The feeling of tension and spontaneity gone despite good cgi and action

Rating: 5/10 (15 August 2009)

Anakin Skywalker (Christensen) is plagued by nightmares of his mother whilst he attempts to protect Senator Amidala (Portman) with master Obi Wan (McGregor) investigating the assassination attempt on her life.
16 years after Return of the Jedi was released George Lucas returned with The Phantom Menace, arguably the most anticipated film of the 20th century. Quite right to as the Star Wars franchise had generated millions of fans world wide with it's out of the world colossal stories and brilliance. Critics and fans were left in dizziness when a long tongued creature called Jar Jar Binks stepped onto screen followed by an odd looking villain with a doubled ended lightsaber and a rather poor action hero Qui Gon as a leader. Not to mention the plot was all political with the battles oddly insignificant.
Nevertheless that didn't stop fans queueing around the block to see the second episode and in many aspects it seems the legend that is George Lucas sadly did not learn his lesson.
Thankfully that badly spoken Binks is missing for the vast majority but the essence of the plot remains intact as the plot is politically driven and whilst we see perhaps more action and new creatures, it does not prevent the fact this is in reality hardly a reflection of what predeceased it in the late 70's.
Attack of the Clones is what you might call a third party seller. The t-shirt of Manchester United that you don't see in Old Trafford.
It is easy to criticize considering how the previous 3 releases were all bravado and we had no clue what was around the corner. These films are building towards something and there clues are dropped with the eventual outcome easily noticeable. The suspense has disappeared also with the droids easy pickings and the eventual war come the end barely a blip on the radar.
Attack of the clones also seems to have a problem establishing its characters. Anakin is the exception as we know his fate and with Christensen's charm we see his temper bubbling with delicious vigour, even if the romantic scripting wears thin. McGregor's Obi Wan can be too controlling for comfort but the wise sayings of Yoda and Master Windu let the side down as everything feels stated rather than spontaneous and flowing as it should obviously be.
This 2002 release isn't all doom and gloom. There is no denying the effects are spellbinding and the lightsaber duels are as ever exciting. The final showdown with Dooku is good, if strange to see Yoda so lively.
As with all other Star Wars pictures you want to like it, and the idea of life on other galaxies is exciting and the temperature does rise in the second half. It's a let down but given the marvel of the originals there was never any competing. Worthy watch as Revenge of the Sith generates some unanswered questions.