A great sci-fi epic. - Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones Reviews

Being a gigantic fan of the Star Wars saga, I basically knew (from internet fan sites and forums) the storyline for Episode II for about five mouths before it's release in May. So I went into the theater knowing what to expect. And I got just that: a wonderful new edition to the Star Wars saga, filled with amazing special effects, a great story, and a handful of new planets, a movie that is arguably the best (or close second) of the saga. I left the theater happy that George Lucas had proved all his critics wrong in they're ranting that he had ruined the saga with the prequels, but still thinking it wasn't as good as the originals. As most hardcore Star Wars fans do, I went to see AOTC several times. And each time I grew to like the movie more and more, and by my fourth viewing, my opinion of the movie had drastically changed; it is now my favorite movie of the saga. One of the many things I like about this movie, is the cinematography, (If you've read my review of The Lord of the Rings, you'll notice I really enjoy good cinematography.) The best example is the opening scene with the Royal Starship flying through the planet Coruscant's foggy skies; the sound effects also add to the amazing scene. Another example is a quick shot of the Lars homestead on Tatooine. Even though the shot is very short, it's reminiscent of a movie from the 40s or 50s. Oh, and I can't forget the where most of the best shots come from: Kamino. This all rain and water planet is one of the most amazing CGI environments I have ever seen in a film. The most noticeable - and the most talked about - flaw of the film, would have to be the somewhat poorly written love story between Anakin and Padme. I didn't have too much of a problem with it, but Lucas should have made this decision; should the love story take up half/most of the film, or should it stay out of the way, much like Han and Leia's affair in The Empire Strikes Back. Lucas does not make this decision, instead letting the love make up about ? of the movie, enough to definitely be noticed, but not enough to effectively tell the love story the way it should have been told. The other complaint that some critics have is that Episode II suffers some bad acting, mainly by Hyden Christinsen and Natalie Portman. I however do not share they're appraisal, Chritinsen's acting is superb, and though Natalie Portman has not given her best performance in either of the two Episodes she appeared in, she is still quite good in AOTC. The only complain I could possibly have about the acting is a bit of corny dialogue ("this party's over"). And now, to the directing... I'll be the first to admit George Lucas is not the best director in Hollywood, that he is a much better storyteller. But he's still a very good director. In an interview Lucas - or, as many fans jokingly call him; ye flannelled one - stated that he made the Star Wars films like silent movies, relying a lot on the visual aspect of the movie, and then having the dialogue act more as a musical score; an accompaniment to the main aspect (the visuals). So some of the dialogue in the saga is a little dry, but other then that, this style of filmmaking has worked wonderfully for Lucas. And it certainly did in Attack of the Clones. Overall, Star Wars: Episode II, Attack of the Clones (long name) is an exquisite edition to the Star Wars saga, and one is left thinking: "If Episode III is better then this, it's going to be the best Star Wars film ever made."