Hesitation and fear went bye bye

Rating: 8/10 (24 May 2002)

I feared the day I'd go to see this movie. I'd heard all the talk about the romantic chapter in the Star Wars-saga, and I remembered with horror the disappointment I felt after seeing the previous installment (Phantom Menace).
Attack of the Clones is perhaps the best movie in the saga so far. Only rivaled by Empire Strikes Back. Sure, the dialogue is at times cheesy at best, and the acting is not winning any of the actors an Oscar. But then again, this isn't Rain Man. It isn't Forrest Gump, and it isn't Titanic. It's Star Wars. Finally! After 19 years of waiting, a new Star Wars-movie has arrived!
You have to watch this movie as one in a six part story. You have to watch it knowing a little about the saga. And you have to remember the tone of episodes 4-6 to even have the slightest chance of understanding it, even though it isn't all that complicated. Let me sum it up for you: Good versus evil, with all that that implies, sprinkled with the possibility that good can turn into evil, and that evil is stronger than good. There you have it. You are ready for Star Wars.
About the movie: The effects are spectacular. You have to be REALLY grumpy not to agree. I saw it on a 100% digital screening first, and then I saw it at a regular movie theater the next day. If you can; choose the digital version. It's so colorful, all other movies look like black and white in comparison.
The actors are great. Forget what everybody else has said: Star Wars has never had a finer cast. What people seem to ignore, or forget, is that even though the dialog is not exactly Tarantino or Shakespear, it serves its purpose: It tells the story. Plain and simple. If George Lucas wants to show you that a character is feeling vulnerable, he writes `I'm feeling vulnerable' and hands it to the actor. Top notch performances all over, but this really isn't about the words the characters say, it's about the story they tell. The action is as close to perfection as you can come. It keeps you on the edge of the seat throughout, and you cannot possibly ask for more.
But let's focus on what turns this movie into a masterpiece: the details. The Star Wars-universe has found a new dimension. It seems almost every single shot has been put into the movie for a reason, every single shot tells a little piece of the story. There are some incredible creatures in this one, as there has been in every single installment before. And there are some amazing new vehicles. You have your spaceships. Possible hundreds of them, all sprouting a piece of genius. You have the landscapes; the huge numbingly beautiful landscapes. You have Dozens of Jedis, and you have hundreds of droids, clones and whatever your heart could desire. More than any other movie in this saga, Attack of the Clones delivers on every single piece of the puzzle. Tying up loose ends, filling in the blanks. I have said some bad things about George Lucas in the past, and I take most of them back. Attack of the Clones is a great movie. It's a piece of art, and it's the most fun I've had at the movies in a loooong time.

Thank you, George Lucas, for making this movie. Thank you for correcting everything you did wrong in the previous one. And thank you for bringing Star Wars back to life again. I can't wait to see the next one, even though I know I have to. I've seen it twice in two days, and I'm seeing it again in a day or two. You should too.