Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

This movie, the fifth released Star Wars film, but second in chronological order was, I'm glad to say the last of the low point in the series. Everyone knows the whole background, so I'll just give a quick skim of the plot, which for such a stale, and poorly acted film is, like Episode I, really more involved than anyone would like to give credit for. Ten years after the events of Episode I the galactic republic is struggling with a massive amount of resistance star systems forming a separatists movement led by the ex-Jedi Count Dooku. An attempt is made on the life of now senator Padme Amidala. For her protection two Jedi knights are sent to be her bodyguards. These Jedi being Obi Wan Kenobi, and Anakin Skywalker, who in the past ten years has grown much bigger and now looks the same age as Padme who is in fact five years older than him, but hasn't really aged at all since Episode I. Anakin starts having feelings for Padme, and is haunted by thoughts of his mother who is still a slave. He grows more and more confused, as well as arrogant due to his great skill in the force. However Chancellor Palpatine, who takes a keen interest in his skill of the force, befriends him. While trying to identify the assassin who attacked Padme, Obi Wan Kenobi is led to the mysterious ocean planet of Kamino, where he discovers that an army of at least 1.5 million clones of the bounty hunter Jango Fett has been produced for the republic at the ten year previous request of the long dead Cypho Dias. The mystery surrounding the unknown army grows as Obi Wan discovers that Jango Fett is in fact the Assassin. Padme and Anakin, hiding on Naboo, fall in a very wooden dialogued love. They resist and swear off their love because it is forbidden by the Jedi order for a Jedi to fall in love. They do however go to Anakin's home world of Tatooine in order to save Anakin's mom, they don't though, rather she dies in his arms and he massacres the sand people responsible. Then they go to answer a distress call sent by Obi Wan, but wind up captured by Count Dooku who has also snared Obi Wan on the planet Geonosis. Though armies of Jedi knights attempt to save the three captives in a gladiator style arena of combat, there is no other choice but for the ever idiotic Jar Jar Binks to initiate a vote giving Chancellor Palpatine emergency powers in order that he might allow the use of the clone army without a vote of the senators. When there is no hope for the remaining Jedi on Geonosis, Yoda arrives with battalions of clone warriors to save the day. While the massive battle rages, Anakin and Obi Wan pursue Count Dooku but are beaten in light saber combat. Anakin loses an arm at this point. But don't go yet, because in the last ten minutes there's just time for Yoda to show up and out of no where unleash some crazy whirling and twirling of his light saber against Count Dooku. Although Yoda is great the fight is drastically short lived as Dooku pulls a quick one, escaping back to his master Darth Sidious. The movie ends here, with Dooku still lose, an all out war of clones versus separatists launched, and Anakin still confused and angered by his inability to save his mother. Finally, after their near death experience on Geonosis, Anakin and Padme give in and are married in secret, against the orders of the Jedi Council. This is the end of Episode II. Strong points are that it was shot entirely on digital cameras (the first film to be done so) and this helps the incredible special effects a great deal. A magnificent score by John Williams is introduced as the romance theme, and the movie for the most part doesn't leave you board. Weak points, however are that the acting sucks big time, Anakin is whiny, and as for chemistry between the love leads, yeah, it's non existent. This is strange as Natalie Portman has nothing short of blown me away in every other role she's played, and Hayden Christensen was great in "Shattered Glass."The script is also equally bad which accents the poor acting all the more. I can't say much more besides that thankfully after this one, the series takes offto the amazing heights that it is known for.
I'll end here because I really want to get to Episode III so as a last word of advice, see this film because it is set up for the rest to come, but realize that it barely better than the poor beginning presented in Episode I, and it melts to nothingness in comparison to the rest of the Star Wars series.

B-