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#635 - Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
George Lucas, 2002
Two Jedi knights find themselves at the heart of a conflict that involves political assassinations and the threat of all-out war.
I honestly don't think I've seen Attack of the Clones in full since it first hits cinemas back in 2002. I definitely remember seeing The Phantom Menace and Revenge of the Sith more than once, but I honestly could not say the same for this film. Whether that's because of a genuine lack of opportunity or because I might have actually blocked out my memories, that's open to interpretation. Attack of the Clones picks up several years after the events of The Phantom Menace, with Jedi knight Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) still in the process of mentoring his apprentice Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), who harbours a serious affection for Queen Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman). The political intrigue from The Phantom Menace has only grown stronger; after an assassination attempt is made against Padmé, the Jedi council is brought in to find out who's behind it and it leads to the unexpected discovery of an army of clones among other things.
It seems like I was right to avoid re-watching Attack of the Clones properly for so many years. Being the middle part of an intended trilogy, it's very easy to see it as an unfortunate compromise between the family-friendly adventure of The Phantom Menace and the relative complexity of Revenge of the Sith. A lot of that has to do with the fact that the film is now afforded an excuse to explore the relationship between Anakin and Padmé, which is of course given over to several scenes of frolicking on her home planet of Naboo and also the sub-plot where Anakin returns to his home planet of Tatooine and starts to embrace his inner darkness. Though these are arguably necessary to explore how Anakin makes the transition from bright-eyed boy to one of the most iconic villains in cinema history, they certainly don't feel necessary within the context of this film, and Christensen feels a bit too wooden to be selling such qualms effectively (though that could just be down to Lucas's poorly-handled writing of the pair's scenes together). Even the main plot involving Obi-Wan working to uncover the truth behind an army of clones made from the DNA of an amoral bounty hunter (Temeura Morrison), which also manages to tie in with a Sith conspiracy, feels awfully underweight even when the implications should prove engaging.
Though it's arguably not any worse than the work displayed in The Phantom Menace, the effects shown in Attack of the Clones don't even feel like enough to redeem the film's lesser qualities. While there's definitely some strength to them, any actual action sequences feel awfully free of substance, whether it's Obi-Wan and Anakin chasing an assassin through the crowded metropolis of Coruscant (in a sequence that feels like something out of The Fifth Element) or an instance in which the trilogy's various heroes must fight their way out of a gladiatorial arena filled with vicious monsters. Any actual thrills or excitement over what's going on feel like they're coming from an area of resignation, like I have to force myself to enjoy what's going on because that's what's going on here. As such, I am liable to think of Attack of the Clones as my least favourite of the currently-available Star Wars films. Even with such promising elements as Christopher Lee playing a menacing villain or seeing wrinkled old Jedi master Yoda actually show off his formidable combat abilities, the film feels like an absolute chore to get through. It does little to justify its considerable length and the odds of it being worth an additional watch are pretty damned minimal.
George Lucas, 2002
Two Jedi knights find themselves at the heart of a conflict that involves political assassinations and the threat of all-out war.
I honestly don't think I've seen Attack of the Clones in full since it first hits cinemas back in 2002. I definitely remember seeing The Phantom Menace and Revenge of the Sith more than once, but I honestly could not say the same for this film. Whether that's because of a genuine lack of opportunity or because I might have actually blocked out my memories, that's open to interpretation. Attack of the Clones picks up several years after the events of The Phantom Menace, with Jedi knight Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) still in the process of mentoring his apprentice Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), who harbours a serious affection for Queen Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman). The political intrigue from The Phantom Menace has only grown stronger; after an assassination attempt is made against Padmé, the Jedi council is brought in to find out who's behind it and it leads to the unexpected discovery of an army of clones among other things.
It seems like I was right to avoid re-watching Attack of the Clones properly for so many years. Being the middle part of an intended trilogy, it's very easy to see it as an unfortunate compromise between the family-friendly adventure of The Phantom Menace and the relative complexity of Revenge of the Sith. A lot of that has to do with the fact that the film is now afforded an excuse to explore the relationship between Anakin and Padmé, which is of course given over to several scenes of frolicking on her home planet of Naboo and also the sub-plot where Anakin returns to his home planet of Tatooine and starts to embrace his inner darkness. Though these are arguably necessary to explore how Anakin makes the transition from bright-eyed boy to one of the most iconic villains in cinema history, they certainly don't feel necessary within the context of this film, and Christensen feels a bit too wooden to be selling such qualms effectively (though that could just be down to Lucas's poorly-handled writing of the pair's scenes together). Even the main plot involving Obi-Wan working to uncover the truth behind an army of clones made from the DNA of an amoral bounty hunter (Temeura Morrison), which also manages to tie in with a Sith conspiracy, feels awfully underweight even when the implications should prove engaging.
Though it's arguably not any worse than the work displayed in The Phantom Menace, the effects shown in Attack of the Clones don't even feel like enough to redeem the film's lesser qualities. While there's definitely some strength to them, any actual action sequences feel awfully free of substance, whether it's Obi-Wan and Anakin chasing an assassin through the crowded metropolis of Coruscant (in a sequence that feels like something out of The Fifth Element) or an instance in which the trilogy's various heroes must fight their way out of a gladiatorial arena filled with vicious monsters. Any actual thrills or excitement over what's going on feel like they're coming from an area of resignation, like I have to force myself to enjoy what's going on because that's what's going on here. As such, I am liable to think of Attack of the Clones as my least favourite of the currently-available Star Wars films. Even with such promising elements as Christopher Lee playing a menacing villain or seeing wrinkled old Jedi master Yoda actually show off his formidable combat abilities, the film feels like an absolute chore to get through. It does little to justify its considerable length and the odds of it being worth an additional watch are pretty damned minimal.