Although I may be one of the few people who actually enjoyed the entire PT, especially up to "Attack of the Clones," I was nevertheless completely BLOWN AWAY by "Star Wars Episode III:Revenge of the Sith!!!" From the moment that I saw the trailers for the film, I knew that it was going to be an awesome movie but I was totally unprepared for exactly how awesome, both visually and emotionally, the film would be. "Revenge of the Sith" is largely a satisfying payoff for everything that has been building up from "The Phantom Menace" and, of course, sets the stage for the events of original Star Wars trilogy 19 years later. The music, once again composed by John Williams, is excellent as always and includes the awesome new theme, "Battle of the Heroes," composed for the inevitable and historic lightsaber duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. Although others might disagree, I felt that the acting by the principals in "Revenge of the Sith" was much improved from the previous two prequels, or at least the "bad" acting didn't seem quite as noticeable given the sheer intensity of the multiple fast-paced action sequences in the movie. Natalie Portman's role, was MUCH diminished in this movie, apparently because the directors wanted it to focus mainly on Anakin and his final seemingly irrevocable turn to the dark side (there were some pretty good cut scenes viewable on the DVD regarding Portman's involvement in the beginning phases of the future Rebel Alliance however). I can't say enough good things about Ian McDiarmid and his portrayal of the evil Darth Sidious/Chancellor (turned Emperor) Palpatine in this movie. He was simply OUTSTANDING in his role and Ewan McGregor, as he did in the previous movie, presented as a very believable younger Obi-Wan Kenobi. The movie is certainly one of the darkest and most intense Star Wars movies to date with the possible exception of "The Empire Strikes Back." Although there are some small victories for the "good guys" (Obi-Wan and Yoda survive and save Luke & Leia after they are born), it is the "bad guys" who end up carrying the day in this movie: All of the members of the Jedi High Council except for Yoda and Obi-Wan are systematically killed and the Jedi temple is stormed and its inhabitants, including the "younglings", are mercilessly slaughtered with Anakin leading the attack himself. Finally, the Clone Wars comes to an abrupt end with the deaths of Count Dooku, General Grievous, and the Separatist Leadership Council, only to have the Senate vote Palpatine's Empire into existence. Despite the desperate attempts of Yoda and Obi-wan to take down Darth Sidious/Palpatine and Anakin/Darth Vader, they ultimately succeed only in crippling Anakin/Darth Vader and (barely) escaping with their lives. The movie ends on bittersweet note with Padme giving birth to Luke and Leia only to pass away immediately afterward and Obi-Wan and Yoda make the decision to hide the children and retire into exile to wait for another opportunity to take on the Empire. I don't have any MAJOR criticisms of the film, just a few "nitpicks," that, ultimately, really don't impact the viewing pleasure of the movie for me too much, if at all:



1.) I wish that the writers could have given a more plausible reason for Padme's death. Her supposedly dying of a "broken heart" just seemed silly. I like to think that the she just succumbed to the strain of everything that had happened to her plus Anakin choking her out of rage when he thought she had betrayed him. 2.) I wish that the writers would've left some scenes in the film that hint at the coming rebellion against the Empire like the deleted scene where Padme and the Senators attempt to persuade Palpatine to sign a petition agreeing to give up his emergency powers at the end of the Clone Wars. 3.) I wish that we could've actually SEEN or HEARD Qui-Gon talking to Yoda about his newfound abilities to return as a "ghost" using the force. I don't know if Liam Neeson was unavailable or unwilling to do such a scene but it would've made the scene at the end more interesting/compelling rather than having Yoda simply tell Obi-Wan about it but that's just my "point of view".



Nitpicks aside, "Revenge of the Sith" was, overall, an EXCELLENT film. If you are a Star Wars fan or even a casual moviegoer, I do not expect that you would regret seeing this film. Also, I would recommend reading the excellent novelization of the film by Matthew Stover and the immediate post-"Revenge of the Sith" follow-up story, "Dark Lord:The Rise of Darth Vader" for some additional character development in regards to Anakin/Vader, the rise of the Empire, and the fate of the remaining Jedi. May the force be with you!