Seen: Sept. 3rd, 2008
Format: Theater
Rating: 4
I'd waited long enough and went in the middle of a weekday, so I had the theater all to myself. Usually this is a very good thing, as I can watch the film in peace instead of dealing with talking, cell phones and the snorting and grunting of the masses as the gorge themselves on 'corn.
This time, I could have used some mild irritants to help keep me awake.
Nodding off in a film is never a good sign.
It's mostly my fault though. I was tired from a long morning. I had not paid enough attention and then reviewed all that had happened in the Episodes II and III. There's a lot of convoluted machinations that lead to the schism we now recognize as the core of a long saga.
This film requires that background. You're required to be a fan, to understand the intrigue and guile that's swirling around this part of the story. This film is a small chapter in the middle somewhere. It's a footnote to flesh out both the saga itself and the evolution of Anakin Skywalker.
From a pure story perspective, it does the job. But as a film, it leaves much to be desired.
It's a strange conglomerate of Saturday Morning Cartoon Show and Melodrama. There are copious action sequences interspersed with banal, expository dialogue. One follows the other in sequence until the inevitable conclusion.
To be fair, this is the Star Wars formula, and has worked wonders in the past. But here is seems contrived. The film seems firmly directed at the younger folks who have developed a passion for the saga. Characterizations are broad and simple. Dialogue is forced, predictable and often trite. The drivers and allegories are blunt and unsophisticated.
Again, this is the Star Wars formula. I guess it bothers me more here because it's animated. The whole thing seems a bit more juvenile when it's a cartoon. Like Flash Gordon, it seems easier to believe the fantastical when there are real people acting it out. We believe them more than we do a mobile artist's rendering. There are animated films with great impact, but they are generally more driven by artistic styling or subject matter.
Suffice to say that this one didn't impress. It fell flat for me, who stood in huge lines back in '77. Unless you're sure it's your cup of tea, you'll probably want to wait for the rental.
But I'm sure the video game will be awesome.
The Good: More Star Wars
The Bad: More convoluted and banal
The Ugly: Hutts, again
