Disappointing, but still good despite Jar Jar

Rating: 7/10 (31 July 1999)

A solid film, with several big problems. Firstly Jar Jar is the most irritating character in cinema history (well, at least since Chris Tucker's last film role). This kind of brain-damaged Teletubbie-esque amphibian is obviously aimed at the kiddies, and makes all but the least cynical of adults grind their teeth with hate. But the kids in the cinema seemed to like him, and that's all that matters.
Other things are wrong, such as slightly wooden acting, dodgy pacing, baddies with racist Japanese accents and a criminal underuse of the film's best character Darth Maul. But despite these problems, the film is still a solid segment of the saga, although possibly the worst of the lot (except the holiday special, obviously).