I went to see the final “Star Wars” movie on the strength of some reviews that raved about its profundity, rather than its special effects. But be warned: It’s psychologically vapid, theologically shallow and politically offensive.
One of the best movie reviewers in the business, The Washington Post’s Stephen Hunter, compared writer/director George Lucas with Melville, Dostoevsky, Goethe, Shakespeare and Milton in confronting the question: What makes man evil?
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