Not quite there yet... but getting close.

Rating: 7/10 (14 May 2002)

Note: I'll try to keep this review spoiler-free.
I've just returned from the "world premiere" of Star Wars: Episode II. Us Finns got the rare opportunity to be amongst the first in the world to see Episode II in the theaters; don't know why or how, but there you go.
In short: it's better than Episode I. Still, it suffers from many of the same problems which haunted The Phantom Menace; Lucas has definite problems directing actors, some of the dialogue is bizarre to say the least, the characters and the storyline appear to be secondary to the massive amounts of CGI, and that peculiar sense of detachment is ever present. We are shown people struggling, fighting, talking and loving, but it just doesn't really do anything for you.
Most of the film's good points have to do with technical merits. Visually, it's often breath-taking. We visit the street level at Coruscant and and the frame is filled with almost a sensory overload. It's not Blade Runner, as the city appeared to be suspiciously free of filth, pollution and grime, but it was definitely a living and breathing city somewhere far, far away. The wizards at ILM truly exceeded themselves on this movie, as one couldn't help staring in wonderment at several of the film's large sets and action pieces. One exception though: CGI Yoda. Nope, didn't buy that at all. There was always something a bit wrong about his movements and his facial expressions when talking. Completely CGI characters just aren't convincing yet. Which reminds me of Jar Jar. He had a really minor role and the gibberish he spouts was mercifully kept to a minimum.
Alas, everything's not perfect in the land of digital filmmaking. I noticed at least one scene where the background was far too bright, draining the foreground of contrast and detail. There were also numerous scenes were people's faces were severely underlit, resulting in almost a silhoutte-like face with only a very small amount of detail. This couldn't have been intentional, since the scenes in question required the characters' emotions being visible on their faces. I'll be sure to make comparisons when watching the movie digitally projected (yes, we've got one of those theaters in Finland now).
Ben Burtt's sound design reminded me very much of The Phantom Menace. Burtt seems to be very fond of sounds that go "chak-chak-chak", "wrap-wrap-wrap" and "woop-woop-woop". All the various spaceships and other vessels have their own distinctive sound, but they all share the same chattering characteristic. I got really annoyed when even the monsters couldn't howl properly; instead they went "skreek-krek-krek-krek". You'll see, no, hear what I mean :)
Much has been said about Star Wars' sense of adventure and how it's back in Episode II. There's a lot of action, yes, but it still doesn't have that same wreckless feeling of high adventure from episodes 4 and 5. Ideas ripped from video games do not equal adventure, they equal easy conversions to Game Boy Advance titles. Still, that said, Episode II has its fair share of fun action sequences, big explosions and beautiful tracking shots through alien cities and environments.
My biggest objection has to do with the love story. Where Episode I was made for kids, this one's for teenagers. Or would be, if it were handled properly; I'm afraid teenage girls with posters of whats-his-name on their walls are walking out of the theatre with dry eyes. You all know that Anakin and Amidala become lovers, so that's not a spoiler, OK? But the way it's presented gave me the willies. Apparently, all it takes is one practical joke, some rolling in the hay and intense staring into the other person's eyes and hey presto! Cue that wonderful Williams love theme! I simply didn't buy the love affair; there was nothing to make it a reality.
Both Christensen and Portman have already garnered criticism about their performances. It's not quite Night of the Living Dead out there, but yes, both are somewhat wooden most of the time. Christensen manages a couple of really convincing stares, foreshadowing the character Anakin will become, but for most of the time he sounds like he's having trouble with pronounciation. Take that sponge out of your mouth, I felt like shouting.
The main storyline with the clone wars... I liked it, even though Lucas sprang Count Dooku out of thin air. It was nice to see bits and pieces which set up episodes 4-6. The plot was easy enough to follow and left enough questions unanswered to make Episode III interesting. But I promised no spoilers, so no more of the plot.
All in all, I give Episode II 7 out of 10. The story actually made me look forward to Episode III, while I was almost ready to give up on Star Wars after Episode I. Here's hoping that Lucas can keep this upward trend going and we'll end up with a good movie in two years' time.