Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anikan Skywalker are assigned to protect Senator Amidala, while corruption in the Republic leads to disorder in the Jedi Council and to the construction of a vast army of clones.

Rushed dialogue and forced "love" scenes aren't enough to destroy the fun that is Star Wars. Amid a cast of largely mediocre and uninspired performances, Ewan McGregor comes through with a nice and thoughtful portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi. He seems to have warmed to role this time around.

The effects are, of course, first rate. Far surpassing even those of Episode I, there's only one somewhat brief space battle, but the final land battle scene is an array of light and sound excellence. A visually stunning film that was shot entirely in digital format.

I was expecting so much from this film. And expectations weren't based just on anticipation but on the potential for an exciting and intriguing storyline filled with corruption and ulterior motives. In this respect, I was largely disappointed. Not enough screen time is devoted the criminals in this movie, leaving their personal motives blurry, if not unexplained. Compare this to The Empire Strikes Back, the second film of the first trilogy, and we can see the 1980 Star Wars release was almost entirely character driven. A problem (albeit an understandable one) with this current trilogy is that there is no real criminal we've come to hate and fear, as the likes of Darth Vader.

Anikan didn't change enough in this film either, although if he had turned entirely evil, it's hard to believe that the Senator would marry him. Perhaps to say he didn't change enough is a bit off the mark, rather - he didn't change well enough. Much of his dialogue, as well as Portman's, intended to propel their story of forbidden love is nothing short of silly. Despite obvious acting talent, the couple does not interact well on screen.

However, I was pleased with much of the other character portrayals. Jango Fett proves rather interesting and satisfies an audience hunger for more background on his son, Boba Fett. Mace Windu (Jackson) is a good character we get to see more of and seeing Yoda brandish a lightsaber was nothing short of a treat.

It is impossible not to compare these films to the first trilogy. As such, I'm left a bit disappointed, not so much in the storyline, but more in the adaptation of it. Still, there is no denying the entertainment value of this film and the entire Star Wars series. George Lucas has (quite literally) struck gold and audiences everywhere should leave the theater in awe of his creativity and vision.

Directed by George Lucas.