Well, like anything else, everyone has a different opinion. I skipped work, my kids skipped school, and the three of us, along with my wife and brother went to see the 10:30am show. We were blown away. I personally didn't like Empire as much as Return of the Jedi, and neither as much as a New Hope. (I hated Phantom Menace, and Clones, though IMO Darth Maul is second only to Vader in kick-assed-ness.) But these are my opinions, your results may vary. Now that I have seen e3, e1 and e2 make more sense on why they were done as they were done. Granted, this was no Shakespeare, but then, none of them were, and were never meant to be. This movie was all I could have ever asked Lucas for. I wanted dark, he made it midnight. I wanted visuals that would pop my eyes out without being Jar-Jar-ish, and (wait a sec while I pick up my cornea)...I wanted to know the answer to why this spoiled little brat became the baddest kick-ass in the galaxy, and I got an answer that couldn't be better. The only problem right now, I can't say too much without ruining the movie for anyone going to see it. Agreed that Lucas couldn't write a love scene if it meant him getting in the pearly gates, but then, if you spent 30 years playing with droids and referring to your manhood as a lightsabre, I doubt you could do much better ;-) I think Hayden Christensen did Vader total justice. I abhorred him in Clones for his performance as a bratty, pouty little turd. However, he played this one to perfection, at times I sat there thinking to myself, "Annie, don't do it!" Then had to smack myself back into the reality of knowing what was going to happen anyway...(I know I am not the only one, since we started talking about it as the credits rolled and the whole theater was saying the same thing.) Love him or hate him, Lucas did all the films his way. As far as Star Wars goes, let's keep in mind, he has always been clear that SW is his baby. He doesn't care if he makes people mad, or that people feel he isn't doing this one or that one justice. He has even clearly stated that anything that is not contained in the 6 movies is not canon, and can be changed by him at any time. Can you truly blame him? When he tried to pitch SW in the first place, he was scoffed at. His original deal fell through, and yet he persevered, to the point that he made something that makes most of us just sit and WOW to death. How many of us wish we could stand against those odds and produce something as groundbreaking and awe inspiring? Take it or leave it, that galaxy from long ago, and far far away is something of true legend. I thank George Lucas for taking my family and I across hyperspace. If I could ask just one thing of him, it would be, make another trilogy! Show me what happens to the Jedi under Luke while Mark Hammil is still breathing! And if you managed to read through this whole post without falling asleep, or throwing overrippened tomatoes at me, MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!