“An Art of Flawless and Unredeemable Vulgarity”

For those of us inclined to reading, there are few pleasures sweeter than an unalloyed, unsugared, unmerciful polemic, delivered with style and vigor and aimed at a thoroughly deserving target. Which is to say, Anthony Lane’s triumphant trashing of Revenge of the Sith is a masterpiece, and we are all in George Lucas’ debt for giving Lane such a monumental and soft target. Lane is purely and unapologetically mean-spirited, punching gleefully well below the belt and connecting with every blow. I am no more than a grasshopper in the presence of a master, but am still moved to remark that Lucas is a pasty-faced overgrown adolescent with a really dumb haircut, and that his talent for the occasional really great special effect in no way makes up for his lame plot devices, preschooler-cartoon characters, and profound lack of good taste.