Star Wars - Episode II:
Attack of the Clones (2002)

Director: George Lucas
Starring: Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor

Synopsis:
Anakin Skywalker, grown into a brash Padawan, is charged with the protection of Senator Amidala after an assassination attempt while Obi-Wan Kenobi follows the trail of the assassin to reveal a larger conspiracy.

Impressions:
I was surprised to hear that some people actually consider this movie to be worse than its predecessor. I don't agree, but it has its share of problems. Much like with Episode I, I was originally more supportive but soured over the years.

I'll admit that this movie has a very difficult task. You want Anakin to be somewhat likeable but also set up the character flaws that will lead him to the Dark Side. Much has been said about Hayden Christensen's wooden acting. Much of it seems to be more a matter of scripting and direction, but I remember when I first saw the film, I actually bought into the awkward performance as part of the character. After all, you've got this guy with stunted social development klutzing his way around the girl he's been obsessing over for ten years. The fact that he's often arrogant, petulant, whiny and creepy works to a degree but the execution is a bit off.

Romance is hard to write and when you're not that good of a writer, it gets painful. Yes, the romance between Anakin and Padmé will make you wince as it unfolds, but there is some genuine chemistry between Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman, almost enough to make it work. However, we'll always be left with the sand monologue.

The story has its share of problems. I personally think it's a little too convoluted for its own good. While you don't have to spell out everything in the plot, the fact that the whole Sifo Dyas angle was left hanging isn't tidy writing. Also, turning Yoda into an acrobatic swashbuckler undermines the character in my view, but I'll admit that I along with everyone else got excited when we first saw him draw his lightsaber. Speaking of lightsabers, as cool as it was seeing scores of Jedi in action, it killed a lot of their mystique, which was unfortunate.

I particularly liked the character of Count Dooku and Christopher Lee's performance certainly helped. He's probably the best addition the story from this film. Temuera Morrison isn't bad as Jango Fett either.

There are more big CG sets than there were in the previous movie and my problems with the sterile aesthetic of the PT holds true here. As Plinkett has noted, it starts to feel more like a video game, which isn't what I want to see. Also not too fond of most of the new creature designs, especially those big tick-cows on Naboo. The all-CG Separatist leaders look incredibly fake.

The action set pieces range in quality. Some of them suffer from dragging on a little too long, like the chase sequence in Coruscant. The comic relief involving Threepio is excessive, but not nearly as bad as Jar-Jar's antics from the previous film.

As with the previous film, the score is the one thing I can praise without reservation. While the romantic subplot may not have been terribly well executed, "Across the Stars" is a great love theme.

Like Episode I, Attack of the Clones has its problems, but this is an improvement in my book, enough to recommend a watch with less reservation than I have with The Phantom Menace. It's still a good distance short of the mark, though.

Rating:
Watch It