Visually appealling, otherwise...

Rating: Null/10 (6 June 1999)

Visually, the film is a masterpiece, and sets the standard once again for visual effects. Even as a 17-year old raised on computer graphics, I was extraordinarily impressed with the effects - sort of the same feeling I first got when I saw the dinosaurs in Jurassic park for the first time.
With so much importance placed upon this movie, it would have been impossible for it to either be a complete bomb or a total success. Unfortunately, the film seemed to me to be marketed to a larger audience than the originals, with special emphasis on kids 12 and younger. Lucas might be an independant filmmaker, but let's face it - as much as we would like to believe otherwise, moviemaking is an industry driven by money, and I think this film suffers because of that. Take Jar Jar Binks, for example. For me, this character represents two things: a breakthrough in computer graphics, and an attempt at comic relief that fails for people who are old enough to be cynical and critical of the character. I love the original Star Wars movies - but they have a quiet charm that Lucas either chose to ignore, or that is simply impossible to recreate in the era of fast cuts, cheap thrills, and computer animation.