Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
by Cheeto
Posted on 2 May 2021
Rating -
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones is a 2002 American epic space-opera film directed by George Lucas and written by Lucas and Jonathan Hales. It is the second installment of the Star Warsprequel trilogy, the fifth Star Wars film to be produced, and the second episode in the “Skywalker saga.”
The story is set ten years after The Phantom Menace, as thousands of planetary systems slowly secede from the Galactic Republic and join the newly-formed Confederacy of Independent Systems, led by former Jedi Master Count Dooku.
I’m just going to be straight up and get right to the point, I don’t like this movie. In fact I’d go as far to say that it’s one of worst in the Star Wars saga. There are many reasons for this, I’m not going to hold back so anyone who loves this film, look away.
First off; it has a lot of the same problems as Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. It has a clunky, bad paced plot and it really is a slog to get through.
The dialogue once again is dreadful, this is to be expected with George Lucas if I’m being honest. It just adds to the already massive slog that this film is.
I get it, Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) are one of the most influential companies of all time in both physical effects and CGI. But they really take the piss in this one. Gone are the beautiful sets and physical effects and models, now we have some really bad early 2000’s CGI that is outdated and looks like a literal 10 year old made it.
Along with Ahmed Best and Jake Lloyd, I don’t condone the massive amount of hate that Hayden Christensen received for his role as Anakin Skywalker. I hate to jump on the ‘bandwagon’ but I don’t like him in this film. I think he is a whiny, spoilt little brat, the same as Jake Lloyd in Episode I.
Now I can hear you, “Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen portray Anakin in the same way. This shows consistency in his character.”
While I very much agree with this statement, I just can’t (and believe me I’ve tried) see that this was how Darth Vader was in his youth. I’m only saying that I don’t like Hayden Christensen In THIS Star Wars film, another certain Star Wars film, he’s pretty decent in.
This is the film where we get to see the romantic storyline of Anakin and Padmé. The parents of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, this is one of the most important relationships in the whole saga. Once again I’m sorry… but this is one of the worst bits about this film. I can hear you picking up your pitchforks but please, let me explain.
I don’t know what it is, but Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman have terrible chemistry in this film. Their interactions feel forced and it genuinely is very cringey at times. This is not a question of their acting ability, it’s just sometimes two people don’t work well together.
There are a few good things about this film; the Kamino setting is genuinely fascinating. The petranaki arena battle is a huge positive, and something you’d expect from a film as big as Star Wars. I also love the fight scene at the end between Anakin, Obi-Wan and Count Dooku (Darth Tyranus). It’s just a shame that Christopher Lee (Count Dooku) was a bit too old to be fighting at the pace of a prequel lightsaber battle. Oh and I LOVE the fight between Count Dooku and Yoda, even though this lasts for about 30 seconds (if that).
So yeah, unfortunately, the negatives way out way the positives for this film. Of course; if you’re a Star Wars super fan (like me) then you should watch it. But apart from that, it’s better to steer clear of this film.
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