Lawrence.com

Gregg Scott has all the markings of a rational fellow.

He holds down a steady job as a host at Free State Brewery; he's a black belt in tae kwon do; he talks in complete sentences and uses five-dollar words like "visceral."

But now - as the dawn of a new Episode approaches - Scott's rationality has fallen prey to the Dark Side. In its place: a Star Wars Force FX lightsaber.

"I gotta tell you, man - I had my doubts about whether or not that was a prudent thing to do, 'cause spending $100 on something that has no purpose or function realistically is something I really can't afford to do," admits the 27-year-old Scott, who works as a host at Free State Brewery.

"I talked about it and talked about it until people were fuckin' so ready to just hit me. Finally I had enough money and I was just like, 'That's it, I can't take it any more!' I just ran out of here, ran down to Borders, grabbed the red Darth Vader lightsaber and threw the money down..."

"There were a couple guys standing by the kiosk looking at me," he continues. "We're just like nodding at each other like, 'Yeah man, right on.'"

The Dark Side

When the lights go down and the LucasArts logo blazes across the screen at Southwind Theater's midnight showing of "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith," Gregg Scott and 300 of Lawrence's most diehard Star Wars freaks will brace themselves for the final installment of the 30-years-in-the-making epic.

At stake is the legacy of a universally celebrated story - a legacy that could be retroactively tarnished if "Sith" sucks.

"I have quite a bit of anxiety about this last installment," says Aaron Whitebread, a 28-year-old cook and journalism student. "I've been such a fan that I notice all these little holes, and if they're not fixed in this movie it's going to kind of ruin the franchise for me."

Whitebread's anxieties are warranted given the lukewarm returns on "Episode I: The Phantom Menace" (1999) and "Episode II: Attack of the Clones" (2002). While both movies contained enough special effects to make Pixar crap its collective pants, they also alienated many of the franchise's hardcore fans by pandering to children and the romance-craving date scene.

As evidence of the series increasing suckiness, Metacritic.com - which assimilates national critics' reviews into one telltale number - rated Episodes I and II as a 52 and 53, respectively, out of 100. That compares to a 91 for 1977's first release, a 78 for "Empire Strikes Back," and a 52 for "Return of the Jedi."

For local Star Wars geeks like Ryan Carroll, the most promising sign of "Sith" redeeming the franchise is its PG-13 rating.

"I think with the previews for Episode III we are definitely seeing a much darker, much more adult film," says Carroll, a KU film student and Liberty Hall clerk. "Of course, the Dark Side IS cooler. Darth Maul and Darth Vader - all those guys are much cooler than Obi-Wan."

The Bright Side

Southwind Theater's three midnight screenings of "Revenge of the Sith" will accommodate nearly 900 people. Two of the three shows selling out a week in advance.

Thanks to online ticket sales, fans didn't have to spend days camping outside the theater like they did for Episodes I and II. Instead, they can focus on pre-partying with the prequels.

While most of the Star Wars universe must wait for May 19, a chosen few are already in the know. Lawrence film critic Eric Melin scored an advance pass thanks to his membership in the Kansas City Film Critics Circle, and he's been a beacon for insider information ever since.

"Mostly everybody wants to know if it's better than the last two," Melin says. "The answer to that is 'yes' ... this one is better in almost every respect."

According to Melin, the sequences portraying Anakin's transition to the Dark Side are impressive enough to overwhelm shortcomings such as "wooden" characters and occasional gaping holes in the plotline.

"Everybody just can't seem to figure out what's going on (with Anakin) until it's too late, and that's just absolutely ridiculous," Melin says.

Another complaint: "Padme is reduced to being the mother and the wife character after running around with a bare midriff and shooting guns and kicking ass in the last one. Now she's just basically barefoot and pregnant, so that's kind of a disappointment."

Despite his criticisms, Melin says the movie largely left a good impression. In fact, he might even return to the theater to experience it with an actual audience.

"Seeing it with just 50 critics was kind of stupid," he says. "Part of the reason it's so much fun is the event ... I think people going to go see it with a mass crowd of Star Wars fans are just going to eat it up."

Closing the book

For Scott, a self-described science-fiction geek, "Revenge of the Sith" represents the capstone of a lifetime's worth of emotional investment.

"It's the closure that everybody's always wanted," he explains. "From the first episode everyone's been wondering, 'Who is Darth Vader? Who is Luke? What's going on with the story?'"

Scott's Star Wars fascination began in his grade school years, when he watched VHS copies of the movies at friends' houses (unbeknownst to his parents, who wouldn't even let him have a cap gun). It wasn't until his black belt tryout during his senior year in high school, however, that he truly felt "the Force."

"I had to kick through three boards and punch through two," Scott recalls. "I realized at that point: 'This is what it must feel like to possess some kind of power that only the learned and the worthy can have.'"

Though Scott's interest in martial arts preceded his obsession with Star Wars, he soon found the two universes to be very much aligned.

"I tried to intersperse some philosophies of Star Wars - not using (martial arts) for evil or control of people," he says. "The Jedi Order is basically just a far-fetched form of Buddhism, like if you could find a Buddhist in another galaxy somewhere."

Despite his geek-fueled expectations, Scott is trying to keep a level head going into "Revenge of the Sith." His plan is to kick off the night with the first two Episodes, loosen up with some drinks at Free State, head over to the theater for the main event and finish the night off with Episodes IV, V and VI.

Come 9 a.m. or so, he'll sleep. As for the 40 friends and coworkers he bought tickets for - well, suffice to say it might be a sluggish Thursday at the Free State Brewery.

"I don't expect it to be the greatest movie I've ever seen," Scott says.

"It's going to be exactly what it is, which is a cool fuckin' Star Wars-related action movie."

"That's the only credentials I think it needs to have."