Doesn't engage you like the originals.

Rating: 4/10 (20 May 2002)

Thank you, George Lucas - for giving me the opportunity to use the word "humdrum" in everyday conversation.
After being disappointed by The Phantom Menace, I was very careful not to let my expectations get too high for this one. Unfortunately I failed, as I was stupid enough to listen to people who said it was an improvement.
You may have heard that Jar-Jar is much less in evidence in this film. At first glance this is true, but his irritating slapstick role is taken over by C-3PO. I know there was a touch of this in the originals, but this is too much. The film cuts from a life-and-death battle between Jedi and droids to a silly head swap joke that is carried on far too long, and then back to the battle. Maybe things like this are put in for the kids. If that is the case, have a little faith in the younger generation George! The original series worked just fine without scenes like that.
By far the biggest disappointment is the complete lack of tension in the film. I can still watch the asteroid chase from Empire and be on the edge of my seat, while the attempt to repeat it in Clones is just boring. When the Rancor is released in Jedi, it is a convincing and impressive monster. The creations released to kill Padme, Anakin and Obi-Wan look appalling. They look "cartoony" whereas the Rancor is scary.
Furthermore, whoever had the bright idea of putting Yoda in a lightsabre duel should be taken outside and given a good kicking. The overriding impression in my mind was Gizmo's Rambo impression in Gremlins 2. I nearly laughed out loud.
To whoever directs Episode 3, please remember; the success of the original series was not down to flashy special effects or childish humour, but good characters and chemistry between the actors. Let's face it, the plots weren't particularly original and the scripts (particularly the first) weren't that amazing. What made them work was good film making, something that has been sadly lacking in these instalments.