Gawd! It just keeps getting better and better - and longer and longer. At 142 minutes, it's the longest, most exciting, most action-packed installment yet in the epic saga of a time long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away.

We rejoin the Star Wars saga 10 years on with Anakin all grown up - in body if not quite in mind. Young Anakin Skywalker is the quintessential restless, rebellious teenager, too keen to show his master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, that he is ready to become a Jedi in his own right.

Impetuosity, combined with his innate grasp on the Force, leads young Anakin further and further down a dangerous path to independence.

A good Jedi must have no possessions -- save for his light saber - must not desire, nor love. For these things corrupt truth, destroy innocence and lead to the dark side (I always knew women were dad for you). But you can't tell the young anything.

Anakin, like all strong-willed youth, must learn from his own mistakes. It's up to each of us to choose how we apply life's little lessons. To choose the right path. To choose between right and wrong, between good and evil, between the light and the dark.

Damn. There I go, all philosophical again.

Episode II sets the scene for Anakin's drift to the dark side of the Force. We all knew it was coming. And this installment goes a long way to explaining why.

However, he doesn't actually turn bad just yet. There were a few times early in the movie when it was shaping up to be a bit corny because his fall from grace seemed too obvious and too simple. But don't despair, George Lucas is not that silly. He had to leave something really juicy for Episode III.

If you are like my missus and a bit confused about the whole plot, let me fill you in a little.

In Episode I, we meet a young boy called Anakin Skywalker (not related in any way to Walker, Texas Ranger).

He's a sweet little blond, butter-wouldn't-melt-in-his-mouth kind of kid with a real flair for fast cars and born of immaculate conception - i.e. he had no dad.

In Episode II he's 10 years older. My missus reckons he's cute and my 16-year-old daughter says he's hot! But frankly, he didn't do anything for me.

Against all the rules of such things, Anakin falls in love with Senator (former Queen) Amadalla whom he is sworn to protect.

Of course there is plenty of other action as well. There's no shortage of fight scenes and no shortage of bad guys or bad droids to slice and dice. There's a galactic war a brewin, after all.

In Episode III (which we haven't seen yet) Anakin fathers twins - Luke and Laya - and proceeds to turn to the dark side of the Force.

In Episode IV (which we saw first, about 25 years ago - hense some of the confusion) Anakin changes his name by deed-poll to Darth Vader and tries to crush a rebellion led by Laya, assisted by Luke -- neither of whom know they are twins nor who their father is.

In Episode V, after a setback in the previous installment, the evil Empire strikes back.

And in Episode VI Luke finds out who his dad really is, but doesn't really take the news too well.

Silliness aside (this is a late night effort), with Episode III only a couple of years away, let's hope George Lucas is thinking about an Episode VII, VIII and IX.

Five Shamrocks