In "Revenge of the Sith," the story takes a hellish turn. Vain, selfish, and needy, Anakin makes misstep after misstep and ignores Yoda's final lesson: "Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose." Instead, his attachment to Padme becomes the root of Anakin's downfall—which comes in the form of the sly seductions of Chancellor Palpatine, played by Ian McDiarmid with visible relish.
Halfway through the film, a mournful montage sequence provides a pause for reflection, a chance to turn back. As in every good tragedy, the moment appears precipitous: maybe this time he'll make the right choice! But no: after Anakin turns on his friends, the inevitable consequences amass in an accelerating, exhilerating cascade that builds to a stunning crescendo in the final minutes.
It almost goes without saying that the visuals overwhelm once again. The thrilling sights of great spaceships on fire, plumed lizard riding-beasts, waterfalls of magma, asthmatic alien-robots with beating hearts, and strange worlds covered in oversized orchids are designed to look dazzling for a long time to come. "Star Wars" films don't yield all their visual opulence on first viewing, and it is worth coming back just to observe this or that corner of the screen.
