Anti-climactic

Rating: 8/10 (25 June 2005)

Visually stunning and yet I found myself yawning here and there after twenty minutes. Basically, this is exposition, showing us the origins of the Empire, the development of the main characters and their relationships with each other. But, finally, at the end of this episode, we know the great struggle between the two sides of the Force has just begun. The first Star Wars movies, made when Lucas and the rest of the world was thirty years younger and that much more innocent, had an exuberance I found lacking in this final installment of the prequel. Episode Three reflects the grimmer world we live in after 9/11 with its increased degree of cares and concerns. It must be said, however, that the completion of these six episodes of the saga is a magnificent achievement and insures that the name of George Lucas will live forever in cinematic lore.