The Force is no longer with us

Rating: 1/10 (2 January 2006)

I finally saw this movie last night, and I regret to say I wish I hadn't. I cannot fathom how anyone could find this movie enjoyable. I'd even go so far as to say I've never seen a worse movie in my life, and this distresses me, as I am an avid fan of the original trilogy.
The first and most glaring problem is the writing. I can hardly blame the actors for the terrible job they did in the movie, considering the script they had to work with. It was insipid and cheesy, and yes, it was painful. It hurt to watch Ewan McGregor and Samuel L. Jackson - two talented actors - struggle with the material they were given to work with.
Continuity is another problem. Anakin was flopping all over the place in the movie, and like others have said, his defection to the dark side was completely unbelievable. And then he tries to kill Padme, which boggles my mind, as the only reason he went to the dark side was to save her life. Obi-Wan leaves Anakin to suffer what should have been a painful death after having his limbs severed and being immolated - right after telling Anakin he was like a brother and that he loved him. Yes, the love truly shows.
The special effects were overused. They were distracting, but not distracting enough to draw my attention away from the atrocity of the script and the acting. I don't go to movies for special effects. I go to movies to immerse myself in a story. Lucas has failed utterly at doing that.
The Phantom Menace is my favourite of the new trilogy because it was coherent, for the most part, and it seemed as if Lucas put some semblance of effort into it. Not so with Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. The most upsetting thing about Revenge of the Sith is that it could have been a masterpiece, something that could wrench our hearts. But I didn't feel sad when Padme died, or when the friendship between Obi-Wan and Anakin fell apart. I should have felt sad. But I just couldn't bring myself to care.
Shame on you, Lucas. The fans deserve better.