Cmon it was fun!

Rating: 7/10 (27 April 2005)

I think people are overly harsh concerning these movies. A lot of people complain about the use of CGI vs. modeling in the original trilogy, but this is a bunch of bull. If Lucas had the capability to use CGI in the first trilogy, he definitely would have used it. The only reason that he didn't use it was that he couldn't, so instead he spent an inordinate amount of time creating set pieces and large-scale miniatures of ships (Milennium Falcon, X-Wings, Tie Fighters, Star Destroyers, the Death Star). This must have cost an absolute fortune, not to mention that the manpower effort to realize his visions must have been staggering. And while I agree that the use of models has allowed those movies to stand up to the test of time (I recently watched the trilogy on DVD for the first time in years), I still think there is a lot of good stuff in this installment. The CGI is amazing, particularly the sequence showing the rescue of Anakin, Obi Wan and Amidala on Tatooine. I thought Yoda's fighting sequence was well-done (he's the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy - why is this so unbelievable?) And the chase with Obi Wan and Anakin trailing the would be assassin through the skyways makes the similar scene in the 5th element look like a coarse little flip-book (a movie which has a higher score on this site). The acting was a deterrent - especially in depicting the love story of Padme and Anakin. Gone is Liam Neeson, but added was Christopher Lee, a favorite of mine. Unfortunately this incarnation of Anakin is highly annoying, much more so than the boy from Ep. 1. I simply could not accept that Amidala would fall in love with this immature, arrogant little punk for a second. Still, I give the movie an 8. People's expectations are way too high for these movies, mostly because of the phenomenon the original series spawned. I think it is unfair to judge these movies in this way, but rather to take them as they are without trying to constantly compare them to the originals. The originals are obviously superior, without doubt; however the originals are also some of the greatest movies ever made, and to expect the same this time around is unfair; it is difficult to catch lightning in a bottle once, let alone 6 times - Lucas managed to do it 3 times with the original movies, and while these are not on the same level, they are enjoyable nonetheless. 7 of 10