A better effort

Rating: 8/10 (10 July 2002)

*May contain spoilers* *May contain spoilers*
When Episode 1 saw the light of day it was greeted, by fans and non fans a like, with a huge disappointment and rightly so. The film was full with annoying characters and clichès that make the film almost unwatchable. The fact that it revolved around a small boy didn't make easier. The boy was so annoying you wish he would be gone for ever.
It has to be said that this Episode is by far much better than its predecessor. The mix of action and characters development work good and George Lucas managed to set things in motion which will be played in Episode 3. However the film suffer from some problem which prevent the film from being excellent:
1. The film is, at least, 20 minute longer. The film would have benefited from a shorter version.
2. The romance between Senator Amidala(A good performance from Natalie Portman) and Anakin Skywalker(A solid performance from Hayden Christensen) does not work well. It is full of clichès and is heavily handled. It doesn't have a feeling of a true romance.
3. We all know the Anakin Skywalker is the future Darth Vader but I have trouble in believing that this young man will become the all mighty character from Episodes 4-6. Something is wrong in the way the character is built and portrayed.
4. George Lucas insist of writing and directing. It has to be said that he is not good in both jobs. The fact that he doesn't have any distance from the material harm the film even more. He should think of giving these jobs to someone else. Past experience should have taught him that the best installment of 1st series was written and directed by other peoples than Lucas.
5. Special effects- There are plenty of them here and as it happened so much lately the story serve them instead the other way around, which is a shame.
Again it is a much better film the first one. Fans do not need any recommendation to see the film. The non fans can and will go. They will enjoy it no doubt.