The important reviews are in. Roger Ebert gives
Revenge of the Sith three and a half stars, and
his review contains this non-spoiler gem:
Because the story leads up to where the original "Star Wars" began, we get to use the immemorial movie phrase, "This is where we came in."
Over in the New York Times, A.O. Scott also has
praise for the film, including some interesting notes on the political message (!) it carries. And lastly, in the New Yorker, Anthony Lane does his typical routine of trying to impress you with a
snarky and somewhat mean-spirited dismissal of the film. (Lane's work is and has long been that of a complete ass, and the only thing that saves film criticism in the New Yorker these days is that Lane shares his duties with David Denby, who actually writes intelligent, non-spoiler reviews that are often a joy to read.)
Me, I'm a bit embarrassed to admit I have tickets to the midnight showing of
Sith when it opens this Thursday. I've never done a midnight premiere before, but this is the last Star Wars film ever (or perhaps not, as Ebert notes), and it seems clear that the mistakes of
The Phantom Menace and
Attack of the Clones — both of which I hated — have been left behind. Color me "very excited."
