Wounds don’t heal easily – at least not the ones inflicted by Star Wars Episode I. That friggin’ Jar Jar Binks and other repulsively “cute” bullshit fucked up a generation’s memories and a holy bit of pop culture. So there I am, watching EIII, the final piece in Lucas’ six-film fantasy epic. A breathtaking space battle burns up the screen… and then the shit gets cutesy again, with evil little robots making silly noises while attempting to murder Obi Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). I felt deep down dread. Was Lucas going to forever destroy his legacy? Or would he at least go out in a blaze of dignity?

Happily, the last half hour’s pretty dark and amazing and puts a respectable cap on the whole series. But you’ve probably read all about this stuff by now, so let’s focus on what’s great and what’s awful.

First, the plot: Petulant, powerful young Jedi, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen, looking really sexy), is having nightmares in which his wife, Senator Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), dies. He’s already tortured about the Jedi council not letting him become an equal member, so when Senator Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) brings up an alternative – embracing the dark side of the force and becoming a being so powerful he can even bring someone back to life – Anakin makes a horrific decision. The Jedi are decimated in a violent coup, and it’s up to Obi Wan and Yoda to stop Anakin and his new master, the evil Darth Sidius.

OK, the sucky: 1) Midi-friggin’-chlorians! Another stupid EI creation, midichlorians are little organisms that give you force powers. As if we need a medical explanation? 2) Suggesting but ultimately flinching away from depicting just how twisted Anakin has become. 3) The most horribly directed and written romantic sequences ever.

The good: 1) Yet again Lucas has concocted a visually stunning spectacle. The effects and new universes are gorgeous, and more than worth the admission. 2) Ian McDiarmid turns in an amazingly evil performance – deliciously campy at times, but never cheesy. 3) Yeah, the climactic light saber battle is THAT GOOD. 4) Jar Jar’s onscreen for maybe a minute and doesn’t say a goddamned word. Shame he wasn’t a Jedi, because then we’d see him massacred. 5) Amazing montage at the film’s climax that ties into Episode IV and brings it all back. 6) General Greivous, an actually creepy new villain.

EIII is ultimately satisfying, and recaptures much of the magic of IV-VI.

Yet as much of a closure as EIII may be, the saga isn’t over. TV series are in the works, and so is a 3-D IMAX re-release of the whole series. Will the 3-D Jar Jar react if I punch him? That would be Lucas’ greatest contribution – actually, restitution – to his mythology yet.