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EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES (2002)Starring Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Christopher Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, and Ian McDiarmid.
Directed by George Lucas.
MPAA rating: PG
Yoda freaking rocks.
I'm sure half of the nation would agree with me after seeing the second installment of the Star Wars saga, Attack of the Clones. Despite its goofy title, there is no argument that Episode 2 is the biggest film of 2002 so far, and ticket sales of over $100 million during its opening week prove my point. But is there any sane reasoning as to why obese, hairy guys decked out in Star Wars memorabilia and waving plastic lightsabers at each other would set camp outside of movie theaters for days?
Oh yeah.
Whereas The Phantom Menace drowned audiences in confusing political jargon and was filled with coarse dialogue, AotC cuts back on the details of the Galactic Republic and centers more on the unfolding storyline between the Jedi and the Sith. Ten years after the events in Episode 1, we find an older and wiser Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and a just-as-brainless-as-he-was-ten-years-ago Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) assigned to protect former Queen turned Senator Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), whose life is under threat by political separatists. After narrowly foiling an assassination attempt on the Senator's life, Obi-Wan departs to the planet Kamino to investigate the resident bounty hunter, Jango Fett, and ends up discovering an even bigger conspiracy that will ultimately lead to dark days for the Jedi. Anakin is left to protect Senator Amidala on his own. Unfortunately, Obi-Wan never read the Jedi Parenting Handbook, in which the first rule of taking on an apprentice is never to leave a teenage adolescent emerging from puberty alone with an incredibly hot Galactic Senator. Needless to say, the two develop a relationship and eventually fall in love. What happens from then on I can't say, in fear of ruining the plot, but expect it to be full of traditional Star Wars smack-down action. This constant flow of events makes up for the infinitely boring Pod Race on Boonta Eve from Episode 1. There's even one scene where a certain two-foot tall Jedi Master opens up a can of whoop...well, you know.
Attack of the Clones is different from its predecessor in the way that it actually feels like you're watching a classic Star Wars movie - The Empire Strikes Back to be more specific. Sure, it's the 21st century, special effects reign supreme, and the old models have been replaced by CGI, but they don't detract from the total Star Wars experience. In fact, most of the beginning scenes that take place in Coruscant only benefit from and are enriched by CGI usage.
Another thing that makes Attack of the Clones superior to Episode 1 is improved acting on the part of most cast members. Most commendable are Ewan McGregor and Christopher Lee. As Obi-Wan Kenobi, McGregor breathes new life into his accomplished Jedi counterpart, helping to develop the character he established in The Phantom Menace. New to the Star Wars saga is Christopher Lee, who plays the rogue Jedi Count Dooku - referred to as Darth Tyranus upon his turn to the Dark Side. Fresh from his performance in The Lord of the Rings, Lee channels that same energy into his role as the Count (imagine Saruman with a lightsaber), and it ultimately works out for the best. He shapes Dooku into one of the most vile, twisted villains on the silver screen. Samuel L. Jackson also reprises his role as Mace Windu, who plays a much bigger part in Episode 2. Ever the adamant one, Jackson pulls off the stoic Windu without a hitch (just for once though, I'd love to see him in a comedy). But perhaps the best single thing about AotC is that Jar-Jar Binks, the Gungan everyone loves to hate, is so largely absent. In fact, I doubt he ever shows up for more than five minutes at a time, and is present for about 15 minutes of the entire two hour plus movie.
While it's an improvement, Attack of the Clones is not a perfect movie. There are a few flaws that ever keep it from attaining the legendary status awarded to the classic Star Wars episodes. Most notably, some of the same flat dialogue that plagued The Phantom Menace returns, with Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman receiving the worst lines. Moreover, neither excel at their roles as Anakin or Padmé, and the chemistry between them doesn't click, making their love for each other minutely unbelievable. Cheap cliches are a dime a dozen, and Christensen's character Anakin, no matter how powerful, is still nothing but an immature brat. You just want to whack him several times during the course of the film.
Another problem is the non-stop action. This is a blessing and a curse, actually. Action is what everyone looks for in a Star Wars film, but the continuous flow makes the plot speed by too rapidly instead of slowly unraveling. This could cause a few viewers to get lost in the confusion. By the time you reach the Battle of Geonosis, you find yourself thinking. "Ok, what is this all about now?" This dilemma can easily be remedied by seeing the movie a second time, and Attack of the Clones is definitely a feature you can watch more than once without falling asleep.
It's hard to see any of the newer Star Wars movies ever reaching the same pinnacle as A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, but Attack of the Clones is at least a decent shot. George Lucas obviously took a lot of comments about Episode 1 into consideration when making this film, and it seems to have helped immensely. Hopefully when Episode 3 hits in 2005, Lucas will have gotten his groove back. Until then, don't think you'll regret catching Clones while it's in theaters. And may the Force be with you.
- Rick Foux
June 11, 2002
June 11, 2002
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