George Lucas has stumbled yet again.

Rating: Null/10 (10 September 2002)

I had such high hopes for this one, but alas, it seems that George Lucas has stumbled yet again.
This movie tries so hard to be an important part in a trilogy that it forgets what its doing and hopes its visual wonder will distract from the BS that fills the gaps.
Everything is obvious and boring.
I think Lucas should have done what he did previously and let someone else take the director's seat for Ep. 2 & 3. George Lucas is simply not a good director. First off, the acting is atrocious. Everyone looks bored. Nobody says ANY line with conviction or sincerity. Portman (who doesn't look happy at all for being forced by contract to do this movie) and Christensen are the worse. Jackson is just as stiff and dead. And since when did Anakin Skywalker change into a whimpering teenage brat? I was expecting a great potential hero, with some (subtle) flaws, then faltering and succumbing to the dark side eventually. This one struts around (why does he, a padawan, get to wear black leather?) like he's got constant PMS coupled with an attitude problem. We are reminded all the time who he is supposed to become and it is insulting. I think that someone like Ryan Phillippe, with different directing, would have done a much better job in making Anakin the young man he should've been.
The rolling in the grass scene was also hilarious by the way.
I hated the American diner.
The actual battle in the arena with all the Jedi was disappointingly silly and meaningless. Instead of showing us a magnificent sight of a group of Jedi doing battle, we see alot of figures running and waving glow-y swords. (Not to mention the laughable "tearing of the princess's shirt sequence"). Most of it is stupid. No satisfaction except some good points: The chase through Coruscant in the beginnig. I liked the Jenga/Boba Fett sub plot very much and thought that had promise. Yoda's fight scene was a wonderful surprise, a bit blurry and short though; his added digital facial expressions were a great bonus and made Yoda so much more fun to watch. The creatures and monsters throughout were terrific.
If i get a chance to see this movie again I'll probably be able to add a whole list of more reasons why Attack of the Clones was after all, a major disappointment after years of waiting.
At least there is The Two Towers and The Return of the King to look forward to.
Episode 2 rates a 4/10, mainly because of the horrible casting, acting, some silly dialogue and lame directing.