The Force was not really in it..

Rating: 6/10 (21 May 2005)

This film is a must see, simply because it is the link in the saga, but that is about where it ends.
First off, the special effects are stunning. A small army of people worked on them and these did a very nice job. The problem is that there is hardly any shot *without* SFX and cross-fades are at a high pace. It seems likes Lucas is racing towards the finish and moving in full force to do so. Everyone is an action hero, including R2D2, and the Jedi are put to use as one-man armies.
Unfortunately, the film suffers from three flaws. Most annoyingly, there seems to be no chemistry between Hayden Christensen (Anakin) and Natalie Portman (Padme), whose characters are supposed to be in love. In fact, the latter connects much more with Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan), who was surely the best actor in the film.
The second flaw is the pomp in general. Whereas the early Star Wars films still seemed like they were fun, the later (and this one in particular) are heavier in drama and music than a Wagner opera.
The third is that Anakin is walking into a rather obvious trap set by Darth Sidious, and somehow gives a Sith Lord the benefit of the doubt over all of his Jedi mentors, in the face of much too blatant political maneuvering.
All in all, I feel Lucas overshot his target. The film is more action than adventure, as if the video game knockoff was the most important consideration. My suspension of disbelief was long gone by the time Darth Vader rose in his dark suit.
None of this matters, of course, because hordes will go and see it, if only for that scene and the accompanying music.
P.S. One more thing: personally, I deeply regretted that Jar Jar Binks did not get killed.