A Sign of Things to Come

Rating: 3/10 (5 December 2006)

Truth be told, it was all but impossible to go into this movie without HUGE expectations. Like countless other Star Wars devotees around me, I sat in my theater seat expecting nothing less than cinematic magic. As the lights went down and the first notes of John Williams' triumphant score began to play, the entire audience erupted into a cheer of elation. This was it! We had waited years for this film, but now it was finally happening! Few could've foreseen the crushing disappointment that awaited us. The trouble began long before the infamous Mr. Binks reared his CGI head on to the screen. From the outset, it was clear that film-making technology had advanced since the days of the original trilogy- unfortunately for us, Mr. Lucas' gift of storytelling appeared to have atrophied.
The laundry list of mistakes in this film has been lamented countless times across the Internet, in homes, and film classes all around the world- wooden dialog, poorly developed characters, bad casting (much love to Samuel L, but he makes a far better Shaft than a Jedi), and those god-awful medicholorians.
But in the end, the downfall of Episode I (and indeed, the entire prequel trilogy) stems from the director's infatuation with his own digital technology. In the documentary "From Star Wars to Jedi," Mr. Lucas stated that, "A special effect without a story is a very boring thing." As I left the theater that day, trying desperately to convince myself that I had loved the movie, I was reminded of those words which proved remarkably true- this was a film that dazzled the eyes but did nothing to stir the soul.