Action and thrills intermixed with overlong love boredom...

Rating: 6/10 (29 July 2006)

Set ten years after the events of The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker investigate an assassination attempt on senator Padme Amidala's life, and have various adventures, while the Sith lords plot the rising of a 'clone' army.
Is this an improvement on The Phantom Menace? Well, it has the same look and feel as the first episode, but thankfully Jar Jar Binks is kept to the minimum this time. That is a good start.
The casting of Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker was a good choice. The young actor does well having to wrestle with terrible dialogue when he makes his character's feelings plain to Padme while guarding her on Naboo. Natalie Portman is beautiful looking again. And that is it. Their love relationship is aimed at the mentality of seven year old silly little girls that will see Hayden's Anakin as a pin-up and not the disturbed Jedi warrior hes meant to be. Irvin Kershner got it so right with Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford's characters in The Empire Strikes Back. Their relationship started as people who didn't take to each other right away. They argued and traded insults, it worked. Here it clangs badly.
Ewan Macgregor is slightly better as Obi-Wan Kenobi than he was before. One of my favourite scenes is where he interrupts a Jedi class under Yoda's instruction, and together with the help of the young lings, they solve a missing planet puzzle. No action or thrills here, just a lovely moment.
The Duel Of The Fates this time is with Christopher Lee's Count Dooku. What a stupid name for a fallen Jedi/Sith Lord! I prefer his Sith alias Darth Tyrannus. His light sabre battle with Anakin and Obi-Wan is ruined by silly actors' face close ups and flashy neon lighting. Crap. The rematch at the start of Revenge Of The Sith between them is far better.
Attack Of The Clones is a minor improvement on The Phantom Menace, pertaining more to the action and thrills rather than the computer generated effects which sadly dominated the prequel trilogy throughout.