Marginally better than The Phantom Menace

Rating: 6/10 (31 December 2017)

Was this marginally better than The Phantom Menace? Yes, and that's about all one can say for this middle film in the Prequel Trilogy.
The good:
1. Jango and Boba Fett...how can you not like seeing origin story of one of the coolest characters in the Star Wars universe?
2. Obi-Wan and Anakin...I liked the banter between them and how it showed a deep bond in spite of Anakin's adolescent frustrations with his mentor/father figure.
3. Palpatine's manipulations...entertaining as always.
4. Count Dooku - I am a huge fan of Christopher Lee. He brought such dignity and presence to every film he was in, and this one is no exception.
5. Anakin's freak out with the Sand People - after seeing the tragic death of his mother, Anakin goes absolutely berserk, slaughtering the entire village as he is fueled by his rage. Here we begin to understand Yoda's repeated point about the dangers of Jedi developing emotional attachments, but we also realize that years of slavery and ill-treatment have built up a darkness and rage deep inside of Anakin, until seeing his mother's fate is the tipping point. That Anakin is capable of totally losing himself in his rage when provoked by loss is crucial to establishing his character's fall from grace later on.
6. Anakin, Obi-Wan, Count Dooku and Yoda lightsaber battle and force contest - I liked this, it was fun not least because it shows Yoda's full power in his prime. Count Dooku's "Dracula smile" of menace is a bonus.
7. The Clonetroopers assembled on Coruscant with their Star Destroyers at the beginning of the Clone Wars - a powerful scene which shows how the Republic has already fallen and the Empire has been born, without anyone realizing it other than our favourite villain.
The indifferent:
1. The Battle of Geonosis - some exciting parts, but overall very frenetic with overuse of CGI. The fact that there are no "real" practical effects Clonetroopers becomes obvious here.
The bad:
1. Only one thing about this move is genuinely bad, but it is so awful that it drags this movie down from what otherwise would have been a solid 8/10 to a mediocre 6/10. That is of course the absolutely execrable romance between Anakin and Padme. I don't know if there was no chemistry whatsoever between the actors (it sure feels that way), or if George Lucas just has absolutely no idea how romance works in spite of his having been married, but so much of this is just cringeworthy and embarrassing. Just like the sands of Tatooine, the embarrassment goes everywhere with this hot wet mess of a sub-plot.
In conclusion, an otherwise fun and exciting instalment of everyone's favourite space opera is very nearly ruined by the dreadful Anakin-Padme romance - fast forward through these scenes and you'll do yourself a favour.