According to the countdown timer on Star Wars Kids, there's only one hour left before Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is released.

Which means, of course, that it's time for the critics to have their say.

And have their say they have. Not unamazingly, they actually liked Episode III. That's a first for Star Wars. As director George Lucas puts it, "They haven't liked any of them, really, and they especially haven't liked the last two."

It would seem they're changing their tune.

Let's take a look at the reviews this time around:

"Revenge of the Sith is darn good, easily the best of the prequels, and perhaps even a rival to 'The Empire Strikes Back' as the apogee of the three-decade-long 'Star Wars' saga,"

~ William Arnold, review for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"After Episode II got so bogged down in politics that it played like the Republic covered by C-Span, Episode III is a return to the classic space opera style that launched the series. Because the story leads up to where the original 'Star Wars' began, we get to use the immemorial movie phrase, This is where we came in."

~ Roger Ebert, review for the Chicago Sun-Times

"It's a rousing and tragic sendoff to a beloved franchise, and the best installment in the Star Wars series since 1980's The Empire Strikes Back. If this is to be the last big-screen installment of the space opera, Revenge of the Sith ushers things out on a high note. Those who have disparaged the previous two prequels will find few things to complain about this time around. Lucas has delivered the film that fans have been yearning for."

~ James Berardinelli, review for the ReelViews

"More like Revenge of the Lucas. This is the prequel we've been hoping for. Darker and more intense than the other films (even Empire) and strong enough to stand alongside the original trilogy, the action-picked 'Sith' shows how sweet little Ani became Darth Vader, how the Republic became the Empire and a lot more we're still trying to digest."

~ Review on E! Online

Want more?! Yahoo! Movies has links to over a dozen reviews.

"It's going to create a big problem for Hollywood come Oscar time," says William Arnold.

And it's going to be one wild ride for the rest of us.