'Revenge of the Sith' hits net

The long-awaited trailer for 'Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith' is finally online, but those wanting to watch it will have to pay.

Nov  5 2004

The wait is over folks – the trailer for 'Episode III' is upon us and it hints at everything we were hoping from the final part of the saga. But, and there's a big but, if you want to see the darn thing in all it's CGI'd glory, you've got to pay George Lucas handsomely for the privilege.

Although it's screening with American prints of 'The Incredibles' this weekend, and will become free to the general public come Monday, the only way to see the trailer at present is by being a member of AOL or by subscribing to Hyperspace, the members-only area of the official Star Wars website, at http://www.starwars.com/

For those who don’t feel like stumping up the dollars to add yet more cash to George's money pile however, here's a brief run-down of the action.

Kicking off with the customary 'A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…' the first thing we hear is Alec Guinness in voiceover bringing us up to speed with the story while images from the first film flash past on-screen.

Anakin then turns to screen looking like some angry, yellow-eyed teenage monster of doom, and before you can say 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' the proverbial ewok dung really starts to hit the fan.

What follows are space battles, fiery volcanoes, an army of wookies, a lightsaber wielding Darth Sidious and an appearance by Darth Vader that is sure to send a shiver up the spine of even the most passionate non-believer.

It's impressive stuff, with a powerful air of foreboding that, if carried over into the movie, will hopefully erase the memory of the last two efforts. That said, the fact that the trailer ends with the words 'written and directed by George Lucas' still sends an equally icy chill up our spines.

But who knows, maybe he's got it right this time. Maybe there will be no wooden dialogue, no 'witty' asides, no insufferable Jar-Jar, and maybe, just maybe, 'Revenge of the Sith' will be the dark, tragic sci-fi epic that we've all been pulling for. We'll just have to wait until May 19 to find out.