I've seen Revenge of the Sith three times, so now I feel up to writing about it. It's good, as far as Star Wars films go. I have never seen the need to compare the six films directly. Each serves a purpose. The Phantom Menace was a beginning, and it was the return of the franchise to the screen. There was just no way it was going to fulfill the expectations of an audience that had grown up with the originals and were now adults looking for the same feeling.
Attack of the Clones was, primarily, a love story. No, Lucas cannot write dialogue. He never could. It was just forgivable in the past because (a) we were young and (b) he had Harrison Ford delivering the lines in a way that made the camp good. Hayden Christiansen can't act. Neither could Mark Hamill, but that didn't stop a generation from idolizing Luke Skywalker. So, given that, was it ever reasonable to expect the kind of audience that Star Wars attracts to appreciate a (poorly written) love story?
So. Revenge of the Sith. The Big Moment where one of the most recognizable villains in the history of cinema is created. Honestly, that particular segment of the film didn't really carry it, even if it was, well, ok. What carried the film was the inevitable roller coaster that Anakin was on. It actually helped that we knew he was going to eventually turn and in the future murder millions of beings on Alderaan. It helped that we knew that his love for Padme was flawed. Darth Vader wasn't created out of Anakin Skywalker. Old Ben Kenobi was wrong. Anakin was always Darth Vader - he just traded in his Jedi's robes for the black suit and helmet. He probably would have even if he hadn't been torched in lava.
Bottom Line: Toss your expectations aside. Enjoy the ride.
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