It’s well known that this was meant for TV, and it shows. Not only are a few of the cuts to sew the pieces together obvious, the script takes a huge hit for it. Queen Amidala and C3PO come from nowhere in terms of the story. Their appearance is jarring and feels forced just to get them on the screen. Likewise, the plot is set up in obvious chapters, the first “episode” having little or no bearing on the others. It’s one long fight, and exciting or not, it has nothing to do with rescuing Jabba the Hutt’s infant son.
If Star Wars fans are given anything, it’s a few nicely animated shots of note. One is on Tatooine, against the planet’s setting dual suns. It’s the type of effective visuals the movie is lacking throughout, mostly due to a call for the extended and tiring action to keep the kids in their seats.
Maybe in ten or so years George Lucas will come up with something to satisfy the die-hard fans out there to let them forget this ever happened. Releasing this theatrically was a drastic mistake, and the only way sum it up is with a line from the film. One of the battle droids is tossed off a cliff (like this movie should have been) and screams “WHY?!” It couldn’t have been summed up any better.
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