The Force is growing weak

Rating: Null/10 (5 June 2002)

I am a very big Star Wars fan. Like millions of people, I have grown up with these movies and have cherished the first three (or rather, the middle three, I suppose) since I first saw Star Wars (I cannot in good conscience call it "Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope" -- how arrogant can one mediocre director be) in the theatres (70mm was a wonderful thing). I was excited, but ultimately disappointed by Phantom Menace, but still thought it was passably entertaining. I still have all my Star Wars action figures tucked away somewhere in the C3PO carrying case, and I have many fond memories of the hours I would while away having the Star wars figures battle the evil Lego-man regime (the Legos were the bad guys because they could be decapitated and dismembered much easier and with less damage than the Star Wars dudes.)
So it is with an extremely heavy heart that I must report that the Force is weakening and the Jedi are near death. Episode II was BAD! Its that simple. Its not just that it was bad by Star Wars standards...it would have been bad by POLICE ACADEMY standards!!!
The digital effects are impressive, I will admit that much (although in this day and age it is more notable when a move has bad special effects). Its just that the advances in CGI technology have led Lucas to go for overkill (understandably since he has mucho dinero invested in them). All the CGI amount to sensory overkill -- after the 150th spaceship flying outside the window of Senator Amidala's (the formerly elected Queen???) flat, its no longer cool. And many of the effects of the original three had more...substance. They felt more real, even if they didn't look more real. CGI Yoda looked incredibly real, it certainly fools the eye, but he doesn't FEEL real. There is something intangible that is missing from the CGI that the puppet Yoda had.
As for the film itself...as I said, it was just BAD! The love story was laughable and groan-inducing, the politics were preachy, drawn out and confusing and even the action was rather boring -- the flight sequence was done as effectively and more stylishly in The Fifth Element (which pays homage to Star Wars, so basically Ep II copies a movie which was paying homage to the source...mutual admiration society?). Even the much heralded Yoda fight sequence, while cool, only lasted ONE MINUTE!!!
Maybe I've just become accustomed to the high adrenaline aciton of Hong Kong and HK influenced movies, but this movie was simply, blah. I was unbelievably fidgety in my ultracomfortable chair at the Union Square UA. Never a good sign.
Here's the straight scoop, folks. Lucas needs to give up the director's chair and fast. And he really should hand over screenwriting duties to someone else as well. These are his characters and his universe, to be sure, but someone else needs to breathe life into this franchise. It would be really interesting to see John Woo, the Wachowskis, David Lynch, Luc Besson or Ridley Scott take the reins for Ep III. But it won't happen.
I suppose its fitting. Every empire crumbles due to the arrogance of its leader. Why should this be any different?
I'm beginning to lose faith in the Force.