The second prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy takes place ten years after the events depicted in the first episode. A secret clone army is about to emerge.
The technical wizardry of the action scenes are ultimately more important than the story and reason enough for nonbelievers to see and enjoy the movie.
Easily the most polarizing Star Wars film -- all but 5% of the fan base loathes Phantom Menace -- Attack of the Clones remains the most underrated entry in the saga.
It's still a rush to sit in a packed theater (equipped with THX, naturally) when that first blast of John Williams' fanfare sounds. Then you have to endure the rest of the movie.
The film is touching, spectacular and surprisingly coherent. It also has something the others lacked entirely: old-fashioned charm. This time, The Force is with us.
Lucas' obsession with digital technology has obliterated the saga's last remnants of human purpose and turned his once mesmerizing space opera into a pure, dehumanized cartoon.
In lieu of a proper climax, Attack Of The Clones ends with a tantalizing cliffhanger for the next episode, but Lucas' lumbering series is presenting fewer and fewer reasons to tune in.
His characters, as is now his norm, are plastic puppets, even in the confectionary love scenes. Most of their dialogue is so doughy that it could be spooned into comic-strip balloons. Lucas simply has no interest in these people.