A movie rush for two+half hours!

Rating: 7/10 (16 May 2002)

Being in my early 30's, which means that I grew with the Original Trilogy, I am one of those people that were genuinely interested to know, in the Star Wars storyline, what happened before the Original Trilogy, and after. Timothy Zahn's books were great, and covered most of the Trilogy future; so when George Lucas announced he will be filming the first Trilogy, and changed the focus from Luke Skywalker to make it a six-part story on Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, my interest grew more.
"The Phantom Menace", as a *story* unwrapped in the past, was something I found clever and good. Anakin, as a boy slave, is found and taken to the Jedi Council for training. We get to know Amidala, who will later become the mother of the Skywalkers we met in the Original Trilogy. Clever story; but the film itself, disappointed me more than expected. When I read that Lucas was mainly addressing TPM to youngsters, I accepted it--besides, it's his own work and life dream, and I cannot judge that.
Following TPM and the internet fuss (including the notorious "Phantom Edit", an edited version of TPM) I believe Lucas got the message; he has to do a more serious storytelling, and not forget that the majority of fans are adults, living up to the expectation to see something spectacular in terms of story and visuals. And I think he achieved this, with Attack Of The Clones, a title that many disliked but was necessary, to my point of view, to set the pace for things to come.
The film itself is a feast for the eyes--George Lucas overdid it this time, and the ILM guys probably got PhDs in special effects. Although the dialogues needed more 'polishing', the film itself adds a new tone and becomes a vital part in the Star Wars storyline.
When I saw the film in a journalist premiere on my birthday! here in Athens, Greece, I felt again the same excitement when the STAR WARS logo opened the film. I wanted Lucas to heal the TPM disappointment, and he did. I left the theatre (DTS ES 6.1 sounds great) and still felt the adrenaline pumping. I was pleased, and it's not something that every film does to me.
I read reports before and after seeing "Attack Of The Clones" and in most part, people have some 'logical' reasons to be disappointed again by the thinner story, the not-so worked dialogues and the extended scenes on the love between Anakin and Padme/Amidala. But I am willing to accept that. Why?
First of all, one cannot compare the Original Trilogy to the current. Different style, Hollywood has itself changed a lot since the late 70's.
Secondly, Lucas said that the effects he is exhibiting have always been the effects he wanted on the Original Trilogy--so it's not really a question "do the effects make the film or the film needs the effects"? A counter-balance to that was The Matrix, where the effects served the film, did not make the film.
Finally, accept this film as ENTERTAINMENT, not as the story of your life. Do not go to see it with high and serious expectations--just 'free your mind'. I can classify this more of a "pop-corn movie" than serious viewing; I remember the same happened with Independence Day. People did not like it initially, me neither. We took it very seriously, but eventually I accepted it as a "pop-corn movie" and enjoyed it--even bought the AC-3 laserdisc and later the Special Edition on DVD...
I know I did not write a lot on the film itself, but "Attack Of The Clones" remains a George Lucas creation. The man has the power to do whatever he wants, however he wants it. We can only accept this, and enjoy the film; it is really up to us. As for myself, I enjoyed it enormously and rated it 7 out of 10.