>any part with Portman/Christensen talking was literal
>torture..."no, I love you! I love you more!"

that wasn't quite as bad as "hold me like you did by the lakes of naboo." funny story--everyone in my theatre was trying not to laugh at bad lines. when that line hit, i literally groaned out loud so everyone could here me. completely unintentional, but christ. the entire theater started laughing.

>I don't mean to pick on Hayden but I've seen better actors in
>high school plays

i don't blame him, though. young actors need direction. lucas just wanted them to read the lines as quickly as possible so he could get back to ILM.

>visually stunning - the landscapes looked photo-realistic at
>times

still too CG for my tastes.

>the guy who played the Emperor was pretty good overall...but
>after he revealed himself as the Sith Lord he got a little
>over the top in some scenes

absolutely. the best thing about the emperor is how effortless he always seems in laying the smackdown. he seemed less like a bad ass and more like some subhuman goblin after his face was revealed.

>and the movie should've ended with Darth getting his mask
>(also sans one of the worst "noooooos" in modern cinema)

but it was cool to hear darth, in the mask, ask about padme. that was the one huge chill scene of the movie for me.