I'll tell you why so serious

Crappy film

Blistering performances.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

I never saw the original Star Wars trilogy until I was well into my high school career, but that didn't stop me from having several Star Wars action figures as a young kid. Specifically, I remember three - Mace Windu, C-3PO, and R2-D2. Despite not knowing a single thing about these characters, their origins, or their intricacies, I was drawn to their plastic appearances and their pristine and immaculate detail even as a young child. I didn't need their backstories to have complex, imaginative adventures with them on my ledge overlooking my street. That's the beauty of Star Wars; even if we have no background or knowledge of the characters, most of us can still pick up the toys and create adventures that are just as satisfying to that small candle of childhood nostalgia we still have lit in the back of our minds.R2-D2: Beneath the Dome, a three-part, twenty-minute mockumentary, takes the lid off the character figuratively and literally to explore the interworkings of one of the most fascinating and intricate characters of the Star Wars universe. Told in a style reminiscent of talk show specials answering the much-asked question "where are they now?," with an aesthetic resembling VH1's Behind the Music show, we learn of "Artoo"'s beginning as an actor and a friend of George Lucas, as struggled to obtain more complex and challenging roles in feature films and TV shows. However, all it took was Lucas to have a bit of faith in his robot companion, and following the success of A New Hope in 1977, R2-D2 became a household name and a movie-star overnight.As with many celebrities, the fame gets to one's head and a downward spiral ensues, which is what parts two and three of this film concern. In addition to "archive footage," we see interviews with people like Lucas and Artoo's co-stars Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, and even his pregnant girlfriend Bitsie Tulloch. As a fun and creative exercise, R2-D2: Beneath the Dome is a real treat for Star Wars fans because it ultimately does what every fan wants out of people who view the movies - to take the events and the characters seriously. When you start subscribing a detailed history and resume for a robotic droid, in addition to giving him a girlfriend, I think it's safe to say that you've taken him about as seriously as you could.R2-D2: Beneath the Dome is a cute film for its casual humor and the way it personifies a character that was instrumental to so many peoples' lives arguably for just being so simple, yet so immaculate. The result is a lively and spirited, with its tongue firmly planted in its cheek and unwilling to move or displace it.Directed by: Don Bies and Spencer Susser.

I give it 2 for only 2 really funny lines in the entire "mockumentary." This was just plain dumb, uninspired, lame. It looks to have been done at the last second by someone who obviously thinks Jar-Jar was the best idea EVER! (Unfortunately, the name George Lucas comes to mind.) There is nothing new or anything really imaginative. Obviously, many of the actors and directors in this mess must not have any work. It is brought to DVD by those (Lucas) who have rights to the SW franchise. If you have to get Spielberg to be in a short film, than you know that "funny" will not be part of the plan. I will never get my 20 minutes of life back! Go find "Chad Vader"! Now that is truly funny! Even better, any of the "Robot Chicken" dvds!

The true star of "Star Wars" gets his own film in the form of a cute and surprisingly well made mockumentary. The loose story focuses on the rise and fall of Reginald Dillingham (the apparent real name of R2-D2) and also goes into the honors and friends that he gathered on the journey.The cast is made up mostly of "Star Wars" veterans and has the unique distinction of bringing together most of the cast members from both trilogies. In addition, celebrities like Richard Dreyfuss and Francis Ford Copolla make appearances and show their comedic chops quite well.It's hard to pinpoint the best performance. Samuel L. Jackson is pretty good, coming off as being the kind of loyal friend you'd like by your side and Dreyfuss is very convincing as the bitter ex-friend of the droid. Even Christopher Lee scores points in a cameo role. If I had to choose, I would say Ben Burtt is certainly the most watchable. But perhaps the greatest asset is that this cute film has no slow spots at all and works well in its 20 minute run-time.Bottom-line? This ranks higher than the prequels and that's no joke!

"R2-D2: Beneath the Dome" sounds like it could be really funny. Think of a blend of E! True Hollywood Story with A & E's Biography, and throw in the fact that it's a robotic character from "Star Wars" being profiled. Sounds interesting, right? Well, it must have been a lot more amusing on paper, because the final product didn't get one laugh at me. Not a single laugh. And I laugh at well-done comedy, whether the critics agree ("Ghostbusters", "Big") or not ("Houseguest", "Men at Work", Adam Sandler films).But this little mockumentary, unfortunately, doesn't work. It's as if everyone is trying to be funny, and unfortunately, in comedy intentionally trying to be funny rarely works outside of a stand-up comedy routine. Samuel L. Jackson talking about "Homeboy is probably from Detroit." Harty-har.Photoshopping R2 into posters for movies, parodied like "Greased" and "The Good, The Bad, and The Oily" is funny if you're in second grade. Watching this, I wanted to like it and I wanted to laugh, but the only ones I can imagine laughing at this are "Star Wars" nerds. That's an oversimplification and not a bash at anyone who enjoyed this little thing, but I'm a big "Star Wars" fan and, blah, this wasn't funny. Comedy is subjective, I know, my opinions are just that: opinions.Now, I don't mean to bash this as much as I am. It's just a little mockumentary on the web (although, for the record, editing the "Who's on First?" comedy routine with Jar-Jar and Yoda was a just little Web thing and that was hilarious). It's even good for a few smiles, when the people being interviewed aren't trying to be funny, and seem like they're telling serious anecdotes. The few smiles tend to come from Spielberg and Coppola, who are surely veterans of serious interviews about filmmakers, and their deadpan takes are amusing...not quite funny, but amusing. In general, though, the clips of R2 with his girlfriend or on the beach alone aren't particularly funny. It's a one-joke premise that would have worked had it just been a one-minute fake ad, but as a 15-minute or whatever documentary, it falls completely flat mostly because the parties involved are conscious they're trying to get you to laugh. Worth watching, sure. It's perfect in showing you that comedy is more difficult than it looks; I'm sure on paper, this sounded really funny.