Not bad

Rating: 5/10 (4 October 2009)

The fourth chapter in the "Star Wars" saga is not as bad as it's reputation would suggest but's it nothing to critically laud and rave about either.
Set 32 years before the first film, the story (if you want to call it that) tells us the origins of iconic characters Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenboi and Yoda among others while introducing new faces such as Mace Windu and Padmae Amidala who all play important roles in shaping the events of the original trilogy.
The performers are pretty good. The all-star cast includes some of my favorite actors including the lovely Natalie Portman and the great pros Frank Oz and Samuel L. Jackson. Other performers like Liam Neeson are OK but not spectacular. And although underused, Ray Park makes a silently menacing villain in Darth Maul.
The cons are not too bad but are pretty big blunders nonetheless. The CGI is terrible, it looks too artificial and distracts from the actors and the "story" and speaking of which, how much more convoluted can this script get? The first three films were so crystal clear in their stories and the characters and here, your left out in the cold. Last but by no means least...the presence of Jar Jar Binks. Need I say more? All in all, while not a classic it stands as a piece of history (for the useless hype) but it's not half bad. One last observation: what would the film have been like if Sam Jackson played Mace like Zeus from "Die Hard 3"?