#but theres something very after-school specialearly ya

I finally watched Revenge of the Sith with my fiancé (in preparation for watching Obi-Wan Kenobi, which I promptly fell asleep during, immediately after the recap). Some thoughts:

• The story is actually quite good! Like, if someone were to give me a high-level summary of what happens in the prequels without commentary, I’d be like “oh shit that sounds pretty good.”
• The dialogue is bad, but it’s not nearly as fatal as the pacing of said dialogue. Practically every time somebody says a line, there’s a full beat before the other actor speaks. This has to be a directing issue, because everyone does it. Was George Lucas anticipating audience reactions and considerately putting in the space for them? (“But from my point of view, the Jedi are evil!” “You tell him, girl!”)
• When I watched The Phantom Menace, I also thought that the directing and dialogue were the main issues, but the actual effect on different actors’ performances varied a lot. (The two extremes are Liam Neeson, who comes across as very warm and natural, and Natalie Portman, who gets stuck with the clunkiest dialogue and sounds like a pleasant animatronic.) By the Revenge of the Sith, though, the effect is more uniform.
• Palpatine is a delight, though. No wonder Anakin was seduced to the dark side! Who can match Palpatine for charm and fun grandpa vibes?
• “But from my point of view, the Jedi are evil” is still my favorite unfortunate piece of dialogue. Such an incongruously calm and reasonable way to put it! Like, yes, he thinks the Jedi are evil, but he totally sees Obi-Wan’s perspective here! His feelings are also valid! Agree to disagree!
• My fiancé paused the movie a couple times to use it to illustrate some points about the Protestant Reformation (he’s teaching it in school right now, so it’s on his mind). I, in turn, suggested that the prequel trilogy was a metaphor for the failures of abstinence-only sex ed. Or a metaphor for the importance of not fighting near lava.