Episode II You have no idea how long I�ve waited for this movie. You roll your eyes, and you say �Um, since the last one?� Technically, you should be right, but this was the movie that Episode I should have been, and I waited for that for a long, long time. I remember my friend Brendan talking with me when I was little about the �Prequels� and how Lucas was going to wait to make them till he thought the technology was good enough. I wanted this movie. When Episode I came out, after the thrill of the pod-race and anytime Natalie Portman was onscreen had died down, I was actually a little dissapointed. Yes, I know, it had to lay out the broad spectrum, define the limits within an epic story could be told, but it still could have been better done. It seemed, well, safe, not risky and quick like the originals. Episode II is much, much different. Episode II fills the void created by Episode I. Episode II is epic and beautiful. The links to the other movies, the hints, the artistry in the crafting of (albeit badly delivered)lines that act like viruses in your mind, slowly taking over and expanding. One really feels the story, believes in the existence of a galactic republic, believes in the force and the actions indicative of destiny. My only gripe, really, was that Lucas has no idea how to use actors. He has, at his disposal, some of the most talented and powerful actors available (Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee... Yoda...) and yet their performances feel stiff, unbalanced. Even some of the interim lines feel like Lucas was trying to remember, himself, what made the other movies, A New Hope in particular, so good, and he ended up trying too hard. It�s forgivable, though, as the story itself is so skillfully assembled. Definite recommendation. Go see it now. And not in German. I made that mistake the first time.