I finally saw the movie "Revenge of the Sith".
Stop reading now, if you want to avoid spoilers or allowing my opinions to spoil your own viewing.
I was really disappointed by "Phantom Menace" & "Attack of the Clones". These are both examples of movies that I enjoyed to some degree when I left the theater, but found myself disliking more and more as time went on.
"Revenge of the Sith" was the best of the three movie. That isn't saying much though.
Disclaimer: When I talk about a movie, I always disclose if I saw it at a matinee discount or full price. In this case I saw it for free thanks to my employer. There is almost always an inverse proportional relationship to how much I paid and how much I like the movie.
What did I like?
I really liked finally understanding the answer to the mystery of how Anakin turned to the dark side, how he was disfigured and the unmasking of Darth Sidious. Unfortunately, it really wasn't worth the wait.
The special effects were luscious.
I liked the zen buddhist overlay to the force. The concept that the attachment or perhaps unhealthy attachment to things and people was the path to the dark side. This rings true for me and makes more sense than the whole Midichlorian crap story line from the first two movies.
What didn't I like?
Anakin's final turn to the Dark Side and swearing fealty to the Palpatine was too abrupt. While I understand that seeing Palpatine and Mace Windu fight caused Anakin to have to choose his allegiance, his choice wasn't terribly believable since there was so little internal struggle visible in Anakin. There should have been more development leading up to that point. For instance, if he had been dabbling with the Dark Side or had more reasons to feel loyal Palpatine the scene would have made more sense.
The character development and the dialog are all second rate. It would be unfair to cartoons to call the dialog cartoonish. When C3PO has all the best lines you know it isn't very good. Why do I love Natalie Portman in "Garden State" but in this movie she is a pale imitation of a character. I could care less about a number of the major characters: General Grievous, Count Dooku, and Bail Organa for example. They weren't developed enough for me to feel attached to them in any way.
The movie failed to impress me but met expectations as basic summer entertainment. I wish George Lucas would let a good storyteller write and direct any future films.
