forbidden love, mystery and the clone wars begin...

Rating: 8/10 (21 January 2008)

Star Wars, episode 2, will always be the runt of the star wars pantheon, its basically a bridge between 1 & 3, still it has its moments.
Ten years after the Phantom Menace, Anakin is Ob-Wan's headstrong apprentice, a new threat to Padme reunites our heroes. Anakin has never forgotten PAdme, he's in love with her, though that is forbidden to Jedi. She doesn't see him as a man yet, and is more concerned with the depraved bureaucracy she sees. While Obi-Wan goes to investigate the Separatist movement, Anakin is assigned to protect PAdme along with the loyal droid C-3po. They go to her homeworld of Naboo and naturally fall in love.
Obi-Wan goes to Kamino and finds clones being made for use by the Republic, curious and curiouser. Obi-Wan begins to smell a rat amount the senators. He goes to Geonosis but is captured by the smooth-talking Count Dooku, played to the hilt by the grand old wizard himself, Christopher Lee. Anakin and PAdme go to Tattoine to rescue Anakin's mother, but its too late. Consumed by grief and hatred Anakin is slipping towards the dark side, but he's still loyal to Obi-Wan and goes to rescue him.
They are all captured and nearly killed by monsters in the arena, but the Jedi fly to the rescue led by Mace and Yoda and the clones!! A terrific final battle between Yoda and Count Dooku is one of the best lightsabre duels in history. For those who question this, note Yoda's lightsaber in Episode 5. Anakin loses his arm, but gains Padme, she marries him in secret on Naboo and the fate of the Galaxy is sealed as Palpatine becomes supreme chancellor of the Senate.
Marred by an overly long speeder pursuit through Coruscant and a unneeded droid factory sequence, Episode two falls short of the other films, but the John Williams sweeping, romantic score, "Across the Stars" and the excellent FX, make this a winner.