What's this? A Star Wars prequel that doesn't stink to heavens??

Rating: 7/10 (21 May 2005)

I'm not all that into Star Wars, but I've enjoyed the original trilogy well enough and, like most people, got carried away by the hysteria surrounding the release of Phantom Menace. Unfortunately, after the initial wave of excitement died down, I found the movie such a letdown that I didn't even go and see the Attack of the Clones when it came out. I have seen it eventually on TV a week ago and thought it was sooo mind-bogglingly terrible that the only way to make the third film any good would be to lock up George to toy with this beloved CGI and get someone else to do all the directing and writing instead. So as a result I went in with the lowest of low expectations which even the deluge of positive reviews couldn't lift.
Well what do you know, the movie actually doesn't suck! In fact, it's pretty damn good! OK, George still can't write a decent romantic scene to save his hide, it's riddled with all sorts of silly inconsistencies and there are plot holes the size of the Death Star. But in most respects the film is a huge quantum leap from the atrocities of the first two episodes, especially the acting. Ewan McGregor is finally allowed to sparkle; Ian McDiarmid sinks his teeth with glee into the role of Palpatine and walks off with the best character of the prequels. Hayden Christensen is lot more comfortable in the role of Anakin and after losing his ridiculous hairdo finally looks like a man who a mature woman like Padme could fall for. And Jar-Jar Binks is an extra without a single line of dialogue, woo-hoo!
The film has a right feel to it straight in the first sequence in which Anakin and Obi-Wan go on their mission to rescue Chancellor Palpatine. The action is exciting rather than Playstation, R2-D2 gets to do some incredibly cool stuff that make his presence so much more than a token link with the original trilogy. Best of all, the friendship and affection between Obi-Wan and Anakin, which was completely missing in the "Clones", is genuinely felt in these first moments and lends real emotion to the later, darker scenes in which former friends become enemies.
Padme and Anakin's love story still doesn't convince me 100%, but their scenes together, while still awkwardly written and performed, don't have the nails-on-chalkboard awfulness of the previous film, and some are actually quite affecting. It's a great credit to the film that, despite the fact that its outcome has been known for decades, I found myself sitting there wishing for Anakin NOT to become Darth Vader. He's a troubled, conflicted person who genuinely wants to do good, and unfortunately the bad guy is the only person who's prepared to listen to his problems and sympathise.
Speaking of Jedi... Yoda's smug wisdom always got on my nerves but RoTS was the absolute highpoint. "Be happy when someone you love dies and feeds the Force? Let go of things you're afraid to lose?" Gee Yoda, helpful you are not!
Mentioning how great the visuals are in Star Wars is kinda unnecessary by now, but the film really is a feast, with amazing worlds and backdrops to please your eyes, and great acting from the CGI Yoda.
Bad stuff? Well there's a really embarrassing moment that rather spoils the otherwise great sequence which sees Darth Vader encased in his infamous black suit. Really, George, this sort of "NOOOOOOO!" belongs in a spoof.
Overall though, I was very, very pleasantly surprised. I still think though that I prefer to think of "Revenge of the Sith" as Episodes I, II and III and forget the rest of the prequels altogether.