No 'Empire Strikes Back' but still good

Rating: 8/10 (9 June 2005)

I did enjoy this film. I think it was a VAST improvement to The Phantom Menace though the originals still are, and always will be the best.
The thing that gives these films depth is that we know our hero will turn evil. I prefer Anakin as a character to Luke. He's so much more intriguing and complex than the rather two dimensional Luke. I think Hayden Christendon was great in the role. You can almost see where he can (and does) go. That scene with the first hint of the Darth Vadar music when he kills all the people was perhaps the most poignant scene of the film.
That was another thing I liked in the film: the casting. Ewan McGregor in particular I like. Natalie Portman does a good job, though she doesn't come close to Leia. And Christopher Lee plays evil so...well.
The romance between Anakin and Padmé was interesting to watch, especially with the whole 'forbidden' element. If there's one thing Lucas does well, it's the romances. Han and Leia's hilarious love-hate relationship, Anakin and Padmé's desperate and unwilling love for each other...
There were times where it DID look a little too much like a video game, as though Lucas was putting more faith into the special effects than the story, which he really didn't need to do.
However, any scenes with lightsabers was great. Samuel L Jackson's funky purple lightsaber and the duel with Yoda had me in tears.
Overall good film, and I will be seeing the third.