Episode III is near at hand! And to commemorate it, I present a trilogy of reviews of Episode III-related material.

The Phantom Soundtrack: A Review of ROTS Music

Well, here we go again. First off, let me say in all fairness that I'm really judging half a soundtrack, as unlike Ep I, IV, V and VI, the FULL soundtracks of Ep II and III were never released. But, judging on what we were given, it's mighty good stuff. Let's go in depth.....

Star Wars and Revenge of the Sith is the opening crawl, which rather than fading out in the traditional tones we see when the camera shifts from space to a planet, it cuts right into music building up for the battle. Great music and heavy use of chorals.

Anakin's Dream evokes powerful emotions, and includes a fine arrangement of the Love Theme from AOTC. Superb.

Battle of the Heroes is not the greatest thing since ice cream like everyone claims, but it is quite good. I wouldn't put it above Duel of the Fates, judging strictly by the music. But hearing it and seeing it during the movie are two different things, which means my appreciation will most likely increase.

Also of merit is the great use of percussion for General Grievous, it definetly evokes images of the mechanical and the droids. The use of Qui-Gon's funeral music for Padme's Destiny is also a feast for the ears. Finally, A New Hope is amazing with use of Luke and Leia's theme and finally the force theme to conclude the picture. But the use of the throne room confused me in the end credits, as this is not supposed to be a "happy film". Then again, it's celebrating the saga's end, so it works on that level.

All in all, not as good as the pinnacle of the TESB soundtrack, but great, great stuff.

The Bonus DVD is also stunning, and is the best free thing I've ever been given. The music videos are great in flawless 5.1 surround and digital picture quality. And the intros by Ian McDiarmid are phenomenal!

Attack of the LEGOs: Lego Star Wars Review

What can I say about this game? It's a BLAST! I've never played a game that was so easy and childish yet so fun! It encompasses the prequel trilogy, and there are over 30 playable characters!

The graphics are quite good, the control scheme is easy and the learning curve is virtually nonexistent. It's totally fun, from Duel of the Fates to Kamino, from Geonosis to Kashyyyk, there are a variety of levels. In some levels you'll fly a ship, in others you'll be on the ground as a Jedi or another character. The variety is good as well, with each Jedi having different fighting styles, and it's awesome to use Jango's jetpack or roll around as a droideka.

When you play in story mode, you'll relive the films with appropriate characters, and you'll have to switch to make use of different abilties such as Panaka's grappling hook, R4's astromech interface, or Jar Jar's high jump. But after beating a level, you can go back into it playing as any character you've unlocked, and there are parts to collect and secret areas that only certain characters can get too, meaning high replay value.

This game is highly recommended, i can't wait for a sequel for the classic trilogy!

Revenge of the EU: A Labyrinth of Evil Review

I know there are many SW fans who don't dabble into EU, whether it's because they don't like it, don't have time for it, or are overwhelmed by the daunting amount of material. Myself, having started in the early 90's just as the EU was forming into full swing, have been a fan since then. But even if you don't go heavy into EU, Labyrinth of Evil (LoE) is a must-read!

Taking place a month before Ep III up to right before Ep III begins, it shows vital events in a stunning way. We see the capture of Palpatine and the early stages of the battle of Coruscant. Major Ep III players Bail Organa and Mon Mothma have good roles. We see Palpatine's deviousness, we see the Jedi begin to mistrust him, and we see the final manipulations of Sidious as his plot to control the galaxy takes full swing. If you miss this book, you're crazy!

Also, some key SW answers are given:

Who is Sifo-Dyas and did he order the clone army?
The fate of Sifo-Dyas?
Who erased Kamino from the archives?
Can Qui-Gon continue to contact Yoda?
Not to mention great, great hints at who Sidious really is, even though we know, it's still cool seeing it play out.


Well that's it, probably tomorrow or Friday I'll start my ten-part breakdown of Episode III, but until then I'll be at the AMC Empire 25 theatre on 42nd St in NYC at 10:00 AM EST for ROTS!!!

May the force be with you, always....................