Disappointing

Rating: 6/10 (16 July 2005)

Frankly, after all the talk about how good this film was, and how Lucas had finally gotten it right, I went in to this movie with far higher hopes then I should have. I was to put it mildly disappointed. The movie is completely undone by Lucas' inability to direct actors. Yes the effects were fantastic, and the action and pacing were great. But the story line and acting left much to be desired. Anakin's decision to join the dark side should have been gut wrenching. It should have been given much more time to mature. To be frank, it really should have been started in the last movie. Instead it is reduced to a ho-hum moment, where he just seems to say "Allright, I'll be evil." It needed to be far more then the shrug of the shoulders that it becomes. Hayden Christiansen tries to convey conflict in Anakin via a series of twisted grimaces, that don't really work, and fail to truly reveal any internal conflict that may be occurring. Natalie Portman is reduced to a supporting role, and not a very interesting one at that. All she does is cry and worry throughout the film, not at all like the woman of action we saw in the first two movies, and her death scene is given very short shrift. Jimmy Smits is completely wasted in a bit role that barely makes sense, and Samuel L. Jackson, while he does get a great death scene, is once again missing in action throughout the film, seeming to phone in his role. The only actor who rises above all of the muck, and is the saving grace of the movie is Ewan McGregor, who puts on a marvelous performance despite Lucas.
I will not g into all of the plot and time line troubles that this movie creates for the whole series, they are serious, and truly harm the work as a whole. I will, however, once again commend Industrial Light and Magic for a superior job. Yoda, once again rocks, and the rest of the effects are very powerful. Too bad they were wasted on this movie, it would have been nice to have had a film that really had great acting, directing and effects.