When George Lucas introduced the "Star Wars" series, I was still in high school. During the time of the first three releases in the series, I heard the buzz that a lot of people heard. Lucas was going to make his franchise a series of nine films. Three were going to be set in the generation before the first three "Star Wars" releases. Three were going to be set in the generation after "Star Wars." It is almost certain we will never see the final three proposed episodes, but the prequels were not nearly as entertaining as the middle chapters. Since Lucas has said that the third prequel was going to be the last of the seires in recent years, this means one of film's longest series has finally reached its end.

The saga ends in the middle in "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith." This installment chronicles the end of the Republic, as well as the end of the Jedi knight known as Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen). The story begins with the explanation that Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) has been kidnapped by forces led by General Grievous (Matthew Wood) and Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). The Jedi rescue team is led by Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). Anakin captures Dooku, who is guarding the Chancellor. Instead of following his Jedi teachings, Anakin listens to Palpatine and executes Dooku. Palpatine further gains the ear of the young warrior by making Anakin his representative in the Jedi Council. This is troubling to the Council, especially Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson), who worries that Palpatine is looking to expand his powers as a result of the continuing Clone Wars. Windu and the Council have their concerns about Anakin, anxious to attain the rank of Jedi Master, and deeply disappointed when Mace announces he's been denied that rank.

Anakin still keeps his marriage to Senator Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) a secret, but things on that front begin to trouble Anakin. When Padme announces she's pregnant, he begins to see visions of her dying. Without revealing specifics, he shares his concerns with Yoda (Frank Oz). Yoda advises Anakin to release himself from these personal attachments, as all Jedi do. Palpatine also hears the story, and suggests that there are ways to prevent the fate that Anakin has envisioned. Palpatine, who has had some Jedi training, tells Anakin that the secret to saving Padme will not come from his Jedi training. When Obi-Wan succeeds in locating Grievous and killing him in combat, Palpatine sets in motion his plan to exterminate the Jedi and become Emperor, which forces Anakin to make his fateful decision to join the dark side. Anakin not only helps Palpadine against the Jedi, but the Chancellor extends his reign of terror to the Senate, who have been anxious to end the Clone Wars and install a new Chancellor. One of the first acts of the newly-christened Darth Vader is to go to the Jedi Temple and massacre the younglings, who are children learning the ways of the Jedi. With these actions, Darth Vader and his lord, Darth Sidious, come to power.

"Revenge Of The Sith" does not wrap up its story neatly, but writer-director Lucas has a film that's more fulfilling than the first two chapters of the series. With any film series, it is difficult to sustain excitement over the course of its releases, and the first two chapters show how much steam the "Star Wars" franchise had lost. People were still flocking to the theaters and to the video stores, but the intended thrills had become commonplace. The battle scenes are exciting, as well as a little graphic. Obi-Wan, for instance, slowly but surely dismembers Grievous, who has come at the Jedi with four lightsabers. Anakin acts swiftly and decisively when Palpatine orders him to dispatch Dooku. When Obi-Wan faces Darth Vader for the first time, both put their lives at extreme risk. The battle scenes that are the most fun, though, involve Yoda using the force to deal with several stormtroopers at the same time. Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious shows he can also act swiftly and decisively with three words: "Execute Order 66." However, Lucas doesn't explain why it takes the dark lord some twenty years to create the infamous Death Star which destroys Alderaan in "Chapter IV," and is later destroyed itself. It also leads to some troubling questions about the force that are presented in "Chapter IV."

The actors who make the biggest mark in "Revenge Of The Sith" are McGregor, McDiarmid, and Christensen. McGregor is strong and wise as Obi-Wan, a knight loyal to the Jedi code. He serves as a mentor to Anakin, but shows he can be a skilled warrior when the Jedi's chosen one turns away from his teachings. He also looks convincingly like a young Alec Guinness. McDiarmid quietly asserts himself as the power-hungry Palpatine/Sidious, a leader stronger than any of the Jedi realized. He can use power as a weapon, but he can simply seduce an errant Jedi with a few kind words. Christensen is convincing as Anakin/Vader, a Jedi torn between his teachings and his secret family. Ultimately, he makes choices that destroy both of his relationships. Oz brings solid support as Yoda. Portman and Jackson also do nicely, even though both Padme and Mace Windu are underutilized in this installment. Their stories take a back seat to the transformation of Anakin Skywalker, and the incidents that played a role in making him Darth Vader.

The film also marks the welcome return of Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), a wookie warrior who plays a key role in the protection of Yoda. Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker also return as Anakin's droids C3PO and R2D2, respectively. It's these droids who have been witness to entire struggle between the Jedi and the Empire, though they view the conflict from completely different perspectives. Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best) also returns, but, thankfully, his appearance is brief, and does not afford him the opportunity to speak in his buffoonish voice. I suspect that this character may have been originally written to be a Jedi ally like Han Solo, but Jar Jar showed he lacked any sort of charisma from the moment he opened his mouth. This film also marks the second appearance in the series for Jimmy Smits, who has a small but pivotal role as Bail Organa, one of the few Senators to survive Palpatine's wrath.

The "Star Wars" journey has been a long one, but "Revenge Of The Sith" concludes the series with a cinematic up note. I, like a lot of followers of this saga, wish Lucas hadn't waited sixteen years between "Return Of The Jedi" and "The Phantom Menace." Lucas's has stated that his chief concern about continuing the series was that technology hadn't caught up to his imagination for many years. I may not be a film professional, but I think technology should have been among the least of his concerns. I saw the first releases in the theaters, and saw them again when Lucas made some changes and re-released them. I had no problems with the technology. I think this focus on technology means that Lucas took the "Star Wars" project too seriously. The tone of the most recent releases is reflective of that. "Revenge Of The Sith" is a satisfying action picture, but I miss the entires that mixed the action with a healthy sense of humor. Still, the force remained with George Lucas for longer than anybody had the right to expect.

Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older