George got me excited again

Rating: 10/10 (25 May 2002)

I saw the Attack of the Clones more than a week ago, and since my first viewing I've seen it two more times, and I'm happy to say that, unlike with the Phantom Menace, I start enjoying it more and more.

The first time I saw the movie, I felt again that childlike happiness that I'd experienced the first time I watched the original trilogy, I was so happy to see that Lucas was back on track again.
I'm a very big starwars fan, but I have to say, slowly growing up and other good films coming along (LOTR) made me forget about the force for some time, and ofcourse TPM didn't help! But this movie is absolutely great, it gives you as a fan exactly what you expect out of it, the plot and the characters evolve, you get to see forebodes of the things to come, I cheered with frightfull joy when I for instance saw Dooku unfolding the holographic plans of the Death Star.
I had my doubts about Hayden Christensen, and it took more than half the movie for him to convince me that he's the one to undertake this journey to the dark side, the love story is forgettable, but will prove it's real power in the third movie, but when Ani holds his mother, she's dying, and you see something break inside, that's the moment that made Christensen my new hero, he excellently portrays Anakins arrogance, while and the some momemt always likeable end even more important, understandable, ofcourse you massacre an entire village of tusken raiders after they've killed your mum.

There's more humour in this one, Ewan McGregor is superb and is gettin' hold of the character's..well..englishness. The special effects are superb, and didn't bother me at all as they did in TPM, this is an grown up movie, the battle in the end is a real war, not a disney cartoon.

And then there's ofcourse Yoda showing the world that he really is the ultimate Jedi. I was worried about this, watching a muppet, although he's now CG, doing a lightsabre battle with Christopher Lee ( who's at total ease with all this CGI wizardry around him-he's truly a great actor). Seeing Yoda actually fight mind even have ended Yoda credability, why would this Master lower him self to a one to one fight? But ILM and Lucas took abolutely great care of this moment, and I have to say that a goosebump thrill shiverred through me watching Yoda uncovering his lightsabre, and actually doing his thing, and he KICK ASS!!!! Looking like Keanu Reeves in the matrix, Yoda and Christopher Lee fighting is THE absolute highpoint of this Star Wars, not to say that there aren't many other great moments, but that itself proves that this one is miles ahead of the PM, there you had the pod race and Maul. In this movie, well, many, many great moments: The speeder chase in the beginning, Fett (!!!!) and Obi-Wan battling it out on Kamino (very reminiscent of Bespin) and ofcourse seeing Anakin growing towards the Dark side. Lucas also discovers the more sober style that made TESB so attractive, we see the faces lit only by lightsabres, wich works beautifully.
Now I've learned that expecting another life changing experience is simply not in the cans, and also probably comes once in a lifetime, and that the likes of Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harissom Ford are really not to show up, I've learned to love this movie for what it is: another telling of a great new trilogy, made in this era, not twenty years ago, lots has changed, but not always for the worse! Go see, and enjoy!!!
JOCHUM TEN HAAF