Like the rest of the new trilogy, Lucas needed to give it to someone else

Rating: 5/10 (19 May 2005)

As a Star Wars fan, I really wanted this to be good. It has its moments, but I still left the cinema feeling underwhelmed.
Amongst the good points are the fact that the film succeeds in answering a lot of the unanswered questions so gives a degree of closure, it looks great and is dark and dramatic.
However, this is all countered by some awful dialogue and a sense that too many convenient points were included to tie up the loose ends. Besides the reason Anakin becomes Vader, the other parts of the story--like the fall of the Republic, Padme's death, the breakdown in the relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin and the introduction of various episode 4 characters--are rushed and explained by a great number of coincidences.
Furthermore, Hayden Christiansen doesn't work as Anakin/Vader. He's too young, and doesn't have the necessary gravitas to carry off the role. His accent makes him seem no more than a dim surfer-teenager, a kind of moody version of Bill or Ted, and his appearance As Darth VAder after his costume change is mercifully short; those few minutes are awful.
Overall, the film shows what happens when you have someone with a great idea but who can't direct people behind the camera. The film needed someone else to edit the inconsistencies in the script and to give it a better balance. It also needed someone who can draw good performances out of actors. The film is fun, but if it wasn't part of the Star Wars saga, it would sink without a trace.