Attack of the Clones

Ben--I perhaps should have organized my thoughts somewhat differently and take some of your points. I grant that Darth Vader has to be the strongest of the Dark Side characters. What I was trying to get at is that "The Empire Strikes Back" has a nice and fairly consistent feel to it that is lacking in the recent efforts (and "Return" as well). I thought a more consistent feel, better foreshadowing, etc., would have contributed to the film and placed it more effectively as part of sequence building to Anakin's transformation we all know is coming. I think this would have made the movie more compelling for me. I concede your point about Anakin's internal conflict but for me the poor writing and acting detracted from it.

I do think, however, that the more complex background should make I and II somewhat different from the other films. Those films were set up with good vs. evil and the rebel alliance was small and focused on narrow goals (hence relatively few central characters). We knew the Empire was evil and didn't have to know how it got there or that way. And that was enough. Since I and II deal with a polity about to enter a civil war, I think a few more details about what is going on would be helpful. And could help improve the story. The trade war in I was not well treated. I am not saying that these things should simply make the plot more complex or detract from the Anakin story. But to create a greater sense of the workings of the Republic and the political intrigue that is going on would help the story and contribute to the consistent feel (of impending crisis?) I felt was missing. A shot of chaos in the Senate, groups of Senators arguing some point in the background, more references to other recent crises, a few references to the Republic's governance arrangements, etc., could suffice. The earlier films were very busy with all sorts of aliens and activity in the background. I and II have less of that, but their place could have been used to partially flesh out the larger background against which the central story is being told--with the aim of supporting rather than detract from the main plot. As someone else pointed out, these and the dialogue problems could be addressed by an outside director.

While I think these films require a different touch than IV-VI, there are precedents in literature and film that could be drawn on for these--as Lucas drew effectively on other precedents previously.

Mostly, I was disappointed because I wanted to be much more entertained than I was. I doubt I will ever watch I or II again but will probably return to I, II, and the opening part of III many times in the future. I was all the more disappointed because I felt these problems could and should have been overcome given the effort that went into them.

Sugarbrie I would be a fool to argue with Ebert so here goes... I think his comments have a validity but are wrong in that clearly the Britsh actors are much more experienced than their young American counterparts,he's simply not comparing like with like in relation to this movie........
JB-that's a good post,you have certainly highlighted area's that would have added weight to the storyline and if deftly handled perhaps wouldn't have made the movies too overblown or indulgent.
Lucas I would agree hasn't developed his film-making during the new movies , I suspect he thought about the type of stuff you mention but decided to go down the centre line,rightly or wrongly.
It's a game of opinions I was entertained during Clones and I would watch it again,as is clear from my numerious posts,a saga in itself,that my expectations were not that high possibly because I do not see the first 3 or 2 movies as classics just highly enjoyable fun movies and now I must go before the Dark Side forces me into any more posts on this subject.........................

I liked the film as I said before. It was about as I thought it would be.

I guess the best example of what Roger Ebert was talking about is Samuel T. Jackson (an experience American actor). I can think a dozens of movies where he brings interesting characters to life including the recent "Changing Lanes" and "The Caveman's Valentine". In this movie he is just a prop reciting lines to advance the plot. He was given nothing by Lucas to work with, so he looks lost in the film. I don't think those older British actors were given any more material to work with than Jackson, but their different experience and training enabled them to just "wing-it" or make it up better.

I am back to the wishing that a creative and inventive director was hired who could have filled in the blanks. I think it is no accident that the best of the Star Wars films is "Empire", where an outside director was hired and then "Return". Lucas directed the first movie, but that was at a time when he was an active working director and todays computer special effects were in their beginnings. I think "Phantom" was the first film he directed since Star Wars (a 12 year lay off). Since he originally had no plans to finish the saga, he was basically retired from directing.

On the technical side of the business I think Lucas is a total genius; and is one of the fathers of computer effects along with Douglas Trumbell (2001, Close Encounters).

Sugarbie..the Dark Side it will not let me stop....I think you are 110% right about SLJ's part but if you compare to to Christopher Lee's part which being a baddie gives him more to get his teeth into (pun intended Hammer fans)then I'm not so sure there is much between the performances both of which are excusible due to their lack of time on screen/development-my argument being that Laurence Olivier himself could have done nothing with the Windu part.......your other points are very valid but perhaps more emphasis should be put on the actual screenplay rather than the direction-this discussion has certainly made me want to watch the likes of Empire again to see if the acting/dialogue/direction is that much better...it's been a long long time since I've seen it

The current movie is facinating to watch because it is actually a cartoon with real actors inserted. The reverse of Roger Rabbit.