Spectacle, even great spectacle, does not a great film make

Rating: 5/10 (30 July 2014)

By virtue of the insignificance of Episode I in the grand scheme of the narrative, Star Wars: Episode II does not have the burden of middle child syndrome that plagues many trilogy middles. It has a negligible amount of direct continuation from Phantom Menace, particularly because of a 10 year time gap. Because of this, Attack of the Clones starts on a clean slate. It had a chance to carve its own way.
The relationships start afresh. Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi are new people by comparison, and their relationship forms the core of the first part of the film. Their relationship is visible, if rather clunky. Then they split, and Obi-Wan's journey moves the political half of the film forward. He encounter's the titular clones, and interacts with a variety of sometimes-colourful aliens as he uncovers a 'Federation' plot.
Anakin, unfortunately, splits to 'grow' as a character, by spending the film with Padme. Like most criticism of the film, the word unfortunately is not because of a poor idea, but because of awful execution. George Lucas once again writes and directs, and once again proves that he is not cut out for it. Attack of the Clones features the worst dialogue in the entire saga, and the Anakin-Padme plot, which is significant enough that it can almost be called the 'A' story, literally drags the film down to worst entry status. Hayden Christensen gets a lot of deserved stick for his acting, but with these lines who can blame him? The Anakin-Padme love story is built on cringe-worthy dialogue, clichéd ideas and unbelievable development. They have little-to-no chemistry, and frankly all it serves is to put many viewers off Anakin permanently- he comes across as creepy. For a story envisioned as tragedy this is unforgivable. The scenes are awful enough that they shan't be dwelled upon, but scenes such as Anakin's massacre of the Tuscan Raiders and the fallout show Hayden Christensen can act. But for the most part Anakin falls flat.
Obi-Wan's story is meatier, and certainly has more to like. Ewan McGregor is forced to act almost solely with CGI characters, so credit to him he handles these well. The place-to-place trail isn't complicated (though the plot surrounding it all certainly is) but gives an excuse to put together some impressive and pretty action sequences. Ewan himself does a fine job, much more than what little he had to work with in Episode I, but is certainly 'The Straight Man', albeit with wry wit.
Outside of the two leads, Natalie Portman is forced into dialogue way below her calibre and does not come off unscathed. Samuel L Jackson gets more screen time and is welcome to it, even if merely playing a Jedi version of himself. Ian McDiarmid once again shines, and Frank Oz is excellent, even if some have legitimate complaints about the direction Yoda went in. The major new cast member is Christopher Lee as Count Dooku, the antagonist for this film.
The fight scenes are overall an improvement upon episode I, and the effects are better. Seeing more of the planets was much appreciated. The set pieces are varied (the asteroid scene is a particular standout). The decision to completely CGI Yoda was necessary for the increased workload the character was given, but one does miss the charming simplicity of puppet Yoda. The decision to cast Christopher Lee as the Sith here added gravitas, but at the expense of Christopher Lee being unable to move with the flexibility and finesse of the younger actors.
Both episode I and II come in for much deserved criticism, though their faults may be opposite. Episode I's execution was fine, but the decisions were odd or awful. Episode II had fine decisions, and its ambition is startling, but the worst execution. The undertones of a flawed, corrupt democracy and the political manipulations have a greater resonance than the shallow tax blockade of Phantom Menace. Even the Jedi's relationship with Anakin is an illuminating idea. But it never works as it should, which is the greatest shame. Even the idea of Anakin's love story could have worked.
The film features the bubbling of great ideas which never come to boil. The political developments are intriguing, but they are incongruous with most of the film and are handled roughly. The Anakin parts are the trough of the saga. There is some enjoyment to be had, and the world building is welcome. Indeed, the film is still entertaining enough on a base level to be watchable. But it's little else.