Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

Lucas has produced a grand entertainment with clearer storytelling, exciting action set-pieces, a dramatic love story through-line and improved acting and score. McCarthy calls it a big leap beyond the prior installment and a satisfying balance of the series' qualities.

The critic calls the film a pleasant surprise and an improvement on Episode I, noting it meets expectations without overhyping and darkens effectively in later acts. They single out the improved Yoda action sequence and Christopher Lee's Count Dooku for praise.

The critic finds the script clunky and many performances poor, singling out Jar Jar Binks and Natalie Portman's acting for complaint, but praises the remarkable effects and the rousing final act with Christopher Lee as Count Dooku. Overall, it is called an improvement on The Phantom Menace and a watchable, entertaining spectacle.

The film improves on its predecessor with considerable visual style, beautiful spacecraft and grand digital invention, despite an incomprehensible plot and stiff acting. Lane highlights the delirious fun of the action sequences and the potential of liberated digital technology.

The critic calls it a modest step up from The Phantom Menace thanks to trimmed fat, visceral action, and better pacing in places, but faults the soulless factory-like production, rudimentary character links, hokey romance, and uneven storytelling. The Geonosis battle sequences earn particular praise for being riveting.

After a slow start in the prior film, this entry delivers thrilling early action and strong turns from Christensen and McGregor, though it suffers from heavy exposition as a bridge in the saga; the final act with lightsaber battles and Yoda provides exciting payoff.

The review finds the film patchy with flat dialogue and an awkward romance but praises the restored spectacle and action in the final act, especially Yoda's lightsaber fight, positioning it as a functional if unvital bridge in the saga.

The film disappoints as a technological exercise lacking juice, delight, memorable dialogue or emotional depth. Ebert praises the computer imagery but criticizes the stiff, formal performances and clichéd romance.

The critic notes improvements over The Phantom Menace, including reduced Jar Jar Binks, stronger action sequences, and a more adult tone, but finds it fails to recapture the spirit and fun of the original trilogy due to slow exposition, stilted dialogue, wooden performances, and overreliance on CGI. The standout praise goes to the rousing rescue and climactic battle in the final quarter.

Better than The Phantom Menace thanks to more rounded characters and sharper dialogue in places, but still inferior to the originals because action and effects take precedence over script and characters.

The prequel is a bit better than the last but still lacks heart, with off-putting characters, stiff line readings and a romance burdened by lack of chemistry. Turan praises some action sequences and the climactic Yoda appearance but finds the film emotionally empty overall.

The prequel is more a demo reel for digital effects and an action-figure commercial than a compelling movie with interesting characters or storytelling. Scott notes some strong battle scenes but finds the saga lacking in human psychology and genuine pleasure.

An improvement on Episode I with astonishing visuals and some strong acting, but the film is pretentious and exhausting, lacking humour or suspense; sloppy storytelling and colourless characters drain the adventure despite impressive design and spectacle.

The critic finds the film enjoyable enough as derivative space opera with strong action sequences and digital settings, but ultimately forgettable and discontented, criticizing the sulky teen romance, abysmal dialogue and Lucas's inflated mythopoetics that fail to recapture the original's spirit.

The critic views the film as a flawed but ambitious mess that was ahead of its time in tackling political themes and noir elements within a blockbuster. They single out the detective subplot following Obi-Wan and the introduction of Count Dooku for praise while noting it does not fully succeed.