. 1 .. ~ 5...“.
_ ' It’s that time of year
, ~ _..v ‘ again, when Hollywood ” ' deluges audiences with
sequels, remakes, rip-offs and even the occasional great movie. Here’s our pick of the summer films, European arthouse winners and all. Words: Miles Fielder
ETA 16 May Attack Of The Clones may be the biggest film of the year, and Stars Wars one of the most popular sci-ti series ever, but let’s face it, The Phantom Menace was crap. So George Lucas has really got to pull the stops out to regain some of that lost cred. The new film, set ten years on, ups the soap content (before, overshadowed by CGI effects), so we have the burgeoning romance between Senator (no longer Queen) Amidala (Natalie Portman) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen). But, while Skywalker is busy undergoing Jedi training from Obi- Wan (Ewan McGregor), there’s an assassination attempt made upon Amidala by one of her pdlitical enemies (Christopher Lee), which spins her home planet, Naboo, into civil war. Old regulars - C-3PO, R2- 02, Yoda - reappear, and from the last film Samuel L. Jackson’s Jedi is brought into the action. However, Ahmed Best is also back, he who provided the voice of Jar Jar Binks. Oh no, please no.