Keep your spirit up during the terrible first half, it'll pay off in the fantastic second

Rating: 7/10 (16 May 2002)

The problem Star Wars has always had is with the screenplay, and this is no different. The first half is filled with cringe-filled dialogue and one-liners, and when Jar Jar Binks appeared early on my own thoughts echoed Han Solo's: "I have a bad feeling about this". However, Jar Jar's appearance is brief though it will have you burying your face in your hands until its over.
Though the special effects are impressive they tend to get in the way and are at times distracting. Luckily the chemistry between Anakin and Obi-Wan works very well, though it still doesn't come close to the charming relationship that Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had in Episode 1. The build up of Anakin's and Padme's relationship is the major thing that slows this movie down, and its hard to care about them at all. While Obi-Wan is investigating the creation of a clone army this subplot intrudes which is frustrating since we already know the outcome. Unfortunately its important to the plot and the future of Luke and Leia so we must grin and bear the melodrama. The action later moves to Corruscant where CLONES really begins to pick up.
From that point onwards the bad dialogue (for the most part) is left behind and the fantastic action begins.
From the introduction to Count Dooku, the suspiciously familiar Gladiator battle, the Jedi Battle, and especially the final battle between Yoda and Dooku, which works fantastically, will leave you impressed.
The problems with this movie are mainly pertaining to the plot and dialogue, however as many Star Wars fans know, it was never the dialogue that made Star Wars - it were the space battles, wonderful locations and the climatic Jedi duals and when these eventually make their appearance it will make you remember why you loved Star Wars in the first place.