A SCENE derided by film critics as the worst moment in the Star Wars franchise has been voted the best cinematic moment of 2005 at the Sony Ericsson Empire Awards.

The Birth of Vader scene, in which the anti-hero Darth Vader learns that his wife has died, was mocked by critics from The Scotsman to the Toronto Star for making the central character resemble Frankenstein’s monster. The camera pulls back from Vader’s face as he throws his arms in the air and shouts: “Noooo!” Reviewers such as Andrew Eaton, arts editor of The Scotsman, said that the cry summed up all that was wrong with the prequels. “It is a spoiled brattish whine, concluding three films full of pompous, boring people worrying.”

The criticism did not deter the 25,000 voting members of the public, who preferred the scene to the dogfight in Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit and the arrival of the first alien craft in War of the Worlds.

Revenge of the Sith, which made $750 million (£430 million) at the box office worldwide, also won the Best Sci-Fi or Fantasy category. The Best Comedy prize, which many critics believe belonged to Revenge of the Sith, went to Team America: World Police, a puppet-based satire on US foreign policy. King Kong collected the Best Movie award. Best British Movie was awarded to Pride & Prejudice.

Best Newcomer Kelly Reilly; Scene of the Year Birth of Vader in Star Wars Episode III, Revenge of the Sith; Best Comedy, Team America: World Police; Best Thriller Kiss Kiss Bang Bang; Best Horror The Descent; Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Revenge of the Sith; The Empire Inspiration Award Stephen Frears; The Empire Icon Brian Cox; Best Director Steve Box and Nick Park for Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit; Best Actor Johnny Depp for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; Best Actress Thandie Newton for Crash; Best British Movie Pride & Prejudice; Best Movie King Kong; Lifetime Achievement Award Tony Curtis

Times Recommends

• Fish and chip shops ‘selling cobbler as cod’
• T in the Park festival at Kinross
• Body Watch