When "Revenge of the Sith," the conclusion of the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy, was released earlier this year, the main reaction among fans was relief.

If the movie didn't exactly redeem the two previous installments, it was still an improvement. It not only brought closure to the most influential movie mythology of the last 50 years — and maybe the most influential ever — it turned the story on its head by revealing who the story was actually about.

The two-disc DVD (Fox) enhances the original experience.

For one thing, most people who saw it in theaters did not see it projected digitally, since most chains have yet to spring for the superior new technology. The digital DVD transfer brings out visual detail and nuance that will impress even non fans.

Equally impressive is the Dolby Digital 5.1 EX sound mix that makes dynamic use of every channel.

The extras will fascinate fans and be of interest to nonfans. Director George Lucas spends his portion of the commentary talking about the characters and the story. Lucas estimates 90 percent of the film is animated, which would make it eligible for an Academy Award in that category.

Disc 2 contains another fine 80-minute "making of" documentary and a brief feature that shows exactly what went into getting the laser duel on Mustafar on to the screen — a scene that lasts just a little more than a minute.

There are also six deleted scenes. And a case could be made that two, showing the role Padme (Natalie Portman) played in rousing the Rebel Alliance, should have been included. Without them, the series' most interesting character besides Anakin Skywalker was reduced to simply responding to her husband's transformation.

'WAR OF THE WORLDS'

Watching Steven Spielberg's adaptation of "War of the Worlds" this summer, I began to wonder if producer George Pal's 1953 version, with one of my favorite actors, Gene Barry, in the role taken by Tom Cruise, was anywhere near as good as I remembered from multiple viewings in my childhood. It had its original release on DVD before this column became a regular feature.

Like an alien invader reading my mind, Paramount answered the question in the affirmative with "The War of the Worlds: Special Collector's Edition," which if anything, is actually scarier than Spielberg's version, with less chase, more spaceship invaders, great special effects for the era (they won the film an Oscar) and a surprisingly intelligent, decidedly noncheesy script.

Having not seen the original transfer, said to be sub par, I can say only that this one is very watchable, if far from pristine. The kick for me was hearing the film in a good stereo remix.

Barry, 84, and his co star Ann Robinson, 70, provide an entertaining commentary that proves their memories are still pretty good. It's too bad it was recorded before the release of Spielberg's film, which slyly cast them as a grandfather and grandmother. The single disc also packs in short featurettes on the making of the film and on author H.G. Wells, along with the infamous Orson Welles Mercury Theater broadcast that panicked America on Oct. 30, 1938, and which is now in public domain.