The best story is the one that everyone seems to miss

Rating: Null/10 (19 May 2002)

**********SPOILERS*************
The best story is the one that everyone seems to miss. People seem to concentrate their attention towards the special effects and the flaws of the movie.
First, the flaws. I will admit, the dialogue is a bit cheesy at times, but Star Wars itself is a fantasy world and it is utterly impossible to make realistic dialogue in such an environment. Also, Heyden Christiansen is ok. Could be better, but he is MUCH better than Jake Lloyd. Other than that, no major complaints.
Now, the good parts. The parts that gave this movie the familiar Star Wars feel. George Lucas does a great job of leaving us hanging for the next one (3 years!), and forshadowing the fates we all know dooms each character.
First, the special effects are superb. While some are better than others, overall they are amazing.
The parts that most people missed were the subtle forshadows which Lucas has ingeniously placed into the movie. There is one "mystery" that if you look deep enough can be solved. That mystery is "Who placed the order for the clone army?" Now, the simple answer would be the Jedi that died 10 years ago. However, that is not correct. Darth Sidious placed the order under the Jedi's name so that he would have is own army. Everyone thought it would be for the Republice, but Sidious (Palpatine) and Dooku have other plans. They plan to split the Republic in two, and since Palpatine controls both sides he will have a grand army for what will be the Empire. They plan to turn Anakin to the Dark Side by convincing him that Obi Wan is holding him back and that he doesn't need guidance. Great plan, but Lucas is the one who conveys this so well.
Also, another sign of Lucas' brilliance is the scene when Anakin tells Amidala that he killed all of the Tusken Raiders. Then he said "I hate them." Keyword: hate. "Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate...leads to suffering." --Yoda. The little green Jedi master predicted it all. Anakin's FEAR of harm coming to his mother is realized, so he kills the Raiders. Then he HATES them. Next up: suffering. Also, when Anakin said "I hate them," the imperial music played (I didn't notice this until the second time I saw it). That is INCREDIBLE forshadowing.
In addition to predicting Anakin's fate, our little green Jedi proves to possess some other unknown skills. Yoda's knowledge of the Force is unmatched. And, a scene we've all been waiting for has finally come, Yoda duels with a lightsaber. Unbelievable! Awesome!
Overall, I give this movie a:
9/10 ***1/2 A-/A
It was a great film and a perfect addition to this already amazing saga. Much better than Episode I, it leads in nicely to the original 3. It provides some connections to what we already know, and others a mystery. I recommend this to people who know Star Wars at all, and to people who have already seen it so they can really appreciate the hints and messages that Lucas has left us.