Star Wars: Episode II- Attack of the Clones

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christiansen, Samuel L. Jackson, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Jimmy Smits, Christopher Lee, Rose Byrne
Directed by: George Lucas
Rating: PG
Genre: Science Fiction, Action, Adventure
2002

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Senator Amidala (Natalie Portman) fights against the decision to create a Republic Army to battle their enemies. This puts her in grave danger, so Obi-Won Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christiansen) are assigned to protect her. They soon discover a plot to create a Clone Army, and a Dark Sith Lord pulling the strings.

Review:

Tim: After the near disaster that was The Phantom Menace, this film had no where to go but up. Indeed, now that the origin story is concluded, the film can move on toward bigger and better events. While this film is a major improvement over its predecessor, it still felt a bit like a transition movie, filling space while it sets up the third film in the trilogy. Still, there is enough here to like and keep us entertained. This movie is much closer to what we expected when this prequel trilogy started.

The cast is once again decent. Ewan McGregor furthers the belief that he was the perfect choice to play Obi-Won. He is terrific. Newcomer Hayden Christiansen does good work as Anakin Skywalker. He probably wouldn't have been the first actor I'd think of for the role, but he manages it well. He's certainly an improvement over Jake Lloyd. Natalie Portman is again strong as Padme Amidala. I really liked the casting of Christopher Lee as Count Dooku. He is a terrific actor and I enjoyed him in this role. I could even tolerate the bigger role of Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu. The cast isn't bad, although I do miss Liam Neeson's star power.

This film, however, is not without its flaws. Once again, George Lucas' flimsy dialogue wrecks havoc throughout the movie. Especially hurt are the romantic scenes between Anakin and Padme. Natalie Portman and Hayden Christiansen don't exactly have the greatest chemistry to begin with, and the trash coming out of their mouths doesn't exactly help. These scenes slowed the movie down. Lucas intelligently cut down the role Jar-Jar Binks would play, although every second of his decreased screen time still hurt my heart. As I mentioned, the plot is an improvement, but it still feels a bit weak.

This movie does have some very good moments. The highlight of the entire movie has to be the Count Dooku-Yoda lightsabre battle. I can't even begin to describe how amazing this scene was when I first watched it. The Phantom Menace made me wonder why I ever loved Star Wars in the first place. That Yoda scene reminded me. When Lucas is at his best, these films are astounding. This movie never gets that high, but it certainly has its moments. The best part of the film is undoubtedly the special effects. Lucas is a master at creating believable worlds that suck us in. The special effects here are amazing. This film truly is a technical marvel.

Star Wars: Episode II- Attack of the Clones is a major improvement from the previous film. While it didn't reach the heights expected of it, this is at least a respectable movie. Lucas can hold his head up higher, knowing that this film is close to what people expected. I didn't love this movie, as I was still hoping for a bit more. Still, this at least began the process of getting back some of that Star Wars goodwill that was squandered with the previous dud.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith