Light sabre at the end of the tunnel

In the 2001 UK census 390 000 people registered their religion as Jedi, a powerful indication of the hold that the Star Wars mythology still has over the generations who refuse to grow up. In 1977 I was nine, and Star Wars was an obsession. Here was a simple science fiction film, which thematically borrowed from classic westerns and mythology, but somehow, through its execution, became more than the sum of its parts. It was Star Wars that introduced me to the craft of film-making, I pored over magazines detailing the special effects. To me the technicians and designers, marshalled by George Lucas, became as important as the actors. With my treasured collection of pocket-sized toys I acted out my own intergalactic space battles, while my sketch-pads were filled with designs for spaceships and monsters. Despite the relative disappointment of the last two films, expectations for the sixth Star Wars film (or third if you are a purist) The Revenge of the Sith are high. May the force be with him! Star Wars

Revenge of the Sith is released on 19 May

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