Just came back from Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

Loved it. Not perfect by any means, but it’s much, much better than I and II – and I liked I and II! It’s big and spectacular and epic – all it needed to be. It was gripping and exciting – there was never any moment where I was wondering what time it was, or how much longer the film had to go.

Visually, it’s almost flawless. Some of the sequences are rather too intense – sometimes you can’t work out what’s actually going on! But it’s all very, very pretty. And cognitive dissonance of Episode II (with the Jedi being rescued by what are effectively Stormtroopers) is continued in III, where the Jedi fighters are quite clearly proto-TIE fighters, and the Clone Troopers get baby X-Wings!

It’s not perfect, by any means. Hayden Christensen really didn’t have the acting mojo to pull off the rather ambitious job he has to do, and Ian McDiarmid’s overacting control was a little on the fritz. But Yoda gives it his best Oscar shot – which is fair, he knows this is his last go. Plus, the laundry-list of things that Needed To Get Done in that film is a bit apparent – there’s a lot to cram in, and some things get quite short shrift – including one fairly important thing which actually happens off-camera!

But these are all quibbles, or minor. It is a rip-roaring rollercoaster ride, and, oh, I dunno, about three other cliches. All-in-all, go see!