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

Directed by: George Lucas | 149 minutes | action, adventure, romance, fantasy, science fiction | Actors: Natalie Portman, Kenny Barker, Temuera Morrison, Anthony Daniels, Michonne Bourriague, Ahmed Best, Silas Carson, Frank Oz, Bonnie Priesse, Jimmy Smits, Leeanna Walsman, Chirstopher Lee, Andy Secombe, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Joel Edgerton, Samuel L. Jackson, Pernilla August, Hayden Christensen

George Lucas had to face a lot of criticism when a new ‘Star Wars’ film finally hit theaters in 1999 after a 16-year hiatus. Expectations were of course unrealistically high and it was virtually impossible to replicate the impact that the original ‘Star Wars’ films made on the viewer, but there was certainly something to criticize about ‘Star Wars Episode I’. : The Phantom Menace’. Important characters were delegated to the sidelines and could not really grow in their roles or form a speaking personality. In addition, the central story was not very interesting, the battles were tame and the tone was often very “child-friendly”. Fortunately, there was a spectacular pod race, beautifully crafted worlds (both above and below water), some interesting creatures, moments of successful humor (Watto), and a nice lightsaber duel. The sequel, ‘Star Wars Episode II: The Attack of the Clones’, offers more – much more – of the good stuff from ‘Episode I’ while minimizing the negatives as much as possible. The film still lacks the infectious energy and characters of the original trilogy, and still lacks the imagination of the young Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vader, but it’s such a spectacular and colorful space journey, there’s simply too much to see and do. It can be experienced to dwell for a long time on the shortcomings. ‘Attack of the Clones’ is an experience.

George Lucas has clearly taken some of the criticism of ‘Episode I’ to heart. For example, “star players” such as Obi-Wan and Yoda get significantly more to do while the role of the annoying Jar-Jar is kept to a minimum. It’s also nice that Samuel L. Jackson really comes into action as Jedi Mace Windu, with a funky purple lightsaber. Natalie Portman also has a much more lively role here. As Senator (Padmé) Amidala, she becomes involved in a romance with Anakin – which would have been punishable in the previous part given the age difference. She laughs a lot, goes out with Anakin a few times, and even turns into an action heroine in the final act of the film. When, in a thrilling battle in a colloseum, she suddenly loses the center of her white battle suit through the clutches of a monster, purely for the pleasure of the viewer, she has become a downright movie babe/pin-up and seems (luckily) in nothing more like the bored and monotonous queen from ‘Episode I’.

Unfortunately, the person with whom Padmé is having her romance is such a whiny and uncharming individual. It’s hard to say whether it’s the actor (Hayden Christensen), the script, or the direction. Christensen has shown in other films that he can act quite well. But here he comes across as a little kid who doesn’t get his way rather than a powerful (apprentice) Jedi in whom the dark side is starting to get too much. The anger he radiates immediately after the death of a loved one is convincing again, but much of what he says or does is trite or on the nerves.

Fortunately, episodes like this are quickly forgotten in the overall action spectacle that is ‘The Attack of the Clones’! There has clearly been shifted to a higher gear in this part compared to ‘Episode I’. Between the explosive beginning and the rousing conclusion, there are only sparse, and not too annoying pauses for breath, and the eye candy that splashes at the viewer from every angle, and every background of every shot, is truly mouth-watering. Combined with the screeching sound effects and rousing music of master composer John Williams, this film is truly an audiovisual treat. Especially when all this can be admired on Blu-ray in glorious HD quality (which is even better than the somewhat soft appearance of ‘Episode I’).

For example, right at the beginning of the film there is a very entertaining chase with “speeders” in a very crowded airspace, full of honking spaceships and taxis. Not only is this an exciting sequence, the interaction between the somewhat brash Anakin – who takes special shortcuts and suddenly jumps out of the speeder – and cautious Obi-Wan is also entertaining. But the chase with bounty hunter Jango Fett, which uses seismic bombs and Obi-Wan uses the same disappearing trick as Han Solo in the original Star Wars, is nice to see. But Lucas saved the best for last, with big battles with monsters and Jedi knights in a colloseum and a personal showdown between Yoda and the film’s villain. The combat position Yoda takes just before the actual showdown is the best. Like Bruce Lee, he braces himself and defiantly faces his opponent. The message is clear: now you will experience something!

Not all action is equally great. Sometimes it gets very video game-esque, the best example being an episode featuring Anakin, Padmé, and the robots C3PO and R2D2 on a factory assembly line where robots are made (“Robots making robots: how perverse!” jokes C3PO). Here, the heroes must constantly duck from descending grab arms, lava buckets, or gigantic printing presses, in an experience almost identical to playing a platform game. The humor is also irritating at times, as is usually the case in the ‘Star Wars’ movies. C3PO’s silly puns in particular are exhausting, but the deliberate winks to bad dialogue from the original trilogy (“I’ve got a bad feeling about this”) are getting old and don’t suddenly make them hip or postmodern.

From a narrative point of view, there is little to report other than that it is all easy to follow and good and evil can be identified fairly quickly. Christopher Lee plays his uninspired role a bit on autopilot and very much recycles his character Saruman from ‘The Lord of the Rings’ (“My old friend…”). It’s nice that Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) gets his own investigative mission this time, which brings out his own qualities, authority and personality.

‘Star Wars: Episode II – The Attack of the Clones’ isn’t a flawless film, but the entertainment value is just so high that it’s easy to turn a blind eye here and there. To quote Kramer, from the TV sitcom “Seinfeld”, (which describes a delightful Paella meal), it’s an orgasmic feast for the senses!