A brilliant follow-up (warning: spoilers below)

Rating: Null/10 (20 June 2002)

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones is a fine follow-up to the underrated "Phantom Menace". But whereas that film was a very lightweight film, this sequel possesses more action, more humour and more darkness, with a little bit of romance thrown in for good measure.
Set 10 years after Episode I, "Clones" sees the once great Galactic Republic falling apart due to a band of separatists. When these separatists make several attempts on the life of Senator Amidala(Natalie Portman), her two Jedi friends from the past, Anakin Skywalker(Hayden Christensen) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan MacGregor) are assigned to protect her. While Anakin accompanies the Senator to Naboo, where the two fall in love, Obi-Wan tries to find out who is trying to kill her and why, in the process uncovering a sinister plot to overthrow the Republic............
Performance-wise, the actors have much more to play with this time around and are better for it. The principal romance between the Anakin and Padme actually works very well, due largely to the sizzling chemistry between Christensen and Portman. They overcome some rather clunky dialogue to make their relationship in the least believable. Christensen, as the future Darth Vader, is slightly stiff but delivers the goods when the occasion really demands it.
Ewan MacGregor also has more fun this time around (especially with his "death-sticks" scene). Providing the villainy is Christopher Lee, memorable as rogue Jedi Count Dooku (his lightsabre duel with two-foot tall Jedi Master Yoda is a certified crowd pleaser), as well as Ian MacDiarmid, back as manipulative politico Palpatine.
The script is a lot better this time, throwing in alot of crucial exposition that will be important to remember for Episode III. Yet at the same time, it is intelligent, it does try to develop the characters and mythology a little bit more and does not treat its audience as stupid. Even the comedy moments, while cheesy, come off effectively.
The special effects are less decorative this time around and do more to contribute to the storyline. The last few scenes, helped by John Williams rousing score, are good examples of this, carrying as they do a sense of tragedy and impending doom.
No where near good or as fresh as the original "Star Wars" but good fun nevertheless.