Review – Star Wars Episode Two: Attack of the Clones

Well, at least that talentless tyke who played the hero in the first one is mercifully absent from this episode. Seriously, though, this is a little better than Phantom Menace. The effects get ever more and more elaborate and the stories get longer and longer. Further, this one’s a bit darker than the last effort, suggesting that George Lucas is trying for an Empire Strikes Back feel. It sort of works. It might have worked better if the romance between the young protagonists had been a little less stiff. The computer-animated Yoda was also a little off-putting; I know the Yoda fight scene was supposed to be a real crowd-pleaser, but the whirling Jedi midget sort of struck me as the kind of thing you’d call Orkin about. And what was the deal with C3PO? Did Lucas make him extra annoying so we’d be grateful for Jar Jar Binks? But that’s all minor stuff. The only major gripe I have here is that this is two and a half hours of set-up, starting plots that presumably we’re going to have to wait a couple of years to see concluded. Well, with a little luck all the characters are now onstage and the wheels all set in motion. Stay tuned for the next exciting episode. Mildly amusing