Better than Episode I, but not as good as Episodes IV-VI

Rating: 6/10 (28 May 2002)

This movie has some nice aspects and some banal aspects. It gives a "better than average but not outstanding" result.
The only real complaint I have about that status is that considering the legacy of the original Star Wars trilogy, we would have hoped for outstanding. At least until Episode I. The original trilogy was outstanding. Episode I was disappointing. We had to wonder how this edition would be.
In the opinions of myself and several friends, we all agree: better than Episode I. However I still must place this movie below Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, in my personal rankings for a grand ranking of 4th out of 5 Star Wars movies.
This movie is worth a viewing for Star Wars fans. Certainly, there are some plot elements which are interesting. The effects and fight sequences in the last 30+ minutes are outstanding and worth the admission price. As for plot, however; I would much rather have seen some of the political background and drama instead of the poorly done "soap opera" fare, which was really unecessary. You'll know what I mean when you see the movie. We know the result of the romance. We don't need to SEE it, as it lacks the power to move. What we miss is some of the details on the politics and dark powers moving in the background. THOSE things we DON'T know. I would have rather seen it happening instead of the end result. That would make the whole movie clearer, more interesting and more enjoyable.
Essentially; this movie focused too much on its weaker aspects and too little on that which was the most interesting. Had this been reversed, the whole movie would have been better.

Some more scattered thoughts on the movie:
I agree with many other commenters. Yoda was the best part of the movie. All 5 minutes of his action.
Ewan McGregor and Christopher Lee were excellent in their roles. Natalie Portman was OK. I finally was able to believe the Obi-Wan of this movie would become the Obi-Wan we have come to love in the first trilogy. Hayden Christensen was not believable as the future Darth Vader. Partly because the Anniken character didn't seem to fit and partly because he doesn't seem to project the right persona.
The R2D2 and C3P0 scenes were often cute; they rivaled the original triolgy for comic relief.
There's a scene which had the obvious sole purpose of exposing Natalie Portman's nicely toned midrift. Cheesey. Although I'm not complaining about the result :-)
There was a considerable amount of nods to the original trilogy, right down to the final scene.
I really, REALLY would have liked to know how Sidious got the power he obviously had. I also would have liked to know how Dooku got involved.
Unlike Episode I, where the plot seemed weak, this plot seemed OK expect that we didn't see enough of what was good about it.
There are some thoughts. Assimilate them as you will...