Worthy of recognition in the archives of the Jedi order

Rating: 10/10 (21 January 2003)

This episode is the next best thing to The Empire Strikes Back. The Republic is shattering before the eyes of the politicians and the Jedi, thanks to the manipulations of Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious and his apprentice Count Dooku/Darth Tyranos. This movie has it all: numerous mythological and religious references, breathtaking scenery, and political intrigue. Yoda and Mace Windu demonstrate their superior lightsaber prowess. Anakin's moments of rage are chilling. The ending scene with Palpatine on a terrace overlooking his vast Empire to be is one of the most powerful moments ever to grace a cinema screen. The Jedi are completely oblivious to the fact that a powerful Sith master is controlling them like puppets. Lucas is creating a modern tragedy, one that will eventually be considered alongside the works of Shakespeare and Sophocles. How unfortunate that he is so widely misunderstood by shallow and self-contradictory critics and demagogues.