George is still looking for an original idea

Rating: 6/10 (16 May 2002)

Let me begin by saying that this film is way better than Ep I.
Way back when the world was younger and more naive, along came a young filmmaker called George Lucas who created a fantasy world in which adult and children could immerse themselves. They were good times, happy times, analogue times, where puppets and stop motion ruled.
But now times are much more cynical, and filmmakers have less respect for their audiences. We live in a world where major plot lines can be altered at the whim of the film maker for convenience, and all those things that have been foretold in future episodes can be changed to suit substandard story lines.
At least in Attack of the Clones, Lucas does not mess with the well-established story lines set out in the original series, but he is still in search of an original idea. Clones is full of cliched dialog, characters and ideas that he has lifted from numerous other science fiction works.
Some of the story is laboured, particularly those sections set on Naboo. And as usual, Lucas manages to get very wooden performances out of some very talented actors. I also felt that the film was about 30 minutes to long, with the inclusion of some gratuitous special effects.
Now for the positives. Its fun. My 3-year-old son will love it. There are no truly annoying or cutesy characters that seem to be regular inclusions of late. The special effects are very special. The film has lost no definition by being shot on a fully digital media.
I think that Lucas has tried harder to be less condescending with this film, but at times we are still spoon-fed, probably for the benefit of younger viewers.
Overall worth a look - 3 out of 5.