The magic of cinema

Rating: 10/10 (18 May 2002)

Much as I wanted them to be wrong, I couldn't help but give some credit to the reviews I'd read of this movie, which at best damned it with faint praise ('well, it's better than the last one...') and at worst dismissed it completely as an unfathomable, soulless exercise in expensive FX and bad acting. Surely, even if they were overly critical, there must be some truth to these appraisals? I enjoyed The Phantom Menace, but had to concede some of the points made by its detractors. Would this be just another 'fun, but flawed' piece of sci-fi fluff? I'd hoped for so much more, especially after Lord Of The Rings had delivered so spectacularly. Well... I'm not sure exactly how to put this... but not only was this film better than Fellowship Of The Ring, it may well be the best Star Wars film of them all. I left the cinema dizzy with elation, hairs on end as they had been throughout the last 2½ hours. Take your pick of superlatives - awe-inspiring, epic, captivating, enchanting, riveting, breathtaking, spectacularly beautiful... it is all of these and more. The characters are solid and often intriguing - in Ewan McGregor's Obi Wan Kenobi we have a classic action hero who could be the prototype Jedi; Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker is a complex, often brooding figure for whom we can all feel some empathy. With his innocent beginnings, the descent into the Dark Side and eventual redemption which are to come, this phase of Anakin's life completes the cycle of classic tragic hero. Natalie Portman makes Amidala into more than just a love interest, truly convincing as the future mother of Princess Leia. The supporting cast is crammed with memorable performances, from the (very!) animated Yoda and the righteous Mace Windu to Jango Fett and the menacingly powerful Count Dooku. The many worlds are bustling with all manner of alien life, charming and menacing at turns. The special effects... they need no introduction, except to say they are more convincing than computer generated images have ever been before. Nothing breaks the spell. Were there any flaws? I suppose there must have been. Flaws as seen in the original trilogy, and as seen in Fellowship, and a thousand other films heaped with unconditional critical praise. The critics must have had their own agenda in slating this film - I feel most sorry for those who claimed they couldn't follow the plot. Perhaps they need to reconsider their choice of career, because the magic of cinema can rarely have been in such evidence as it is here - if it eludes you, it's your loss.