Not as bad as you remember it to be

Rating: 5/10 (1 December 2014)

It's been a few years since I've seen this movie and I have to admit, upon fresh viewing, it's not as bad as I remembered it to be.
To be clear, this is NOT a good movie, but it's not bad either, which is why it's getting the 6 star rating from me.
As always, the best part of this movie is the visuals and they hold up quite well 15 years after the fact. The action is easy to follow and the goal is simple. So, just sitting back and letting this wash over you is easy.
Where the movie falls down is in it's characters. They are all bland and forgettable. The good guys are good and the bad guys are bad. There is no nuance and the stilted line deliveries that director George Lucas insisted that such good performers as Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor and (especially) Natalie Portman is just disappointing. A special notice should be made on the terrible performance of Jake Lloyd as the young Anakin Skywalker. His performance needed to be directed well and it wasn't. I won't even get into Jar Jar Binks. I know they must have been thinking "comic relief and we'll sell a ton of Jar Jar plush toys", but it was just misguided.
Kind of like my child that didn't get as good a grade in a class that I know he could have, I am not angry at Lucas for this movie, I'm just disappointed. I expected so much more.
6 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank (of Marquis)