Please note: Potential SPOILER ALERT in my review. If you haven't seen it and don't wanna know key parts, don't read this until AFTER you've seen the movie!

I've been a Star Wars fan since I was little. I remember when the very first Star Wars movie hit theaters in 1977 eventhough I was not even in elementary school yet. I grew up in a non sci-fi household, but being a tomboy, found myself attracted to things that had action and adventure within them. Star Wars with its futuristic spaceships, battles, and strange worlds and creatures captivated me. So, I've loyally watched every Star Wars movie when it came out...even if I didn't get to the theater...well, sometimes it was a drive-in. Yes, I remember watching Return of the Jedi at a drive in! I miss that type of movie watching!

And now, as a still devoted Star Wars fan, I made my way to the theater to watch the last Star Wars movie that is likely to ever grace the big screen. It's the end of an era and I think I developed a few more grey hairs as the end credits rolled on this one.

Now, onto the movie itself. I must say, that I used to be a Luke Skywalker fan, but with these 'pre-quels' I have found myself shifting to his daddy. The character of Anakin Skywalker is tragically developed and fleshed out in these three pre-quels. And his fall from Jedi hero to Dark Lord of the Sith in this last movie, makes his character and his other one, Darth Vader be seen in an entirely different light. Once we find out how the fall happens, why he does it, how he does it, and so forth, well, Darth Vader doesn't seem as evil as I once thought him to be. This movie does a fine job completing the circle and blending into the original trilogy. I find Episode III to be my personal favorite of all six Star Wars movies.

The special effects and movie soundtrack in this third movie are amazing. They improved with every Star Wars movie ever made and climaxed on this last one. The opening space scenes and music score get the heart racing immediately. The new ship and machine designs show the evolution of popular ships from the original trilogy. You can really see the predecessors of the TIE and X-wing fighters in Episode III. This movie has perhaps the BEST opening space scene of the six. Very action-packed and detail-filled!

General Grievous...a newly introduced character in Episode III except if you've seen the cartoon "Clone Wars" on Cartoon Network, is fantastically done. His animation and voice fit the character nicely aside from the strange hacking bits. Yoda is more alive than ever in this movie. He's impressive in his own light. As is Boga, the strange dragon-lizard mount Obi-Wan uses on the planet, Utapau. Computer animation has worked wonders for the Star Wars universe.

As for a few other main characters:

Firstly, back to General Grievous. This is a potentially cool character. He's vile, ruthless, and merciless...a perfect villian. He also is sneaky and cowardly. Two more essential traits to a typical villian. While I suppose his hacking cough has been somewhat explained in the Clone Wars cartoon, it still bothers me that with all the technology to put this creature back together in a life-support type body, then why not fix that cough issue too? The main bit I disliked about Grievous was that his fighting skills are never fully realized in this movie. We see better action of him in the Clone Wars cartoon. This guy is a Jedi KILLER and he's been designed to be that way! Yet, when he faces Kenobi in a duel, it's over before it truely begins. It should've been longer and more difficult. Kenobi's good, but come on...give Grievous a little more credit. He's been trained by Count Dooku himself and has the advantage of holding 4 lightsabers all at once. Other than his all too short lightsaber battle scene, the rest of his movie scenes are on par.

Count Dooku: He's short-lived in this movie. But his part is played well. I like the way he went out. It's a unique way of using lightsabers to say the least. A certain Jedi I list below might have a bit of a sadistic side to him...I doubt they taught him to kill with lightsabers using that technique in the Jedi Temple...or maybe they did...it is a time of war afterall.

Anakin Skywalker: Hayden Christensen worked out extensively for this movie...gaining over 20 pounds of bulk and muscle to make Anakin look like a fully grown, sexy young man. It just makes his fall that much harder too...such a handsome guy going the way he did. What a waste of good beefcake! Anakin's brooding, angsty personality is still there from Episode II, but it's combined with other emotions light and dark that simply make the confusion within his head all that more believable. Initially he's everybody's Hero. The Chosen One indeed. His skills with the Force and a lightsaber show ample proof of that...and even that scar along his face near his right eye...proof of battle. How he gets that scar is revealed in the Star Wars Republic comic book series (issue #71). He's also a full-fledged Jedi Knight at the start of Episode III. Again, the Clone Wars cartoon reveals this promotion. But he's still that whiny, "I want more" guy from Episode II, just with a little more maturity to it. He finally gets payback with Count Dooku for taking his right arm in Episode II. What I dislike about the Anakin character in this one was again, the awkward love or romantic scenes with Padme. They are not improved at all from Episode II. Though, I guess this is more Lucas or the script's fault. Hayden works with what he's been given. I don't think I can fault the actor here.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: Ewan McGregor looks ever more like Alec Guiness from the original triology as his character, Obi-Wan has aged and matured into wise, experienced man, general, and Jedi Master. Anakin has rubbed on him a bit though as he shows a little more emotion and even a little humor than he had in previous movies. War has turned him into a very skilled military general though Anakin still has a habit of getting his former master into dangers and mayhem that probably would've been avoided if Skywalker hadn't already charged in. Kenobi gets the honors of facing Grievious alone, head-on in a duel of lightsabers. Then he gets the same honors of facing his once Padawan in the same manner after first facing off with one stubborn, reluctant Senator from Naboo. Obi-Wan finally realizes how deep and far Anakin and Padme's love has taken them.

Senator Padme Amidala: Natalie Portman hasn't changed all that much nor has this character. To me, she is perhaps the weakest of all the characters in this film. But, it might not be her fault. It could be the script. Padme is pregnant in this movie...having conceived a child with Anakin during one of his brief R&R stints pre-movie (this leave is shown somewhat in the Star Wars comic book series). This pregnancy is unknown to Anakin though...until this movie. This pregnancy actually is what turns the entire movie and causes Anakin to do what he does. As a Senator, Padme is hardly shown. The Senate has pretty much lost all its power anyway...having voted it away and given it to Chancellor Palpatine. Also, given the build-up of Padme's strength of character, etc. from the first two prequels...her reason of 'demise' at the end of Episode III just seems cheesy and lame. What also bothers me is the speed of the pregnancy. If she's carrying twins as we all know, and this movie apparently takes place within days and not months, she should have been MUCH larger and in more stress than she seemed to be. Also, if she was that close to term, her revealing it to Anakin and his 'deal with it later' attitude should've been more pressing. Afterall, their entire worlds could be rocked to the core within mere days! But then again, their lives still get rocked to the core anyway...just in a different way.

Yoda: He's got even more action in this movie than he did in the last. Poor old little green guy...takes a beating in this one. But as we all know...he survives. His personality is unchanged from the other movies. He's probably one of the most stable and consistent characters in this saga. His animation is more realistic thanks to digitizing and less puppet.

C-3PO & R2-D2: Threepio has his shiny golden finished look in this movie. He's also Padme's servant...given to her by Anakin, since Jedi can't have possessions. Threepio doesn't have much of a role in this movie. Artoo...looks like Anakin's been doing upgrades not only to his starfighter, but to his little droid as well. Artoo proves in this movie that he can hold his own against anything he faces thanks to the multitude of upgrades and devices he now has. He also has attitude and expression in his various bleeps, whistles, shrills,etc.

Bail Organa: Yes, I have to put this Senator into the list of key characters because if it wasn't for this guy, a couple of them probably would've met their demise or at least had a bit of difficulty escaping. He also becomes the adoptive father of a certain 'princess' who becomes a key character in the original trilogy.

Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious: Ian McDiarmid nearly steals more than just a certain Jedi hero in this movie. This character is simply fantastic in this movie. From cool, calculating politician to evil Sith Lord to Emperor...it's all here. I'm not going to say any more about this character. It's better to just see him for yourself.

The action itself in this movie is fantastic with more lightsaber battles than any other in the entire saga. The movie turns dark and angsty half way through and stays that way til the end, but it has to for desired effect. The space battle and various planetary battles, one of which introduces Chewbacca, are amazing visually and emotionally. The final battle...on firey Mustafar between Kenobi and Skywalker is as tear-jerking as it is action packed. The speed at which those two duel each other is almost baffling. It took Ewan and Hayden over 6 weeks to master the moves for this final scene and it looks fantastic. The only downside about the ending was the constast flicking between the two lightsaber duels occurring. It took away some of the emotion we feel during the Skywalker/Kenobi duel.

I think I'll stop my review here. I don't want to say everything afterall. I highly recommend seeing Episode III whether you like the pre-quels or not. It's the one movie that ends all and starts all. Darth Vader makes his appearance at the end of this one too...and yes, James Earl Jones got to do his voice over, eventhough it was Hayden in the suit. Ahh yes, and even newborns, Luke & Leia show up. Very impressive movie overall. Check it out!

Also, a final word on the 'cross overs' of the other Star Wars materials with this movie. Die-hard Star Wars fans tend to "tier" canondom in this saga given the multitude of 'expanded universe' material that fills in gaps between and/or beyond the movies. First or priority tier is the movies themselves. Second tier are the official release books and some of the comics. And third tier tend to be some of the lesser release books,etc. What the Episode III movie does, for me at least, was close and mesh some of that tierdom. Several characters or events seen only in the books or comics now actually appear in this movie. Also references to certain events that only happen in the expanded universe books, cartoons,etc. also give more precedent to those materials. So for me, I no longer tier the expanded universe verses movie canon. For me, it's all good and it's all 'official'. Other die-hards may disagree, but to each, his or her own.

Retail DVD release of this movie: November 1, 2005