a movie critic, i ain't

but, by request of one Killa J, i shall attempt to offer my opinion of the highly anticipated Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
I have to preface this whole thing by saying that ALL i wanted from this movie was for it NOT to suck. That's it. just non-suckage. Anything above and beyond that would be incredible, certainly inconceivable, based on the two other 'prequels' that have maimed an otherwise majestic sci-fi universe.
The opening sequences are very quick-paced... giving you little time to reflect on the grand scale of the events taking place. Beautiful effects shots, courtesy of ILM. Obiwan (MacGregor) and Anakin (Christensen) almost have decent dialogue... but still nowhere near the quality of Han Solo and Mark Hamill... and we all know what kind of actor Hamill is, so let that statement sink in. Nevertheless, the performances during the first 30 minutes are not as rigid as the previous episodes.
There is a decent balance of action sequences and dialogue, and you feel adequately swept up in the movement of the universe. Palpatine gives a wonderful performance... that guy is always great. the whole shift to scarred-up face is a little too... convenient... and not very evocative.



SPOILERS AHEAD: if you want the scenes i talk about to have their full effect, don't read farther if you haven't seen the movie.



Regarding that whole scene... having Windu's hands cut off was unexpected, and nice in that way. The whole decision-to-go-dark sequence just didn't have enough weight. Especially when Anakin eventually kneels down in submission... i was just hoping for something deeper.
Thankfully i didn't have to wait too long.
One of my favorite scenes in the whole movie... the room full of little kids, and the one little boy pops out and says "what are we going to do, Master Anakin?" and then Anakin turns on his freaking lightsaber and shuts the door. Wow.
Watching all the Jedi die was pretty harsh... props to John Williams' score for sufficiently completing the mood of sadness and darkness during these scenes.
Now, i read about a certain director crying at a screening of this movie... so i think i was secretly hoping i'd get that emotional as well, which is why i don't trust my next comment since i almost cried..
Anakin and Padme's encounter on the lava planet... i think Natalie remembered how to ACT! And when Obi-wan conveniently steps into the doorway of the ship.. Anakin's response is pretty believable... and when he chokes Padme, i finally felt like the character had turned. It was a very satisfying scene to me, because it gives irrefutable evidence to the viewer that you can finally NOT like Darth Vader. up until this point, even killing the kiddies, you can't really decide if you should be mad at him yet. Choking his bia is definitely reason not to like him.
unless you're a pimp like wayne brady.
but anyways... the lava planet fight scene is pretty creative... though i felt like it grasped a little TOO much in its scope
the last 15 minutes of the movie feel like a rush... partly because the viewer is still thinking about Anakin's fall on the lava planet, and the elaborate fight between Yoda and the Emperor.
i REALLY liked the choice to show the two scenes of "death" by cutting back and forth... very powerful when shown that way.
still not intellectually satisfied with the choice to send Luke to Tatooine, but i understand its mythical, Greek-tragedy connection and i can't really argue with the poetry of it.

ultimate conclusions (until i see it a few more times): i was pleased. i was moved. it's definitely brooding, and purposefully dark. breathtaking effects. adequate dramatic performances for the genre. most questions answered. a few lingering questions, but nothing that isn't suited for the imagination anyway.
The Empire Strikes Back is still my favorite.