Like Episode I, the design and special effects are stunning to look at and Williams continues his rich vein of music for the Star Wars films. Unfortunately, the first hour suffers from unnecessary or overlong scenes that slow the film down and like the last one, it would benefit from better editing to improve the pace. However, MacGregor's Obi Wan Kenobi is a much stronger character here, no longer in Liam Neeson's shadow, and his detective story is intriguing enough to drive the first part of the film. Christensen plays Anakin as the petulant teenager that he is, but by making this the focus of his character, Lucas creates a distance between him and the audience, which makes it difficult to sympathise with him. His romance with Portman also suffers from some awful dialogue, which is also often completely unnecessary. A good edit of the film could have removed a lot of poor lines and still conveyed the gradual developing relationship between the two central characters. However, things pick up considerably for the final hour or so, with Anakin taking another step towards his destiny, and a rousing final act with the Jedi in action as the Clone Wars begin.
Review by Simon MasseyVIP 11BlockedParent2014-08-01T12:44:41Z
Like Episode I, the design and special effects are stunning to look at and Williams continues his rich vein of music for the Star Wars films. Unfortunately, the first hour suffers from unnecessary or overlong scenes that slow the film down and like the last one, it would benefit from better editing to improve the pace. However, MacGregor's Obi Wan Kenobi is a much stronger character here, no longer in Liam Neeson's shadow, and his detective story is intriguing enough to drive the first part of the film. Christensen plays Anakin as the petulant teenager that he is, but by making this the focus of his character, Lucas creates a distance between him and the audience, which makes it difficult to sympathise with him. His romance with Portman also suffers from some awful dialogue, which is also often completely unnecessary. A good edit of the film could have removed a lot of poor lines and still conveyed the gradual developing relationship between the two central characters. However, things pick up considerably for the final hour or so, with Anakin taking another step towards his destiny, and a rousing final act with the Jedi in action as the Clone Wars begin.