ESSENCE OF THE FORCE
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review written 2/25/2003

I can't help but see this as the forgotten sequel to Legacy of the Jedi. (I may have just spoiled the whole movie for everyone.)

It's more impressive than that old standby, perhaps—how often do you see a fan film with a Steadicam operator and actual grips in the credits? Hell, the Darth Maul type even has real horns on his head, and they look right.

Opening logos and fonts look good—not always accurate, but very attractive. The crawl moves too quickly though, which is a shame, 'cause there's a good joke. Some really impressive CGI to start. And we're off to the races.

The original music (always nice to see) (okay, hear) doesn't feel particularly Star Warsy, but I'll give them points for having original music at all.

But then we get to the big payoff of the flick—and it doesn't work. It just doesn't work at all. It's like having getting through ESB, and the "I am your father" moment being thrown away.

Pat Kerby puts on a great show here. But the film drops the ball where it counts. It's a shame, because a lot of skill (and a lot of money, it seems) went into it.