Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

George Lucas was quoted as saying that this, the last in the Star Wars series (though--and I don't want to scare anyone--I distinctly recall hearing at one time that the original plan was a nine-film cycle, a trilogy of trilogies if you will) is too dark and violent for children. He must have been watching a different movie than I was. Unless, of course, the children in question are terribly afraid of matte shots and blue screen effects. The movie is no more nor less than you might expect; decent fun, weak characterizations, stilted dialog, nice effects, and yes, an improvement upon its two predecessors, but it's no “Empire Strikes Back.” I will say though, that the sequence towards the end in which the Jedi are betrayed does carry some emotional power. The movie neatly closes the loop on many of the narrative threads first woven back in 1977, which was a long time ago, and may as well have been far, far away. So kudos to George; let's give him his due.