Simply Amazing

Rating: 9/10 (16 May 2002)

"Star Wars: Episode II- Attack of the Clones" is downright amazing entertainment. Lucas held no punches back in this all out assault on the senses. This film is filled with enough imaginative images and sounds to fill a summer's worth of movies. From the computer generated characters to the different planets to the lightsaber duels, Lucas has created a terrific and entertaining blockbuster.
Star Wars films have never been about Oscar caliber acting, rather they are more like an experience; dropping you into a world and taking you for a ride. I saw in several reviews by major critics, that some are attacking the script and even going so far as to say the film has no "heart".
All that can be said is this film has a heart, a child's heart. I'm 22 and this film gave me the same chills as I had as a little kid watching, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", "Star Wars: A New Hope" and "Jurassic Park". AOTC reminded me of what it was like to sit in wonderment and awe at the world on the screen.
The film begins with Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) meeting up with Senator Padme (Natalie Portman) after someone tries to kill her. The events unfold as Kenobi and Skywalker split up as Anakin is assigned to protect Padme, while Obi-Wan is investigating the situation. The film packs a punch of both humor and visual splendor along the way. "Attack of the Clones" is like a firecracker with a long fuse, slowly burning at the beginning and eventually exploding at the end into a dazzling treat.
This film also has a deep connection with the other films in the series. (For example, Darth Vader and Boba Fett's histories become more complete, yet complex.) Lucas gives a film that the fans of the series can laugh at (especially the scenes involving C-3PO) and cheer for, while the average filmgoer can still appreciate the originality of the world before them.
I have always wondered about the critical harshness for films such as this one. Since when have science-fiction or fantasy or even action films had truly daring, creative and original scripts and dialogue? These genres have been and probably always will be visual genres as opposed to verbal ones. "Attack of the Clones" explodes with a creative visual awe that surrounds you and leaves you begging for more. A 9 out of 10.