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Review

To paraphrase his THX tagline, Mr. Lucas is listening: Jar-Jar is out (almost), Yoda with a lightsaber is in, and Boba Fett (the original trilogy's cult hero assassin despite his lack of screen time) gets a really cool dad. The silly plot (about a big vote) takes a backseat, as it should, and instead propels the characters from planet to planet, with confrontations at many steps of the way. Young Anakin has grown up; he's not yet Darth Vader, but he's getting there. However, Christensen plays him like a rebel without a cause: all James Dean method acting in a King's English world. On the other hand, McGregor (as Obi-Wan) has this thing down, reading the serial's lines with the reverence of Shakespeare, while giving the little jokes (like an aside to Anakin: "You'll be the death of me") a James Bond flourish. The effects are terrific, as always, and will likely look even better on DVD, since the entire film was shot (and, in a few theaters, projected) digitally. Yoda is now completely computer generated and not a muppet, which is a letdown until a climactic showdown where he shows what The Force is really made of. Despite all this good stuff, Anakin and Amidala's affair (leading to Luke and Leia's eventual conception) takes up entirely too much time and is very flat; unrequited love (like Han and Leia) is always more interesting. Still, it's a step up for the series, perhaps setting the stage for a final installment that will be completely, unabashedly worthy of the Star Wars name.

 -- David Gorgos