Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith

So then, Star Wars. There's not really much to say about it that hasn't already been said hundreds of times. Chances are everyone has already made up their minds whether they are going to see this film or not, you either can't wait, or you can't see what all the fuss is about. Personally, I am a big fan of Star Wars and grew up loving the original films. Like many I haven't liked the newer films as much, though of them Episode 3 is by far the best and works better than I thought it would at tying the 6 films together to a complete package. In the future people will watch the films in the order 1-6 and this films neatly bridges the gap between Episodes 2 and 4. Not just in storyline, but in the design and costumes and look of the universe as well. Now for a film where starting out you know how it is going to end, it did a very good job of keeping my interest and keeping me entertained. The opening space battle is one of the most amazing things, visually, I have ever seen in a film and time and time again this film really pushes the bar on special effects. They are everywhere in this film and look amazing, from the various weird and wonderful creatures to the landscapes and planets this film is a visual treat. Yoda is once again CGI but looks much better than Episode 2 and this time around he really gives Gollum a good run for his money. The storyline is dark, very dark in fact and more than any of the other films this actually gets you emotionally, as well as slapping you around with some excellent action sequences. That said this film is let down by how many of these emotional sequences are handled. George Lucas may be able to make a film look amazing, but more often than not his dialogue is poor and dull. This leaves the character often feeling like 2D cut-outs rather than real, living breathing people - a good example of this is Padme, seen as a strong powerful woman in the other films, here relegated to spending most of her time looking out of windows feeling upset or worried. The trouble with this is that often it takes away from what is essentially a tragedy, about a man's decent into evil and the dark side, but somehow it doesn't feel as real or as powerful as it could have done with some more subtle dialogue and acting. It's never a big enough problem to ruin the film, but it does go a way towards making what could have been an amazing film, just great. Oh and there is one moment towards the end that is just mind-blowingly cringe worthy, when you see it you'll know! Other than that the film works on all levels. Apart from the dialogue the acting is improved with Hayden Christenson impressing as Anakin. The plot is neatly woven together and well laid out and, like I said, the film ends strongly setting all the pieces neatly for the other episodes. This is the last Star Wars film we will get at the cinema, the saga is now complete and for that I am sad. However this is a great film to end on, and those that were worried that Lucas would ruin the most important chapter can rest assured that most of the time he nails it perfectly. A fantastically enjoyable and beautiful film that neatly ties up the saga. The best of the prequels, but it is still sadly let down by some poor dialogue that really hampers the emotion that should have been involved.