It -feels- like Star Wars.

Rating: 8/10 (17 May 2002)

AOTC's greatest triumph is highlighting how non-Star-Wars TPM was. AOTC feels like Star Wars. Moreover, it is a better film than ROTJ and TPM.
It's not as visceral as ANH in terms of emotion... it closer to the greys of ESB. But its also about repressed emotion, so it does feel cold. But, to quote Besson, emotion comes from the resistance to emotion.
Forget the nitpickers and naysayers - especially those who ignore the failings of the original trilogy, in favour of a myth about the SW myth - the flaws in AOTC are the same endearing flaws found in all the SW films. Sure, it shares somes flaws with TPM that the others do not have (Jar Jar, less charismatic actors, slower pace) but they're far fewer in number.
My biggest gripe with AOTC is John Williams' score. I'm not a fan of JW but his score in TPM was my fave aspect of that movie - it was barely noticeable here.
P.S.
To those, like Roger Ebert, who are using AOTC a rallying cry against HD... get over it. You may be an adequate film critic Ebert, but I doubt you know your ASA from your F-Stop, yet alone your HD from your 2K scans. I wonder if you managed to spot the HD footage in TPM? Besides, AOTC is an incorrect gauge on that debate given that it was mostly bluescreen... and the actors were extracted from a 'matted' HD 16x9 frame and placed in a high resolution 2.40 frame.
P.P.S.
To those who want Peter Jackson to direct EP3... 9 months ago I would've agreed with you. But GL has done something remarkable in AOTC which PJ failed to do in FOTR. GL resisted the temptation to telegraph every moment as a big event. He had restraint.