Better than Phantom Menace, yet still lacking

Rating: 1/10 (17 May 2002)

The biggest expectation for this movie was to be better than its predecessor The Phantom Menace. It has fulfilled that expectation yet in all other aspects this movie lacks greatly. Star Wars fans may have been dreading the love story. Their dread is well-founded especially considering the love story is built upon poorly written dialogue, sub-par acting from good actors and special effects that are not so special. The computer generated backgrounds are definitely not up to par with the old movies which is a shame. The fighting sequences involve way too many people and a ridiculous amount of quick cuts and panning. The film moves along sluggishly and spends a long time unsuccessfully trying to convince us we should care about the Anakin and Padme love story. The last half hour is probably the only redeeming aspect of the film as plot and action finally start moving. The best light sabre fight scene takes place within this half hour and is probably also the most surprising scene. The end made me wish the movie was longer while the beginning made me wish the movie would end. This is by no means a horrible movie, but by the same token it is not a good one. George Lucas should use the help of Lawrence Kasdan and anyone else who may want to lend a hand for the next one if he expects it to be up to par with the original trilogy.