Note:  you won’t find any spoilers in this message.  I am so
opposed to spoilers of any kind that I actually never even watch previews of
upcoming shows or movies.  Try it, you will be surprised how much more you
will enjoy the show.

I watched "Revenge of the Sith" last night and I have to say I wasn’t
disappointed.  Just like everybody else who grew up with Star Wars as a
kid, this movie concludes a process that started twenty-five years ago when I
discovered the first Star Wars (which turned out to be the fourth one as I
learned only later).

The visual effects of this latest installment are stunning to the point of
sometimes being overwhelming.  It seems to me episodes IV, V and VI had to
focus more on the plot and character development than their newer counterpart,
but there is still a tremendous amount of material in these prequels and the
Lucas team played it out perfectly well.

After reflecting over my experience last night for a few hours, I can’t think
of any gap that this episode didn’t cover and, indeed, everything is now ready
for the first scenes of "A New Hope".

Who can forget the fantastic opening of this episode showing a minuscule
shuttle lost in a dizzying array of lasers as it tries to escape a triangular
imperial battle cruiser that endlessly unfolds over our heads?

Leia was right:  Obi Wan Kenobi was indeed their only hope, but the
difference is that watching "A New Hope" now will make him look like an old
friend.

Any disappointments for this last episode?  Not many, really, but if I
have to list a few, I would say that some actors are way too old to make
credible laser saber fighters (Count Dooku and Palpatine himself) and the fact
that some acting scenes and dialogues are, frankly, embarrassing.

I was also afraid that knowing exactly what will happen to all the characters
(probably the ultimate spoiler in a movie) would ruin some of it but I was
wrong, since there is still a lot of mystery left as to how the characters
became what they are in Episode IV.

But what’s really interesting is that none of these negative points really
matter.  Yes, George Lucas’ spell is that strong:  it’s not about the
direction, the actors or the visual effects any more.  It’s about
storytelling.

It’s about being nine years old all over again.