Revenge of the Sith (no big spoilers)

I went to see Revenge of the Sith last night at midnight. (Yes - I am still teaching school today!) The line outside the theater was quite fun because it felt like old home week... I probably saw 30 or 40 of my current and former students. There was quite the chorus of, "Miss A! You're here!" A couple people tried to chastise me for not waiting in line all day. I don't think they understand the concept of "a job" yet. :-)

I was not disappointed in the movie. (Of course, after Phantom and Clones...that's not saying too much.) This piece of the story worked well. I thought that Ewan McGregor did a good job of becoming more like Alec Guinness. There was good pacing and the fight scenes were terrific. (Of course, since we know the outcome of the two major lightsaber battles, some of the tension is lost.) There was a little cheesy dialogue, but on the whole - a good effort. I am a little confused about the timing of the fate of Padme due to a certain conversation between Luke and Leia in Return of the Jedi.

There were a few times that I got choked up. It is definitely a sad movie. Much darker than any of the others, but I think that's appropriate. I wonder how the story would have changed if Lucas had produced them in chronological order.

In my humble opinion, here is how the six movies rank in quality. (Obviously - #1 is the highest.)

1. Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
2. Episode IV - A New Hope
3. Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
4. Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
5. Episode II - Attack of the Clones
6. Episode I - The Phantom Menace

In my class today we are examining the poetry of Taylor Mali, my favorite performance poet. Check out his work at his website, if you get the chance.