I take it all back. Every word of it. All the mean things I said and thought about Star Wars creator George Lucas after the immaturity of Phantom Menace and the inanity of Attack of the Clones. In Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, at long last, Star Wars is really back.

I did not see any of the movies in the original Star Wars trilogy until I saw them at various points in my mid-to-late teens, almost 20 years after the first movie came out in theatres, and I was a fan from that point on. (If you are one of those people who thinks Star Wars is just silly, I will save you some suspense now and tell you that this review is unlikely to be of interest to you.) When Episode I: The Phantom Menace first came out, I went to a late night showing on the first day, a showing that seemed to be filled with professionals in their late twenties and thirties rather obviously looking to reconnect with an experience from their youth. I remember sitting in that theatre and hearing that familiar music as the famous opening crawl began to a burst of applause. Finally, I was going to see a new Star Wars movie in a theatre. I was thrilled. Then the movie started.

Now, Phantom Menace had some good stuff in it. I have seen it twice more since then. In places it felt the way a Star Wars movie should feel. Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor gave a certain amount of weight to a film that seemed hopelessly immature at almost every moment when the camera was not on those two characters. Darth Maul was not a developed character, but worked well as a villain. Also, this movie gave us "Duel of the Fates," one of the best pieces of music composed for a movie in recent years. Then, of course, there was the stuff that didn't work: everything else in the movie. And pretty much everything in Episode II: Attack of the Clones as well, particularly the laughable dialogue. I know dialogue has never been the strong point in Star Wars, and it doesn't need to be, but in Episode II it was just embarrassing. McGregor once again maintained some dignity in the character of Obi-Wan Kenobi, but even McGregor sometimes sounded like he would rather have been anywhere but in that movie, and I didn't blame him. I would rather have been almost anywhere but watching that movie.

Enough about the painful past, though. I am sorry I ever doubted Lucas could make another real Star Wars movie. Revenge of the Sith is on the level of the original trilogy, and a reasonable argument could be made that it is the best of the series. It always seemed difficult to see how Hayden Christiansen, playing Anakin Skywalker, could make his character believable as the future Darth Vader. However, Christiansen has obviously matured in this movie, and by the end has become a villain who can be taken seriously. Natalie Portman has little to do in the role of Padme Amidala other than stand around and look worried about her husband Anakin, but the role she has she plays reasonably well. Obi-Wan Kenobi continues to be by far the best acted part in the entire series, with McGregor playing the role in the prequels and of course the legendary Alec Guiness in the original trilogy.

Both the political turmoil leading to the fall of the Republic and the personal turmoil within Anakin Skywalker are played out clearly and with a sense of tragic inevitability. The fall of Anakin is of course the climax of the three prequels, and fortunately it is handled well. Darth Sidious (Emperor Palpatine) tempts Anakin to the dark side of the Force with real subtlety, making it seem realistic that Anakin would listen to him. Indeed, at times the arguments of Sidious may remind some viewers of rhetoric one hears from utilitarian ethicists, modernist theologians, and others who have been deceived by the real dark side.

Star Wars fans have been waiting a very long time for this movie's climactic duel between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the confrontation lives up to its billing. By that I do not mean merely that it is a great classic Star Wars duel, though it is, but also that by the time of the duel the movie has succeeded in investing real meaning in the friendship and conflict between Anakin and Obi-Wan. The moment when Obi-Wan looks at Anakin for what he thinks is the last time is genuinely sad, and sadness is something Star Wars has not done particularly well in the past.

Some have speculated that parts of Episode III reference contemporary political issues in the real world. Viewers will have to judge for themselves, of course, but I do not believe that is the case, at least not strictly speaking. It seems to me that the parts of the movie where one might make such a connection in fact only reflect certain universal themes concerning imperialism, freedom, safety and totalitarianism. Depending on one's political views some of these themes may appear to have application to real situations today, but they are also themes that have played out in different ways at various times in world history, so in my view it is inaccurate to say that Revenge of the Sith is commenting specifically on current events.

It has been said many times that Revenge of the Sith is the darkest of the Star Wars movies, and the least suitable for young children, and that is certainly true. Of course there is some violence, and in particular there are a few disturbing images of Darth Sidious and Darth Vader. However, although many people talk about Star Wars as being a series for kids, I think that is inaccurate. While young children might enjoy the other Star Wars movies, it would be hard to argue that they were the primary appropriate audience for any of the movies except possibly Episode I, when Anakin himself was a small child. In any case, in my opinion there is no objectionable content in the movie for older children and adults.

Revenge of the Sith is a Star Wars movie. If you never understood the attraction of Star Wars, Episode III is not going to change that. If however, you have been hoping for just one more true Star Wars movie, this is it. Saying that Star Wars is modern mythology is a cliche at this point, but it is still true. I think that in Episodes I and II Lucas lost his grip on the story as mythology to a degree, and slipped away from telling it with the drama of myth. Those movies lacked the feel of a dramatic battle between good and evil which was present in the original trilogy. Revenge of the Sith returns to a theme of serious and uncompromising battle against the dark side, and with the return of that theme comes the real return of Star Wars.