a review with some spoilers

Rating: 8/10 (17 May 2005)

This movie was better than TPM, but still didn't quite make it to the level that most fans had expected. Again the story was great and the politics even more interwoven and subtle. George Lucas again shows he is a master at weaving a complex story while making it seem straight-forward. His directing even got a little better; still not great, but a lot better than before. The action was well done, though the lightsaber fighting wasn't quite as engrossing as in Episode I. A fight against CGI opponents doesn't look nearly as good as a fight against a live person, and most of the saber action was just that: the actor swinging at imagined enemies to be filled in later. Getting to see Yoda fight was a lot of fun, unfortunately too short. I did like the fact that after all of that twirling and spinning, he still pulled his cane to him to walk. It showed a great amount of discipline and respect for the Force that he only called on it when it was needed and didn't allow it to become a crutch (figuratively and literally). Yoda also looked far better in AotC than he did in TPM, one of the few times a CG character completely outdoes a "real" character (Yoda was a puppet in TPM). I was also hoping to see Anakin swinging two sabers for a bit longer (and Dooku picking up two as well, which is a scene they apparently cut from the film). I thought that Anakin was good, if a bit whiny; but then again, so was Luke in A New Hope Like father like son I guess. His speech about his love for Padme in the infamous "Fireplace Scene" while admittedly coming across as bad Goth Poetry did also seem rather chilling when you think about how intense his emotions are. The scene where he kills the Tusken Raiders then crying describes it later were very well done. It still suffers a bit from George's directing and not getting as good a performance as he could have from Hayden Christensen, but the moment for the character is wonderful in how it sets up the beginning of his fall to the Dark Side. The blossoming love between Anakin and Padme seemed a little rushed between "Hey! I haven't seen you in 10 years!" to "Let's get married!". And the "I truly, deeply, love you." line Padme gives Anakin as they are taken into the arena seemed really corny, but considering what it was supposed to portray I can be a bit forgiving. Count Dooku a.k.a. Darth Tyranus played by long time actor Christopher Lee was also very convincing as a political minded aggressor; but as a Dark Lord he seemed a bit weak. Political manoeuvrings and the fact that he had the plans for the Death Star in his pocket aside, he didn't have much else. If he hadn't gone over to "Darth" status and had still been in the beginning of his fall to evil it would have been a lot more in sync with his place in the story. He saw the corruption of the Senate and the stagnation of the Jedi; he tried to do something about it but was manipulated by Palpatine into falling to the Dark Side, not having enough willpower to stand up to him. Dooku is a very tragic character in the Star Wars saga, a man who wants to make the galaxy a better place, but winds up helping along the start of one of it's darkest times. In a way he is foreshadowing Anakin who will one day do the same thing, albeit on a much grander scale. Jango Fett was a pleasant surprise. New Zealand born Temuera Morrison brought a smart, calculating and menacing presence to the screen. He made you believe that this was a warrior who didn't fear the Jedi, no matter how powerful they could be. When he stood up to Obi-Wan when they first met you could tell the only thing he was worried about was being found out by the Law, he wasn't afraid of the Jedi. He proved it later when he defeated Obi-Wan on the landing platform, even if it was a close fight. Though like his son Boba in Return of the Jedi, he went out in a very quick manner that wasn't nearly as satisfying as you might have wanted for such a cool character. Mace Windu, the purple lightsaber wielding Jedi played by Samuel Jackson is supposed to be the best sword fighter in the Jedi order, and second overall to Yoda himself. Unfortunately all we really get to see him do is fight CG opponents, which doesn't do much to show his prowess. The only other things I found disappointing was the use of the reverberating sound effect. It was really overused, the ships made it, the speeders made it, even the animals made it. It was used so often that I lost my suspension of disbelief every time I heard it. C-3PO's constant barrage of puns didn't endear me to him much either. Lastly the "do everything button" that Amidala uses in the ship when they are about to leave Tatooine. It's a break in believable continuity as they zoom in showing her press it twice for two totally different functions; but it's not that big of a deal; just an annoyance. Overall though the movie was entertaining, a couple of great chase scenes and a great weaving plot that really progressed the characters and Palpatine's bid to rule the galaxy. It also seemed to redeem Lucas a bit in terms of Jar-Jar. When he falls for an amazingly transparent manipulation and calls the vote that will give full executive power to the Supreme Chancellor, he single-handedly puts the reigns of the government into Palpatine's hands. In other words we now have a story based reason to hate him. It's all Jar-Jar's fault. ;) 4 out of 5 stars.