A disappointing effort

Rating: 8/10 (17 May 2002)

I'll start by saying that I am not one of those that was disappointed with Episode One. I didn't expect it to be as good as the classic trilogy, and was satisfied with what Lucas delivered back in '99. Yes, Jar Jar Binks was annoying, but he certainly didn't come close to ruining the film for me. That said, I expected more from Episode 2. I think many of us were expecting Episode 2 to be a big step up from one, as Lucas didn't have to introduce every character this time around. I expected more action, a more substantive story, and less sentimentality/"feel good" scenes. Lucas did deliver on the latter; this movie is certainly the "darkest" Star Wars since Empire Strikes Back. Not only is Binks' role much reduced, but equally annoying (to me) C3PO doesn't get much screen time either. The problem with Episode 2 is that the plot isn't much to right home about. In my opinion, the foundation for the establishment of the galactic empire could (and should) have been presented in a much better way than what Clones delivers. The acting simply isn't very good. Ewan McGregor has the distinct look of a #2 guy to me. He was fine as Liam Neeson's sidekick in Episode 1, but in my opinion isn't leading man material. Hayden Christenson's Anakin Skywalker is far more interesting and compelling than the child actor from Episode 1, but isn't likely to garner many acting awards for his work here either. I must admit that I was much happier with Natalie Portman this time around. Relieved of her ridiculous costumes from Episode 1, she was much improved this time. What this movie really lacked was a strong villain. There is no dashing Darth Maul around this time. The lightsaber battle between Maul and Qui-Gon/Obi Wan from episode one is easily the best combat sequence I've ever seen in a movie. It is not repeated here. The fight scenes between Jengo Fett and the jedi are good, but not nearly as memorable. Overall, I think Episode 2 will be the least successful of the Star Wars movies. It is taking harsh criticism. While this will not deter anyone that is a legitimate Star Wars fan from seeing it, I do believe that this film will suffer (when compared to the previous films) at the box office, because many fans will be unsatisfied to the point of seeing it only once, rather than returning several times. It is a good movie, but "good" just doesn't cut it when Star Wars is concerned. I believe we have a right to expect more than Episode 2 delivered.