MEANWHILE AT THE MOVIES... Well at least we know the next 3 episodes are good!

Update: Now with screen shots, and more reviews!

(Originally posted 5/19 AM) My midnight viewing of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith has come and gone, and with it the hopes that Lucas could redeem himself. It turns out he really was tapped out and had nothing left to offer. Episode III has all of the weaknesses of the first two episodes, the terrible dialogue, delivered impossibly flat, by actors capable of so much more. The only difference with this installment was that those glaring weaknesses seemed even more so. Yes, Samuel L Jackson is once again reduced to a fucking line reading robot. Further illustrating that the writer/director is fully to blame.

As much as Episodes I and II were panned by the critics and fans, I found both thoroughly enjoyable, for what they were. Both had moments of sheer fun and joy, similar to experiencing the original trilogy firsthand. I got not even a hint of that with this installment, except possibly during the middle of the opening scene, but even that was marred by a shaky start, and ludicrous finish. Here, we really were just going through the motions, with nothing new or exciting offered along the way. No great pod race sequence, or Genosian climax, no thrills from seeing Yoda in action for the first time, no beautifully executed lightsaber battle with an engrossing enemy. There were no clever resolutions offered, or interesting wrinkles. Instead we just got lame attempts at ham-fisting the events we all knew were coming into place. And worst yet, when Vader finally does come to life, mere minutes before the end of the prequel saga, it's in a blaze of cheesiness that defames the legendary villain, and reduces him to a laughable caricature of himself.

"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Vader screams in anguish.

And so do we George, so do we.

I'll try and come back and add some links to other reviews when I get the chance, so you don't have to take my word for it. All that said, I did still enjoy the movie, it's just tough to distance myself from the expectations or hopes for it at this point, and it's quite possible, without the baggage of knowing what's to come in the series, the first trilogy is magical in it's own right.

Review Updates:
MSN
EW.com
RollingStone.com
TheBeat
BuzzScope.com
UGO.com