Attack of the CGI

Rating: 7/10 (21 May 2002)

There's nothing like watching a Star Wars movie for the first time. When the sound of trumpets blaring, and the word "Episode II" pops out, I was overwhelmed with emotion and I gripped my seat tightly ... but then I thought hold on, the movie hasn't even started yet. But boy, when I walked out from the theatre, I was consumed with an overwhelming desire to buy another ticket and walk right back in. Yes I am a huge Star Wars fan, and with Attack of the Clones, the magic is back once again and I'm loving it.
What strikes me about Episode II, is that there are more CGI in it than all the Jurassic Park movies put together. Even the venerable Yoda is no longer a muppet. All of the Clone army is done entirely with computers, even in scenes where there is only one or two of them, which is pretty strange. Can't they just get extras to walk around in suits? So I'm not sure if all this excess CGI is a good thing, but nevertheless Episode II managed to be one of the best Star Wars movie yet, even though I still miss that expressive Yoda puppet from The Empire Strikes Back ... its like casting Miss Piggy as a CGI character - its just not the same.
Unlike the previous Phantom Menace, the biggest improvement is that there is finally a good chunk of story to bite into. Now we have the pre-requisite love story of Anakin & Padme, a relationship that's destined to end in tragedy (and twin babies). Its quite nice, but however the actual story on politics is more interesting because its starting to draw parallels to Anakin's fate as the future Jedi terminator. He is portrayed nicely by the newcomer Hayden Christensen, who managed to project his dark emotions and desires very well, and there are several powerful scenes where Anakin showed his early inclinations towards the dark side. In fact, many of the movie's best moments are provided by him. When it comes to the love story however, Anakin & Padme lacked the natural spark & wit that Han Solo and Leia exhibited in the original trilogy. But it is not as bad as some people think, and they do make a cute couple together. The "romantic" dialogue is as Star-Warish as it can get; sometimes cheesy, sometimes not. But considering their young age and the period of time they live in, its perfectly acceptable and works well for me. Ewan McGregor is great, even better than before. He is becoming more and more like the original Obi-Wan Kenobi played by Alec Guinness, sporting a beard and a cynical attitude to boot. Obi-Wan even has a sense of humor on occasions, and his banters with Anakin are insightful. McGregor remains one of the most inspired casting in the trilogy.
Now for once, I can comment on the soundtrack since The Phantom Menace has hardly any - except one - memorable tracks that one can whistle to. Now we get a sweeping, haunting score reminiscent of the original love theme, plus other original tracks and delightful cameos that brings tears to those who grew up on the original movies.
But the best thing about Episode II is that it brings us much closer than ever to the third chapter, where many questions and mysteries will finally be answered. How will Anakin turn to Vader? What is the mysterious connection between Darth Sidious and Palpatine? Who exactly is Darth Tyrannus? Imagine, all of this goodies will be revealed in the next one, and the whole saga will finally make sense!!!!! George Lucas has done very well in that department, considering that re-telling a story in backward order is no easy task. Suddenly, 2005 seems like an eternity ... but hey that's exactly how I felt back in 1999. Episode II is definitely worth waiting for, and now I can't begin to imagine what magic Episode III has in store for me (besides what probably be another cheesy title). Well done Lucas!