Wow. Lucas is back!

Rating: 7/10 (20 May 2002)

Star Wars. The name is practically a mandatory addition to modern man's vocabulary. After the huge breakthroughs the original Trilogy made in sci-fi movies, fans have been screaming for more. It wasn't until Episode I came out that their appetite has been whetted. And while it was a worthy addition to the Star Wars saga, there were a lot of people who were disgruntled with the less-than-great acting on the part of Anakin, and the ok-at-first-but-quickly-becoming-annoying Jar Jar Binks. It undeniably didn't do for movies today what the original Star Wars did back in 1977. Personally, however, I enjoyed the movie and wasn't too disappointed. Well, Episode II has come out and it is clear to me that George Lucas has learned from some of his mistakes in Phantom Menace and turned out an amazing and very entertaining movie that should please both die-hard Star Wars fans and the casual movie-goer. While it certainly has a different feel than did the originals, since hardly a frame goes by that isn't 95% computer generated, it is still Star Wars and a movie that is not to be missed.
I'm assuming you have seen the other four Star Wars movies before you read this and see AOTC. If not, climb out of the rock you've been living under and head to Blockbuster before you see this movie. Ok, with that said, let me now say *SPOILER ALERT*. The next couple paragraphs will talk about the storyline, so I recommend you skip over this if you haven't seen it yet. Ok, after Episode I where the Trade Federation has been almost completely taken down and Naboo is freed from Federation control, in Episode II the Trade Federation leaders and some other solar systems have left the Republic and are building for themselves a massive droid army on the planet Geonosis. Geonosis is one of the several new locales to AOTC and is a bug-filled rock where the dissidents are hiding out. Count Dooku who was on the Jedi Council is in league with all these guys and knows the truth about Palpatine while being in league with Sidious. Oh yeah, and Jango Fett is kind of Dooku's bodyguard (and we see that his Slave 1 is an awesome, tricked-out ship capable of taking anybody but a Jedi out). Anyway, Obi-Wan and Anakin get chosen to protect Senator Amidala (she's not Queen anymore), something that Anakin is more than happy to do. Eventually, they get leads on a bounty hunter who's been making attempts at taking Padme Amidala's life, so Obi-Wan tries to find out more about him while Anakin and Padme head off to Naboo to go into hiding until the threats are eliminated. Obi-Wan eventually goes off to a hidden planet called Kamino (very awesome) and finds a Clone army being made, with the clones being modeled after the very bounty hunter that's been trying to kill Amidala - Jango Fett. Obi-Wan follows Jango to Geonosis and finds out about Dooku and everybody else. Unfortunately, he gets captured.
Meanwhile, Anakin and Padme are getting to know each other while in hiding on Naboo. Both are obviously getting to really like each other, but then Anakin has a dream about his mother in pain. He and Padme go off to Tatooine to find Shmi. This takes us back to the ever-amusing junk dealer Watto. He tells Anakin that Shmi was bought by a guy named Cliegg Lars, who freed her and married her. Anakin visits his new step-Dad to find him a very nice guy who just lost his wife to the sand people. Anakin meets his step-brother Owen, who is dating Beru (now where have we heard those names before...?). Anakin finds the sand people and his captive mother. After some parting words, Anakin's mother dies and Anakin gets enraged at the sand people. He kills their entire camp and returns to his new family's house. They bury Shmi and Anakin goes back to his ship. There he finds out that Obi-Wan's in trouble and together he and Padme go to rescue Obi-Wan. Things don't go so smoothly and between Padme almost getting roasted and Anakin nearly being turned into a droid, the two are finally captured and they meet Obi-Wan in a gladiator-type arena where they are about to be executed, Roman style (with an outer-space twist). Some amusing and exciting parts follow (with our friends C-3P0 and R2-D2 in the mix), as well as an epic battle scene complete with the early incarnation of Storm Troopers and quite a few light saber-wielding Jedi. Finally, a really impressive scene where we get to really respect (and ooh and aah) at the capabilities of the limping little green guy (Yoda) follows, which pretty much finishes the movie off. Of course Ian McDiarmid is there as Palpatine, and his descent into evil is made more apparent in this movie. *SPOILER END*.
Ok, enough about the plot. If you thought Episode I was full of CG scenes and locales, Episode II is even fuller. From the sweet CG ocean and rain of Kamino to the waterfalls of Naboo to the bustling city on Coruscant, AOTC is full of "wow" factor. If you thought the podrace of Phantom Menace was cool, wait until you see Anakin fly the hover car on Coruscant. Or Obi-Wan's personal ship, complete with long range hookup for traveling from star system to star system. Or the Slave 1, or... you get the idea. Your jaw will drop at the amazing climactic battle, as well as the fully computer generated bug-like creatures from Geonosis. And the alien chef who Obi-Wan talks to is awesome and quite amusing. Add to all this the fact that AOTC is (I think) the first mainstream made-for-theater feature to be filmed completely with digital cameras, instead of the analog film ones that have been used ever since the beginning of movies. This fact plus all the just plain awesome computer work on Episode II means one thing...absolutely top quality of production. Ok, now to acting. Now, first remember that people don't go to see Star Wars to see incredible emotional performances on the part of the cast (that's what movies like Cast Away are for). First and foremost it's for the awesome spaceships, planets, and aliens. The new Star Wars episodes are clearly more effect and less impressive acting performances (no more Harrison Ford to make us laugh), but that's not to say the acting is bad. I'm no professional critic, but I thought the performances were just fine, on the whole. No butchered lines like in the last movie (remember "this is tense", "sand storms are very, very dangerous", and "lets try spinning, that's a good trick"). The characters this time around are older and more mature and aren't quite so laughable (ok, I know Jake Lloyd was a little kid, so I'll cut him some slack, but what about Jar Jar?). Jar Jar was the thorn in many Star Wars fans' side for the duration of Episode I. Personally, I didn't mind him too much. But this time he's been given a much smaller part, reminding you that he's still there and important, but not filling the movie with his antics. A good thing to be sure. Hayden Christensen does a surprisingly good job, as does Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman (and pretty much everybody else, for that matter). All in all, George Lucas certainly doesn't have the budget problem he did for Star Wars: A New Hope, and he's produced a very impressive and amazing sci-fi film.
As for content acceptability, Mr. Lucas has been thankfully keeping his movies PG. I don't mind so much PG-13 violence, but once the Star Wars universe starts getting "mature themes" included is when it's no longer Star Wars and I'll no longer be much of a fan. Thankfully, this is not the case and Lucas clearly aims to keep the PG rating universal for all his movies. Thank you, Mr. Lucas! Ok, as you know there's laser battles, light saber duals (a couple people lose various limbs, and one guy loses his head in a very non-gory manner...the fact that light sabers burn you makes it possible for saber wounds to be very clean), etc. As is expected, Star Wars is full of mild and non-bloody violence. Lots of it, but what's there isn't a big deal. This movie has Natalie Portman wearing a bit less, but nothing to be worried about. The romance between Amidala and Anakin is kept non-physical, and is limited to occasional kissing scenes. There are a few skimpily dressed women at a Coruscant club, but nothing much is shown and it shouldn't be an issue. The gladiator scene might be a bit scary for younger kids, as there are some big, possibly scary creatures as well as Amidala gets her back slashed. Finally, the Geonosis bugs are a bit on the nasty side. Nothing serious, but maybe a few issues for parents of small children, not to mention the overall suspenseful nature of the movie.
In conclusion, I thought Lucas did a much better job this time around. The kiddish characters are gone, and the movie takes itself more seriously. There is probably the most "wow" factor in this movie as in any of the Star Wars movies (and any movie for that matter except perhaps the Matrix or something). The CG is absolutely incredible, and the new ships and locales are very awesome. It's not the same as the original Trilogy, but nothing ever will be. That doesn't mean it's not a great movie in its own right, however. Star Wars: Attack of the Clones is the coolest movie I've seen in a long time, and a downright great continuation of the Star Wars saga. See it today. Oh, and one more thing... Yoda rocks!
Entertainment Value: 9.5. Awesome locales and unforgettable battles make this movie the first of the prequels to really show that Lucas is still a great writer/director and that Star Wars is still as cool as ever. Edge-of-your-seat, entertaining, and very, very cool.
Quality of Production & Acting: 9.5. That same "wow" factor I was talking about earlier. Incredible CG all the way. Acting is perfectly fine, not necessarily stellar, but it certainly gets the job done. All-in-all, great.
Storyline: 9.0. The continuing saga of Star Wars, how can you go wrong? Though everybody pretty much knows what's gonna happen, it's still cool to see everything fit together to set the stage for the Trilogy we all know and love.
Content Acceptability: 8.75. Star Wars non-gory and non-bloody violence. Very minor female immodesty in a club, but nothing to worry about. Of course absolutely no bad language - this is a long time ago in a galaxy far away for crying out loud!
Final Critique (not an average): 9.5. Lucas is back! Much better than Episode I, a great romp through the Star Wars universe. Very cool, entertaining, and there's a little something for everybody. Politics, romance, and of course awesome sci-fi battles and ships. It's Star Wars!!!