The Force is with us

Rating: 8/10 (19 May 2002)

Star Wars: Episode II- Attack of the Clones gets the Star Wars franchise back on track after the lackluster Episode I. Gone are the horrid kiddy jokes and Jar-Jar (well for the most part) and back is the engrossing Star Wars saga.
AOTC has the eye-popping special effects which are trademark of the Star Wars movies, and the climax is perhaps the best battle in any Star Wars. Anakin starts the slippery slope to Darth Vader, and Lucas does a great job of showing the anger that is to turn him to the dark side. The plot is easy to follow, with a shadowy sense of doom built throughout the movie, which will certainly continue in Episode III.
The acting, though sometimes forced, is solid, and the dialogue, though not the quality of a Tarantino of Scorsese film, advances the story along, and thus does its job.
After viewing Episode II, I gained a new found appreciation for the subtleties in the first trilogy. For example, when Obi-Wan talks about the Clone Wars in Episode IV, 3PO, who certainly knows about the Clone Wars, has already switched himself off, thus preventing any commentary on the subject.
Finally, let me just say that, despite what the `critics' say, Episode II is a wonderfully entertaining movie for Star Wars and non-Star Wars fans alike, and is the must-see movie of the summer (sorry Spiderman)
8/10