Second Only To "A New Hope"

Rating: 9/10 (22 May 2002)

I will have to watch Attack of the Clones again soon. I saw it last Thursday, opening day here in the U.S.
I have to say I'm impressed. This is how I thought the prequels should be. Not that I disliked Phantom Menace. It had its place, but this was infinitely better.
When Leia said in ANH "General Kenobi, you served my father in the Clone Wars," I pictured things very much like they were AOTC. I liked the way Jango Fett was played, and thought the extreme, obnoxious brattiness of little Boba was perfectly typical.
Yes, Anakin was a twit, but what do you expect from the future Darth Vader? You could see a glimmer of the temper of Anakin in certain scenes of TPM, but it really comes out in this movie - partially in the way he acts after his mother's death (which I can understand, though it doesn't seem within the discipline of the Jedi), to the way he talks to Obi-Wan, this is a kid who's gonna cause some real trouble in the future.
Yes, some of the romantic lines were trite. Yes, some of the acting was "wooden," and probably George Lucas's writing has something to do with it. But he's done much more good than bad, so I'll give him a break on this. I don't expect Oscar-quality acting in Star Wars - just a fun 2 1/2 or so hours, and a continuation of the story.
So far, I rate the movies in this order:
1. A New Hope 2. Attack of the Clones 3. The Empire Strikes Back 4. The Phantom Menace 5. Return of the Jedi