The force is certainly with this one!

Rating: 9/10 (16 May 2002)

Last night at midnight (May 16th, 2002), I sat in a theatre as the new Star Wars episode began. I wasn't a fan of The Phantom Menace by any means and I was silently hoping Episode 2 Attack of the Clones would deliver. You know what? It certainly bloody well did!
The Story? Senator Amidala (Portman) is returning to Coruscant to vote on the controversial issue of creating a Clone Army for the Republic, in response to several thousand star sytsems ceceding under the leadership of former Jedi Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). After a tad shakey start, a botched assassination attempt on Amidala's life launches the film into one of the best chase sequences ever filmed. The special effects in this segment are simply astounding. It reminds me of how eye-popping the original trilogy's effects were two decades ago. Now grown-up Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is asigned to protect Amidala, while Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) begins an investigation on the assassins. I don't want to give much more away because it's best to be unspoiled to watch this movie.
The acting is quite an improvement over Episode One. Christensen is excellent as Anakin, especially when it comes to the scenes where he delves into the Dark Side. Mcgregor absolutely nails Alec Guinness' Obi-Wan and is given most of the more comical, one-liners that are actually funny this time around, unlike the last prequel. Portman certainly put much more effort into Episode 2, especially in the love scenes. Her chemistry with Hayden is very believable, despite some clunky dialogue (hey, it IS Star Wars!), and it makes me wonder if these two were really an item off-set. Sam Jackson is the man as Mace Windu and his performance is very intense. Ian McDiramid is always a reliable actor, and while his screen time is somewhat shorter than the in last prequel, he nails every scene and his evilness is entirely believable. He is truly the master manipulator. Temuerra Morrison as Jango Fett was a nice surprise, and though his screen time is limited as well, he comes off as cool and collective and clearly the best bounty hunter in the galaxy. Lastly, Christopher Lee absolutely steals the show in the last third of the movie. Most of the plot builds up around his character, as he is (so it seems) leading the secessionist movement. He is truly a gifted actor and it is disturbing his accomplishments have not awarded him a Knighthood yet.
Another thing that helped this Episode was the lack of Jar Jar Binks. He has maybe five lines throughout the movie and he is never annoying. He's quite reserved this time around.
The writing this time is much better, due in part to Jonathan Hales. George Lucas is one of the best storytellers of our time, but he does have trouble writing dialogue. Episode Two's dialogue, like any Star Wars film, furthers the plot well. There are some bad comical lines that should never have made it past the editing room, but most of these come from Threepio and are easily overlooked when everything is taken into account.
The Special Effects by ILM are some of the best yet, clearly revolutionary. The last third of the film is one big action setpiece and it certainly pays off with CGI effects. This Episode in the saga does not have that cartoonish feeling we all experienced during Episode One. Granted, we obviously know these are effects during the movie, but they look as good and even better than anything I've ever seen on film. The realisation of Yoda as a full CGI effect had me doubting a year ago, but after seeing him wield a lightsabre, it totally paid off. If ILM doesn't end their nine year Oscar drout with this film, there should be Hell to pay for the Academy.
In conclusion, I can definately say this film has allowed me to love Star Wars again. I was disappointed, severely disappointed, with TPM as many of us were. But George, all is forgiven. You listened to the fans and we thank you for it. I give this film a 10/10
As comparison with the other episodes, here are my ratings for each. Phantom Menace - 5/10 A New Hope - 10/10 Empire Strikes Back - 10/10 (the best one) Return of the Jedi - 10/10
As Star Wars films, my rankings would be as follows. Empire Jedi Clones A New Hope Phantom Menace