One more thing...

Rating: 1/10 (20 November 2004)

I just read a comment by another user that I'd like to add to. The idea was that these first films basically have nothing to offer people who aren't Star Wars fans. It asserts that ordinary people couldn't care less about the Republic and the Empire. And, that's when it clicked.
That is one of the most glaring problems. I'll use an example.
One of the things that makes, in my opinion, 'The Fellowship of the Ring' the best of the three LOTR movies is that it honestly and wholly means more about humanity and less about the ring and Mordor, etc. All the movies do, but this to the greatest extent. The ring and plot are just a vehicle through which to tell a story about humanity. There are deep values embedded in the writing of that
movie and the books by J.R.R. Tolkein. The Star Wars movies were much more
about a sort of spirituality (NOT RELIGION! I'm not eluding to that at all! That would have made them very bad) and brotherhood and... love. Sure, there are
ploys for audiences that I'm not fond of, such as the love triangle between Han, Luke, and the Princess. But, there is a great deal of hope and loss and suffering. In episode 2 (I won't give it the respect of capitalizing and roman numeraling it!) there is NONE of that except the suffering from the knowledge of its existence.
The reason why I will give episode 1 a little more credit is because there is that sensitivity and humanity in many of the performances. Even Jar-Jar can't take it away... he just screws it up for a little while. The kid in the movie makes it a very bitter-sweet pill to swallow to watch him in his youth and naivety. It hurts you that he is going to become evil. When Liam Neeson's character falls, his
performance and relationship with the other characters make you feel sad. It's why, in the theatre when I first saw the movie, the crowd erupted in emotion, approval, and applause following the death of the Sith. It provokes you.
The only thing episode 2 provokes is an upset stomach, heat from anger, and
tragic loss over, not anything that happens in the story but, the fact that this movie is made now and no matter how much we try, or were to even make
another one to try and replace how bad it is, we never can. It will be imprinted in all its dishonorable and disgraceful glory on the original trilogy forever. A black mark. A black spot. (re: Muppet Treasure Island).
Appaulingly predictable. Appalling.