Better than Episode I

Rating: 9/10 (18 June 2002)

When The Phantom Menace is compared to Attack of the Clones, one can look back and see that, by comparison, Attack of the Clones rules! In Episode I, very little happened with the Jedi on screen. We followed Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn around for most of the movie, but the focus was clearly on Anakin Skywalker. In much the same way as the events of Episode II progressed, the events of Episode I progressed nicely so that the visual climax of the film, the "Duel of the Fates", showed us the best lightsaber duel in the history of Star Wars. (Like I said, the progression of events in Episodes I and II are similar, but a lot more happens in Episode II, if for no better reason than that Anakin Skywalker, who is still the focus of the film, is now a lightsaber-wielding Jedi.)
Despite this, Episode II isn't as popular as Episode I was in 1999. Either this May's competition (SpiderMania) was much to stiff, the older audience comprised of fans of the classic trilogy have out-grown Lucas's franchise, or the slack marketing campaign is, in a manner of speaking, paying off.
If it's the older fans refusing to like it, I only have one thing to say about it: Lucas made the first three movies mostly for the kids and teenagers, and he's making these three movies mostly for the kids and teenagers. If the adults of today liked the old ones and can't stand these, it's probably because they've outgrown Lucas's intentions.
Either way, Attack of the Clones is the best Star Wars film I've seen yet. Whether you'll agree or not can only be determined if you see it, and I think it's worth it for any Star Wars fan, even if it isn't as good as the others.