The Force is Back

Rating: 1/10 (19 May 1999)

As a long-time Star Wars fan, this movie had been the center of my attention for quite a while. I feel I should add that George Lucas is the man for releasing this film on my birthday. That aside, I am very happy with this film. Of the original three films, it reminds me the most of Episode IV. It was more of an adventure movie than the previous ones. My one complaint is that it was a little too directed at the kids for my taste. I think that this film just would have been better without all the Jar-Jar stuff and the other silliness, which distracted from the good points of the movie: some great visuals, top-notch performances from Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, and Natalie Portman, and the events that will be important in the next two movies. Still, I expect that those problems will go away with the next two movies. This movie left possibilities for the next two, many of them intriguing. I can very easily see how Obi-Wan (probably my favorite character in the whole saga) became who he is in Episodes IV, V and VI, and how he was rash enough to lose Anakin to the Dark Side along the way. I look forward to seeing how he -- and all of the major players -- develop.