All of the positive reviews that I have read keep repeating the same statement, "Its the best of the prequels". This statement may be correct, it still does not count as a positive aspect of the film because, it is almost the definition of dampening a film with false praise. Revenge of the Sith has some enjoyable scenes for sure, it also contains; a platitude of monotonous scenes, bad pacing, piss-poor acting, and some of the worst dialogue of the entire prequel trilogy. It can be so disastrous at times its laughable "NOOOOOO!". For the people who liked the previous films you'll like this, however the only positive aspect of the film that comes to mind is the fact that it finally ends the prequel trilogy.… Expand

If I could spit in this text box instead of writing anything, I would.

This film sucks more than a $10 showgirl with no teeth. Obi Wan has a ridiculous beard, the actors always show slight bluescreen bewilderment, and massive space battles are about as impressive now as a playstation intro. This is less of a film than a two hour infomercial for Star Wars merchandise. Watch it on video if you really have to, and leave the cinema to the spotty goth sci-fi obsessives who refuse to grow up.… Expand

After writing a huge rant here I've chose to delete it all and replace it with something that is decent, relevent, amusing and that neatly sums everything up (Lucas take note) We watched the first 3 films. We cared about a mysterious force without explanation. We enjoyed hating Darth Vaders weezing. Harrison Ford was cool. We all wanted Liea in THAT bikini. We all wanted to own a light sabre. We all thought the cute fluffy things we're cute and fluffy. We watched 3 more films. We didn't care about some fandangled unexplainable force. We all hated General Grievousnesses wheezing. Harrison Ford didn't continue his decade long trend of appearing in bad films. We all wanted Padme to slap Hannakin. We all got a light sabre for christmas. We all thought the clumsy, jokey characters were clumsy and jokey. But that's not why this film is bad. It's the final fight scene of the final Star Wars film. Good vs Evil, we've watched 6 films just to see how one of our favourite film baddies turns from a whimsical, indecisive, unemotional freak into an all powerful, unforgiving yet emotional freak. And what do we get? Handbags at dawn....... "You're evil" "No! You're evil!" "Well you're eviler!" "Well you're evilererer!!!" We then realise that all along we actually know all the story and that we're watching a pointless cash-in. Still our light sabers and all that merchandise was pretty cool huh?… Expand

As a fan of the first trilogy, I'm still forced to call this episode the 'best' of the second trilogy. Which doesn't help it much. A feeble attempt to 'bring things full circle ("The circle is now complete."???). Even the special effects seem hokey compared to the original 3 films. The only good thing I can say about this is that it's the last film in this set.

When I was 7, I went to see the first Star Wars with my parents. From the moment the Imperial Cruiser came on the screen to the time when the Death Star blew up, I was engrossed in an adventure like none I'd ever seen. I cared for and liked the characters ... the story was interesting ... and everyone in the theater felt like they were passengers on a ride through the galaxy. These feelings continued until the end of "Return of the Jedi," and even though the acting wasn't Oscar-quality, the actors seemed to have a chemistry together and you could relate to their characters. But now ... well, Lucas has thrown all that away to show off his love for special effects. He somehow, somewhere, lost the knowledge that it was the story, not the effects, that drew in people to the series. It was characters we cared about that made us want to see how it all ended. He has now given us a steaming pile of crap that is focused more on the look, rather than the feel, of the film. He seems more interested in merchandising opportunities than telling a great story. I ssooooooo wanted to like this movie, but felt insulted, saddened and, strangely, abandoned … Expand

Terrible. Chalkly dialogue; uninpsired acting; cartoonish special effects; fails to invoke any feeling. As a movie Episode III stands as a failure. As a series, the prequels succeed in nothing save some over the top effects. Why fight on a lava planet, with explosions, on friggin hoverboards with robots flying everywhere and rocky lava pouring down and imminent danger at every step...why not just fight a lightsaber duel in a simple room? WHY! Why the stupid, cartoonish chase scenes, great we know what CGI is capable of and frankly I dont care...The chase with Obi-wan and general greivous is freakin terrible. No suspense, I feel like I am watching the opening to a video game. Anakin - so he betrayed the republic, his friends, massacred children and comrades, and embraced a sketchy evil guy all because he THOUGHT that his wife might die? This guy is an idiot - and all he does is whine. I am sorry as a movie lover I am disapPointed as this is a poor film in every repect of the word (and I like cheese too if its done right - Judge Dredd is great) as a star wars fan this is a disgrace. D… Expand

Massively disappointing. What else can I say but don't believe the hype, and walk in expected one of the best movies ever, or even one of the best Star Wars movies ever. It's just another prequel, with some flashy action sequences, but the same lack of magic and paper thin characters and crappy dialogue as the last two. Maybe this one is even worse, because this is the one that was supposed to span the gap and make the first two mediocre films suddenly worthwhile, it doesn't. In either case. Probably the emptiest film I've seen this year, and certainly the most disappointing one. And again, on the hype, don't swallow it. All that early "it's so cool, this is the best Star Wars film yet!" commentary ultimately rings just as false as the self same pre-release hype and positive early word did the last two times around.… Expand

What film are all these lovers seeing, or are they just so Star Wars obsessed that they can't, or won't, see the painful and obvious faults in this (and previous) prequels. It's a bad film, there's no other word for it, it's just a bad film. Wish it wasn't, but it is, and unlike some fans I won't pretend otherwise or blind myself to that fact.

All flash, no feeling.

What a piece of *&^@! I love Star Wars. I saw Star Wars at the Chinese theater in '77 with my dad on a Saturday afternoon and it was a life altering experience. This, on the other hand, is junk. Utter garbage. The story is thin, the dialog awful, the directing pitiful. Lucas needs to learn that he should neither write nor direct. Period. Empire was brilliant for the simple reason that he did neither. I wanted this movie to be better than it was, honest. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Don't buy into the hype. There is ZERO depth. All flash, no substance.… Expand

An over reliance on digital effects, poor acting and unconvincing plot leave meant this left me cold. The best thing i can say is that it's all over now - no more disappointments to endure, thanks George!

Something about watching Revenge of the Sith was one of the most acutely frustrating experiences I have ever had. At what point did George Lucas decide that it was all right to use the dialogue worse than that in High School Plays and Freddie Prinze Jr. movies? It was definitely better than the Clones and Menace, but the terrible cheese and overall misery of every scene with Padme (sp?) and most of those with Yoda make you wonder why he just couldn't hire a few mediocre writers to make the language a BIT more palatable.… Expand

Mostly boring, it just drags on for about the first 75 minutes before it got interesting enough for me to wake up from my near sleep. Way too far to stretch to make much of this believable - maybe I'm above the intelligence level that this episode was aimed at. The conversion of Anikin to the Dark side was far too abrupt and lost all of its

[***SPOILERS***] What could have been great, will now go down in the annals of movie history as a flaming ball of half-assed crap, mainly because Lucas can not seem to write worth shit anymore, if he ever could. I swear a fifteen year-old fanficcer could write a better plot, better dialogue and more engaging action (and probably has) than anything I saw in the three playset-ready prequels Lucas shat out on the public at large. What exactly was the 'Revenge' in Revenge of the Sith? I'm not seeing it. Where is the promised revenge? Who exactly was the vengeful Sith? Anakin just came off as power-hungry(and a bit crazy), not vengeful. Palpatine was the same. So what was the revenge thing all about? And when did Padme turn into an idiot? She's supposed to be a powerful, savvy politician not a lovelorn wallflower. Anyone who has the guts to where that mini-dress she was wearing at the end while that pregnant, has got to have a little more spark to her! I just can't see her sitting back and watching all of this transpiring and accepting it. (Cry, another strong heroine destroyed.) And why did the Jedi Council completely blow off that the rediculously powerful Anakin was obviously emotionally agitated, something that no competent Jedi should be? (Not to mention boning his cookie on the side.) If I had been Yoda, I would have demoted him to paduan and spanked him with a lightsaber way before he got all snippy and glowery. And WTF with the dialogue? I mean Lucas has never been a great writer, but little to none of the lines had any of the creativity or fun or flair of the original trilogy. I guess I just wish some of these actors (who I know can do better) would have tried to deliver their spoon-fed plot blocks of spew with a little more personality. It's really bad when all the droids and aliens combined have more personality than the human actors! And dude what was with all the Spielbergian close ups? I felt like I was watching one of Stevo's 'eyes staring' vehicles. I really wonder if Lucas totally cracked in the making of this one and had to have Spielberg finish it for him. Honestly there was so much plot information in the very plain, servicable dialogue, that it made everything seem very rushed. I think Lucas could have made movies 1 and 2 about the rise of the rebellion, and Anakin's rise to power in the Republic and his need to maintain that power, not about Anakin's childhood. I read somewhere that a whole subplot about Padme helping start the rebellion behind Anakin's back was completely discarded. Now there I can see the betrayal, there I can see a need for revenge! Why did it have to turn into "Oh no she might die like my mommy, must learn special Dark Side power lost for thousands of years in a week". As far as I can tell, Anakin was already well on his way to the dark side before he learned that Padme was going to die, he just needed a little push from the Emperor to go against the Jedi Council, who were apparently living with their heads in their rectums that he was not a happy little force-wielder. Honestly, I didn't think that Hayden Christanson actually started acting as a character and not himself until the last third of the movie. But then I didn't really care about his fall from grace because I had never liked him much in the first place, except as a piece of eye-candy. This is probably what pisses me off the most. If I had been able to actually care about Anakin, I would have found this movie very moving, his transformation fascinating, but instead I didn't and when they finally put the helmet on him I just felt kind of empty and cheated and wishing Han Solo would come along and make it all better. That said the action sequences were fantastic, as expected, loved the fight against Dooku, loved the old-time horror/sci-fi homages (Frankenstein anyone?), loved the alternating lightsaber duels between Yoda and Palpatine and Obi-wan and Anakin, all the ship to ship stuff, and of course Obi-wan and his big balls taking on the universe. This movie could have been completely about Obi-wan and I would have been happy, but then again I am an Obi-wan shipper (though that lizard he was riding was obviously designed to be a toy, grrr). Anakin killing the Jedi-trainee children was a nice touch (younglings? wtf? just call them children!). Did you see some of those planets as they were killing off the Jedi on, couldn't they have gone more indepth into some of those characters? Jeez and I would have liked to see Boba Fett at some freaking point! And I definitely could have gone for more Wookie action. Vent vent vent vent... Sigh. I know writing isn't easy, but crimeny, I kept wanting to rewrite the dialogue as they were saying it thinking I (not the greatest writer in the world) could do better! Or maybe that was it, the movie seemed more like they were people reading lines off of big cards, not like they were characters who would actually say the things they said. Oh well, with any luck Serenity will be really good, and there will be a slew of well-written spin-offs from the relatively reliable Joss Whedon who actually seems to listen to his fans(although almost anything would seem fantastic set next to the crap that Lucas has put out again).… Expand

What Craig A said, but I'll give it a 1 out of pity. What a shocker, all I can say is... NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Where is Mel Brooks when we need him? O Plain Yogurt, save us from the revenge of this thing! It looks like Fred Sanford's cyber junk yard was set in outer space and a B movie broke out. But that's not really fair to B movies because most of them are bad in a campy sort of way. This pretext for a Burger King marketing campaign is a disaster. Do your self a favor and find a movie with laughter, drama, action, or mystery. You'll need some kind of force to thith through this dud.… Expand

Just a long string of saber fight after saber fight. Generally, I like it when movies actually have a STORY!!!! Shame on you Lucas...

I was totally let down by this movie. I've waited too long for this trash movie to be this bad. I had high expectations for this film and that's my fault. They were too high apparently, since after viewing star wars 3, I'm disgusted. First, I feel that I must add that I like the star wars story, as a whole. I got myself ready for this movie. I read all the comics & saw the clone wars cartoons. So, I was ready. The movie starts off great. Nice sound, nice visuals, lots of action. I'm feeling, "things are good". For the most part, things stay good, only if you don't notice the details. In my opinion, it's the attention to details that make star wars such a great story. Lucas is not consistent with the "big" details. I really can't explain without ruining the movie. I'm upset that other writers, people that worked on the comics & cartoons, put in a lot of work to make great stories for the build up to this movie, only for the movie to mess things up! A lot of the acting is laughable, the Grievous battle was a joke, Anakin is evil at the blink of an eye, and the "higher ground" law didn't apply in episode one. I think this movie is Hollywood trash and not good enough to give it anything near a ten. I wanted more and I'm pissed that I didn't get it. This is a mainstream movie, so the regular people will love it. But, for those of us who remember the original movies, read the comics & novels, and saw the clone wars cartoon, this movie is the third worst star wars movie.… Expand

Whereas the original three films had a cheeky sense of ceomedic bravado that had you whooping in your seat for th hero, the three prequels are more like three Trekkies sitting up late at night dicussing the finer points of a Lithium Drive over Warp Speed - in other words, these films just take themselves way to seriously to be taken seriously. High Camp Performances all round. Sith reminds me of another 4 letter word with using the same four letters - in other words, its CRAP.… Expand

If anyone thinks they should listen to a word Lucas says, I dare any fan to watch the episodes in order I through VI (as Lucas says he intended all along). The plot holes will be large enough to drive an entire deathstar through.

How did George Lucas think he could get away with this, and - more importantly - how did he get away with this?

Just got back from seeing this, and, wow, don't know where all this early good word is coming from frankly because this is every bit as mediocre as the last two, and the new and unimproved SE's for that matter. It has it's moments, but they are too few and far between, and it just has no heart to it underneath all the flash. If you like the last two you'll like this as well, but me I was quite disappointed overall.… Expand

Just got back from this, and while I'm sure the videogame A.D.D. generation will love it for all the shiny fx work and visual bells and whistles, to me this was about as emotionally involving as watching a two hour plus video game cut scene. So much effort has been made on the (very cgi looking) visual flash that it seems like they spared no time or effort at all to focus on the story side of the film. I'm sure it'll make a great demo disc for a home theatre when it hits dvd, but as an actual film, sadly, it's a dud. Was for me anyhow.… Expand

Just saw this with a bunch of friends, I probably liked it best out of the four of us, but even I thought it was a little 'weak' overall. I guess it was okayish, but I don't think I'd want to see it again. :)

Dud dud dud dud DUD!

Star Wars Revenge Of The Sith mediocrity be thy name.

Hilariously ham fisted final installment. it'd be almost funny if it wasn't so monumentally disappointing. what a waste.

The fanatics and the blind faithful are sure to embrace it and forgive it it's many flaws, everyone else is just likely to come away kind of let down by the whole thing, as was I. Not terrible, but not really all that notable either.

Public Enemy once said 'Don't Believe The Hype', I just wish I had listened. You got me again George. And while old Georgie boy doesn't seem all that much of a film maker these days, you've got to give him one thing, he's a hell of a marketeer. It's just a shame about the film.

Not just a poor film, a poor Star Wars film.

Well, it's watchable. I guess.

Like many, I remember being astonished by the complexity and grandeur of Star Wars. After seeing this film, though, all I can wonder is how much good George Lucas could have done for humanity if he would have invested the material resources he put into these three stinkbombs in schools, medical research and poverty relief. It's said you can never go back home. Please stop trying, Mr. Lucas.

What a turkey, gobble gobble...

This movie goes from embarrassed for actors, to embarrassed for Lucas, then embarrassed for self. I feel like I just had my house robbed. I swear I felt dirty when it was over. First thing I did when I came home was clean the kitchen. I grew up with this stuff and now I'm left with, "I guess I'll give it a 2 for rendering"! ... Cough, ugh... I think I'm gonna be grievous... blaaaaah.… Expand

The epitome of average, empty headed almost-entertainment.

Just got back...*sigh*...that's really my only response. Totally JAP (Just Another Prequel).

Another empty-headed fx ride. Has moments of (visual) excellence, but little else really. And any of those defensives who keep trying to defend the prequels lack of quality in terms of story, acting and character, by attacking the originals clearly miss the point. The originals *did* have quality acting, they had character, and class, and a true sense of fun and adventure, we *cared* about these characters, and were enraptured by their thrilling (not fake or forced) adventures. If we didn't not only would they never had been the successes that they were, but they never would have endured. These new ones won't endure, once the FX buzz wears off there's just nothing underneath in these recent efforts. The originals may not be flawless (yes there's dodgy dialogue here and there, but the actors make it work, and make us believe and go with it), but they work, they're fun, the characters work and connect with audiences, the adventure is thrilling, and everything comes together. They are classics, and deservedly so. The new ones are just empty fx fests, with lots of technical expertise, but no heart, they don't connect or truly thrill at all. The characters don't connect or mean anything, the plots drag, the fun and true sense of adventure is missing. It's hollow, it's Star Wars lite. Lucas spends so much time on the technical that the real important stuff, the character, the plot, the *fun*, is sorely lacking. I'd love to love the new films, but they have no heart, they just don't sweep me up, they're flat. Shiny, but flat. And this latest installment, which once again I really hoped against hope would break the cycle, or at least deliver one final fun ride, fell flat yet again. Back to the original trilogy to me.… Expand

Ended, these prequels, have. And Thank God! Yet another missed opportunity and massive disappointment from Mr Lucas. Die hards will love it (of course), every one else...

Makes the last two films better my a$$, doesn't even manage to make this one better. So bad I feel ripped off and like I've been lied to. In fact so bad, it actually made me angry, and I never have that kind of response to even the most disappointing of films usually.

Way 2 over hyped, the acting was some of the worst and most bland i have ever seen.

What a let down.

One of the funniest films of the year. Too bad it wasn't supposed to be a comedy.

Honestly, if the movie wasn't a Star Wars movie there would be NO rating higher than a 5 here. It was terrible.

A truly boring piece of crap. Two amateurish and wooden male leads, talk, talk, talk, lousy editing, an inability to build tension. Best thing: when a monster space ship crash lands in the beginning of the film. That's about 30 seconds, so they owe $10.25!

Astonishingly bad. For all the attention lavished on CG backgrounds, Lucas once again neglected to show the audience a decent story. The acting was stiff, but that again goes back to Lucas' penchant for using only one take and not "wasting time" on rehearsal. The dialogue was excrutiatingly bad. "Obi Wan thinks you're under a lot of stress." ??? That kind of stuff wouldn't fly in a Jimmy Neutron cartoon. Were the motivations adequate to turn Anakin into Vader? Arguably, but Lucas again goes for the grand (and not properly motivated) leap instead of building to the change with effective dramatization. The scenes with Palpatine seducing Anakin to the Dark Side were what redeemed this movie. But then the movie had him moving to close the deal much too quickly, much too obviously. There's nothing wrong here that couldn't have been fixed by a competent screenwriter crafting better scenes to communicate the emotional content, and writing dialogue that couldn't be delivered convincingly by even Laurence Olivier.… Expand

Wow, that was a pile of sith.

Marginally better than Episodes 1 & 2. My wife (a true SW geek) and I laughed out loud at the stiff, lame dialogue and the horrendous acting. Hayden Christensen has precisely one facial expression, used hundreds of times. The story contradicts numerous elements of the original trilogy (i.e., how could Leia have remembered her mother?), which left us furious. At least there was a bit more action and a bit less political gobbledygook than in the previous two movies.… Expand

It must be Americans who are pushing the score for this movie up, because I watched it in a UK cinema and people were actually laughing at the film at several points. Granted there are some good bits, but on the whole this is a really badly written film that relies almost totally on its CGI (which isnt all that great in parts). Its the best of the new SW films, but just has none of the charm or magic of the originals, and once the people who gave this film 9 or 10 ratings calm down from the CG-induced trip that they're on, they'll realise that.… Collapse

This was a major disappointment. The number of inconsistencies within the Star Wars universe skyrockets again, as this movie is a series of artificially and forcefully strung together events. That wouldn't be so bad if the dialogues weren't even more artificial than the scenario. Some say bad acting, I say you can't deliver these terrible lines with any credibility, no matter what your acting skills.… Expand

It all felt less like a movie and more like I was watching a friend playing an elaborate video game. Glad this is finally over. There's definitely a faster pace and more action than the other prequels. But nothing can save it from Lucas' wooden writing and direction. Some of the scenes play more like a parody of itself than anything else. And when Vader is 'born'. Man, that was the most non-scary scene I have ever seen. There is some disturbing images while the robots attach his prosthetic legs. But the overacting is jaw dropping. I burst out laughing immediately. And Yoda? Man, if you think his backwards talk was funny back in the other prequels you're get sick of this guy in this film. Back in Empire Strikes Back, at least his dialogue made sense. And it wasn't too schmaltzy. But now, I can't believe it.… Expand

Tedious. Very Important Jedi went here, then they went there, and then they talked a lot and killed things that weren't human (so that's ok). Gaaah. Special effects were good... although watching commuter traffic at 2,00ft gets a little boring after an hour or so. And listening to the music was like being trapped in a lift. The one saving grace is that it's the last in this grinding series.… Expand

Unless you're a Star Wars weirdo you should see right through all of the special effects to find a truly horrible movie. The dialog should push this movie into the comedy category and out of Sci-Fi Action. I actually laughed out loud during some of the

Episode III - Its bleedin' awful. I'll never be able to look Darth Vader in the face without sniggering and thinking of him stumbling about, Frankenstein-like and unconvincingly crying "NOOOOOOOOO!" at the heavens. Damn you George Lucas! Damn you to hell with all your CGI puppetry, your dialogue that sounds like its been written by a committee and your glaring plot inconsistencies! Best of the three? Not on your life. I was bored before the opening "action" sequence had ended. The first 1.5 hours dragged interminably and i was left writhing and groaning at how hokey the script was, how annoying c-3p0 was, how appalling Yoda's grammar became as he was given longer and longer speeches to make, how r2-d2's rocket boosters have disappeared in between III and IV, how they obviously gave Darth some shoe lifts when they rebuilt him since he's gained a few inches on the emperor, at how the final battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin takes place on a volcanic planet because Lucas probably saw Return of the King and thought it looked good, at how awful the senator/emperor transformation was, and finally... at how Anakin's "fall" into the Dark Side seemed more like a running jump from a high cliff. He went from wanting to arrest the emperor for crimes against humanity to murdering Jedi children ("younglings!" Gahhhh!) within minutes. Awful, awful awful. How the hell did it get the best reviews of the three?… Expand

An improvement? yes, but lucas is a fool. some very cool "gimicy" scenes but some terrible decisions. the story is excellent and a much better film could have been made. it was relieving it wasn't aweful but still it was dissapointing. i feel sorry for Star Wars fans, it just should have been left alone, but i suppose once again there was money to be made.

I'm not a die hard fan, but I do feel truly sorry for them. I just read through all of the bad reviews and they all superbly hit the nail on the head. It does in fact suck in every way they mention. It can be given props for being DIFFERENT visually than anything we've see, but those CGI visuals will never replace old-school filmaking for me. No matter what, I can't manage to suspend my disbelief in that world and forget that I'm in a theater and just get lost in the movie. For me, the very spectacle of how cool it looks at times is it's own downfall because if my brain is too bored by the dialogue/acting/yet another no dramatic tension light saber duel that I am looking out into the horizon of the "world" and thinking about the cool smoke stacks in the distance --what good is that? I can't believe that the megolithic box office money of this could mean that video games could take over our movies--because it will always be about money. If it makes money, it will be back in many incarnations. Sad. The first Star Wars saga had so much character and fun (accidentally, I guess) and now power and money have once again spoiled that beautiful thing that happens by serendipity and bonds us all. Sigh. I know it's hard to live up to something that so blew the lid off of our movie going experience...but I just wish it could have. I wish Lucas had truly understood what it was about Star Wars that people responded to the first go around-- instead of trying to up the ante on his special effects the whole time as if that's all it was ever about. The CGI is cool and all, at first, but it's like when you smell a flower. If you keep smelling it, eventually you won't be able to smell the sweetness anymore because you're nose has processed the information and is used to it. Same thing here, after the first few minutes, it just becomes a backdrop....and unfortunately the movie itself is so lacking in other areas that it all eventually falls flat. It is true that the character of Vader has been forever tarnished and ruined. I see no connection whatsoever to the character that was created in the 70's to the one on display here. I think it would be better to truly seperate the two threesomes into completely different sagas all together and pretend they have no connection--they would both seem better for it. And how can a film that was trying so hard to give answers to how it all came about that it even throws in a mind wash for 3PO to explain why he's always harping at R2d2 when he knows something 3po doesn't --how does that same movie have the many glaring plot holes like Obi not knowing about Leah later in the franchise? After obligatorily going to see Phatom and Clones in the theater (only to keep up with everyone and not be left out--just to see what happens to the franchise I did enjoy in the 70's) I have not once seen them again. I feel no need to. Once again, the same is true here. Sad. But still, thank you Lucas for the first three and for trying to make them all good movies. I know you did your best and wanted them to be everything to everybody. No one can ever take away all your props. You'll forever own you're successes-- and unfortunately, your failures, too.… Expand

While I'm a fan of the original 3, I could not like this movie, even if I tried. Rather than list my reasons, I could cite the theater's audible groans and laugher--especially during the 'Darth Vaderstein' scene. It's a sad thing to witness the destruction of what was an engaging myth.

At last, it's over. Will George Lucas please retire from the movie industry now? However brilliant the original Star Wars (episode IV, I mean) was, it ruined cinema for ever. No longer could big hollywood numbers have ambiguous endings (or characters, or plots or anything): and the practice of 360 degree marketing/merchandising (which Lucas popularised) has irreversibly damaged the toy industry, and kids imaginations everwhere. So we can forgive him for this utterly worthless diversion, appallingly scripted ('they have killed all the younglings'....paleease) and acted (Ewan Macgregor should have stayed in bed: his character in Trainspotting sounded more like Alec Guiness) though it is.… Expand

A total and utter mess! what i don't understand is that anyone can say they hated episodes i & ii but LOVE episode iii...what gives? it's the same old garbage! bad acting, HORRIBLE script and video game special fx...i'm sorry but i don't get it.

I give this movie three points just for being visually spectacular. Other than that, it sucked. Flat, boring characters that you don't care about; dialog so bad it made me cringe, hokey staged fights -- it's bad folks. The worst crime is that it had the potential to be a truly great story about real human issues. How are war and fear manipulated to stampede people into giving up democracy? How does a man raised to protect the weak end up becoming a mass murderer? That potential was squandered by the over-rated pseudo-intellectual George Lucas. Well, at least there was blessedly little Jar-Jar Binks.… Expand

I think I'd rather watch cut scenes from a video game. This was atrocious, the plot and especially acting. How bad is Anakin's final 'nooooo!' when he transforms into vader? I just pretend the whole I, II and III triology never happened.

It will take some mental exercises to erase this from my memory, but I think I might be able to like IV, V and VI again someday...as long as I can disassociate them from the prequels. Good...god.

The rating I gave this movie represents the amount of effort Lucas actually put into the prequels.

I thought both of the lead actors were wimps. The acting over all is poor. The actors do not make you care about them or what they are doing. I was very dissappointed with this movie.

One of the biggest disappointments of my movie going life. Once again, like a fool, I swallowed the hype, believed all the early "this time he got it right" reviews, and once again I walked away with a profound feeling of disappointment, only even more so as this was Lucas' last chance to really nail it, and give us all one last, great Star Wars adventure. He didn't. I take no joy in that fact either, and while I'm sure all those folks who love Phantom Menace will love this too, those with a little more, shall we say objectivity in their tastes, and who aren't blinded by the odd cool action set piece, will all too likely find this yet another largely soulless prequel experience. I really, really wish I could say it was great, or at least say it was better, but it's just not. There are moments, but moments mean very little if they're not connected by a good story, well told, and bound in characters we care about given genuine onscreen life by actors who give a damn, and once again for the most part it's a big miss on all counts. This is *the* prequel that I really hoped and prayed that Lucas would get right, but, alas, I hate to say it, but it's three strikes. But don't listen to me, judge for yourself, just adjust those expectations going in first, either way it'll serve you better in the long run...… Expand

To quote Dan R (below), the "only problems were the acting and the script." But those are pretty substantial problems, if you ask me. The series has always been plagued by Lucas' hammy writing, lame dialogue and 2-dimensional philosophy, but that seems excusable for the 70s and 80s in a way it just isn't now. Eye candy bumps my score up a bit but overall this was disappointingly hollow.

I have been a long time Star Wars fan for many years, I am wondering what movie people are seeing for Episode 3 to get high marks. This is Lucas as his un-creative mind numbing usual, which makes me very sad. Expect alot of action and big explosions just to try and cover Lucas's failure. I just wish he would not have messed the whole series just to try and salvage his mistakes. Instead of giving us the movies we had hoped for he gives us more of the expected. I think I will stick with Episodes 4-6 and forget about the rest of the series, sad times indeed.… Expand

I'm amazed. So many people are swallowing the hype and saying "more please", but what do you expect when people hand out ratings like 9/10, along with comments like "Only problems were the acting and the script"...well you know what? They're pretty big darn problems. And yes, they are problems. Again. Lucas just isn't a very good or capable director. Visualist, yes. Director, no. It's flashy with some decent action I guess, but without any real connection to what's going on, without that good script and qualty acting, it's just all so terribly flat if you're not taken in by the lush visuals. The reason I loved, and still love, the originals is the characters, the performances, the gold old fashioned story well told. This, like all the prequels before it, is flat and uninvolving at best, semi painful to sit through at worst. Overall about on par with Clones. A massive disappointment.… Expand

I wanted 2 luv it. I really really wanted 2 luv it bad! I didn't. It kinda sucked. :-{

It's just another prequel. If you liked them you'll like this one too, if not... DarthEric.

Visually rich. Emotionally barren.

In the words of Yoda: "disappointing, this prequel, is..."

Special effects have entered the 'dark ages'. CGI makes things look LESS real than previous techniques did. This is probably the pinacle of the playstation vista. For someone who loved the originals, this is a big letdown.Think of the ways that a movie can be great (acting, script, direction) and then think of the things that could add to a movie (special effects, cinematography, action, pacing, music) - in my opinion, this movie is a failure on basically every level. The one redeeming quality was that the story itself is a good one. The closer this film gets to the events of the original trilogy, the better it gets. It's a great story of which the first half has just been clumsily told. The whole prequel mess was such a letdown to me and friends of mine who grew up loving the originals. I can't believe anybody thought it was a good idea to render such a good story in video game. The things that the creators brag about, like the enormous number of fx shots, or the use of digital film, are its biggest failings. The digital film just looks BAD. Even things that you shouldn't be able to get wrong, like photographing human faces, have no depth or real color. Everything looks washed out and fuzzy. A few of the actors did a great job with the material and John Williams turned in something good and new with the music at Padme's funeral. But overall, I came away really dissapointed because the prequels were such a waste of potential. They could have been so good. Maybe someday someone else will make a good Star Wars movie.… Expand

I'm not a die-hard star wars fan, but the story and the fans deserved better.

If u want a feast 4 the eyes see it. if u want a feast 4 the mind or heart, look elsewhere. Make up ur own mind, but don't expect 2 much.

I didn't like this movie at all because of the attrocious acting and dialoge. I decided to give it a couple of points becuase the FX are generally well done but I still miss the old days where CGI wasn't used exclusivly. Puppet Yoda > than CGI Yoda any day.

Having read some of the reviews that Lucas had redeemed himself with this movie I took a deep breath and handed over my money.I remember as a little kid in 1977 being mesmerised and amazed by the original. "A new hope" was a life defining moment for me. Sadly Lucas lost the plot after"empire". A great movie whether its Godfather, Dr Zhivago, Star Wars what ever comes down to two main things: great story+ great actors. Spending $150 million US on special effects when you have a crap script and no director just doesn't cut it. As I sat through revenge of the sith I kept saying "oh no not this crap again". " Sith" was so bad it made me think Phantom menace wasn't that bad. Mr Lucas: go back to stealing from Roman History/ greek myth/ Kurasawa; its what you did best.… Expand

As everyone now knows, George Lucas is a terrible screenwriter and director, which may be why people are so symmpathetic to this last movie. More action and less awful dialog is a good thing, so is more fighting and less monotone line reading. But let's face it, if Star Wars didn't have street cred this movie would be straight to video.

I truly do not understand the mind of a Star Wars fan. They boast about how their hero, George Lucas, loved and recreated practically all cinema of the past, yet they refuse to believe that Lucas

I am a big star wars fan and I thought the movie was pretty lame, sure there was some good lightsaber duels but anakin turned to easy, what's up with darth at the end, reminded me of frankenstein. So much for Chewbaca too, a two and a half hour movie and we got to see his planet for what a minute. Overall I was dissapointed, no Boba fett but they showed him as a trooper. I give it 4 stars, can't wait for the tv series.… Expand

All in all, its a film that just doesnt have the magic of the originals. The ingredients are there, but the Lucas of 2005 just doesnt have the twinkle in his eye and spark in his mind that he did in 1977. This is Star Wars by numbers , without any of the charm of the originals.

Very disappointing...

Just as poorly conceived, acted and executed as the first two prequels. No, the third time is not the charm. Thank god this is the last one. We hope.

The really compelling thing about the original three Star Wars films is the charm and humanity of the characters -- an element totally lacking in this film. Darth Vader, who is rather cavalier and cool in IV-VI, is here a caricature of Judas -- a whiny, one-dimensional character who is tempted to the dark side by, apparently, one hell of a mommy complex. The first and final scene in which we see Vader in full Vader get-up ends with Vader lumbering robotically forward, throwing his arms out, and screeching, "Noooooo!" -- rather like a Cingular Wireless satire of how one reacts when one's call is dropped in a galaxy far, far away. Though Ewan MacGregor (and, ironically enough, CGI Yoda) try hard to bring some acting cred to the horribly contrived dialogue, the film is mostly wooden -- and often a poor parody of what was once a franchise we could all believe in.… Expand

Typically over the top, more effects than brains, stupid dialogue and really (and I mean REALLY) bad acting. Christensen is the reason, with his soulless performance, that this one gets a 4 from me. He was absolutely pathetic!!

Yes! Finally, the brutal end has arrived, and what a sell-out it was About as compelling and moving as a Streisand film; shame on you George. Let us go back to cinema inhabited by intelligent scripts, accomplished acting, reasonable motives, un-annoying characters, and imaginitive story-telling.

Painfully boring. My fourteen year old daughter suggested that we walk out. I feel nothing but pity for Lucas, a man with great technical imagination who can't put two decent words together or a storyline. Poor Christopher Lee and Natalie Portman I feel sorry that good actors are reduced by his silly plot. I think the entire theater was glad when it was over. Too bad it will make lots of money before people realize how bad it really is, kind of like those other fighting sequels (I mean the Matrix ones).… Expand

[***SPOILERS***] I

What a shame. It didn't even look that good. I mean, each little detail looked fantastic but, all together... so much razzle dazzle for so little effect... except the end lava sequence, which was pretty kickass.

[Ed: Review posted and score estimated without the author's explicit permission. I doubt he would care, though. I just dug his magic trick metaphor.- md] Episode III was even worse than expected. First time I've ever seriously thought of walking out of a movie. The only thing that kept me there was the feeling that I ought to see how it ended. And to be fair, the last half-hour was entertaining, but only because it was bluntly (spoiler-style) explaining the mythology and background that was so well hinted at in the original trilogy, and made those first films seem all the more impressive as a result. (Starting a new, expensive film franchise on Episode IV is actually pretty inspired and brave when you think about it, eh?) An analogy. The original trilogy was the magic trick and the prequels just explain how it was done: They're not as good, they devalue the trick itself, and the best they can do is give you a cheap thrill by referencing the original and crudely filling in the gaps that made it 'magical' in the first place. But at least I didn't have to pay for my ticket :)… Expand

A big, loud, stupid finale to the biggest pop culture scam since milli vanilli. anyone who backs this half-assed, pedestrian excuse for an ed wood script should be absolutly ashamed. instead of making a film for the fans who have waited on line for days and bought all of the stupid action figures, Lucas makes ANOTHER lumbering, overwrought, blue-screened trainwreck that looks like it was written in a long weekend at his vacation house. hope all of you fanatics had an blast cause you are officially the most abused and mistreated audience in the history of cinema. and georgie's laughing all the way to the bank.… Expand

The dialogue is boring and the acting is so bad it's laughable. The light saber scenes and gallactic war scenes would have been cool maybe five years ago, but now they're just expected and boring. We can't help but take them for granted. However there is one really good scene in the whole mess: the rise of Darth Vader is possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life.

A great movie, if you ignore the dialogue, the plot, the acting, the direction, and nearly everything else about this banal, boring and insipid piece of crap. Yup, this one "delivers". It delivers tinny dialogue spoken in front of sanitized, plastic backdrops and a plot that one would expect to see in a high school writing class. All with the emotional whallop of a Hallmark card. Lucas should be as embarrassed in his creation as I am for having sat through the thing.… Expand

Honestly, how can reviewers praise how satisfying it is that Episode III resolves the plotlines leading to Episode IV? All I can say is

Action scenes where rushed, no epic battles tell the end. The rest are just long enough to say they where in the movie. The love story was just horrid. As a long time star wars nut the film was a major disapointment.

You might like this movie if you're either under 14 or if you're a grown man that brings plastic toys to the theater.

Fantastic CGI scenes don´t make movies, the computer is supposed to be a tool not the entire thing. This movies lacks every aspect of good storytelling. It´s just sad to see a beautiful story like the one on the original three episodes be torn apart by this one- dimensional, poorly acted, worst written computer generated mess. Maybe Lucas should think of going back to the models of the first trilogy(the puppets might help too) that way he might make me believe just a little bit more that there is any substance behind his new movies.… Expand

Tedious. Action was good, but Lucas cannot write.