Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones – Cinema

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Dom Robinson reviews

Star Wars Episode II:
Attack of the ClonesA Jedi Shall Not Know Anger. Nor Hatred. Nor Love.
Viewed at
UCI, Trafford Centre
picture

  • Cert:
  • Running time: 142 minutes
  • Year: 2002
  • Released: 16th May 2002
  • Widescreen Ratio: 2.35:1
  • Rating: 4/10

Director:

    George Lucas

(6-18-67, American Graffiti, Anyone Lived in a Pretty How Town, The Emperor, Filmmaker, Star Wars Episodes I-IV, THX 1138)

Producers:

    Rick McCallum

Screenplay:

    George Lucas and Jonathan Hales

Original Score :

    John Williams

Cast :

    Obi-Wan Kenobi: Ewan McGregor
    Senator Padme Amidala: Natalie Portman
    Anakin Skywalker: Hayden Christensen
    Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus: Christopher Lee
    Mace Windu: Samuel L Jackson
    Yoda: Frank Oz
    Supreme Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious: Ian McDiarmid
    Shmi Skywalker: Pernilla August
    Jango Fett: Temeura Morrison
    Senator Bail Organa: Jimmy Smits
    Jar Jar Binks: Ahmed Best
    C-3PO: Anthony Daniels
    R2-D2: Kenny Baker
    Boba Fett: Daniel Logan

Mine’s bigger than yours.

I was prepared to wait for the eventual DVD release for Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clonesgiven my disappointment ofStar Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace,but a suggestion to see this installment on the big screen was made and whileit disappointed, it also didn’t disappoint, because I was expecting the disappointment,if you see what I mean.

The democratic Republic is on the verge of becoming the evil Empire we knowand love in episodes 4-6 and it’s all courtesy of Count Dooku (Christopher Lee),the main baddie this time round and making a decent job of his performance, butyou get the feeling that it’s not particularly taxing for such an establishedactor and you yearn for a return to the Dracula films.

Back to the plot though and Dooku wants to start up a war against the goodguys, who are awaiting the completion of a clone army apparently ordered bysomeone on their side who Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) isn’t surewhether they died before or after the order was placed.

Also, Senator Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman), formerly Queen Amidala,starts the film heading to see the Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid),Jedi Master Mace Windu (Samuel L Jackson), Yoda (Frank Oz) andothers to place a vote on what to do next, but security is tighter thanSeptember 11th and Padme is escorted back to Naboo with the grown-upAnakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), who is the only actor to havechanged since the last film since this one is set ten years on, yet all therest look identical to the last time round, except for McGregor attempting tolook more and more like Kenneth Branagh with each scene.

In Attack of the Clones we’re introduced to Jango Fett (Temeura Morrison)and his soon-to-be-bounty hunter son Boba Fett (Daniel Logan), the formerzipping around on a cool jet-pack in order to make a monkey out of Obi-Wan.

Still with me?


Only the baddest mutha gets a purple lightsaber.

An overly-complex plot is made worse by the inclusion of an endless romanticplot between Padme and Anakin which just adds to the tedium during the first90 minutes, because very little happens to keep you interested, even thoughit is possible to follow the plot if you’re an adult. Children, on the otherhand, will have no chance and for them there’s a lot less of Jar Jar Binks(hooray, say the adults!) so it’s less of a kiddie film and the increasedviolence has garnered the movie the first ever PG-certificate in the series.

On the plus side, there’s more of C-3PO and R2-D2 this time round, witha few good one-liners that I won’t spoil as they’re deftly dropped in. I alsospotted an early classic from Obi-Wan to Anakin as the former quips“you’ll be the death of me”.

However, quite often the film does feel like a lot of unlinked set piecesas they lurch from one location with a long and complex name to another one,with a couple of decent action scenes in the last hour, during which SamuelL Jackson finally gets to wield a lightsaber around, as do Dooku and Yoda ina fight between those two. Given that Yoda immediately before was hobblingaround on a stick, how come he can leap about straight after? That just doesn’tring true compared to how we’ve seen him in the rest of the series to date.

There’s some dodgy dialogue along the way, a lot to do with the blossomingromance between the two young lovebirds, plus a few scenes that make forentirely predictable outcomes. I won’t divulge who pops their clogs in oneparticular scene, but they’ve been gone for a long time and when someone theyknow goes over in an attempt to rescue them, it’s an age-old case of thenear-corpse staying barely alive just a few moments more to utter a few wordsto their potential rescuer just before they shuffle off their mortal coil.I mean, come on George Lucas, just how ridiculous is that?

The film also climaxes with a very unsatisfying feeling because it’s gearingup for a major war and… that’ll come next time. It’s like the story inStar Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Backcoming to a close, but going the same way because you know the rest of thestoryline will continue and the audience must be kept waiting.


For the last time I am NOT “Django” !

To close this review, the question begs to be asked – is it worth going tosee? Well, no. The first 90 minutes drags like there’s no tomorrow and thelast hour is average and goes a short way to restore the balance from theinitial disappointment, despite containing a complete lack of suspense, but assoon as it gets going, it ends.

However, for most of the paying audience, this will be the fifth Star Warsouting they’ve seen on the big screen and so they’ll make the trip one wayor another if only to see how the story progresses, or rather stagnates fora time on its way to Episode III.

It really didn’t need to be 2½ hours long though. Did George think itwas his turn to do a James Cameron ?

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2002.

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