Disappointing, but still much better than Episode I

Rating: 5/10 (5 July 2002)

Well, first of all, let me tell you: I was expecting worse. Much worse. So Episode II wasn´t as traumatic as I thought it would be. I´ve never been a huge Star Wars fan, but I do love the original trilogy, so watching Attack of the Clones was something I just had to do, no matter how much I dreaded the outcome.
So, what´s good about it? The visuals are about ten times better than in Episode I. I still think some CG shots are way overdone, but some shots looked incredibly real, so I am willing to forgive Lucas for some not-as-good effects. Also, Ewan McGregor is a breath of fresh air... obviously this is hardly his best performance, but when compared to the rest of the cast, it´s like having the world´s best actor in front of you. The costume design was also brillant (although I missed the craziness of Amidala´s early outfits). And the first chase scene in the city, though almost shamelessly stolen from movies like The Fifth Element and Blade Runner, was still a pleasure to watch.
But sadly, the bad elements still outnumber the good ones: to start with, I guess I should just state the obvious: Anakin Skywalker is a complete disaster. Note I won´t say Hayden (who´s full name I can´t remember, sorry) can´t act... I am well aware that Lucas is not exactly an actor´s director, and is never as focused on the performances as others. Besides, he wasn´t always all that bad... I´ll admit that evil glare he has in his eyes at one point in the movie is perfectly chilling. Problem is that lasts about three or four seconds... and this movie is a *bit* longer than that.
Natalie Portman wasn´t exactly at her best, but still much more convincing than her co-star... the complete lack of chemistry between the two of them didn´t help, though. And this brings me to my next point...
The writing. It´s... well... how to say this... BAD. The SW trilogy has never been a Shakespeare play, but still... it gives you the idea Lucas is so in love with his new CG toys that he has forgotten about a certain little thing called "plot". Not to mention another thing called "believable character development".
But still, over all Episode II was rather enjoyable, despite everything. Had some enjoyable sequences, some funny moments and Ewan McGregor, beard or not, is still a pleasure to see. Let´s just hope things get better for Episode III, because I will be watching it. Can´t promise I´ll like it, but at least I´ll try. ...
Oh, and the fight scene between a certain old Jedi and Christopher Lee´s character? That part was simply too much for me, and I have now lost all respect for Master Yoda... who now I´ll just call "the little green thing with the big lightsaber" (my friend´s words, not mine).

(5/10)