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After Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, George Lucas could basically have filmed Ewan McGregor reading the phone book while holding a lightsaber and fans would have been happier than they were with the last movie. He actually did a bit better this time around, adding some slightly better Bad Guys in the forms of Jango Fett and Count Dooku (Cool Bad Guy Christopher Lee). And Teenage Angst Anakin, as played by Hot Bad Guy Hayden Christensen, was an exponential improvement over the Jake Lloyd Fiasco.
However, many of the improvements in this movie were grossly (and I do mean grossly) overshadowed by George Lucas' crass and ridiculous attempts to weave a love story between Anakin and Padme (Natalie Portman). Not only do the two of them have as much sexual chemistry as a bowl of peach crumble, but the horrifying dialogue they are forced to read to each other looks like it's causing them actual, physical pain. "I'm haunted by the kiss you should never have given me." "I wish I could just wish away my feelings." And what was going on with that "Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music" scene back on Naboo? At least the mitichlorians are never mentioned again. And there's hardly any Jar Jar.
So, yeah. Still Not A Good Movie. But the last 45 minutes, with the stormtroopers and the star destroyers and the plans for the Death Star and the lightsaber fight were wicked cool. Too bad the whole movie couldn't be cut down to just those last 45 minutes. Here's hoping for better from the next one: Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.
Ewan McGregor in even dodgier hair, Hayden Christensen with the brooding.
Christopher Lee and Ian McDiarmid bring this one up a big notch.
cool ending is not enough to wash away the pain of the Anakin/Padme Romance.
not as bad as Phantom Menace, nowhere near as good as the fans deserve.