Well, I just got back from a special screening of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and I just have to give a complete review. Actually it is going to be a two part review, one for normal movie goers and another for the Star Wars fans.

A Normal Person's View:
At the beginning of the movie I was overwhelmed. Hundreds of ships flying all over the place and it went by so fast I couldn't see what was going on. It was all one massive blob of effects. It was kind of confusing. Eventually I got some clarity and was able to concentrate on the people in the little ships. There were exploding things right and left and then these little robots attach themselves to Obi-wan's wing. Anakin was a good shooter and I thought, wow this guy is good. He even shot at a force field and let their ships fly into the enemy ship. All of a sudden obi wan jumps out of his ship while landing in a motion higher than any human can jump. I was like - that's a little too much suspension of disbelief. It was when the Jedis entered General Grievous (the bad guys) bridge that I started actually noticing the detail. I was watching it on a completely digital theater and the clarity of the movie astounded me the whole way through.

General grievous kept on coughing. It made him seem like a sick person more than a general. He wasn't ominous at all. It also looked like he was limping when he walked. I suppose somehow he was a Jedi, but it didn't seem that way. He seemed like a sick robot. Meanwhile the special effects of the ship started to detract me from the plot. I look around at the consoles and can see lifelike details and ships flying by the windows with realistic explosions. All the while the dialog is going on I am mesmerized by the scenery. I do pay attention a little, and there is some comic relief with R2-D2 trying to help the Jedi’s by manipulating the elevator, but it was the level of detail that amazed me from the beginning. It was like I was taken to another world.

Obi-wan did a good job showing his emotions. I could feel obi-wan being buds with Anakin and also being his mentor. You could tell they had a good relationship. His lightsaber fighting was good too. The thing is that they all swung so quickly it was hard to follow what they were doing with their hands. It was more of a blur because of how quick they moved.

Anakin did great in his acting. All throughout the movie he had to show hatred and confusion and he pulled it off well. Towards the end Anakin shined as the leading man. He had many scenes that tugged at my heart because I could understand his confusion. His allegiance was being directed on all sides, from Palpatine, the Jedi counsel and his own wife. I can see why he turned to the dark side. If only he had listed to Yoda.

Palpatine was probably the worst acting job out of the crew. He played an ok Sith lord but a terrible senator. I watched his facial reactions when he was in the ship chasing after Grievous and it looked like he was just waiting to say his lines. Then at the end when he was the Sith lord he overplayed it a little and his growl was a little too low to not be humorous. However, when he was at his evilest he shined.

Padme was kind of a bit part and she was good at acting her role as an expectant mother. She had a good look that helped me out of the mesmerizing scenery. At least when she was talking to Anakin with a breathtaking sunset behind her I could look at her face instead of the sunset.

The cinematography was some of the best I have ever seen. However to be fair, it was the best because the special effects were the best I have ever seen. I thought the choice of camera angles was good except for the lightsaber battles. When they were dueling they didn't show many far away shots. It was too close-up to see the tips of the lightsabers when they moved. And then when it showed it from far away the Jedi’s body movements detracted from the blur of the lightsabers.

The plot was very good. I liked how you finally understand how Anakin turns to the dark side. I had read the book and knew the plot beforehand. The thing I also liked was how Mace Windu didn't trust Anakin and also how the Jedi's also seemed to be partially responsible for Anakin turning to the dark side. There was a lot going on and sometimes it seemed hard to follow. There must've been a split second scene where Obi-wan finds and gets on this dinosaur to chase after grievous. I must've blinked and missed it. I also thought that when Anakin figures out the Palpatine was a Sith lord he could've been more upset, but I guess that's why he turned. There were some split second plot adjutants that didn't have to be there. Like when Yoda tells Obi-wan that he can study eternal life on Tatooine. Actually the whole Yoda part of the plot lacked the emotion of Anakin’s plot. The final battle between Yoda and Palpatine seemed too unreal and was like it was too much overacting, even for a digital character.

The musical score was fantastic. Without it the movie would've suffered. When Anakin turns to the dark side and the choral music plays it was amazing. There was only one scene; I can't remember it, where the music didn't fit. All the other times it was perfect.

The directing was good. I remember seeing sweeps and fades like the old movies. The only thing wrong is the lightsaber fights. But this time the actors seemed to work well together. So when they talked it was easy to follow. The space battle was hard to follow camera wise and everything happened to quickly.

The special effects were the best I have ever seen. I can't help but think that they added another character to the movie. I saw this movie on the best digital theater in Plano, the 3D sound effects pulled me in and the crystal clear and flawless scenery pulled me in all of the way. They were so good I had to focus my eyes in the distance to see hundreds of little ships pulling into dock. I saw little things like city lights over a city that stretched forever. I saw pieces of lava fly up and look like they were going to come out of the screen at me. I saw digital pads all over the place that had actual readouts that you could see details on. I saw robots and creatures of all shape and sizes, thousands of them, with such a lifelike fluid motion that it looked like they were alive. Towards the middle of the movie I started taking the effects for granted and the plot pulled me in. However as each scene switched I got the feeling like I was supposed to just look at the beauty of these made up worlds. I did and admired it like I would a famous painting.

Overall, this movie is the best movie I have seen in a long time. The acting, plot, effects, cinematography and directing all culminated to make it the BEST MOVIE EVER. This movie is a work of art finely crafted and planned for over 20 years. Each scene seemed to be the best scene ever. It was so good I felt like crying while watching it. I will definitely see this movie again and again. Even after all that I know I didn't catch everything that was there.
5 out of 5 stars.

A Star Wars Fan's View:
Ok, I stood in line for 15 minutes. I had to pass tents out in the parking lot of people who would be in line for one month. I had a ticket and instructions not to tell anyone at the theater what I was there to see because they didn't want any incidencts. I couldn't believe I had in my hand a ticket to a pre-pre screening of a movie that wasn't due to come out until 2 weeks. Thanks go out to Mr. Turkentine. When the opening crawl came on I was amazed. I could see the stars in the background and they looked just like I was looking at stars outside. There was no difference. I think I missed half of the crawl just by looking at stars. Then this really cool ship pops up and the whirlwind begins.

Although it was confusing, I was able to discern the hero's ships and watched them perform aerobatic maneuvers never before seen in the history of film. One thing people should realize when they see this film is that these movements and stunts, while digitized, are amazing feats as well. Obi-wan seemed to have a bigger beard than in A New Hope. Anakin had some scars on his face. I don't remember when he got those.

Even as a huge Star Wars fan I have to say that General Grievous was disappointing. He didn't do anything cool except for spinning four lightsabers for about 20 seconds. Then Obi-wan was able to miraculously cut off each of his hands while they were spinning and coolness quickly wore off. I liked how Obi-wan was still the cool one and Anakin seemed stronger.

The plot was very good. I liked the humor at the beginning, but unlike all other Star Wars movies that was about it. There was one scene at the end when Yoda pushes aside some royal guard like candy that was funny, but besides that this was a very serious movie. The lightsaber fights were good, but I think the fight in Empire still wins because it showed Vader using his powers and had a twist during the fight. There weren't any startling revalations in this movie. No, "I am your father". Some of the fights seemed a little too rehearsed. I did like all of the lightsaber fights from a cool perspective. I was amazed at how fast they all moved. I wanted them to slow it down or speed it up though. I guess because I was excited at the battles. Anakin's turn to the dark side is what this movie is about. There are no dual plots like Return of the Jedi when they had to rescue Han and deactivate the shield generator and kill Vader. This one just was about winning a fake war and turning Anakin into Vader. Every other little plot thing seemed to be just filling.

I liked how Palpatine shoots Mace Windu out the window. It was cool whenever any force lightning was used. I thought Anakin should've used force lightning on Obi-wan at the end but I guess he hadn't learned to yet. I was also amazed at the darkness at how Anakin would kill youngling Jedi's. It didn't show him killing them but it showed him about to do it. That was really cool just because it showed that there was no turning back for Anakin and he had finally made his decision to go to the dark side. I liked the music, the effects were the best the world has seen, and the plot was the most adult plot out of all the Star Wars movies.

If I was a kid I am not sure what I would think about it. I remember seeing Return of the Jedi as a kid and I remember the witty banter between C3P0 and R2-D2 and also how cute the Ewoks were and how the final battle was the coolest ever. I think though that there is so much content in this movie that kids will be able to pick out their favorite parts.

As a Star Wars fan I do have to agree that there also weren’t many space battles. There was one at the beginning and that was it. The ground battles happened so quickly it was hard to figure out what was going on. When the Jedi were attacked by their own troops I was amazed at how their reactions were very good. I thought the addition of Chewbacca into the movies added a nice little subplot, but they should've had more Chewbacca.
Definitely more Chewie.
5 out of 5 stars
-- Best Star Wars, Matter of fact best movie Ever!!!!

Thought of the Day
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