The Force Is Strong With This One

I know this is a day late, but I had to wait to write about today's topic.

I was 14 years old when it first appeared on the big screen. I saw it then.

I am 42 when it appeared on the big screen for the final (?) time. And I saw it now.

In between, I always believed that the original "Star Wars" was the best -- without equal to the others. Now, I think "Revenge of the Sith" is right on par with the original.

I promise not to give away important details to the movie. I just want to chat about how this grand series impressed legions of fans -- including myself.

George Lucas had a vision and the final (no. 3) installment fulfills the dream completely. For me, the series indeed has come full circle and now I wait for all of it on DVD.

"Sith" hit all my emotions -- anger, amusement, fear, joy, -- and that is the mark of a good movie. I did notice some women were crying by the end and some children were scared.

It was not the greatest movie ever (that title goes to Monty Python and the Holy Grail), but it ranks in my top 10 of all time.

Everyone knows how it ends -- Anakin becomes Darth Vadar, Luke and Leia are born, Yoda and Obi-Wan go off to their respective planets -- but how it got to that point is better than any ending.

It was nearly 30 years in the making, but it was worth it. All the remaining mysteries were solved and questions were answered.

Can I gush anymore? Probably, but I've erased several sentences already because I promised no spoilers. Darn my sense of fair play!

I knew this summer was going to be full of movies. There are too many out there that I want to see. I've already seen "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and "Sith". "Batman Begins", "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", "Fantastic Four", and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" all are beckoning to me.

I can't remember a time when so many good flicks were hitting the screen at the same time. But topping "Sith" will be very difficult indeed.

Ok. One spoiler: C3PO gets the final word in "Sith". He also got the first word in "Star Wars". A bit of geek trivia for you. Has this series jumped the shark? Or does it continue as another addition to a cultural icon that will endure? And where do we go from here? "I have a bad feeling about this."

Touch 'em all with me, whether you agree with me or criticize me. I like the way you think! Tell me your opinion. Add a comment below and tell me what you think or write to me if you want to join the ever-growing e-mail list to have my column delivered right to your inbox.