Series pulled out of a nose dive

Rating: 7/10 (4 June 2002)

I thought it was surprisingly good and much better than SW:E1. I really didn't expect much from the kid who played Anakin. He looked like a "pretty-boy" and I doubted I would like him much. But, surprise! I did. I empathize with him, anyway. I think the actor was well chosen. He was a perfect blend of boy and man. He did best when he was portraying the difficult emotions (love/hate/ambition) that will eventually turn him to the dark side. It bodes well for the third movie. His character was weakest when dealing with the other Jedi. I think being called me "my young padua" so many times would turn anyone to the dark side. No wonder he thinks Obi Wan is talking down to him. I was pretty impressed with the dynamics between Anakin and Padme. It seemed pretty authentic. I really believed Anakin's professions of love -- even that funny one about sand -- that one reminded me that he really is still partly a kid. The special effects were very sumptuous, and pretty darn cool, especially when used to describe the variety of life in that universe. The different life forms, the different architecture, and the different ship types were all fascinating to observe. So, that's what I liked about it. There were a few not so great points, however. I thought the battle scenes lacked coherency. It was like they strung together a bunch of explosions and flying lightsabers. When you can't follow individual fights within a battle, you can't identify with the combatants. It just goes to show bigger isn't always better. It made me miss the good ol' space battles from the original series. There you saw the face of the pilot as he ran from a tie-fighter, then was saved by a friend (or he was vaporized). I think the Jedi Council is acting really inconsistently. They know Anakin has a thing for Padme, but they keep on assigning him to spend time with her? Yoda "saw" that Anakin was having a traumatic experience, but there was no kind of councilling? I think the old saw about "the dark side is clouding their sight" (or whatever Count Dooku said) is a pretty feeble explanation. So much for the great and powerful Jedi. Lastly, I hope they explain the "Anakin will bring balance to the Force" or whatever the Prophecy is supposed to be. Anyway, overall I liked it a lot. I look forward to seeing Episode 3, especially since I know that they picked a good Anakin. Oh, as an aside, did you notice the variety of ethnic types they had represented in the actors? Besides good ol' white, there was a South-east Asian (Indian?) woman playing the new queen of Naboo, an East Asian woman playing the shapechanger bounty hunter, several black characters (in the Jedi Council and Padme's body guards), a Hispanic actor in the Senate who will (in the next movie) be Leia's guardian, and a New Zealand actor of mixed heritage playing Jenga Fett. Very cool! :)