Review: Star Wars II Attack Of The Clones, A Franchises Confused Sibling
- Dec 8, 2017
- 2 min read
There was so much potential.
10 years after the the end of the Trade Federation's blockade of Naboo (I still can't believe that has anything to do with Star Wars), tensions between The Republic and the so called Confederation of Independent Systems are at an all time high. Following an assassination attempt on Senator Amidala (Natalie Portman), the Jedi assign Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) and his padawan Anakin (Hayden Christensen) to protect her. But after a second attack, the two must go there separate ways. Obi-Wan finds himself in a web of lies with a secret army at its centre while Anakin finds himself...sigh...deeply in love with Padme. As you can probably tell, one of these stories is good.
Attack Of The Clones is probably my least favourite Star Wars film. While The Phantom Menace felt unfocused, I never felt offended by it, not even by the now infamous Jar Jar Binks. But this movie had the potential to be something great and, occasionally, it comes close. But for the most part it's dull and forgettable. What could have, and should, been a story of intrigue and espionage, the spark that started a war, is instead more interested in telling a half baked and poorly acted romance.
The good first. Ewan McGregor and any scene he's in. Also Christopher Lee as the new Sith lord....now the bad. The effects are pretty gnarly at times and entire locations are obviously green-screened. Hayden Christensen isn't a great actor to start with and here he's attatched to a less than stellar script. (Do you like sand?) Even the big action finale is little more than a Michael Bay-esque mix of unfocused chaos and excessive explosions. And when Yoda starts flipping out like a little green ninja, welif you haven't lost faith by that point, you soon will.
I don't hate Attack Of The Clones for what it is, not entirely anyway, but for what it could have been. Perhaps if it had learnt from that which came before, remade itself in the likeness of the Star Wars that people praised. Instead we got this, if there's no other choice, it'll do, but there's plenty of other choices.
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