Boy, was I wrong.

As far as gameplay is concerned, it’s very simple and straightforward, which makes it accessible to just about anyone. You don’t need to be a video game player to enjoy this because it’s NOT a video game. Sure, there are places you can go where people are shooting each other and playing all kinds of games, but those places are the exception, not the rule. It’s really more of a 3D chat room than a game. And it’s really more of a game than a 3D chat room. It’s almost undefinable because it’s such a new concept.

If you ever enjoyed playing the Sims, chatting in chat room, walking through an art gallery, building your own home, designing anything in 3D space, watched a live concert, or wished you could fly, you’re going to love Second Life.

I wasn’t disappointed one little bit. Hell, I was even surprised at most of it. It was the funniest of the prequels, even rivaling the sequels. It was the most action-packed of the prequels, and probably the whole series. It was easily the most visually-stunning, the saddest, the scariest, and the darkest of them all. Aside from all that, Anakin’s demise was (hands down) the most intense scene in “Star Wars” history. And why not? It is the moment on which the whole series pivots.

I can’t imagine how the pieces could’ve been made to fit together any better. They wrapped up every single thread I could think of, and did so in a pleasantly convincing way. They covered everything from the imperative (e.g. Vader not knowing his children survived), to the important (e.g. Threepio not remembering Tatooine), to the trivial (e.g. the Wookies are introduced), and even to the aesthetic (e.g. Leia’s first words to her brother are, “Aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper?” in A New Hope. It has extra meaning now because all the stormtroopers are clones.).

I decided Revenge of the Sith was my favorite after seeing it just one time. I’ve seen it three times now, and still feel that way. I think that’s saying a lot. Not because my opinion is worth any more than anyone else, but simply because I have lived my whole life watching these five films, and have had plenty of time to decide. Revenge of the Sith combines everything I loved about the sequels with the elegance of the prequels, and then finishes off a story I’ve literally been waiting for my whole life.

Right now Star Wars is everywhere, and millions of people are actively getting in line to see it. But eventually it will fade back out of the limelight and back into legend where it belongs. With the story now complete, maybe people will finally begin to see the Star Wars saga for what it really is: a timeless epic about politics, corruption, greed, optimism, power, and redemption. I know it’s just a story, and I know it’s not going to change the world. But in many ways it changed mine. Worth remembering, that is. Yehhhs.