The Sith hits the fan

[Derek McMillan]

Princess Leia and Princess Padme

I pity Natalie Portman for the inevitable comparisons between her and Princess Leia. Leia had a much more active role and her relationship with Han Solo provided most of the laughs in the original Star Wars trilogy. Apparently Harrison Ford got on her tits (metaphor) and that was why they worked together so well on screen.

Princess Padme was pregnant and passive through most of episode three and her main function was to hear terrible things about Anakin Skywalker, give birth and die. With the best will in the world she could not be sexy and witty in that role.

She didn't appear in a golden bikini in chains either so there are swings and roundabouts!

Ewan McGregor could have taken on a Han Solo role but as a Jedi, even a stroppy Jedi, he was restricted in what he could do. The plot called for him to be doomed to failure anyway.

The roles of Christopher Lee and James Earl Jones (five minutes at the beginning and end) were a bit too short and the role of the egregious Jah Jah Binks (ten seconds and silent) was still far too much.

Ian McDiarmid was brilliant despite struggling with some pretty weedy lines and he had to carry the film a lot of the time. He really is a first class actor but George Lucas is obviously out of touch with the fact that nobody can do an evil laugh these days....ever since Austin Powers they no longer work!

[John Dolva]

WARNING!!!

''According to scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the 8.8 magnitude quake that hit Chile has moved planet’s axis enough to speed up Earth’s rotation. As a result, our days have become shorter by 1.26 microseconds compared to last week.''

On the other hand, we'll all be living longer and won't have to repaint the house so often.