From the first moments of Lucas' final Star Wars instalment, the shackles are off.

A blistering opening sequence, almost James Bond-like in execution, propels the viewer back into the Star Wars realm for one last time, and unlike the grand or subtle opening sequences of Star Wars films gone by, this time it's all about the action.

The violent and dark nature of this chapter, of which Lucas referred to as far back as the 70s, may still surprise some by being even darker than originally anticipated. 

The large-scale events – the Republic being consumed by the new Galactic Empire – provide an intriguing backdrop for the intense, personal storylines that govern Anakin, Padme and Obi-Wan.

Popular consensus has The Empire Strikes Back as George's most successful effort, and it seems clear that when he goes dark he hits top form.

Once again charged with the duty of making things go bad, Lucas revels in this opportunity as he plots the downfalls of pretty much the entire cast.

Thus, this is the movie we were expecting to see, and while it may highlight errors made by turning much of The Phantom Menace into a Walt Disney-style cartoon, it also goes someway to justifying the existence of both that instalment and Attack Of The Clones.

But that's not to say it's perfect - Lucas's penchant for writing enough quick-fire scenes to fill four other movies remains as strong as ever. 

And with this being his last hurrah, he has more story to tell than usual.

So the action flits between the elaborate, sometimes lengthy set pieces and the fleeting scenes that drive the plot (but are shorter than Kenny Baker).

However, the core of the story is where Lucas has finally, and thankfully, got it right. Like the Darth Maul duel in Phantom or the loss of Anakin's mother in Clones, when Lucas hits the right note and tells the best parts of his story, it works.

Yes, the constant changes of setting and messy nature of the films structure are drawbacks - but does it matter?

Everything the fans have been promised is here - and it looks awesome. And as for the script? Unlike the much-maligned dialogue of Episodes I & II, the actors have something to work with. 

Christensen, in particular, proves that his moody brat performance in Clones was what he was asked to do, thus he clearly enjoys the part of an angry adult.

Ewan McGregor, meanwhile, provides requisite gravitas for a big finish that, admittedly, becomes a little rushed in its execution.

The flaws are there and will lead to a never ending discussion on the film's overall place in the Star Wars canon.

The sorts of complaints you can expect to hear will refer to loose ends not tied up tightly enough, Lucas's over-reliance on raiding his original scripts for dialogue references or even the darkness simply being too, well, dark (while the Darth Vader yell will be universally derided).

This movie will inevitably divide the massive audiences it draws in, but as rip-roaring entertainment goes this is some seriously hot Sith.

Rich Phippen