Dull plot, CG laden and general waste of potential

Rating: 5/10 (13 May 2005)

The plot of this film and Jar Jar Binks have been mercilessly parodied and its not hard to see why.
This film really does have one of the most boring plots. The framework for this movie is a trade federation blockade and politics of a galactic senate. Great. Within this framework we have a couple of Jedi occasionally hacking their way through various CG robots, some *extremely* irritating and unconvincing CG characters, a rather good but overlong pod race in the middle and a dull denouement where yet more CG characters fight CG robots inter-cut with the Jedis fighting a baddie called Darth Maul. CG is okay in doses, but it does not make up for a saggy plot or other deficiencies.
Darth Maul is the most interesting thing about the film and he is woefully underused. Aside from being a bad ass fighter, we have no better clue who he is or what he wants. Recall previous Star Wars where the duels were accompanied by a duel of words - Obi Wan Kenobi squaring up to Vader, or Vader vs Luke Skywalker. The words were as interesting as the fighting itself and I bet most fans can recall them. The Jedis and Darth Maul size each other up, and fight in near silence. What a waste. As someone wrote for Slate (if I recall), why not use the opportunity for Maul to expound his beliefs and perhaps even semi-convince the "maverick" Jedi played by Liam Neeson of what he is trying to do.
Aside from this, not much else sticks in the mind. The acting is universally wooden, thanks no doubt to the amount of CG filling each scene - "Mr Neeson stand in front of this green screen and say your lines to the tennis ball on a stick. We'll fill in who you're talking to and the space port you're standing in later.". The child actor playing Annakin is irritating, and the CG Jar Jar is even more so.
I have to say that Attack of the Clones went some way to mitigate the annoying Jar Jar by making him the tragic instigator of the Clone Wars. But if ever Lucas ever re-cuts these films (as he is wont to do when his bank balance dips below several billion), he should re-voice this annoying creation and give him half as much to say.