Almost there...

Rating: 8/10 (17 May 2002)

Those of us who hated Phantom Menace had several reasons to do so, few of which pertain to Attack of the Clones. Lucas apparently has learned from his previous errors and has taken steps to reclaim his empire. Clones breathes new life into a saga that a lot of us feared was spiraling into irrelevancy.

Attack of the Clones brings with it not nearly as much childishness or silliness that burdened The Phantom Menace. The new tale is better written with a plot that is a lot less hazy than the first prequel. The acting has improved considerably as well, but this is probably a benefit from having a better screenplay.

The film opens strongly enough with an assassination attempt on Senator Amidala. When the visually eye-popping speeder chase gets the action started nicely, it is obvious that Attack of the Clones is a different breed of movie. As the night darkened, Bladerunner-esque buildings wizz by, thoughts of The Phantom Menace begin to slowly fade away.

The ensuing mystery propels the plot forward, with the Amidala/Anakin romance not bogging things down nearly as much as rumor may have it. Their scenes with each other (most set in front of spectacularly beautiful landscapes)are playful and warm but not as touching as they should be. Though the script drags here and there in the middle, there isn't much time to worry about that before the final act commences and we are again deeply entrenched in Lucas' universe.

Though not perfect, the final 45 minutes are a study in science fiction filmmaking, each minute rising higher and higher to fever pitch. The surprises here are numerous and breathtaking. These last scenes hold the key to what Star Wars fans have been yearning for. Even though Lucas doesn't use this key to unlock the brilliance of the original trilogy, he leads us dutifully to the door, where we will can wait comfortably until he opens it in Episode III.