The Lessons Of NH, ESB, Neglected For ROTJ

Rating: Null/10 (22 May 1999)

I realize I'm in the minority, but I hated this movie. Lucas had twenty years to write the script and this is the best he could do?
This movie doesn't feel right. The climax of Independence Day is exciting, the actors, music, etc. suggesting this is for all the marbles. Even in the climax for PM, I never got that "Here we go!" feeling.
Like in ROTJ and NH Special Edition, there is an abundance of slapstick gags totally at odds with a story about intergalactic civil war. The characters do not behave realistically. Why would the robot soldiers tell each other orders? Wouldn't they communicate with each other in binary, like a modem? And if I see one more movie where the plan to capture the bad guy involves the heroes travelling "a secret underground passage" that no one else knows of, I'm going to be sick.
Also, the light saber battles threw me. Yes, they looked cool, and I liked how Darth Maul used the Force to open a door without letting down his guard. But the fights are styled like martial arts swordfights, not the classic fencing from NH, ESB, and ROTJ. It's inconsistent.
On the bright side, the special effects are sweet, the pod race being genuinely thrilling. The long shots of the architecture are amazing, like something Rand and Robyn Miller would dream up. John William's music isn't workmanlike this time, it actually invokes the scenes.
It all comes down to how much detail you pay to Star Wars. Casual viewers will love its eye candy. True fans who sensed a disturbance in the Force with the Ewoks in ROTJ know what they are in for.