Lucas delivers at the fifth time of asking

Rating: 6/10 (17 May 2002)

Anyone who comes to watch the six Star Wars episodes back-to-back, in chronological order, in a few years time will be able to appreciate just how far we've come in twenty five years of special effects. Here Lucas moves on from the contrived set pieces of The Phantom Menace, and uses his Industrial Light and Magic company to breathe life into the world of the Galactic Republic. Finally, Star Wars has context, vivacity and depth, and this for the first time in five mega-grossing movies.
The story is perfunctory, but just about sufficient to justify the 140 minute running time, while the dialog is as wooden as we've come to expect. There has been some unjust criticism of the performance of the leads, but there is only so much an actor can do when he has to repeat the line "I really don't like flying" four times in one film.
The point is that Attack of the Clones has excitement, pace and human interest. It is worth remembering that Star Wars was never supposed to deliver Olivier-style dramatic monologues, or bucketloads of existential angst.....it's a straightforward story of cowboys and indians: goodies and baddies in space, with the odd twist thrown in for good measure.
What's missing of course is a sense of consequence.....in the same way that we knew the Titanic was doomed, we know where Anakin and Padme's romance will lead them, something Lucas is obviously conscious of when he inserts lines that foreshadow later events, as when Obi Wan asks Anakin, "Why do I get the feeling you'll be the death of me?" Similarly, it's hard to take Christopher Lee's character seriously as a baddy when we only introduces to him and his story at the point when the climactic battle scenes begin.
But these criticisms pale besides the visual achievement that this film represents. It is truly possible to feel that you are soaring through hundreds of different worlds as McGregor makes a serious of sweeping visits to other planets, and even to a vast library that stores every kind of information about the galaxy. For the first time since Jurassic Park introduces us to the possibilities of CGI, this is a film that can be rightly described as breathtaking. Towards the climax there is a sense of effect overkill, and you have to ask whether this visual feast spills over into an orgy, but even then there are enough dramatic events to keep the viewer riveted through to the end.
3/5