Episode II: Redemption

Rating: 9/10 (16 May 2002)

1999: May 18th. Multitudes of people are waiting in line to witness the first full-length Star Wars film in 16 years. Anticipation is mounted; fans are dressed as Vaders, Fetts, and Skywalkers. Many critics have already called the film "a disappointment" and blamed it for "not living up to the hype," however a few critical reviews as Roger Ebert and the New York times have taken the opposite stance and have stated that it's imaginative worlds easily rank up there with the original trilogy. Finally, the doors open, and floods of fans are allowed to see the film.
Two hours and thirteen minutes later...
Fans walk out, comments such as "wow, that looked great," and "that pod race and final lightsaber fight were amazing" are directly contrasted by, "what was with the kid," and "Jar-Jar is the worst thing ever." As time goes on, Episode I's glory fades, and is seen as a mediocre entry into the Star Wars realm.
But here we are again, I've just walked out of the midnight showing, anticipating and hoping that this one, would do the Star Wars universe some justice. I was scared; scared because of Roger Ebert, the same Roger Ebert who had hailed Episode 1 as "an astonishing achievement in imaginative filmmaking" now called Episode 2 "a technological exercise that lacks juice and delight." Similarly, many other critics seemed to take the safer route and go in with a negative attitude. As the lights finally dimmed, and the Fox fanfare played, I thought to myself how if this one failed, Episode 3 would have absolutely no hope.
As I write this, I cannot wait for Episode 3, and I have a big silly grin on my face; a grin that hasn't been there since I was anticipating Episode 1.
Yes, the critics have been harsh, but they've always been harsh. "Empire Strikes Back," which is now hailed as the best of the trilogy was met with poor reception by critics. Only in time have they come to appreciate it, and in 1997 with the re-release, it was nearly unanimous that it was spectacular. I feel the same will happen to Episode 2.
Right now, the trend in film enthusiasts is to criticize any Star Wars film, because of the simple fact that it stands as a Star Wars film. Though Episode 1 may have deserved much of its criticism, much of the criticism directed at Episode 2 seems merely nit-picking.
Yes, there is much that could be critiqued about "Clones." Much of the exposition is still lowly political quarreling, many points of dialogue are lacking, and the love story, despite its attempts at sincerity fall short of greatness.
Then again, so was Empire. What the hell is a nerf-herder anyways?
"Clones" is a tighter film; much neater, cleaner, and one that flows better then its predecessor "The Phantom Menace" despite the fact that the editing is sharper and more distinct. The characterization is deeper then "Menace" and actually pretty deep by Star Wars standards, and you find yourself caring about the characters. There are scenes that approach brilliance if you allow yourself to please the child within. However, some things do not work as well as they should.
Let's get the bad out of the way. Despite the presence of Jonathan Hales as co-writer, the dialogue still remained rough during the first 45 minutes of the film or so. Though the dialogue between Obi-Wan and Anakin was well done, the love scenes in particular did not work. Unless Lucas was purposefully trying to make Anakin seem like a bumbling fool when talking to Padme (which is possible) then he did a good job. In fact, the entire scenes work well if taken in this frame of mind, but I think that much of it was not intended. However, this rough patch only lasts for about 15 minutes of the entire movie.
In fact, I liked some of the love scenes; not necessarily regarding the dialogue, but the scene between Anakin and Padme by the fire at night was beautifully shot, and beautifully lit. Had the dialogue been a bit better, the scene would be flawless.
I have to say, I've always liked the more dramatic Star Wars events rather then the action pieces. The Yoda scenes on Empire were my favorite of the film, and the quiet scene between Luke and Leia on Endor in "Jedi" also sticks out in my head. Thankfully, "Clones" has several scenes. The tender scene between Anakin and Padme before they're wheeled out showed Portman acting the best she did in the entire film, and is reminiscent of the "Binary Sunset" from the original.
But one last negative is this: the score was ruined. Now I don't consider myself some elite film score enthusiast who thinks that if it doesn't appear exactly as on the music it's not worth experiencing, but what happened in this score, or rather what happened in the editing of it was pretty bad. John Williams created several tracks of music for this film, most of which are looped constantly, re-edited, and even lifted, not transcribed but directly lifted, from "Menace." While it does work within a viewing context, it still pains me that Williams' brilliant score was not able to be heard as intended.
But what about the rest of the movie? Well, what you want to hear, is what's being said in every other review. The action is great and exciting. There's several moments which remind me of the original trilogy, and none of it is done with the frivolity of "Menace's" sequences. The last 45 minutes, has to be seen to be believed. It's a dream come true for Star Wars fans everywhere, or even just action fans in general.
Pretty much, this film has everything you'd expect from a Star Wars film; action, a bit of romance and suspense. There's far more that I could mention, but that's essentially the core of it. In all honesty, this movie hearkens back to the original trilogy more then "Phantom Menace" (though there are some moments which seem "Menace"-like, especially during the rocky first 45 minutes or so.)
Again, it seemed like critics went in looking for flaws, and yes they are there. However, these same critics that lambasted "Clones" for it's cheesy cliched-riddled love story are the same ones that praised "Spiderman" for a similarly placed love subplot. But if you have any idea about what Star Wars is about, it's possible to look over these flaws, and just enjoy a great cinematic, old-fashioned epic. Those looking for Bergman-esque grasps on humanity will be disappointed. Those looking for space-age Kurosawa epics will be thrilled.
9 and a half stars out of 10.