Is that really the best you could do George?

Rating: 4/10 (24 May 2005)

I feel cheated. It's as though I was promised something six years ago by George Lucas that he couldn't deliver. Worse than that, he didn't even try very hard.
Mr Lucas cannot direct. He squanders the talent available to him in this movie even more than in the first two prequels. Instead of relying on good actors to tell a character-driven story he simply crams in ever more CGI in an attempt to cover up the truth about this film - the underlying story sucks. The actors are given nothing to work with here, at all.
Like most people I reserve my greatest vitriol for the appalling dialogue. Anyone could have done a better job here than Lucas. His heavy handed and childish treatment of the scenes between Anakin and Padme are cringe-worthy. It's like watching scenes written by someone who's never loved another person. In fact, it's like watching scenes written by someone who's never even spoken to another person. One scene in particular, where they discuss how love has blinded Anakin, is vomit-inducing.
Nothing really stands out in this film as a poignant moment, in say the way, "I am your father", or "Help me take this mask off", do. The appearance of Vader is badly handled and just feels wrong. Instead of the towering iconic and terrifying villain of the original movies we're presented by a short, thin, man dressed in black. And the "Noooo!" scene is just the most un-Vader like thing you could imagine.
With everything he had going for him - no studio interference, effectively unlimited budget, scope and time - George Lucas could have done so much better an this. It's such as disappointment.