Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

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Release Date: May 16th 2002

Ten years after initially meeting, Anakin Skywalker shares a forbidden romance with Padmé, while Obi-Wan investigates an assassination attempt on the Senator and discovers a secret clone army crafted for the Jedi.

Director: George Lucas (Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Indiana Jones Trilogy)

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Christopher Lee, Samuel L. Jackon, Ian McDiarmid

Three years have passed since the release of The Phantom Menace, and George Lucas has listened to the fans. Jar Jar Binks has very little screen time, most actors warm into their characters and Yoda looks less out of place now that he's built from CGI.  

Attack of the Clones is a stone's throw ahead of its predecessor. It takes a darker turn as Lucas decides to split up master and apprentice. Obi-Wan Kenobi find bigger problems that affect the whole galaxy whilst Anakin fights his inner demons and breaks many Jedi codes in the process.

Ewan McGregor's revitalised and improved Obi-Wan Kenobi is witty and far more engaging in AOTC's plot. He comes out of the back seat and proves to be a powerful lead. A great deal of pressure is on newcomer Hayden Christensen's shoulders. Will he go above and beyond Jake Lloyd's boring presence? In some senses yes. He' still arrogant and brash, but isn't as annoying as the younger Ani. Christensen makes greater impact in the later scenes that renders Lloyd's Anakin a distant memory.

None of this can hide the fact that Lucas' scriptwriting is still diabolical. There's more pointing out the obvious, and other actors are less relaxed with their roles because of this. Padme (Portman) and Anakin's secret romance is dull and feels as romantic as a wet fart. Padme comes out of her rigid shell when she has something more to do than talk (and she does become increasingly nice to look at).

CGI has taken over the Star Wars universe. It has taken over the way the audience uses their imagination to shape the rest of the world. Coruscant is a wonderful blinking metropolis, Kamino's persistent weather and darkness is foreboding and intense (this is the planet where Kenobi finds the clone army) and Geonosis has an arena that looks similar to the one in Gladiator and holds the greatest roster of Jedi and lightsaber dueling Star Wars has ever seen. This will be Mace Windu's (Samuel L. Jackson) finest hour.

What follows will make fans scream with excitement. Yoda (after 3 films) gets to unleash a heavy dose of the force, and Christopher Lee nails it as Sith Lord Count Dooku. He kicks some serious ass for someone much older than the Jedi around him.

Overview: A vast improvement to The Phantom Menace. The actions is better but the dialogue worsens. George Lucas has many fans to please but there's slim chance he can please them all.