Amazing. Lucas is back on form...

Rating: 10/10 (15 May 2002)

What a great film. I was sure I'd be disappointed but this film had it all. Yes, even Yoda fighting. And he's really tough...
Basically, the plot of this film was better thought out and better paced than Episode One. While Episode One seemed to drag in parts, AOTC never loses the momentum it picks up from the very start. There is a lot less extraneous material, scenes are not just filler between action sequences.
I thought Hayden Christensen was excellent as Anakin, giving a great performance as someone who is not so much angry as frustrated. He plays the part of angst-ridden (Jedi) teenager very well.
The rest of the main cast turn in typically solid performances. Samuel Jackson is great as the pontificating Jedi Master and equally good as the galactic arse-kicker he becomes towards the end. Ian McDiarmid again pulls off the sinister Palpatine excellently.
Christopher Lee should be singled out for his performance. It's his best in years, imbuing Dooku with sinister overtones without the pantomime theatrics that he brought to Lord Of The Rings. He underplays it well until the final lightsabre fight in which he unleashes pretty well!
The effects were awesome. Loads of people are going to knock them because they are not totally photo perfect but thats just dim. The effects are neccesary to the film. Effects have never been photo real, and people who think the effects in the first trilogy are better are kidding themselves. I remember watching the Special Editions at the cinema and the effects are not a patch on what Lucas is doing now. The effects are not 100% perfect, but I'd rather that than have no films with effects.
Some of the best parts of the films were the links to the original film. The secret plans carried by Dooku are the plans to the Death Star. The Lars homestead is meticulously recreated on Tatooine.
So all in all I thought the film was amazing. Again miles better than Return Of The Jedi and in some ways approaching A New Hope. It has a similar down-beat-but-hopeful ending to Empire Strikes Back and is more similar to that film than any of the others. Lots of people won't like it simply because it's not a carbon copy of the original trilogy, but I think this film can stand alongside the others as a true action/adventure cinematic great.