Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

While I was still slightly disappointed, I actually enjoyed the first two movies in the series. Episode I set up the story of finding Anakin, how he bonded with Obi-Wan, and set-up the importance of the senate. Episode I was basically a child’s movie. Episode II was a poorly written love story and told the story of how Anakin started to turn toward the dark side. Episode II also set up how the senate’s power shifted. Both are worthy (yet flawed) movies, and they were needed for the story of Anakin’s rise and fall to be told. The story of Episode III has never been a secret, it is the fall of Anakin and transformation to Darth Vader. How this occurs is the true gem of the movie, everything else is window dressing.

I have no plans on revealing any parts of the story in this review. The few things I do reveal are common knowledge like “Anakin becomes Darth Vader”. Some details I have omitted or I chose to be vague in other areas (like the visuals of one planet encountered is an analogy and revealing that could spoil it for some fans.)
My suggestions to non-Star Wars fans is posted at the bottom.

My opinion of how this movie compares with the entire trilogy.
In my opinion I still feel Empire Strikes Back is still the best out of the six. Not because it is dark but because it is better written and better directed (by Irvine Kershner). Empire was a movie that I felt had more substance to it and was more character driven. The flow was better then in any of the others, and it made you think in a different way.  This one just did not have the right amount of flow to it so I rate this as the lowest of the six.

The writing and the story
The writing in this movie was pretty bad, but thankfully there was very little of it in comparison to the other films. Thankfully not much needed to be said in this movie. Everything that needed to be said was stated in episodes I & II.
I feel that movies communicate in 3 major ways; music, dialogue, and visual scenes. I feel this story was best stated visually, through action and backdrops. Lucas did a good job with the visual communication in the movie and the similes he tried to create. The backdrop for some of the scenes created moods for me that communicated information about the overall story (sorry to be so vague, but I do not want to give away the plot. If you see the movie then you’ll know what I mean).
Do not come for the dialogue, it was just awful.

The special effects
The special effects were just plain awesome. Right out of the gate we were experiencing a giant space battle that is almost entirely done in CG. I would guess that 95% of what you see in the whole movie is CG. If for no other reason, go see this movie to check out what Industrial Light & Magic can do in a film. I was very pleased.

The action and stunts
This is an action movie. It isn’t a love story, no plot to set up, no real secrets to reveal, just a lot of action. The Jedi stuntmen really got a workout in this movie (or their CG counterparts, I’m not too sure.)
You will get your fill of light saber duels. All the way from the beginning to the end the light sabers were out and flying killing both Sith and Jedi. My major complaint about the light saber duels, as a whole, was they were not as choreographed as well as I would have liked. Many of the duels seemed to be repeats with different characters instead. The Jedi powers were underused in this movie (maybe I’m being overly critical but that was what I was looking for in this movie.) I think the best Light saber choreography occurred in episode I at the end of that movie and nothing came close to that duel in this movie.
The exception to that was that two major duels had greater use of special effects and the light saber choreography was not as important as the other action (I’m not saying which ones because I refuse to even hint at a spoiler).

Costumes, make-up
This also was beautifully done. Nothing seemed out of place and everything complimented the movie. Even the make-up transformations of the two key bad guys were appropriate and not overly done like I expected. Even the Wookies looked unique (the non-CG ones), as well as the other live action aliens.

The Star Wars Sound and music
It is there in all its glory. It was not distracting, rather the sound and music complimented the movie. Probably the strongest part of the series.
The biggest compliment I can give to John Williams and the sound department is by saying that I did not notice the sound effects and music for much of the movie. You guys did a good job.

The camera work
I felt the camera work was a bit fast for my tastes. It felt more like it was edited for a sitcom then a feature length film. You had scene after scene flashed at you at a fairly fast clip for much of the film. I kept feeling as if I was missing some of the action of the film because the camera angle was switching so much. Except for the dialogue, this was my biggest gripe.

PG-13
This is not for young children. You will see gruesome things done to a body and see children being harmed. A couple parts turned my stomach. Lucas did not hold back and that was a good decision.

The key actors
Star Wars movies are not known for their acting and never will be. This movie was no exception. But here is my opinion on the individual performances.
Ewan McGregor- Kept the character consistent from the last movie. He is the main anchor for the film and does a good job of keeping faithful to his character.
Hayden Christensen- I would rate him at an average performance. His true acting skills do not come out in this film. But what he does is priceless, he makes us both sympathize and hate his character at the same time.
Natalie Portman- Very disappointing performance. See seemed too whiney and helpless in this movie. She only had passion in one scene but the rest of her appearances are forgettable. I am sure she is glad to get this off her shoulders. She is a better actress than what I saw this morning.
Ian McDiarmid- He did a remarkable job in his role. He actually played three characters types and made each type very believable. If he were not as good an actor as he is then this movie would never have been believable.
Samuel L. Jackson- He’s just in this movie for fun, not to show his acting potential. So his performance sucked as usual, but I am still glad he was in the movies. He added something special to the series.
Christopher Lee- Same quality as the previous movie, just shorter.
Anthony Daniels- nothing special here (C3PO).
Kenny Baker- Same as C3PO, not sure what was his work and what was CG.
Peter Mayhew- He nailed chewie’s mannerisms perfectly without missing a beat. Didn’t seem like it had been 20 years since he wore the suit.
Frank Oz- I felt that they lost something in the last movie when they went with a CG yoda. I really felt it was even more lost in this movie. Maybe it was just me, but I just did not think Frank did a good job on the voice, but I just do not know why. If nothing else we can blame it on the writing.

Overall the acting was not bad…for a Star Wars flick that is. An academy award performance it is not.

The Star Wars Conspiracy Theories?
As far as I am concerned about what the press has been saying in regards to this movie, I think it is just the media trying to create news. I see no hidden message, no commentaries about Bush taking over the world, just a story that can be easily analogized to many things in history.
This type of accusation happened to the books called “The Lord of the Rings” when they were published and they accused that story of being a story of WWII. A co-worker of mine told me that the Wizard of Oz also had a similar accusation placed on it when it was released.
My opinion is that all great stories (or movies) can be easily analogized to what is going on in the real world.

My recommendation for Star Wars Fans
What? You weren’t at the midnight showing? What type of fan are you? j/k.
If you have seen the first two movies then you have to see this movie. If you are a fan then you probably already have tickets for this weekend.
I would like to see the movie again in the theatre but it’s not worth paying a sitter just to see it a second time. So I guess I’ll have to wait until fall.

My recommendation for Non-Star Wars Fans, the casual movie viewer
Go rent the first and second movies if you have not seen them. I feel they are really necessary to fully appreciate this movie. The first and second episodes tell the story of Anakin Skywalker and help explain why he acts the way that he does in this movie (just don’t have really high expectations for these movies, especially in the writing.)
And in about 2 weeks, when the freaks have finally taken their showers and gone home, go to the theatres and see this movie without the crowd. It is a worthwhile action movie that compliments a great series of movies. I can’t see how you will be disappointed if you take all 6 movies as a whole.
If all you want to see is a good action movie this weekend then I still recommend seeing “Revenge of the Sith” even if you haven’t seen the other episodes. You will miss some minor plot points but you will see an enjoyable action flick.
If you do not want an action movie then you better skip it because that is pretty much all it is to a non-fan.

Summary
Definitely the best out of the first 3 episodes and a must see movie for any Star Wars fan. While not as good as “A New Hope” or “Empire Strikes Back”, I do feel it is better than “Return of the Jedi”. This is a movie that is action driven and conflict oriented. Definitely not for the faint of heart or young children (but nowhere close to an R rating.) The writing is poor and some of the acting is painful, which is typical for this series of movies. Some of the choreography is disappointing, but the special effects are awesome and worth the price of admission alone. A much needed piece of the puzzle that we have been wanting for the past 22 years.

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Recommended: Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older