Lucas Hasn't Lost His Touch

Rating: 10/10 (16 June 2002)

First, don't listen to anything I say, especially not what critics say. There may be things wrong with this film, but so far, Ebert and the like haven't touched on it.
Anyways, after what many thought was a disappointment in The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones delivers with a punch. It "feels" like the original three Star Wars movies. Old time fans know what I mean. However, it has it's own identity. In a sense, you tell by the story/characters/settings that it's a sequel to TPM, but you also can tell it's the familiar galaxy far, far away. A great beginning bridge between trilogies.

Acting: Natalie Portman comes up short, her voice isn't as dull as in Episode 1, but she's still not that great. But everyone else in this movie, especially Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Chris Lee, etc. are so good at acting that you kind of ignore Portman in places. There is some cheesy dialogue, but if you detach yourself from the original trilogy for a moment, it's definately not as bad as moments from The Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi.
CG: Lots of arguments about "overuse of CG", well, that's like saying theres an overabundance of models in the OT. Get over it, AOTC really raises the bar for Computer animation.
Jar Jar: Virtually none of him. I'm a Jar Jar hater, but I actually liked him in this movie.
Plot: More complex than the original 3, but it's really ingenious.

Final word: I loved this movie, and Star Wars is back!!!!!!