Unengaging - sort of like watching a flashy video game

Rating: 6/10 (19 May 1999)

I have to say that I found this movie far more boring than the first trilogy. The special effects may have been much more spectacular, but I knew this would be the case. What I was not expecting is how much this visual advancement would detract from the actual movie. George Lucas should have spent the sixteen year layoff between films to write a decent script rather than wait for effects to catch up to his vision. The dialogue was terrible, especially by Jar Jar Binks, his race, and the Trade Federation (what is "ex-squeeze me?" doing in a Star Wars movie?!?).
Also, there is absolutely no character development for the new characters (Samuel L. Jackson, Liam Neeson, or the surprisingly uninteresting Darth Maul). The characters all have an exceptional look, but the awe I feel towards them is only paper thin. I never cared for any of them as I cared for Solo or Luke, and why should I when they show absolutely no emotion.
There are some elements of the movie I did enjoy a lot. Senator Palpatine and Anakin's mother are both stand-outs in this movie because they are given the most room to act without relying on computer enhancement. Also, the choreography for the lightsabre fights are incredible, possibly the best action sequences I've ever seen, but these flashes of brilliance are too few and far between.
Overall, I gave this film an imdb rating of 6 out of 10. I was really hoping to be able to give it a 10. Hopefully, Lucas will follow suit as he did for his last trilogy and pass the reigns to fresh screen-writers and directors because I'm not sure Lucas himself is willing (or maybe able) to give his CGI fantasies a rest and focus on making a fun and interesting movie like the original trilogy which I loved.