A good movie, but an even greater disappointment

Rating: 6/10 (21 July 2001)

George Lucas must have too many butt-kissers in his camp these days. Either that or just delusional followers who blindly take all of his ideas as gems. That is the only explanation I can think of for how and why Jar Jar Binks was allowed to permeate this movie. I loved Star Wars when I was 7 and I didn't need some cheesy muppitt to convince me. I thought a lesson had been learned with the ending of Return of the Jedi. But mistakes are frequently repeated I suppose; it's just a little surprising at this level. You do not need infantile characters to appeal to a young audience! I and many others are living proof.
But what is even sadder is that this computerized character was the most animated of the bunch; the two Jedis and the princess. Jedis are supposed to be stoic I suppose, but c'mon, that shouldn't mean they have to be dull! And the princess? She could have been so much more interesting, in my opinion; her personality could have used a little more fire. I don't know, they seemed a little on the tired side to me. They seemed not much more than spectators. No life, charisma, not much force. This in spite of the fact that I really like all three of the actors. Lucas might as well get on with it and just hire the 'players' from Final Fantasy.
Exceptions: Samuel L. Jackson, Yoda, and the Emperor. I thought they played their parts quite well; they brought that old feeling that I got from the old movies. Darth Maul could have used a few more lines, and a little less Halloween makeup from The Party Store. I've seen more convincing makeup on television.
In spite of the above, I still enjoyed the movie. The effects were good, and ther were some great action scenes. And there were some cool ideas and background of how many of the characters (like C3PO) were first introduced. I also liked the basic storyline about Darth Vader; it has potential to lead into some really cool stuff. Hopefully, that's what will happen...Until then I plan to find more compelling and entertaining science fiction on the television: FarScape, Lexx, etc.
6 out of 10