And finally, what are we to make of "Revenge of the Sith?"

Because these people can write much better than I can, I have to say that I completely agree with David Edelstein’s review in Slate in that the movie’s first half (two-thirds?) is slow and riddled with all of the problems found in the prequels- wooden writing, acting, and way too much exposition- but that somewhere along the way, right when everything starts going to hell in a handbasket, the movie picks up, finds it’s footing and grabs you. Somehow, at some point, it suddenly occurs to you that this, now this, is what we’re talking about. This is the movie we all wanted to see.

And I’ll also agree with Mick Lasalle that the movie, if handled better, could have been a classic, a masterpiece if you will. After all, the portrayal of a good character turning evil is about as classic theme of tragedy as you can get and has provided us with some of the most memorable characters in art- MacBeth, Michael Corleone, Faith. But in order to pull this off, in order to hit the go-for-the-fences-homerun, you need the dexterity to hit all the right notes at the right time and in the right way and that’s something Lucas just isn’t up to. The writing is sharper, but still occasionally bad, and the acting, well, Natalie Portman is at times laughable and Hayden tries, really tries, but he’s occasionally lost. Not that he’s too blame- you get the feeling that before all the big scenes, right before the shot Hayden would ask George what to do only to find George checking out the sketches of some cool ship design and never having time to tell him anything. As a result, the big, climatic moment, the moment where Anakin finally give into the dark side has no heft, no power to it. It kind of just is. On the other hand, Hayden does a good job in showing how lost Anakin is, how if somebody just talked to him without any agenda behind it, he just might not have done what he does.

Which doesn’t mean Lucas doesn’t deserve some credit. There are some amazing visuals in this movie, especially the long tracking shot that starts the movie in which you start off in space and then slowly swoop into this kick-ass space battle. It’s pretty much the moment in which I knew I was once again Lucas’ bitch. Even better, Lucas knows what’s at stake here and he knows this movie is what it’s all about and so he ups everything. The battles are bigger, the sets grander, the music more stirring. He even lays off the cutsieness that mars most of the movies (even "Return of the Jedi"). And when the movie gets going, Lucas is on it, like even he’s been bored for the past seven or eight hours of prequelness and now that he’s made the payoff, he’s into it. The last fifteen or twenty minutes or so, when all is lost and the movie becomes kind of an inversion of the original trilogy has a power and sweep you didn’t think possible but always hoped would be there. You really do get a sense of tragedy, of what’s been lost and just how much Anakin made a mess out of things. Some of the moments are, dare I say it, tear-jerking.

And that’s the best part of the movie. That’s why Lucas succeeds. After seeing this movie, everything changes, your perception of the prequels, your perception of the original trilogy, everything. You remember that great poster from "Phantom Menace" in which it shows Anakin walking through the desert with a shadow of Darth Vader behind him? That’s how "Phantom" feels now, the whole weight of the tragedy coming down upon this poor kid. And there’s no way to watch the Darth Vader of the original trilogy and not see him not as maybe the ultimate icon of movie evilness, but as a sad, pathetic, emotionally shut down figure completely bringing the evil only because he’s got no other choice to. He’s both literally and symbolically trapped by the decisions he’s made. He’s evil because he’s got nowhere else to go.

All of which means this- Lucas might not have made the greatest movie ever, but he made one damn fine Star Wars movie, yes, as good as the Star Wars and Empire. Loved this movie.

One more thing, I always kind of defended the prequels because I had a feeling that Lucas saw the movies not as self-contained movies, but as one, big long story arc. Like taking "Phantom Menace" as itself would be like watching one episode of "Lost" and thinking that was it. Sure, it would have helped if the movies were better or that the story was a bit more compelling (what the hell was up with the first movie being about a trade spat?). For that, I think he deserves some credit. Dude tried to do something epic and did it. Can't say that about Ron Howard now can you?