Fellow genre entertainment fans, I hope you’re enjoying this year’s bumper crop of movies! I caught a digital screening of “Star Wars [Episode II]: Attack of the Clones” (AotC) on Saturday, 18 May 2002 in Framingham, Massachusetts. The latest prequel installment of George Lucas’ space opera continues the legacy set by to its distinguished predecessors and, while not perfect, should placate many fans who were disappointed by “Star Wars [Episode I]: the Phantom Menace” (TPM).
Disclaimer: I’ve been an avid “Star Wars” fan for 25 years and own related posters, games (from D6 to D20), reference books, action figures, spaceship models, and Legos. I’ve written college papers about the mythic aspects of the films and waited in line for the Smithsonian exhibit and the Special Edition of the first trilogy. Thus, I’m not truly objective about this fictional universe, but I hope that casual viewers can also enjoy it.
Plot: Without giving away any “spoilers,” I can say that AotC is the most complex of the “Star Wars” movies thus far. Like its brethren, it’s about an epic conflict between good and evil, but the film also features political intrigue, personal tragedy, and romance.
AotC continues the saga about 10 years after the events of TPM and more than 20 years before “Star Wars [Episode IV]: A New Hope.” Young Anakin Skywalker is now a headstrong padawan (apprentice) to Jedi knight Obi-Wan Kenobi. They are assigned to help guard Senator Padme Amidala of the planet Naboo, but the mysterious bounty hunter Jango Fett and the Sith Lords have other ideas as the Galactic Republic faces a civil war…
Script: Realistic dialogue has never been the strongest part of the “Star Wars” series, but there is little technobabble, and the awkward romantic moments and preachy political discussions do help advance the story. Supporting characters such as Jedi masters Yoda and Mace Windu also get more to do than in the other movies.
Unlike “A New Hope” or “Star Wars [Episode V]: the Empire Strikes Back,” there is little witty repartee. On the other hand, the personalities of some of the actors come through more than in TPM (see Acting, below). The droid duo R2D2 and C3P0 provide welcome comic relief, since the much-maligned Jar-Jar Binks makes only a brief appearance.
Acting: Like Peter Jackson with “The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring,” Lucas lucked out with a talented cast capable of dealing with difficult dialogue and special effects-heavy filming.
Hayden Christensen brings more depth to Anakin than Jake Lloyd, who had the thankless task of portraying the future Darth Vader as a child in TPM. Anakin’s impatience, courage, and temper are all impressive to see as we better understand the young man who will become a monster.
Natalie Portman is luminous as the former Queen of Naboo and future mother of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. She gets some wooden lines in the romantic and political scenes, but also more action than in TPM.
Ewan McGregor conveys both his own sarcastic sense of humor as well as Alec Guinness’ dignity as Obi-Wan, and Samuel L. Jackson gets to ponder the nature of the Force and wield a lightsaber as Mace Windu.
Frank Oz, who provides the voice of Yoda (as well as those of several Muppets, including Miss Piggy), shows us a slightly younger, but still wise, Jedi master. “L.A. Law’s” Jimmy Smits shows up as Bail Organa, a loyalist senator from Alderaan.
Christopher Lee, long known for his roles as Dracula and Sherlock Holmes and more recently as the wizard Saruman in “Fellowship of the Ring,” is appropriately menacing as Count Dooku, a dangerous separatist. Ian McDiarmid returns as Chancellor Palpatine, a career politician who is much more than the Jedi suspect.
Direction: George Lucas has obviously paid attention to the public’s criticism of TPM. Yes, he still isn’t comfortable with some of the dialogue-driven scenes, but the battle scenes are like nothing else I’ve seen (see Cinematography, below).
AotC is generally well paced, with action building up from an aircar chase through the skies of planetary megalopolis Coruscant, to a gladiatorial battle with multiple Jedi against robots and huge beasts, to thousands of clone troopers vs. still more battle droids.
Of course, it wouldn’t be “Star Wars” without blazing spaceship dogfights and lightsaber duels. Lucas decided not to try to top the acrobatic grace of the duel of Darth Maul vs. Jedi Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn in TPM, but the fights are still spectacular.
Cinematography: Lucas ups the ante from movies such as “Jurassic Park,” “The Fifth Element,” “Gladiator,” and TPM by combining real humans and computer-generated imagery (CGI) on a unprecedented scale. According to other viewers, the digital projection yields slightly clearer and better-illuminated images than conventional film, but I’ll have to see AotC again to know for sure. No matter how impressive the huge scale of the scenes will eventually be on DVD, the big screen is where “Star Wars” is best seen.
Settings also include a nightclub and a diner on Coruscant; the rain-swept planet Kamino, where the clone army is created; idyllic retreats on Naboo; Geonosis, where the nefarious Trade Federation is building its robot army; and the familiar desert home of the Skywalkers, Tatooine.
Yoda, who was a Muppet in “The Empire Strikes Back” and CGI in some scenes in TPM, is now completely CGI. Like the other creatures in AotC, he is integrated almost seamlessly into scenes with live actors and is no longer limited by puppeteering constraints.
Soundtrack: Although I agree with fellow reviewer Jim J.D’B. that John Williams’ latest score verges on overwhelming in a few scenes, I liked the return of themes from the other “Star Wars” movies and felt that AotC has better music than most of its current peers.
Summary: Overall, I’m pleased to say that AotC is one of the best space opera movies in years, and one of the better entries in the “Star Wars” saga. If not as groundbreaking or well-paced as “A New Hope” or as impressive in character development as “The Empire Strikes Back,” AotC is better than “Star Wars [Episode VI]: Return of the Jedi” and TPM. I’d give AotC about a 9 out of 10. The movie is rated PG for violence.
I've also given mostly favorable reviews of the “Mummy” prequel “The Scorpion King” and the new “Spider-Man” movie. Of the previews we saw, Tom Cruise looked promising in Stephen Spielberg’s adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s “Minority Report,” “Men In Black II” looked amusing, and Disney’s “Lilo and Stitch” and “Treasure Planet” look like interesting animation.
With more “Star Trek,” Harry Potter, James Bond, and “Lord of the Rings” sequels on the way this year -- not to mention “Matrix” and “X-Men” sequels next year -- this is likely to be the biggest year for genre movie buffs in 20 years! For those of you who may not remember, 1982 was the year of the releases of “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” “The Road Warrior,” “The Dark Crystal,” “Tron,” “E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial,” “Conan the Barbarian,” and “Blade Runner.” May the Force be with you -- always, -Gene
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