A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, there was a classic series called “Star Wars”. Filled with wonderment, drama, mystery, and suspense. These legendary movies ascended to a religous-like status in pop culture. Seventeen years later the former mastermind behind the original series, George Lucas, decided to release three prequels that would document the villianous Darth Vader’s descent from noble Jedi master to evil dictator of the universe.Unfortunately Lucas seems to have been tempted by the dark side. With the prequels it appears that he is more concerned with technical wizardry than he is with telling a good story. The first prequel, “The Phantom Menace,” turned out to be an overhyped, two-hour action figure commercial. It did not meet audience expectations and was universally condemned by critics.

Lucas’s press machine would lead us to believe that the latest prequel “Attack of the Clones” would be a significant improvement. Unfortunately, the improvements are only minor. The first installment had a Saturday morning feel because it centered around a grade school kid. The prequel replaces it with the aura of an afterschool special by centering the drama around a pesky adolescent.

The adolescent is Anakin Skywalker, played by relative newcomer Hayden Christensen. Of course, any Star Wars aficionado knows that Anakin essentially turns to the dark side to become the menacing Darth Vader.

This installment is supposed to show us the origin of this truly dark character, but the way it leads us there is hardly believable. Darth Vader is a complex personality whose real life equivalent would be someone like Hitler or Stalin. I doubt any character study of a dictator’s formidable years would be as one-dimensional as this movie portrays . Anakin goes through some pretty traumatic things, but his cardboard cut-out personality and shallow reactions makes the viewer wonder if the kid has any personality at all, let alone one that can influence countless minions to do his bidding.

The same can be said of most of the other characters in the movies. The original “Star Wars” had charasmatic and memorable characters like Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leah, who fought, cried and laughed like the rest of us. One almost wonders that with all of the digital effects in the movie, if somehow the actors were also computer generated. When someone cracks a smile, it seems to be right on cue. Sadness seems to be an automatic response rather than a genuine emotion. The lines seem to be read straight from cue cards.

It would be easy to blame the actors for such missteps, but the curious thing is that the line-up for “Attack of the Clones” contains top-notch actors and actresses. Though inexperienced, Christensen did a great job as a slightly less annoying teen in “Life As a House.” Ewan McGregor, who plays the young Jedi Obi Wan Kenobi, has an excellent track record. Natalie Portman, who plays the frigid Princess Amidala, is also known for exceptional performances. And Samuel L. Jackson, who has played some of the most charasmatic roles in Hollywood, is merely reduced to a stand-in as Jedi Mace Windu.

The only plausible excuse for the shallow acting of “Attack of the Clones” can be found in the direction and awkward scripting of the movie, as bad, generic lines are abundant in this clunker.

Take some of the psudeo-romantic scenes between young Anakin and the princess. Anakin woos her with the verse “I don’t like the sand. It’s course, rough and irritating-not like you. You’re soft and smooth.” Yeah, real nice pickup line.

It is not to say “Attack of the Clones” was all bad, some of the more ambitious scenes had brief glimpses of the original in them, such as a chase through a bustling space city, and a gladiator style fight towards the finale’. Sub-plots, such as one detailing the origin of bounty hunter Bobba Fett, lended substance to the film.

However, most of the film was dialogue, and dry dialogue at that. The movie gets into the politics of the “Star Wars” universe, and at times it feels like watching an intergalactic version of C-Span.

If you want to see a mediocre movie with good special effects, then go see “Attack of the Clones.” However, if you want to capture the wonderment you remember from the original “Star Wars” then go to see the competition, “Spider-Man.” That movie will make you feel like a kid again, and the on-screen chemistry between Toby McGuire and Kirsten Dunst put the castrated romance in “Attack of the Clones” to shame. Otherwise, rent “The Empire Strikes Back” and remember the good old days before “Star Wars” was all digital pyrotechnics and no soul.