I had the distinct pleasure of seeing "Revenge of the Sith" at the Skywalker Ranch last Wednesday and wanted to give you all a quick review. Unfortunately, the movie still suffers from the stiff dialog that permeated through the first two episodes, but it didn't actually feel like there was that much of it in this sequel. Well, what I mean is that the action-to-dialog ratio is considerably better here. There were plenty of blatant "cheer" moments (Yoda still rules) and the effects are simply amazing to see, though there are a few areas where the CG characters tended to look a bit rough and stiff. I do wonder how much this movie would have cost if Lucas didn't have such a "unique" relationship with ILM.
Episode III definitely has a darker tone and a lot of lightsaber combat, but I sometimes miss the clarity and coolness of the Darth Maul fight from Episode I. Often here, the camera just gets too close to the action and the blur of the sabers makes seeing the actual fight sometimes difficult. You can sense that the actors are doing something cool, but you aren't always able to see it very clearly.
The Anakin transition to the dark side generally seems realistic and feasible, but there are also plenty of times where his responses don't seem appropriate. Sometimes, the whole change to being a Sith Lord feels like it's happening too quickly. Also, did we need that many shots of Anakin looking "evil" into the camera?
Overall, the movie is a great rollercoaster ride. Even from the beginning, the action starts right away, with plenty of explosions, giant space battles and everything else that the Star Wars franchise is known for. There are still things to gripe about, but I loved the darker feel and visual splendor of it all. I'm still debating which of the first three episodes I liked the best, but being able to see Episode III in an awesome theatre with a digital projector definitely gives it a bit of a lead.
I have no doubt that most of you are going to greatly enjoy this movie. Just go in with an open mind and be aware that some of the gripes that people had with Episode I & II still haven't really been addressed that much (Jar Jar aside). If you do that, you're probably end up being pleasantly surprised.
