Star Wars: Episode II--Attack of the Clones

You won't believe your eyes when you see who battles it out in the incredibly cool light saber duel climax that marks the beginning of the fabled Clone War in this mixed-blessing prequel. A vast improvement over The Phantom Menace--but sometimes in fits and starts--Attack of the Clones stars the talented Hayden Christensen as the defiant, antagonistic young Jedi-in-training Anakin Skywalker (the future Darth Vader), who falls in love with the beautiful Senator Padme Amidala (Luke and Leia's future mom, played by Natalie Portman) while protecting her from an assassin. Meanwhile, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) discovers two huge galactic armies--battle droids controlled by an evil ex-Jedi and eerily familiar "clonetroopers" commanded by Yoda--secretly amassing for a showdown finale. Yes, the George Lucas dialogue is truly embarrassing, and a conspicuously abbreviated narrative rushes viewers through vast political and emotional territory, but as the story congeals you can feel the pieces of the Star Wars saga falling into place in a way that makes your spine tingle. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director George Lucas, producer Rick McCallum, Ben Burtt, Rob Coleman, Pablo Helman, John Knoll and Ben Snow; a gallery of trailer and TV spots; the "Across the Stars" music video; the documentaries "From Puppets to Pixels" (52 minutes) on digital character development, and "State of the Art" (23 minutes) on pre-visualization; eight deleted scenes with onscreen introductions; three featurettes on "Story," "Love," and "Action," (from eight to nine minutes each); 12 concise web documentary segments (covering a wide array of pertinent particulars); still galleries (including production photos, repetitive one-sheet posters, and "international outdoor campaign" photos), the 25-minute "Films Are Not Released, They Escape" featurette on sound effects, a visual effects before and after "breakdown montage" by Industrial Light & Magic; the six-minute satirical "R2-D2: Beneath the Dome" mockumentary, featuring luminaries including Francis Ford Coppola, Richard Dreyfuss, and Stephen Spielberg; and DVD-ROM features. Bottom line: an excellent extras package for a pretty much automatic purchase title.] (R. Blackwelder)