Star Wars: Episode 2: Attack Of The Clones (2002)

3.5 out of 4

Stars: Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Ian McDiarmid, Temuera Morrison, Samuel L Jackson, Christopher Lee

Director: George Lucas

Time: 136 mins

Has it already been three years since the last Star Wars instalment, The Phantom Menace (Episode I), appeared on cinema screens? It doesn't seem that long ago, and yet we've had two poor summer seasons in between (box office aside, last year's crop of summer films were, in general, very disappointing). The hype accompanying the current film, while not small by any means, hasn't been as feverish as that for Menace. The relative lack of hype is probably a good thing, as the Phantom Menace, in the end, also disappointed a lot of people, fans and newcomers alike. Attack Of The Clones is definitely a better film, with more action, more incredible special effects, and a couple of crowd-cheering moments towards the end. Though saddled with a horrid romance subplot, atrocious dialogue, and some wooden acting, Clones will have creator George Lucas redeemed in many people's eyes.

The story in Clones opens ten years after the events in Menace. Queen Amidala of Naboo (Natalie Portman) is now a Senator, and she has come to Coruscant to cast an important vote regarding the Republic's construction of an army to fight a growing Separatist alliance. When her life is placed in danger through a couple of assassination attempts, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), the apprentice of Jedi knight Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), is appointed her bodyguard and asked to escort her back to Naboo. While there, their affection for each other turns into love, even as Anakin suffers nightmares about his mother's life as a slave.

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan is dispatched by Jedi masters Mace Windu (Samuel L Jackson) and Yoda (voice of Frank Oz) to Kamino, a distant water planet, where the resident race has been constructing an army of clones for the Jedi's use. It is there that he learns of the bounty hunter Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison), and his allegiance with Count Dooku (Christopher Lee), a powerful ex-Jedi who is now the apprentice to Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid). What nefarious plans do these two have for the Republic? And what is Anakin's role in all of this?

I liked The Phantom Menace enough to give it a 3/4 rating back in 1999, though subsequent viewings have emphasised its problems and I would only give it about 2.5 now. These problems included an over-reliance on computer generated imagery (CGI), a boring script, too many events occurring because of "accidents", and Jar-Jar Binks. Thankfully, George seems to have listened, even though there is probably still much CGI. He has not only relegated Jar-Jar's role to that of a cameo, and made his protagonists seem much smarter and less, shall we say, clumsy, he has also upped the action quotient. After a breathless opening pursuit through Coruscant's aerial highways, we are treated to several fights and chases, before an incredible last forty minutes that brings all the big guns into play and puts into shame Menace's weak, Return Of The Jedi-like finale and video game marketing tactics (AKA the pod race).

The first half of Clones is not slow moving by any means, but it does contain a poorly scripted and acted romantic subplot featuring Anakin and Amidala. Of course, one's not expecting an Oscar-winning screenplay for Clones, given the propensity for hokey dialogue in the original trilogy, but do some of the lines have to be so bad as induce audience laughter (yes, that's what happened during the screening I went to)? Also, Natalie Portman is regarded as a very good actress, but even she suffers at the groaners she has to utter. Newcomer Hayden Christensen was reportedly very good in Life As A House, but one would be hard-pressed to agree following his wooden display in the romance scenes. While he is effective when showing dissent and anger (portents of him turning over to the dark side and becoming Darth Vader), there is hardly any chemistry between him and Portman. It was quite difficult to see why Amidala would fall for such a whiny, impetuous man like Anakin, such is the way he's portrayed.

The parallel storyline featuring Obi-Wan and Jango Fett is more assured, and provides the basis of most of the action in the first half. The only problem is that, since we know where the story is eventually heading (to segue with the Luke Skywalker/Darth Vader conflict in Star Wars), there's not as much suspense as there could be. That's where I believe Lucas should have gone forward with his universe, rather than go back in time, for this new trilogy. There would have been numerous opportunities for new threats, new creatures, new characters, and new special effects. While it's intriguing to watch Anakin's turning to the dark side, and the fall of the Republic and so forth, we know how it will all end. The journey is important, you might say, but there's not as much excitement as there was in, for example, The Empire Strikes Back, which was full of edge-of-your seat moments. Since this is the journey that Lucas has planned for us, however, then so be it.

Along the way, we are again treated to incredible landscapes, courtesy of Lucas' own Industrial Light and Magic. There's the rainy water planet of Kamino, and the red rock formations of Geonosis, where the finale is eventually staged. In between we get beautiful vistas of Naboo, and startling images of transport ships and Coruscant's gigantic cityscape. The sound department gets a workout as well, with the aural assault including a couple of spectacular explosions that are preceded by pure silence. John Williams' music, too, is very good, being a marriage of familiar motifs (The Imperial March from Empire Strikes Back is instantly recognisable) and one incredibly beautiful love theme that hints of the sadness to come. If you're not seeing Clones in digital sound, then you're definitely missing half the movie.

If all Attack Of The Clones accomplishes is to show the descent into darkness of Anakin, as well as the genesis of the evil Empire depicted in Episodes IV, V and VI, then it would still be a pretty good film, in spite of the clunkiness discussed above. What elevates it (almost) into the classic status of The Empire Strikes Back and the original Star Wars, and above the too cute Return Of The Jedi and Phantom Menace, is the opportunity to see masses of Jedi knights and, especially, Yoda, in action. Yes, folks. Yoda, that wise, cane-aided, supreme Jedi, gets to wield a lightsabre, and it's a crowd-pleasing moment that brings the house down. It's also cool to see the lesser Jedi engaged in a massive battle, and in particular Samuel L Jackson as Mace Windu, who wields a mean purple sabre. When he says, "The party's over," you'll be cheering him on, too. This and Yoda's segment alone are worth the price of admission.

In the end, Attack Of The Clones is an action-packed adventure that dazzles and delights, even if it is uneven in the beginning. One can definitely see the darkness coming, and it will be a potentially gruesome third act in 2005. I can't wait for it.

(c) Joe Wong (19 May 2002)