Lucas Strikes Back With Ep-II But Still...

Rating: 10/10 (14 May 2002)

Ep-II opens with Anakin Skywalker as a young man. We don't know much about his life since Ep-I except that he is the padawan (pupil) of Obi-Wan Kenobi. They care about each other but have frequent mentor-pupil arguments even in the presence of others. Queen Amidala is now a senator representing her people. Nothing much is told about her life either. The plastic painted face of the Queen is thankfully missing.
George Lucas seems to be strongly influenced by criticism of Ep-I as we see very little of Jar Jar Binks and nothing of the kid Jake Lloyd. Looks like nobody told him that the pod race was way too long (not to be interpreted as bad). The chase sequences in Ep-II are long too and leaves you with a DEJA VU. First we have Obi-Wan and Anakin chasing the assassin (interesting only at the beginning). Then we have Obi-Wan chasing the Bounty Hunter. I cannot help comparing Ep-I and Ep-II every time I see a glimpse of similarity.

Hayden Christensen was a pleasant surprise. Frankly, I did not expect him to act well at all (haven't seen him in anything important, that is). He turns out to be an intense actor (a rarity nowadays). At times he is stiff. You gotta check yourself, Hayden. Natalie Portman, on the other hand, needs serious acting lessons. I didn't see much of it in Ep-I. I thought may be her inch deep make-up and ridiculous head-gear were making it difficult. I was proved wrong. She is just dull and CANNOT emote. There is absolutely NO CHEMISTRY between Christensen and Portman. The romantic scenes look deliberate. Queen Amidale should seriously consider change of wardrobe to match her figure.
However, it was a delight to watch Ewan McGregor as a more mature Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi. Do I hear a Alec Guinness accent in his voice? I look forward to seeing more of him in Ep-III. Samual Jackson, though an excellent actor, seemed a little uncomfortable handling the lightsaber. Christopher Lee is impressive as Count Dooku. But I missed Darth Maul terribly. The movie is not entirely lack luster. It does have its good moments (you will have to see it yourself)- Check out the confrontation between Obi-Wan and Bounty Hunter, the Jedi in action and above all Yoda. But overall the story lacks depth. It seems like a 12 year old's fantasy ride. Only a Star Wars fan, like me, would give it some credit and consider watching it for a second time!
A SUGGESTION to George Lucas for Ep-III: Try spending more time on the story line and character building than on special effects.