10% film, 90% reference manual

Rating: 2/10 (6 June 2005)

This final installment is less movie for a 2:20 run time than anyone might expect. For what I think is a fairly accurate commentary on the shortcomings of that 10% of the film that was really a bona fide attempt at a motion picture, see the review by neodante23. My problem is that 90% of the film was nothing more than a reference manual for franchise fans. We get to see visual elements of equipment that will eventually "evolve" into the X-wings, B-wings, and Tie-fighters, even the Emperial Walkers used on Endor. We learn that a certain famous Wookie was around to helping fight droids long before he became a smuggler's accomplice. But it's all done without much more motivation than the expansion of the franchise. By far too much attention was given to these sorts of details, and very little to the story, dialog and character development. We must draw conclusions for ourselves that Anakin would sacrifice everything to be with Padme, but he returned to action because preservation of the Republic was a close second (to who, him or Padme?) We really don't know what's stopping them from working out their priorities together. Rather than leaving the huge gap between AOTC and ROTS during which Anakin and Padme apparently established the deem NEED for each other that is supposed to motivate Anakin, this film could have very well omitted the explanation of why OB1 and Yoda can communicate as ghosts, or even dropped the flashy animation that is General Grevious when ATOC firmly established Duku's abilities as a dangerous leader of the separatists.
Grevious's presence itself is not satisfactorily explained, other than the fact that the franchise wishes to lay the technological foundation for "mechanization" technology, a sort of half-baked excuse for Darth Vader's infamous breathing, that is realized in the end. Most can accept Vader's breathing, I propose, simply because it's effective to make him the ultimate villain; he could have been a chain smoker and still the effect would be well done. However it's much more difficult to believe that chunks of this script have not been cut and/or held back to provide higher sales of the "extended edition" DVD (or, inevitably, more Star Wars books and animated series) that will explain who Grevious is and why Anakin and Padme didn't stay on Naboo.