Under the tongue root a fight most dread...

...and another, raging behind, in the head.

This line from Robert Graves' The White Goddess, used in Episode I in Duel of the Fates, pretty much sums up the entire movie, and the trilogy in particular: beneath an external battle of blasters, spaceships and lightsabers, an internal war of the mind rages, using deception, emotion and lies.

I had the extreme pleasure of watching Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith in theaters today. Twice, in fact. Did I enjoy it?

Yes. Yes, yes, yes.

Episode III is the unifying chapter in the Star Wars saga. It is a tragedy in the purest sense of the word: a dark tale of how a good man turned to evil, of how two good friends turned into bitter arch-enemies. It is the story of how an aging Republic turned into a despotic Empire. This is the movie some of us have been waiting for 27 years to see. Ever since George Lucas told us of the backstory of how Darth Vader and Obi-wan fought on that lava planet, we've been wanting to see it. It was The Duel, the fight to end all fights, the stuff legends are made of. We wanted to see who Luke Skywalker's parents were like before the dark times, what the Republic was like, what the old Jedi were like before the Purge.

The story starts with the kidnapping of Chancellor Palpatine by the Separatist rebels, which brings us to the first major battle of the movie: the Battle of Coruscant. It is dizzying, amazingly attuned to detail, and you may find yourself breathless as you see the two Jedi starfighters race along the side of what is to become an Imperial Star Destroyer. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of ships in the fray, dwarfing the Battle of Endor through sheer scale. The entire first third of the movie is fast-paced, something that I haven't seen in a long while. At times the action reminded me more of Indy Jones than Star Wars.

Other than the effects, we see the camaraderie between Anakin and Obi-wan, and their chatter is reminiscent of the time when Luke and Han were gunning down TIEs from the Millennum Falcon. There's the sense of 'hey, we're brothers, I won't just leave you behind. Let's have some fun with this.' Once they make it into the Separatist flagship we get Jedi vs. Dooku round 2, and some great scenes with R2-D2. Yes, it's on, and Anakin has improved. Visually, the scene immediately recalls scenes from Episode VI, with Palpatine seated as his minions do battle, seducing his minion's opponent to the dark side. Soon, thanks to Palpatine's egging, Anakin is slowly seduced to the dark side. It's not yet the total conversion thing, but just a little push in that direction.

Once the bells and whistles are finished, it's time for a little exposition. This is the only breathing space you get in the movie, and it's very short. Here Palpatine (portrayed excellently by Ian McDiarmid) places the last pieces of his plan into motion: he plants seeds of distrust between Anakin and the Jedi Council, creating a wedge between them. He knows what is going to happen; he's forseen it. He's been in this deception business ever since Episode I. Anakin has strange visions of his wife dying, much like his dreams about his mother in Episode II, but done in a better way. Palpatine is baiting Anakin by promising the knowledge of powers that can save his wife from death - the knowledge of the dark side. Palpatine must secretly be laughing all the way to the bank as he gives Anakin an offer he cannot refuse. And when all the traps are sprung, the deception revealed, and the dark side finally manifested, things go pretty downhill for our protagonists from here.

What happens next is brutal, scenes of death and destruction. You know the bad guys are raping the good guys. Badly. I did cheer a bit when Anakin killed the separatists, however. Killing Viceroy Gunray was fun.

So it all boils down to this: Anakin sold his soul to the devil because of love. He loved his wife so much he feared letting go of her. An attachment to other people and things is one of the things that the Jedi are not supposed to have, but Anakin does not care; his love is too strong. And his fear of losing her due to that love lead to the dark side, indeed, it is the first step to becoming a Sith. Ironically, it is Luke's attachment to his friends and father that prevented him from turning to the dark side later in Episode VI, and it would be Vader's love for his children that would prompt him to kill his evil master and return to good.

I have to give props to Ian McDiarmid again. His portrayal of the Emperor makes this movie. The whole prequel trilogy is also a story of how he basically screwed everyone up until he was the ruler of everything, and everyone believed him. When he screams "UNLIMITED POWER!!!" you kinda want to applaud the guy. Well done. The galaxy is now yours. Or when he goes from this mild-mannered chancellor into this cackling dirty old bastard in this great scene where his voice changes, you can see the transformation. This is what he truly is - a badass, evil Sith lord.

You also have to hand it to that little gift Lucas gave to us - the Wookie battle on Kashyyyk. He's been wanting to do this ever since Episode VI, and now he's showing us how it's supposed to be done. It's an amazing little scene that just in there for the cool factor, and I like it.

The lightsaber duels are spectacular, especially The Duel. I loved the way John Williams used Anakin vs. Obi-wan and Battle of the Heroes, with a few strains of Duel of the Fates thrown in for good measure. Hayden and Ewan must have practiced this fight for months; it all feels so natural and so damned fast - there must be like three to four moves a second. This was not just any ordinary battle, this was a battle between former friends. There was an emotional tinge to this battle that parallels the many Luke/Vader confrontations in the other trilogy, and the duel adds more intrigue to Obi-wan and Vader confronting each other in Episode IV.

When Vader is being 'suited' and Padme is giving birth, these two scenes are intercut, a curious visual moment that gives some interesting parallels. Here Padme is dying, giving birth to her children. At the same time, Vader is being 'reborn,' but as one under living death, like a zombie. Excellently, John Williams used the funeral music from Episode I, denying the suited Vader's birth this celebrational feel, only a sense of mourning for the death of a good man and the birth of an evil one.

I had barely any problems with the dialogue, even in the much maligned love scenes. Who goes to Star Wars for the dialogue anyway? The actors are much refined here. Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman are both talented actors, and they use some of the experience from the other movie roles they had after appearing in Episode II. They also appear more natural with each other - their pairing in Episode II seemed a little forced for my tastes.

There are a lot more interesting things you can catch while viewing the film, little easter eggs for you to enjoy. The Rebel Blockade Runner, the Millenium Falcon, Grand Moff Tarkin, the Death Star in it's infancy, a view of Alderaan, the cameos by Lucas and his kids.

One thing I loved about this movie was that it was paced so fast- you can barely feel the two hours on you. It is an exciting event, one that you will want to see again and again.

And yet, this is the last Star Wars film. The circle is complete. And it brings a sense of closure to this tale that happens a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.