Star Wars 6: Return of the Jedi

[This review includes spoilers.]Han: "A Jedi knight? I'm out of it for a little while, and everybody gets delusions of grandeur."I hate Ewoks. I hate their cute, fuzzy little faces and their squeaky little voices. And why? Because they almost single-handedly turned the heaviness volume way down on this movie. This one could have been the best of the trilogy. Instead, it was the weakest

Star Wars 5: The Empire Strikes Back

[This review includes spoilers.]

Leia: "I love you."
Han: "I know."

It's a middle movie. But it never felt like one.

The opening battle on the ice planet Hoth with the imperial walkers is just stunning. I remember being totally floored when I saw it in the theater. (Yes, I'm old enough to have seen Empire in the theater.) And I was shocked down to my socks three times -- when Vader cut

Star Wars 4: A New Hope

[This review includes spoilers.]

Leia: "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope."

I feel somewhat inadequate to the task of reviewing a movie whose impact has been felt for decades all over the world. Those are pretty big shoes for a melodramatic science fiction movie with aliens and robots, but let's face it, Star Wars is very, very special.

The big thing that works about the

Star Wars 3: Revenge of the Sith

[This review includes spoilers. And it was written right after I saw it in the theater.]

Padme: "So this is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause."

I just saw Revenge of the Sith, and I can't get it out of my head. For me, it's up there with Empire, which has always been my favorite. This one is darker than Empire. It had to be. George Lucas deserves some heavy-duty praise after all

Star Wars 2: Attack of the Clones

[This review includes spoilers.]Obi-Wan: "Why do I get the feeling you're going to be the death of me?"I have to come down on the side of those who liked it. (Am I a Pollyanna, or what?) What I thought was particularly strong about this movie were (1) the visuals, of course; (2) the careful, accurate way it set up Episode 3, as well as the original trilogy, and (3) little Darth Christensen.I

Star Wars 1: The Phantom Menace

[This review includes spoilers.]Obi-Wan: "I have a bad feeling about this."Probably most sci-fi geeks do just what Dan and I do every time we watch this movie: debate what went wrong.Let's see. We have a boy with a great talent, leading a dull and pointless existence on a backwater planet. A great mentor and wise man comes along and sets him on his path before sacrificing his own life. The

My review of Episode Three

I just saw Revenge of the Sith, and I can't get it out of my head. For me, it's up there with Empire, which has always been my favorite. This one is darker than Empire. It had to be. George Lucas deserves some heavy-duty praise after all the well-deserved criticism he took for Episodes One and Two.There are some pretty disturbing images in this movie, and I'll describe the worst one below. I