'Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith' (PG-13)
The Force is finally with us -- always.

Without question, Anakin Skywalker's journey to the Dark Side is finally complete with "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith," an entertaining and emotionally engaging tale that's clearly the best film of the prequel trilogy -- and one that measures up handily to arguably the best of the classic trilogy, "The Empire Strikes Back."

The great thing is, while the film -- which chronicles Anakin's (Hayden Christensen) final transformation from the conflicted Jedi knight to the evil Sith Lord Darth Vader -- would have alone been worth the price of the DVD, the bonus features in the two-disc set, pushes the excitement over the top. Chock-full of expertly produced production documentaries, insightful commentary (by creator George Lucas, producer Rick McCallum and company) and some more movie material diehards can chew on with deleted scenes, the DVD set, out Tuesday, is without question one of the year's best.

First, the film: For fans inspired by his original trilogy, "Sith" sparks the same sort of enthusiasm you had after seeing the classic "Star Wars: Episode IV -- A New Hope" for the first time . True, we're not getting the happy ending like we did with "A New Hope," but instead, it delivers big on the long-anticipated transformation of Anakin's final fall from grace and his painful transformation into Darth Vader -- the pivotal force, for the lack of a better word, that ties all six "Star Wars" films together.

As a result, "Revenge of the Sith" isn't so much about how the film ends, but how Anakin becomes Vader and why. By the time the movie is over, Lucas masterfully sets the stage for the classic trilogy that began in 1977. The great thing is, those classics, which never outlasted their welcome in the first place, have an entire new meaning now. It will be interesting to finally carve out a day when you can watch all six films together.

"Revenge of the Sith" finds the saga near the end of the Clone Wars against the Separatists from the Republic, which began at the end of "Episode II." Anakin, and his Jedi master, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), meanwhile, have a daunting task of their own to complete. A powerful droid named Gen. Grievous (voiced by Matthew Wood) has kidnapped Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) and it's up the to the Jedi duo to save him.

Naturally, Anakin and Obi-Wan prevail, but the battle is only beginning. Palpatine requests that the Jedi Council install Anakin as his personal bodyguard, which raises the suspicion of Jedi Masters Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz) and Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson). Anakin's in a quandary, because both Palpatine and the Jedi want him to spy on each other; Palpatine appears to have the edge because he offers Anakin the means to become a Sith Lord, which would give him far greater power than any of his Jedi counterparts.

To complicate matters, Anakin and Sen. Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) not only continue to hide their forbidden love and marriage from everyone, but Amidala reveals to her husband that she is pregnant, raising his anxiety level to the breaking point. Knowing Anakin fears losing the ones he loves, Palpatine manipulates the powerful Jedi to the point where he will use unthinkable measures to protect Padme -- thus beginning his journey to the Dark Side of The Force.

There's no question that the tone of "Revenge of the Sith," compared to its predecessors "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones" is like day and night. Dark from the get-go, "Sith" is far-less kid-friendly than any of the other "Star Wars" movies, and that didn't happen by mistake. It's the first in the saga to be given a PG-13 rating (the other five were PG), mainly for it's violent imagery. And there's no question the scenes (one is explicit while the other is implied -- which come during Anakin's fall from grace and his transformation into Darth Vader) have merited the rating.

Like all "Star Wars" films before it, "Sith" now and again is hampered by pokey dialogue. But on the whole, Lucas has carved out a much better storyline for the film -- and because of it, the acting level has been ratcheted up a level across the board. The film is at its best, of course, when the final transformation occurs, not only because we get to see Christensen don Vader's infamous black armor, but because it's at that point where Lucas smartly weaves an unexpected Shakespearean element into the story. It makes Anakin's fall to the Dark Side all the more tragic.

Interestingly enough, the film could have had an even deeper narrative if Lucas would have chosen to keep in some of the film's six deleted scenes that appear on the DVD. In particular, scenes where Senators Amidala and Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits) address the formation of a rebellion as they become suspicious of Palpatine's motivations, would have added much more to the film's political themes. However, not having seen them in the context as the film as Lucas did, it's hard to tell what they would have done to the film's pacing. If anything, it explains why Portman's involvement was much less than in the first two prequel films.

Also on the disc is a fun demo of the new "Star Wars: Battlefront II" game, as well an in-depth documentary about the filming of the final confrontation between Anakin and Obi-Wan on the lava planet of Mustafar.

But for fans of the behind-the-scenes documentaries, the best one on the disc, naturally, is the one that chronicles the Anakin to Vader transformation. It's here where we not only get a history lesson on the character, but footage of Christensen as he gets his "battle-damaged" prosthetics applied (following his confrontation with Obi-Wan). Also included is footage Christensen as he steps on set for the first time wearing Vader's iconic costume. It's truly an electric moment. (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)