Critics, don't waste your breath.

Rating: 10/10 (20 May 1999)

I am not terribly surprised that a roomful of critics should feel motivated to attempt to hammer the most highly anticipated film of the decade. The motivation is easy to understand: here's a new chapter in a series of movies that defined an entire generation, it has been forecasted that it will decimate all existing box-office records and it represents George Lucas' directorial return. It seems only natural that one should be a bit more critical--this does seem to call for a higher standard of criticism, given the hype. Granted, this isn't The English Patient or the Branagh version of Hamlet. It doesn't matter, it's Star Wars.
For what it's worth, I would like to point out that Ron Howard, Frank Darabont, and Steven Spielberg have each had very favorable things to say about the film. I put it to you: who are you going to trust, a critic who makes his living by sharing his opinion, or a director who makes his living telling stories?