except who I mentioned above was excellent. I really felt sorry for Obi-Won and Yoda when things take a turn for the worst as they are so pure and they are dealt such a devastating blow both mentally and physically. The people at ILM have outdone themselves and created an amazing looking and sounding movie a true testimont to their ablilties. Well done

Well it's over :cry: for the movies that is and I for one will watch it many times again and accept it into the Starwars movie trilogy. It's just a shame that Lucas still hasn't learned from the previous two that comedy should be left out in most cases and let the story flow. I noticed some dialogue was missing from the movie that was in the X-Box game (Movie footage Dooku Vs Jedi) and I'm hoping that an unrated version will come out on dvd as anyone under the age of 15 wont be able to watch it. Looking forward to what others thought of this chapter and of course what you have just read is IMO. :T

[Nick M]

DAMN! Beat me to it! :M :B

Well guys, I'll start right off and give my rating...
:35: out of :5:

The acting of Senator Palpatine becomes horrendous towards the middle of the film. It's almost like I was watching a canned ham. Makeup was equally poor for his character(s). Samuel L Jackson also dropped the ball in his battle scene.

What I'm about to say isn't really a spoiler for anyone who knows the inevitable story, but I will post tags anyways...
When Padme pops the fact that she's pregnant, it's damn corny..

Oddly enough, I thought the cornball lines that drew me out of the experience came from Obi Wan rather than Anikan. There were also some corny scenes with Padme towards the end. You will know them when you see them...

Alot of pointless action as sithlord pointed out above.

Now that I have that off my chest, I thought the movie was good. Not excellent, but good. Most scenes were cool, and some shots caused me to spread an ear-to-ear grin. Unfortunately there were more than a handfull of stupid scenes as well. I also thought this one suffered a bit from the "lets assault the audience with as much flashes and bangs to make it cool as we can" syndrome.

Personally, General Grevious was my favorite character, he looks absolutely bad@$$ when he battles... well... you'll see
Lot's of R2D2 comedy as well (which I liked). :T

Too be completely honest I was left with a bit of a flat feeling given the resources of LucasFilm and how the movie played out. Of course I hold a slightly higher level of expectations for this series than I do most others. In otherwords, I wasn't blown away with Episode III the same as I was with LOTR: Return of the King.

No doubt it will be in my library once released though, make no mistake about that. h:

[saurabh]

What can I say...as I read this thread, the movie started shaping in my imagination, my mind being its director......have to wait till it releases here tomorrow...........

[Sithlord]

Hey Nick. General Grevious was your favourite character wow. For me it was Yoda really showed his character and proved why he is the master. I agree with you regarding the senator, some of his dialogue was terrible and he acted like a kid in a lolly shop when we get to see our first lightsaber fight. His reaction to one of Anakins moves had me bowing my head in shame. The makeup was so bad and fake looked like a rubber mask from a carnival. Padme reminded me of a surfie chick who just got knocked up by her surfie boyfriend and her dialogue was average as well. My expectations were huge going into this movie and rightly so as it was a great trilogy until the prequels. As far as I'm concerned if I'm going to watch the trilogy from the start it will be from Ep3 and onwards. I also agree with you that with all the resources at Lucas disposal and the fact he had Eps 1&2 to improve upon, it should have been so much better than it was. I may be harsh but with other movies out there that I've seen and I'm sure Lucas has seen he should have learned more and applied it to his movie. I for one am hoping for a directors cut with extended scenes which I believe will fill the gaps that were so apparant in the theatrical version. Anyway I'm sure there will be others on this forum that will take it for what it is and thats entertainment which it delivers in spades.

[Nick M]

Yeah, oddly enough I thought the best characters were General Grevious and Yoda, both of which are CGI characters... :B

Anakin was a close third.

*Below I've included spoiler tags, but again, if you know the inevitable story these aren't spoilers*
My real problems were with the birth of Luke & Leia. Padme screams "Ow!", and then a horrendously fake CGI baby already wrapped in a blanket is shown to her. Another "Ow" and the same thing happens. They could easily have omitted this entire production line process that took under 30sec. Not to mention when she sprints off the ship at 9mos pregnant... :roll: Then the line where Obi Wan says "The baby is Anakin's isn't it? It was so stupid even all the diehard starwars fans were laughing. I had my head in my hands...

Aside from the Padme pregnancy and rubber-mask Palpatine make-up/acting, I thought the film was great. These things combined with a few other isolated cornball scenes/lines lowered my opinion from great to good.

I really enjoyed Episode I except for the midiclorean BS. Episode II was another letdown with Anakin's romance scenes. He does much better in Episode III though.

[Nick M]

Ok, now for top 10 lists of my favorite and not so favorite scenes...
***These definetly include spoilers!***

MY FAVS
1. General Grevious drawing four lightsabers and attacking Obi-Wan.
2. The really dark scene where Anakin draws his lightsaber before the younglings...
3. Yoda & the Wookies.
4. Anakin & Obi-Wan exiting their ships and battling to rescue Palpatine at the beginning.
5. The R2D2 comedy and battles(!) in the above scene.
6. The final battle & monologues between Anakin & Obi-Wan at the end.
7. Anakin slaughtering the remains of the seperatists, and the look on his face.
8. Yoda & Obi-Wan battling their way back into the Jedi Temple to reset the beacon.
9. Yoda's half of the Yoda vs Sidious battle.
10. The small snippet at the end where Palpatine tells Vader he killed Padme, and the room darkens, the extras in the scene die, and objects in the room start collapsing.

MY NOT-SO FAVS
1. Padme saying "I'm Pregnant".
2. Everything in the Windu vs Palpatine scene after Windu forces Palpatine to the floor and Anakin enters the room.
3. Pretty much 90% of the rest of the Emperor's scenes after the above scene.
4. Obi-Wan saying "The Baby is Anakin's, isn't it?".
5. Obi-Wan watching the security hologram in the Jedi Temple and then saying "I can't watch anymore". Another scene where people laughed.
6. Padme sprinting off the ship at 9mos pregnant.
7. The entire birth sequence of Luke & Leia.
8. The part where Vader screams "NO!!!" like Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 2. Note that I did like the initial part of the scene where he is told he killed Padme.
9. Padme asking "Is Anakin Ok?" after he tries to kill her and Obi-Wan obviously had to whoopticate him. Everyone was laughing.

Note: I thought the ending, the splitting up of the children, yoda's exile, etc. was very well done to blend with Episode IV. They even had Tarkin in one scene! :B

[Penningtonsm]

I am going to have to respectfully disagree with both of you. I am a Star Wars fanatic like alot of folks and I just dont see how any Star Wars fan did not like this movie. I thought he was very well done....by far the best of the three. Lucas, in my opinion, did very well in tying all the story lines together to fully understand the rest of the trilogy if you didnt already. I believe if you go into this watching it like a critic would then you could easily find flaws. However, if your a fan of Star Wars and tolerated Episode 1and 2 then you should find this one very enjoyable. I would give this film a four out of five stars......I loved it and plan to watch it again. Thats my two cents.

[Sithlord]

You are correct that if you go in there as a critic then yes you will find flaws but I believe if you are a fanatic Starwars fan you will find more. A Starwars fan will be alot more harsh than some movie reviewer who isn't really into it all so to speak.

However, if your a fan of Star Wars and tolerated Episode 1and 2

Thats the problem isn't. Having to put up with the first 2 which were average at best. By Ep3 one would think that Lucas has had enough warning and feedback from his last attempts to make it right. I know it's very hard not to watch a Starwars movie and be forced to like(no pun intended) it just because it's Starwars. I just wish he had given this one to Speilberg as he knows how to make a movie. Ep3 is better than the first 2 which isn't saying too much but doesn't hold a candle to ESB which is still my favorite.

On a positive note I read that Speilberg had a hand in some scenes and anyone who has watched the Indiana Jones trilogy will recognise the significance of a piece of clothing floating down to land near the wearer after a battle, just like the hat rolling past in The Last Crusade. Nice touch. I'm glad you enjoyed the movie Penningtonsm and thats the main thing.

[Nick M]

EDIT: I never said I didn't like this film, I said it was a good movie. Compared to Return of the Jedi it takes the backseat though... :B :T (IMHO).

My Star Wars Order of Favoritism...
(All rating based on :5: )

1. Episode VI: Return of the Jedi :4:
2. Episode I: The Phantom Menace :4:
3. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back :35:
4. Episode IV: A New Hope :35:
5. Episode III: Revenge of the Sith :35:
6. Episode II: Attack of the Clones :3:

I really don't see why so many people hated Episode I. The only parts I disliked were the midiclorean speech, the "I have feelings for you too" lines between Anakin and Padme, and when Anakin hops off the counter and says "yippee!".

[Penningtonsm]

. Having to put up with the first 2 which were average at best. By Ep3 one would think that Lucas has had enough warning and feedback from his last attempts to make it right.

Thats just it though, for me, I thought he did just that. I thought it was five times better than Episode 1&2 and they werent that bad either. Maybe its just me, but I liked every bit of this movie.........except for maybe the Tarzan wookie.

[Gordon Moore]

:45: / :5: that's all I'll say. Everything tied together nicely :yesnod:

[Sithlord]

Now Nic you have really surprised me. Return and Phantom above Empire?? Ah well each to their own. My list would be:

1. Empire Strikes Back 5*
2. A New Hope 4*
3. Revenge Of The Sith 3 1/2*
4. Return Of The Jedi 3*
5. Attack Of The Clones 3*
6. The Phantom Menace 2 1/2*
IMO

[Gordon Moore]

So after the enthusiam died down.....I'd probably say my overall opinion of the movie is more like :4: / :5: and I will be seeing this again.

You could really call this Star Wars Grows Up. This time around has a lot more maturity or weight to it, more than any other StarWars movie aside from ESB. I really really dug this. It plays out so much like a Greek Tragedy that you almost want to run home and watch Episode IV just for a pick me up.

I have a hard time formulating a review for this movie for one reason or another so it's easier to jot down thoughts. I won't say all is forgiven for Phantom Menace but I think it's fair to say that after seeing this movie you do understand the groundwork Lucas was trying to lay in the first. The concepts and design so vast....the scope of where he needed to get to was an almost impossible task....the first movie was doomed to NOT live up to expectations. How could it? This is StarWars afterall.....holy ground.

This movie is just SO different than the first 2. It has a lot more plot, meat, depth (insert adj here). You truely feel the angst in Anakin as he wrestles the fine line between good and evil.

Ian McDiarmid absolutely SHINES in this movie. He almost out Vaders Vader. He snarls, he deceives, he battles, he is a bad bad guy in this one and I revelled in every minute he was on screen. For all intents and purposes: He's the devil. He outshone my expectations for this movie and I'm glad he played such a large part. :T

Hayden did an okay job this time around....he has settled into the part and is able to convey what he needed to bring to the film.

McGregor as ObiWan is still channeling Alec Guiness somehow. He really understands his part now and settles in nicely. He stands out as well. GREAT JOB!

Portman, meh; a little weaker in character this time around; more of a bit part. Didn't impress me as much as she did in One and Two.

Mace Windu? Well, as it's been mentioned....Jackson looks bored (like he phoned the performance in).

ILM has to be congratulated....this movie is EYE CANDY. Full of colour, animation, spectacle.....fantastic....almost to the point of overload. It has a feel similar to Return of the Jedi in parts where Lucas is trying to outdo everything that came before it and juice up the space battles by filling every inch of the screen with animation. It borders on distracting but doesn't quite cross the line (but edges right up to it).

The lightsaber battles are an amazing dance. They are very fulfilling. Any more would be excessive.

Yoda was a standout in this movie. I think ILM knew they had a lot of work cut out for them after Gollum kicked their collective asses for a CGI "acting/emoting" character. Yoda doesn't fully take the torch but he's redeemed and takes a really close second. You buy what they're selling with his believable integration into the movie. I full lost myself in the fact that the little dude wasn't real. Anytime a movie can do that they've accomplished a major feat in my books. Hats off to them.

Williams Score works. I actually would have liked a little more darkness in the music but for most scenes, the music simply helped with the emotion of the scene and that's what it is supposed to do. Our favorite StaWars musical cues are nicely peppered throughout and are a delight to hear.


What really impressed me was the intercutting of scenes where one segment was juxtaposed against another. There just seemed to be a new level of maturity introduced into this movie. Yes, it still had ackward cornball dialogue (it wouldn't be Star Wars without it) but it also had some very well scripted meaningful dialogue that actually put a lump in my throat once or twice. Some very effective use of emotion.

Thanks George, it's been a wonderful ride and you went out on a high note. A fantastic achievement in an almost impossible task of bringing these movies full circle. This one will serve as a wonderful bridge from the new to the old and visa-versa. I think it's brilliance will be very appreciated later on (much like ESB) and probably take the number 2 or at the worst number 3 spot as one of the best in series.

ie:
1. ESB
2. ROTS
3. ANH

OR

1. ESB
2. ANH
3. ROT

That would be my top 3 and I think later on once this has been watched and studied intensely over time, this will be most poeple lists as well.

I will see this at least once again.... and it will grace my DVD collection in November.


A GREAT WAY to Kick off the SUMMER Movie Feast. GO SEE IT. 'Nuff said.

[David Meek]

Good write-up Gordon - I'm sooo stoked.



Tonight. Tonight. Tonight. Yeah, baby!!!!! :banana:

[Shane Martin]

Saw it.
I liked it but I can't pretend that there aren't any issues. Certainly doesn't deserve much more than a 3 out of 5 tops.

Other than the craptacular dialog and stiff acting, we have the following issues:
The bad ass jedi's who defeated the droids in the last movie were killed very quickly almost like they were nothing, Where's the force on that one?

the whole Anakin being swayed to the darkside was fumbled majorly. He said his primary reason why he wanted to do it was to save Amadala and ends up killing her, WTF? Then we can talk about the killing of the kids and how easily he was swayed. WEAK. More development needed here big time

the other thing that sort of shocked me was how casual everyone seemed to be when it was discovered that palpatine was the sith lord. There was very little urgency on anyone's part to do anything about it. Sure they went to arrest him, but even that seemed to be a formailty. Not to mention Anakin's plan to tell the council that he discovered the sith lord included telling the sith lord he was going to tell the council.

I enjoyed it besides these flaws but these are pretty major. The fanboy in me can't forgive issues like this.

3 or 3.5 out of 5 is being good here.

[Nick M]

I remember reading that George Lucas said Star Wars was about the life of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, and the issues of good vs evil within himself. I look at the Star Wars films as a progressive story about Vader's life. I see films I, III, and VI as being the most critical as far as material is concerned. Vader's path to the darkside was fear, generated by losing his mother and the thought of losing his wife. I thought Episode I portrayed this loss excellently, and the hatred it was generating (such as his response to the Jedi Council).

I saw Episode II as having two critical parts it needed to portray. The loss of Anakin's mother (and Anakin's reaction), and the developing relationship between Anakin & Padme. The latter fell on it's face.

Episode III needed to portray the twisting of Anakin (with the help of Sidious) to the darkside due to his fear of losing Padme. I thought it did well up until the Windu/Palpatine scene, but then there were too many places it fell apart, especially with Sidious.

Episode IV & V were simply sideline story development to me, except for the part where he faces Luke in Episode V. Very little material on Vader.

Episode VI really shows the struggle within Vader. You can feel it between him and luke. This is my favorite film of the series.

Next to Vader, The Emperor is my favorite character. In films I, II, IV, V, and VI he appears all powerful and has this dark aura about him. In III this feeling is gone (for me) and he seems like a Batman villain. I was very dissapointed with this portrayal (I was expecting a :45: star performance, and didn't get what I wanted).

[David Meek]

Guys, just wanted to say thanks for the use of the SPOILER tags. It's really appreciated. :T

[cinema bob]

Now Nic you have really surprised me. Return and Phantom above Empire?? Ah well each to their own. My list would be:

1. Empire Strikes Back 5*
2. A New Hope 4*
3. Revenge Of The Sith 3 1/2*
4. Return Of The Jedi 3*
5. Attack Of The Clones 3*
6. The Phantom Menace 2 1/2*
IMO

agree with this list 100% phantom menace was a huge disappointment on so many levels.

[Nick M]

Just curious, why do so many people dislike Episode I?

[junior77blue]

Just curious, why do so many people dislike Episode I?

Simple: The horrible acting from anakin!!

[Nick M]

Young Anakin?

I thought he was great except for the one scene where he hops off the counter and says "yippeee".

[junior77blue]

yes, young anakin....he killed the move in my opinion. Not to mention jar jar...

Don't get me wrong...i still enjoyed it, but the acting was that of a B film. Enormous special effects but no depth to the charcacters.

[Sithlord]

Nic you may want to watch Phantom Menace again . That movie was bad on so many levels I don't understand how you dont see that. I've read other movie reviews you have done and I have agreed on most of them, you have talent for pointing out anything good and bad in movies. The actor Jake couldn't act if he tried and I cannot understand how George could direct him and think he had a winner on his hands. Look at Master & Commander and the young blond kid who breaks his arm in that and compare. Or the little girl from Man on Fire they can all act. Lucas must be blind when he chooses his cast members. The making of Episode 1 on the dvd shows the 3 last boys to make it for the Anakin character and the blonde kid was perfect great acting and delivered the lines alot better than Jake did but he didn't get it?? They had over 5000 kids go for that role so go figure. And don't start me on Jar Jar... what a terrible decision that was just to show how far we have come with special effects, very forgetable. And the lines they gave Anakin not just the Yippee one but so many were bad.
1. Now this is pod racing Whoohoo
2 Oops
3. Are you an angel
4. Take this and this
5. Try spinning thats a good trick ahhhhh

Need I say more. Thank god there weren't any really bad lines in ROTS but some came close. I'm not trying to persuade you to dislike Ep1 but to just to understand that the concensus is that Ep1 is definaltey the weakest of the entire trilogy. Lucas had 20 years to come up with that story and to bring out what he did was a real shame and an embarrassment. Why do you think Jar Jar was pretty much absent from Ep 2 & 3? He knows he stuffed up and listened to the reviewers. But I guess you can't please all the people all the time. Just my 2 cents.

P.S I like your web site looking forward to it's completion

[will1066]

Everything's been hashed to bits already, so I have nothing to add to this thread other than I liked it and was entertained, unlike the first two prequels.

[Sithlord]

Here is a web site that has reviews of the latest installment some good some bad.

http://movies.channel.aol.com/movie/main.adp?tab=reviews&mid=17722

[will1066]

Oh, I do have a bit to add after all. There *was* a particular scene at the end of movie where I just wanted to stand up in the audience and yell out in Jar Jar's voice, "Me so me so sad!"

[Sithlord]

Probably a good idea that you didn't as I'm sure you would be in hospital right now haha.

[RebelMan]

My Star Wars Order of Favoritism...
(All rating based on :5: )

1. Episode VI: Return of the Jedi :4:
2. Episode I: The Phantom Menace :4:
3. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back :35:
4. Episode IV: A New Hope :35:
5. Episode III: Revenge of the Sith :35:
6. Episode II: Attack of the Clones :3:

I really don't see why so many people hated Episode I. The only parts I disliked were the midiclorean speech, the "I have feelings for you too" lines between Anakin and Padme, and when Anakin hops off the counter and says "yippee!".

Nick, I haven't seen ROTS yet but I would mostly concur with your list. The only exception I would make (at this time) would be to move E1 from 2nd place to 6th place. Sorry.

I didn't hate E1, after all I bought the DVD, but I found it to be pretty weak, not to mention that you know who (hint:JJ) was lame, so I was very disappointed. But hey, at least E1 gives us something (better) to look forward to in the other episodes.

[i_amadeo]

episode 111

LOS ANGELES (May 21) - The last of the ''Star Wars'' movies has done what no movie in history has ever accomplished - sold $50 million worth of tickets in a single day.

i saw it twice already and i am planning too see it one more time before it comes out on dvd i dont know how to make those magic black tags that dissapear when you move the mouse over it (magic) so i cant say alot to not spoil any thing for anybody

but i guess a big wow in the second half of the movie

anakin looks mesmerizing he has such a painful look through out the movie then again he looks that way in all his movies ....you can see ....soo much pain in his eyes ....

oh god i want to point out so many things but i cant without spoilers so i ll shut up and i ll give it a 4 out of 5 and i guess it will shine in the furure when generations after generation see it ...i just am glad to have been alive to have lived too see the whole story.....

just imagine a die hard starwas fan ....dies before seeing the last installment
i am pretty sure he comes back as a ghost sitting in one of the empty seats of the theater .....how many people died before finishing this story , how many dead realy whanted too see them fold out to see darth vaders story....i guess life is a blessing

war of the worlds ....bring it on

[Shane Martin]

anakin looks mesmerizing he has such a painful look through out the movie then again he looks that way in all his movies ....you can see ....soo much pain in his eyes ....

the conversion to that point sucks though. the pain is only really realized at the end. There is no rational answer for why he suddenly killed a bunch of kids then changed face when he went and talked to his wife. A huge blunder by GL.

My scores for the series:

Ep 1: 1 1/2 stars
Ep 2: 2 stars
Ep 3: 3 stars or 3.5 maybe
Ep 4: 4 1/2 stars
Ep 5: 5 stars
Ep 6: 4 stars

[Chris D]

Just returned from the movie. In a word--INTENSE. I loved it, a wonderful completion to the Star Wars legacy. It was not perfect, but still fantastic. Episode III is different than any of the other 5 SW movies in style and feel, which is more to its credit than detriment. Because of the parts of the story we know MUST be included in this episode, primarily the turning of Anakin to the Dark Side, (no surprise to anybody, this doesn't need spoilers) this movie must also be largely dark and foreboding. Lucas has made it darker and more intense than it probably needs to be, but so be it. I don't think it took away from the movie. But also because Ep's IV, V, and VI were made first, we know what's going to happen. So to keep viewers engaged and fully interested, (especially the brainless viewer portion of the public, which I'll critique later) I think Lucas bumped it up another notch.

From the very very start of the movie, it's a different product than the other 5 episodes. The other 5 start immediately after the title verbage by panning to a ship speeding along, often engaged in a battle. This time, it starts by panning to a ship that is just stationary, with war drums beating in the soundtrack, also different from other portions of John Williams' scores. It takes a good 30 seconds to get to more ususal SW style events. But again, I think this fit, and really set the tone for the way Episode III NEEDS to stand out from the other 5. A good thing, not bad.

So many things helped me understand SW background and what had been set up in Episodes I and II, like how the clone army had been created to fight for the REPUBLIC, which side the Jedi were on. I was caught off guard in II, expecting all along the Jedi to fight the clones. And how the Republic, a good thing, was twisted to become the Empire, an evil thing. FANTASTICALLY done, showing the final transformation of Anakin into Vader, instead of just "flipping a switch" and the good boy is now bad. The development here in EpIII redeemed and enhanced for me some of the semi-indicators of his nature slipping in Episode II, like when Anakin bitches to Padme about Obi Wan being critical as she's packing her suitcase. I really like in this one the Lucas showed him being lied to and manipulated, thinking that he was doing the right thing, such as protecting the republic, but giving into some things like pride and desire for power. And how his strong love, an asset, was used against him as a weapon. I truly see that Anakin's character IS truly good underneath as explored all the way from Episodes I to VI, he has just failed with his weaknesses, just like the rest of us.

Like I said, it wasn't perfect. There were some things that I had problems with, and at times it seemed over the top, like a few parts of the opening act. The Vader/Obi Wan battle was mostly great, but them floating along on their individual debris pieces in lava while battling and then standing on their own flying pieces seemed cheesy. Another big one for me was right at the end, Yoda saying that Qui Gon Jinn was now immortal, and he wanted Obi Wan to learn to communicate with the dead. :wtf: Rather unnecessary, and just poked out of the movie. Another one was the Obi Wan statement to Anakin/Vader "only a Sith believes in absolutes". I think if we analyze the Star Wars world (and our own, for that matter) we'll find that Lucas contrarily shows that many "absolutes" are a very GOOD thing, like allegiance to the truth, not portrayed as inherantly evil as that statement tries to claim. On the contrary, Episodes II and III directly show how a reliance on relativism, where "truth only depends on your point of view" can twist and manipulate truth and good for evil purposes. That is the nature and manipulative power of the Sith. There were other semi-religious and/or political things that stood out a bit, but not too much. By and large, I think the Lucas should be commended for weaving in so many aspects to make the Star Wars world fully flushed out--pseudo-religion, politics, economics, war, etc.

I think Episode III raised to a new level and completed the presentation of many fundamental questions to us-- what are you loyal to? A country? A religion? A person? A political system? God? The truth? Love? Power? Money? Posessions? Life? Freedom? Friends? Family? What is the #1 most important thing to you, that you'll adhere to above all else when everything else seems in conflict with each other? I think SW fantastically shows how even the purest, most ideallicly "good" things can be portrayed and twisted for an evil purpose if not kept the way they were intended to be. If nothing else, Star Wars is truly a story of the fundamental struggle of good vs. evil, and seeking to define each side of the battle.

One thing I'm curious about--what becomes of the clone army? How do they become the stormtroopers in Episode IV, which are not clones? (at least as indicated by Lucas in his most recent remix and release of the original trilogy on DVD)

General Grievous was cool, but one thing I'm still disappointed about from Episode I was that Darth Maul's character wasn't more developed. IMHO, Darth Maul was the coolest "other" Sith character and should have been developed at least as much as Grievous.

Here's the two things I've noticed the most about media critics that bash the recent three episodes-- first, the Star Wars series has become something in their mind that it is not, nor was ever intended to be, and the movies don't fall into their expectations. They now think of Star Wars like the "Godfather" series or such, as if the original trilogy was a great drama with Academy Award winning acting. Far from it--Lucas has clearly stated all along that it was intended to be a "Space Opera", with intentional jokes, some cheesiness in the acting, etc. That's what made the original Episode IV great. (on a side note, I think Lucas strayed just a bit from this in I and II, and I hoped it wouldn't continue down the path towards a space SOAP opera) But critics that fall into this category bash on things like the unique acting that isn't of "Ben Hur" quality. Go back and watch the original trilogy, and try to pick up on how the original acting is light, flippant, and occasionally wooden, even from the greats like Harrison Ford. Star Wars has never been about the acting. It's been about the CHARACTERS and the story.

The 2nd type of critic that often bashes on recent Star Wars installments falls into the category of the "mindless public viewer". This type of person goes to a movie, sits back, turns off their brain, and says "entertain me for 2 hours". They will often go to each Star Wars episode wanting to see a complete story on a much superficial, obvious level, drawing little more connection with any of the other movies in the Star Wars series than the same characters they see on screen. They want to be handed all story information, and have a nice, happy resolution in each episode. Their review often revolves around just one aspect, like "this time, the battle scenes weren't as good." These same people take the attitude of "I really don't even need to see the movie, I know what happens." No, Star Wars goes far beyond all this, telling a saga, a deeply robust story spanning generations in time. They are not 2 hour stories with a common theme and characters.

I think these points are becoming much more prevalent today in general with movies, leading me to an overall point that those of you who know me and have read my opinions know I believe deeply--WE AS A SOCIETY ARE LOSING OUR ART OF STORYTELLING. Movies and other media are more and more failing to fully develop and tell a STORY, instead falling back to rely on other elements like special effects, sex appeal, glorification of violence, etc.

I will conceed that everyone has their biases and opinions, that's one great thing about movies--everybody sees something a little different. So I don't think that EVERYBODY needs to like Star Wars or anything, any more than anybody must like or dislike any other movie. But for those select people who bash on it without even looking to see what it's really about and then weighing whether that has any credit, well that's a travesty.

***BOTTOM LINE OPINION OF STAR WARS****
George Lucas has done something only a single-digit number of filmmakers has accomplished. He has created a SAGA of movies, telling a highly developed story spanning generations. He has created an entire fictional world with politics, war, peace, economics, class structure, love, hate, life, death, religion, atheism, and so on. And he has done it with the additional challenge of having begun the story in the middle, then having to go back and tell the beginning when everyone already knows what happens. What a challenge, to have to tell a story that everyone already knows, wrapping up each 2 hours with a sufficient resolution so that the movie is complete, yet keep the underlying story continuing in the saga.

Thank you, George Lucas. You've told an amazing story that has become irreversibly part of our modern world, and will be watched and discussed over and over for many years to come. Thank you for telling the story that YOU had inside of you and wanted to tell all these years, not the various versions others have been clamoring for.

Episode III - :45: out of :5:

[Chris D]

My own personal rank ordering of the Star Wars Episodes out of 5 stars:

1. Episode III Revenge of the Sith :45: (that's right, I think this was the best of all six episodes, although not by a huge margin)
2. Episode V Empire Strikes Back :45:
3. Episode VI Return of the Jedi :4: to :45:
4. Episode IV A New Hope :4: to :45:
5. Episode II Attack of the Clones :4:
6. Episode I :35: to :4:

There's not a huge spread there, because I think each SW movie was in general a quality piece of work, especially fitting into the overall saga. Even Episode I, I wouldn't give much less than 4 stars.

As an interesting side note, because now of Episode III and many things that were shown and explained, I've gained a new perspective and appreciation for many of the other episodes, like Vader's inner struggle and redemption in Return of the Jedi. Each piece of the saga complements and enhances the others.

Overall Star Wars saga as a complete work: :5:

Big picture, if you ranked the top movie sagas or series of all times, I think my top two would be Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. I'm not quite sure which I'd pick above the other.

[Chris D]

I'll keep this commentary of mine separate from my review so that it's not included in my Star Wars specific discussion--I've just got to say, my experience today in the movie theater for Episode III exemplified for me why I hardly ever go to the movies anymore.

First, from the very beginning DTS intro, (the piano keys) it was dramatically evident to me that the professional, big-bucks theater I was in paled in comparison to my own private theater I've built in my house. Because of seating distance, the professional theater screen appeared about as big or even smaller than my screen at home. The public theater had occasional flaws in the picture, and included the black/green circle in the top right corner that appears just before a scene change, used in the editing process. (if you don't know what I mean, watch "Fight Club") But the biggest let-down was the sound. That piano DTS intro that I've seen countless times was audio-wise flat, lifeless, and cluttered compared to the same thing playing in my theater.

Second, I can't stand people's BEHAVIOR that has evolved into today's accepted etiquette in a movie theater public setting. This time, nobody's cell phone rang during the movie--great. But throughout the movie, people were getting up and down to go to the bathroom and out into the lobby. Not just at the end because this episode ran long and people couldn't hold it or got bored at the end. The entire time. I really don't think our bladders have devolved as a race to be 30 minutes in duration.

Throughout the movie, people all around were talking. "What did they say?" "I don't understand!" "What did I miss?" (sometimes from the bathroom break bunch) Explaining connections to the other movies, or commenting on what they liked or didn't like. Right at the end of the movie, a lady right in front of me turned to her companion, pointed, and exclaimed, "That's the Death Star!" I wanted to strangle her--thanks for stating the obvious and distracting everyone.

It's not just the occasional rude person anymore that wasn't raised properly with consideration of others that ruins the experience for everyone else. It's accepted as just okay, as our race becomes less and less concerned with people around us, steadily losing our attention span and needing additional stimulus to persist in any activity. (see "mindless public viewers", above)

Yeah, sure, I'm complaining. I'm not alone, but I'm worried that the public, our increasingly insensitive behavior, steadily decreasing appreciation of storytelling, and dwindling attention span will draw more and more crap from the media industry in general, instead of the opposite where quality, well told, drawn out stories capture the interest of the public, reverse this trend, and draw them back toward quality.

[Chris D]

Now to respond to some of the things you guys said. (are you sick of me yet? I expect many flames from all my comments)

I too was somewhat underimpressed by General Grievous. I expected more of a "I'm a bada$$" presence from him, especially in the battle scene with Obi Wan, and ESPECIALLY at the beginning of that battle when he had 4 light sabers but was underwhelmed.

The bad ass jedi's who defeated the droids in the last movie were killed very quickly almost like they were nothing, Where's the force on that one?

Shane, this seemed understandable to me as the Jedi were completely surprised, in most cases shot in the back by a much greater number of troops that they thought they were leading in the middle of intense battles.

Nicholas, I agree with many of your top 10 lists comments.

***These definetly include spoilers!***

MY FAVS
2. The really dark scene where Anakin draws his lightsaber before the younglings...
4. Anakin & Obi-Wan exiting their ships and battling to rescue Palpatine at the beginning.
5. The R2D2 comedy and battles(!) in the above scene.

I really agree with #2. That made me cry, the true innocence of the youngling that asks him what they should do, and his wordless response. Not showing his massacre was the right choice, I think, for many reasons.

For #4, I think that was one of the coolest things, where right at the end of Obi Wan's crash in the hanger, he jumps out of the ship, slicing through droids on his way down. Now the R2D2 stuff in the ensuing scene was mostly good, but I think went over the top and was partially gratuitous. IMHO.

MY NOT-SO FAVS
2. Everything in the Windu vs Palpatine scene after Windu forces Palpatine to the floor and Anakin enters the room.
3. Pretty much 90% of the rest of the Emperor's scenes after the above scene.
6. Padme sprinting off the ship at 9mos pregnant.
8. The part where Vader screams "NO!!!" like Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 2. Note that I did like the initial part of the scene where he is told he killed Padme.

Note: I thought the ending, the splitting up of the children, yoda's exile, etc. was very well done to blend with Episode IV. They even had Tarkin in one scene! :B

#2 and 3, I actually thought the Windu battle and death sequence was decent. Could have been better, befitting Windu's power, but not bad. I agree, though, that the Emporer's appearance afterwards seemed rather fake, and some of his ensuing lines and presence wasn't up to par with the character in Episodes V and VI. Up to that point, I was getting an excited feel, seeing him expose more and more of his evil, menacing nature and threatening dialogue, seeing the transition from Palpatine to Sidious. After the Windu battle, though, I thought the character didn't live up to his potential for some parts for the rest of the movie.

I also thought it odd that Padme was running as freely at 9 mo of pregnancy. She could have at least tried to act a little hindered.

Totally agree with #8. I thought the "NO!" scream was a very disappointing end to the whole sequence of the birth of Vader that we've been building up to. You're right--it was just like Toy Story 2, and was quite out of place.

Hey, where was Tarkin? I was actually looking for him, but didn't see him. Are you talking about on the bridge with Vader looking at the Death Star?

[Nick M]

As a whole I would rate the Star Wars saga a :4: out of :5:
Lord of the Rings (as a saga) would get :5: out of :5: with :45: for each film.
If asked to choose one of the two, I would take LOTR in a heartbeat.

As Chris mentioned, I think many people forget that films IV, V, and VI are loaded with humor, and meant to be an action/adventure as well as a drama. Thats why I liked Jar Jar in Episode I, and the R2-D2 comedy throughout them all.

Mainstream America loves it's iPods w/96kbps MP3s, McDonalds Hamburgers, and Reality TV. Even as an American, I'm ashamed to say that most people in our country are very shallow to say the least.

[Chris D]

Mainstream America loves it's iPods w/96kbps MP3s, McDonalds Hamburgers, and Reality TV. Even as an American, I'm ashamed to say that most people in our country are very shallow to say the least.

Yes, I mostly agree, Nick. However, having lived and traveled all over the world, I've found that it's not a problem unique to Americans. To varying degrees, people all over the world invest their time and attention (much less money) in some real crap, whether it's gossip, petty problems, or whatever.

[Nick M]

Oh I'm sure. Just look at Canada, Japan, Western Europe, etc... they're almost, if not as bad as us. I'm sure pretty much any developed country has it's portion of this niche.

Plenty of mindless crap. Its one reason I don't have cable. I could vegetate in front of Food TV for 3-4 hours a day easy!

Instead I try to enrichen my life with that time. Learning to play the guitar, trying new recipes, studying a foreign Language (Spanish), studying for my Private Pilot's License, hiking, discussing topics like this here... :B

To be honest, after about 2 months I didn't even miss it. The only things I watch now are Big Red Sox Games (3-5 a month) in which case I visit my Dads or go to a sportsbar. I hear guys at work and relatives talking about all sorts of dramas and reality shows, and have no idea what they're talking about. "Who wants to marry a quadrapalegic midget" and what not :B

[Sithlord]

I took in my second viewing of Ep3 and I enjoyed it more. The annoying Droid dialogue was quickly ignored and I just went with it and I loved it. It seemed to go alot more quickly the second time and I felt more emotional after it. As I said to my brother, if I don't feel the need to fast forward a movie just to get to the next scene then it's a good movie and with Ep3 I wont be doing that at all unlike the first 2 prequels. I totally agree with the comments made about etiquette in a movie theatre, what has happened to manners?? I'm so sick of people talking and discussing their day or what their going to do after the movie during the movie. My brother and I had a guy sitting behind us last year, and he was constantly pressing his foot into the back of our chairs. My brother turned to him and told him if he didn't stop he would break it. Suffice to say he stopped doing it to him but continued to do it to me. After the 3rd time I had to turn to him and say "that goes for me as well". The guy got off extremely lucky as we were going to go nuts on this guy as he continued to talk throughout the movie until it's end. He was very quick to get out of the theatre before we could do anything. Ok thats my complaining over.

My rating for Ep3 has risen by one star to 4 out of 5. Hopefully the dvd will have extended scenes and may bump it up one more star. We shall wait and see.

[David Meek]

Jeez, I'm really pressed for time right now (daughter's impending graduation and upcoming vacation) so I'll have to come back later for detailed responses.

I'll give Revenge Of The Sith a solid :4: out of :5:. Keep in mind that I'm a big fan of the series - saw EP4 at the theater 12 times and EP5 13. :

[audioqueso]

Wow... I saw the movie last night... that was freakin' cool! Some parts seemed... 'hurried', but the ending was fantastic. I do know one thing, the scene with the 'rolling wheel thing' chase is going to be an excellent workout for all subwoofers.

[Nick M]

Went and saw it again.
I think I can refine my opinion further now.

Ian McDiarmid plays Palpatine great, but drops the ball once he puts on the rubber mask. After closely watching the Windu/Palpatine scene again, I no longer feel like Jackson dropped the ball. Its the overwhelming dissapointment I have in The Emperor that casts a poor shadow on everything. When the Emperor sits quietly, hands folded, he radiates that ultimate sense of evil. The over-exaggerated actions/cackles/screams just ruin it for me (along with the canned-ham mask).

Hayden Christensen has many more dark scenes in this one, and I think he played those parts at an acceptable level. The love-lines at the beginning of the film still make me squeemish though. There is absolutely no chemistry between he and Portman. Overall as an actor I think he sucks. I hate to be harsh, but thats how I see it. Still shook my head with the Buzz Lightyear scream at the end.

With ILM at his disposal, I thought Lucas dropped the ball in a few scenes towards the end, almost as if they were rushed and put out unfinished crap. The section where "Order 66" is given has a scene where a Jedi is being attacked on a bridge. A large machine is blown up behind him and it looks like an effect I could make with 3D Studio Max. The glaring screw-up was with the birth of Luke & Leia. Not only was it poorly scripted and played out, but the CG was horrendous. The infants are clearly CG as they are handed to Obi-wan. The close-up of Anakin's face as the helmet is lowered down is also horrendous.

Along with a few random Obi-Wan lines that had me shaking my head, I also felt the ending was compressed while the beginning was drawn out.

I still loved General Greivous, Yoda, and R2-D2 though... :T
I'm going to stick with my :35: out of :5: rating.

I watched Episode I again too. I dunno, I still think it's spectacular and I thought little Anakin was great. I don't think a Tiny Tim performance would have fit. Anakin came acrross to me as an excited young boy with incredible talents and diarrhea of the mouth. He had a couple misplaced lines ("Yippeee!" and "I had a dream..."), but I see that as Lucas' fault.

I'm the oddball I guess... :B

[Chris D]

No, you're not necessarily wrong, Nick. I also liked Episode I. I think it was a good start to the saga, setting many things where it needed to be. Anakin's innocence and good heart were right on, and the Obi Wan, Qui Gon, and Darth Maul battle was just freakin' SWEET. Man, when Maul lit the 2nd half of his light saber, I just about wet myself.

That being said, there were several weaknesses in the film. (such as the Gungan sub chase scene where TWICE they're about to be bit by a fish monster that's stopped by a bigger fish--really unnecessary) Good movie and I liked it, but the least of the series for me.

[Brandon B]

Chris -

Grievous is shown being a major badass - in the Clone Wars cartoons. The reason he is half pathetic in Ep. III is that in the finale of the cartoon, Windu kicks his ass in a major way, and this is literally about 30 minutes story-time-wise before we see him in the movie. He is still reeling from a major force squeeze that almost crushed his whole upper body.

BB

[i_amadeo]

brandon b ....good to know ....all during the movie i was thinking why is that bad cool general caughing like he just smoked a joint ...i especialy loved the general when he just got his a$$ kicked by the two jedis and he gets off his jet, running, bent over ,coughing i thought he needed air or somthing, i thought he needed to get to some kind of special oxigen machine to get air ...turns out his cool run from the jet was to receive a call from the EMPEROR ....nice directing mr luke i love it when those small things in a movie keeps me thinking ...i especialy loved the little flick of his cape when he got to his call ...the movie is filled with small delights that make it explode ..... an out of this world movie ....i will see it for a third time today ....and probably a final 4th time on friday ...with all the trouble to make it ..and especialy its the final installment it deserves it ....is such a small word ..i am ordered to go

[Chris D]

Good info, B. I had just assumed he was coughing and wheezing due to the man-machine integration that wasn't perfected. (Grievous seems to be a prototype for Vader) But was it due to the story you mentioned?