Great special effects...that's it

Rating: 5/10 (13 June 2002)

Okay, it's better than episode 1, but how can it not be? Episode 1 was kiddie drivel...this isn't. Still, it's far from great.
This follows the future Darth Vader, Anakin (Hayden Christeensen) training to be a Jedi under Obi Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his romance with Queen Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman). Also the Dark Force is slowly gaining power across the galaxy.
The special effects are superb--truly eye-popping and the action sequences are long, very fast and loads of fun. However, the script is slow, confusing and boring, the dialogue is impossibly bad and there's some truly horrendous acting.
There is some good acting by McGregor, Portman and Christopher Lee (as Count Dooku) but that's it. Christensen is just terrible as Anakin--very stiff and unemotional. His attempts at showing his dark side peeking through are laughable--he comes across as a spoiled little brat, not the evil Darth Vader. Also his romance scenes with Portman are destined to become camp classics. The dialogue is just the worst I've ever heard in my life--Lucas can't write!!!! These scenes were filmed in impossibly beautiful settings. There was one point when Portman was running through a field on a beautiful sunny day. I half expected her to start belting out "The Sound of Music"!
The dialogue really kills this film. It's all bad--either stupid or boring or predictable. It's on the level of a bad Archie comic book.
And why did they bring back Jar Jar Binks? He's STILL annoying.
So it's worth seeing for the special effects--bring ear plugs for the dialogue.