Good

Rating: 8/10 (4 June 2005)

There are some awfully long and intricate reviews here that concern themselves with the minutae of Anakin's fall into the clutches of the Dark Side (TM), the ramifications of the poor acting and the shortcomings of the script... well, that's all as may be. What you really need to know is that this is a visual treat, an engrossing story and a seamless link into the events of the original film.
The Star Wars films were never about story or acting - they were about special effects, lightsabre duels and having some fun. (Oh, and toy merchandising). What will satisfy you most about this movie are the references to the original film and the inexorable process that leads us to where we know we are going; Anakin becomes Darth, Luke and Leia are born, Obi Wan and Yoda go into exile etc...
I thought that the scenes showing the Anakin's transformation into DV were stunningly well crafted and genuinely disturbing. When he tries, GL can actually do "dark" quite well. Parents of small younglings beware! I won't bore you with endless dissection of the story - go and judge for yourself. But from where I sat, I had a good time. I smiled at the cheesy dialogue, I winced occasionally at the wooden delivery of some lines, I jumped back when Jar Jar's face filled the screen (albeit briefly) but I also loved it...
Home run, George...