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

over 1 year ago

(source: tmdb.org)

Filmgoers, like just like today’s cryptocurrency gurus, can try to establish some sort of pattern in past events and tried to apply it for their expectations of future events. That might explain why few films arrived in theatres with such feverish anticipation as is the case of Attack of the Clones, the fifth (or second, if we sort them through internal chronology) sequel from Lucas' mega-popular Star Wars saga. Those expectations were based on its predecessor The Phantom Menace, a continuation of the saga after two decades of pause during which it maintained its status of iconic phenomenon of popular culture. Lucas, of course, earned huge money with The Phantom Menace, but many ardent fans were disappointed, both by the inexorable (and unfavourable) comparisons with the original trilogy, as with the infantility of a film whose protagonist was irritating 9-year-old brat. Many, on the other hand, believed that things still had to get better because The Empire Strikes Back, the second film from the original trilogy, turned out not only to be surprisingly better than the original 1977 film, but actually became the best part of Lucas' saga but also one of the best science fiction films ever made. Because of this, expectations were high and, paradoxically, the disappointing results of The Phantom Menace made those expectations even higher this time.

Additional reason for optimism was the fact that the new trilogy dealt with events that had occurred before those described in the original trilogy. This film allows us how to see how the old venerable Galactic Republic slowly transformed into evil Galactic Empire, and the Good Guys from The Phantom Menace gradually became monsters. The plot begins ten years after the events of the previous film, when Padme Amidala (played by Portman), former Queen of Naboo now serving as senator, arrives on the planet Coruscant to voice her opposition to efforts to suppress the secessionist movement in the Republic by military force. Amidala becomes the target of an assassin and after several failed attempts, the Jedi Knights assign her bodyguards Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor) and his young apprentice Annakin Skywalker (played by Hayden Christensen). The two soon separate as Kenobi sets out to find the assassin Jango Fetta (played by Temuera Morrison), who turns out to be involved in shady dealings connected to the building a secret army of clones, allegedly for the cause of Republic. In the meantime, Annakin serves as Amidala's bodyguard on Naboo and soon realises that he is in love with her. Amidala reciprocates his feelings, aware that a love affair is strictly forbidden to Jedi knights. At the same time Annakin begins to be tormented by inner demons worse than tragic love – bitterness over his mother Shmi (played by Pernilla August) whom he has left on his home planet Tatooine, as well as the belief that the Force with which he is endowed should not be hampered by strict Jedi rules.

If Lucas's goal was to make a better film than The Phantom Menace, at first glance it seems that he, at least partially, succeeded. Attack of the Clones is visually more lavish, computer-generated special effects are even more impressive, the locations are more diverse, and the costumes and set design are far more inventive than in all previous films. Of course, there is also a series of spectacular action scenes – from a breakneck race on the Coruscant air corridors at the beginning to an unusually complex finale that includes a lightsaber duel and a battle with tens of thousands of participants. The visual spectacle is also accompanied by the complexity of the plot, which seeks to explain to viewers how the seemingly perfect democratic and libertarian Republic bit by bit transforms into its anti-thesis, whereby, as is always the case, many of the main drivers of this process had the noblest intentions at the beginning. Due to the complexity of the plot and the effort to explain everything nicely to the viewers, the Attack of the Clones in the first part has more dialogue than action, but the dialogue lines, unfortunately, aren’t the best. Poor dialogue hampers even the romantic subplot about Annakin and Amidala's (though there's far more honesty and real drama than with Jack and Rose in Titanic), further compromised by Hayden Christensen's poor choice as the lead actor and lack of proper chemistry with Natalie Portman.

Despite this subplot looking annoyingly inferior in comparison with romance between Han Solo and Leia in The Empire Strikes Back, it doesn’t make Attack of the Clones a failure. As a whole, Attack of the Clones is clearly better than the previous film. The tone is much darker and more serious, and the plot and characters set to look like a coherent part of a much wider whole, so that some seemingly unnecessary and irritating elements of the The Phantom Menace (like Jar Jar Binks) are slowly falling into their proper place and we can see them in a new light. The author's vision, which is better seen here than in any other Hollywood production, may be politically problematic for someone, because Lucas here quite explicitly presents the thesis that democracy is by its nature weak and fragile, and that it usually degenerates and eventually grows into a tyranny. This thesis would be even more explicitly stated in Revenge of the Sith, the third part of the Star Wars prequels trilogy. The expectations of based on the experience of The Empire Strikes Back and New Hope were here met, but they also established pattern that would make the third film look as the same sort of disappointment like Return of the Jedi represented in the original trilogy. Yet, that disappointment look minors compared with 2010 sequel trilogy, which ultimately make Star Wars prequels age like wine and, at least to nostalgic fans, look like masterpiece. Attack of the Clones benefited from this the most and can be easily described as the best Star Wars film of 21st Century.