Back from the midnight show.
Well, Ep III was about a 7-8 (on a scale of 1-10). Definitely the best of the preguels.
That said....
(Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD.)
My thoughts on the film (forgive me if they're a little bit "stream of consciousness"):
--I
really enjoyed the final 3rd of the film quite alot, after a somwhat disappointing beginning and middle.
--The dialogue was somewhat wooden, but better than Ep. I & II: I still found Hayden Christansen somewhat miscast in this role. At first, I was convinced it was the dialagoue, since HC was really good in "Life as a House" and "Shattered Glass", but now I'm leaning more towards him being miscast as Anakin.
--Unfortunately, while the Padme/Anakin relationship was portrayed better than it was in EP. I & II, it still felt a little flat, which is disappointing, considering that that is really the crux of the film. I wish that they would have done more foreshadowing in the first two films, (maybe have Anakin have dreams of Padme's death in Ep. II, as a start?) using the three stories to tell a sweeping, interconnected tale, rather than leaving everything ''til the 3rd film. More, I think that Lucas is WAY too enamored with CGI, often at the expense of plot/character development. (And, as an aside, MUST all the CGI creatures make obnoxious noises? Uptapi lizard, I'm looking at you!!)
--I think the "Jedi Purge" scenes would have been more effective and poignant if we'd gotten to know ANYTHING about the Jedi that were killed. Obviously, Obi-Wan and Yoda are in no danger, and the only other Jedi they really defined even peripherally was Mace Windu.
--General Grievous? FEH. What a lame "villain", and an obvious attempt to capitalize on the "Clone Wars" cartoon. "Ha, Ha, Ha! My devious plan of ESCAPING is now complete!!"
--The "Wookie Army" sequence.. Was this really needed? Especially since there was no clear purpose for including it in the film (other than a lumsy point device to drag Yoda away from Coruscant before the Jedi Purge, of course), and no effective resolution onscreen.
--The Emperor? Seriously rocks.
--Anakin's turn to the Dark Side seemed (IMO) rather sudden, instead of a gradual build-up. He essentially goes from a confused Padawan to a child-killing maniac in the space of one or two scenes.