Very close to be considered a tragedy in the series.

Rating: 6/10 (3 January 2009)

Damn it's been a while since the whole Star Wars enthusiasm hit the world in the late 90's. First, with the Star Wars re-opening world wide in 1997, and then in 1999 with this new entry in the saga.
Everybody had high expectations mainly because it had the important task of explaining the origins of the entire series. George Lucas had many years to create the perfect plot, atmosphere, and new characters that would become fan favorites in the future.
The result? Well not good news as everybody knows. First, the plot. Although it's not that bad and it explains the important characters fates, it fails when trying to be complex and more interesting. I didn't care for it that much towards the climax. The whole political sub-plots that made these movies famous were absent and it focused mainly on Obi Wan and action sequences. No in depth situations.
Then, the new characters were a major let down. Let's not think that success has to do with "cool looking" characters; no, it also deals with the character development, background story, and acting. Darth Maul was by far the most interesting character mainly because his martial arts techniques and portray. The whole Jar Jar Binks discussion is old but it will never heal. This character didn't ruin the whole movie because that would be an exaggeration, but the truth is that it increased the cheese factor horribly.
The f/x, cinematography, and sound is just perfect as always. The production values are flawless as always but that doesn't save the movie from being a disaster.
The movie won't be considered as a failure in the future, but it will be labeled as the weakest in the series.
George Lucas thought he had the fans in his pocket but he didn't know about their rage. He didn't satisfy their needs and thought that putting a simple story and tons of action would be enough.