Bring back the plastic, the steal and the scale models

Rating: 6/10 (27 May 2002)

First of all: I enjoyed myself. But that's as far as it goes. Even though EP-II has its moments, I think the domination of CGI makes this film (and EP-I) look pale in comparison to the EP IV, V and VI. Most of the space-ships are too smooth, too fake to be believable. Where as the actual steal of e.g. The Millenium Falcon made it more real. The old spaceships, aliens etc. were made, created and built out of real material and even though a lot the time they were scale-models and Lucas used trick-filming, it worked good. Which cannot be said all the time of the new space-ships etc.
And of course the acting of good actors as Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Samuel L. Jackson etc. doesn't benefit of having to perform on a set that probably only consits of blue screens, bc the actual set and opponents are created on computer. Even Yoda looked better in the old movies, where he was wonderful done puppet, whereas now it shows that even he is created on a PC.
But there are just enough good things in this movie make it enjoyable: the hints that tell us how the Empire will be constructed, the clones that will become stormtroopers (and *they* look much better in this movie), Tatooine is still the most interesting spot in the universe, Yoda duelling with Count Dooku, Padme kicking as in the arena (notice that her white outfit gets more shredded, and thus more sexier as the arena-battle continues -- compare to Princess Leia in the gold bikini in EP VI). And the Jango/Boba Fett plotline is good too.
But the missers are also there. What about the scene with Anakin in Padme as they arrive to save Obi-Wan and get trapped in some sort of mine/machine-plant? Totally unneccesary. Haydn Christiansen doesn't convince as Anakin, his anger when he killed the tusk-warriors isn't too real. Mostly he is just irritating. Someone like Ryan Philippe would have done a better job (I guess, but Ewan McG.'s acting is also less then we know of him).
I didn't see the original StarWars untill 6 years ago, on video. And the acting there was sometimes cheesy too, but I was overwhelmed by the snow-attack in EP V, with the "walkers" etc. Well, the podrace in EP I came close to that, but in this movie I haven't seen anything that caught my breath or made me feel the threat of danger and doom that Yoda hints to in one of the final scenes.
I'm sorry, especially because I wanted this movie to knock me off my feet.