Empty and hollow...

Rating: 1/10 (18 May 2002)

To say the least. And to think that I actually went in with a really low expectation really upsets me even more. I am especially annoyed with the dialogue which seems so childish and sometimes cheesy and cringe-worthy. Maybe it's just me but I can't stand the way Obi-wan and the rest of the Jedi keep saying "Padawan". It sounds like an unnatural way to talk to me.
The next would be the script itself which is very predictable. I managed to easily guessed the outcome of the majority of the plots without too much difficulty and without any surprise. I really enjoyed the original three due to the 'surprise' element that often pops out from time to time. Well, George seems to be getting lazy lately since this movie is just way too predictable. There's none of that eye-opening situations like Han rescuing Luke during the death star battle or Luke found out the truth about Darth Vader, etc.
I also hate the way Lucas write the Anakin character. Whatever happened to the "Your father was good man" statement uttered by Obi-Wan in Episode 4? This Anakin is certainly not a good man that Obi-Wan mentioned in Episode 4. Yes, he's protective of the thing that he has relations with (his mom, Padme). But being protective doesn't equal a good man. All that I see from this Anakin is a rude, childish, and often appeared idiotic man. He doesn't have a sense of responsibility, he throws tantrums like there's no tomorrow, and he doesn't seem to have a sense of loyalty and friendship. I can't count the many times I feel embarassed for him everytime he tries to be authoritative but ended up looking like a fool. I know he's supposed to fall to the dark side, but I expected that him to be a much more grey character where you can actually see the bad as well as the good sides of him. The Anakin in "AOTC" doesn't have an ounce of good sides, IMO.
My next complaint would be the supposed world of the Star Wars universe that is presented in this movie. Lucas really has outdone himself in terms of excessive use of CGI. Instead of being awed and impressed by the vistas of the world he created, I ended up feeling like I am forced to sit through an endless slideshow of CGI worlds. Not to mention the many films that Lucas chose to 'steal' as an idea for his Star Wars world ("Blade Runner", "Matrix", "Gladiator", "The War of the Worlds" just to name a few). I am all for imitating. After all, people say it's the sincerest form of flattery.
But come on! If you want to imitate "Blade Runner", can't you at least do it better? I see "AOTC" world and I see "Blade Runner" world and even with the acid rain in "Blade Runner", I would rather visit the world of "Blade Runner" than this fake CGI world that Lucas has created. At least when "The Fifth Element" imitate "Blade Runner" futuristic city, they do with flair and style and a slight innovation (the moving Dim Sum boat, etc).
Unfortunately, this column is too short to talk about other things that disturb me such as the no chemistry on between N.Portman and H.Christensen, the unbelievable number of flashing lights from weapons, light sabers, and action scenes that seem to be designed with video games portability in mind (so they can make video games that feature similar situation to the film). Honestly, I didn't have and never have the problems with the first three originals. Maybe I am just getting old (if 27 years old is old) or I am just not the audience that AOTC is aiming for.