Eye candy

Rating: 1/10 (26 May 2002)

I'll say up front that I hated Episode I. And after that fiasco, have come to the conclusion that I really don't care for what Lucas has done with the Special Editions either. That being said, I think Episode II couldn't help but be better than Ep. I. And it is. But once again, this movie suffers from Lucas' weaknesses as a director and a writer. The plot is still overly convoluted, filled with horrible dialogue and contrived situations. The characters are wooden and for the most part unlikeable. I thought all of actors did a decent job with bad parts and bad directing, but none of it made me care.
The action and effects were pretty good, but you expect that in something from Lucas. I for one am tired of movies where that's the only thing going. Lucas is a technician and should be playing only the technical role. He needs a real writer to hone his ideas, and a real director to add depth and resonance to the performances and situations. I for one would rather see Spider-man again; that movie, despite some lower quality effects, had character and made comic situations seem real. Better drama too.
I'm sure the fanatics will disagree with me, but the fact is that the new Star Wars movies can't hold a candle to the originals, and all the digital technology in the world won't make Lucas into a good director. I'll probably see Ep. III when it comes out, just to see "how it ends," but these new movies definitely fall into the "rental" category. If it weren't for the Star Wars name, I think most people wouldn't waste time in the theatre on them. I certainly wouldn't.