Redux Review #143: Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.
Cast:
Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker), Natalie Portman (Senator Padmé Amidala), Ian McDiarmid (Chancellor Palpatine), Christopher Lee (Count Dooku / Darth Tyranus), Samuel L. Jackson (Mace Windu), Temuera Morrison (Jango Fett), Frank Oz (Yoda), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Kenny Baker (R2-D2), Daniel Logan (Boba Fett), Leeanna Walsman (Zam Wesell), Silas Carson (Nute Gunray and Ki-Adi-Mundi), Ahmed Best (Delegate Jar Jar Binks), and Jimmy Smits (Bail Organa) Directed by George Lucas (#113 - Star Wars, #141 - American Graffiti, and #142 - Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace)
Review:
Countdown to 150 Reviews, 10, 9, 8, 7...
As promised, a redux of the second prequel film. I described it as better than the first film, but not by much, and not much really does change, does it? At least these are reviews I can feel proud of, which I hope you enjoy.
These films, if distilled into a basic premise of the portrayal of the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker, from adolescence to adulthood, could have made for some weird and wonderful tragic drama. The first film proved that trying to cover details from the past mixed with ill-advised story choices made for a film that collapsed under its own weight of hubris and anticipation from others. The only thing that changes this time around is that the anticipation is more of a dead calm, and the film manages to find time for improvement at the pace of a snail. While Lucas once again served as director and writer, Jonathan Hales was brought in to help co-write for the film, refining the script until right before production was to begin. The dialogue can't quite help the actors out again, a villain is introduced and wasted once again, and story motivations seem more appropriate for an opening film than a middle movie. You really could skip the previous movie and not really lose too much grip on the story, since you could basically sum up key events in one line or less. As I mentioned earlier, having to switch actors for your main character doesn't help matters, especially since the dynamic between McGregor and Christensen only really comes into focus on occasion. In trying to make a grander, more epic scale Star Wars with plenty of plot-lines, Lucas has succeeded in making two mediocre movies to drive his trilogy, finally finding some sense of focus by the time of its climax, with its Clone Wars aspect.
The film builds itself on the blooming relationship dynamic between Christensen and Portman's characters, having the passion of lines spoke by a computer program. A film romance works best when it actually seems the actors are truly invested in what the script wants them to say. The previous trilogy had a romance that was subtle without being overbearing in the slightest. Lucas wanted something more than just a scoundrel and a princess - a forbidden romance with a Jedi involved. Again, this works best when I actually feel that these actors really seem invested in what they want to do, and it slowly rises from slightly weird to slightly palpable, but that isn't enough in a film that plods along for 142 minutes. The acting still plays hit-and-miss, but McGregor and McDiarmid do turn out to be the key winners of the bunch, the former seeming much more interesting to be around with this time around - whether when bantering with Christensen like an odd couple or in battle, and the latter being as conniving as ever. Christensen doesn't fare too well with such a big role to fill as the eventual Darth Vader, feeling a bit too flat and occasionally grating, falling into the same trap as Lloyd had with being stuck with offbeat lines that make a shadow of a character. Portman is okay, but not too particularly inspired as the other side of the token, faring a bit better when running onto an action set than on some grass trying to talk about politics. Highlights include complaints about sand, attempts at humor that go hit-and-miss, and eventual action sequences on dusty planets that can't help but be like cutscenes once again. Lee is criminally wasted as the main adversary behind the true power, a character cut from bare cloth that isn't too particularly menacing, even with a legend like Lee. The fight with him and Yoda is amusing to picture and weirder to try and describe, since it's a CGI muppet against a mix of Lee (then in his late seventies) and a stunt double. Morrison is quiet, but alright for the necessary time needed. Jackson and Oz are given a few lines to carry, so that's a nice repeat of before I guess. The action sequences here doesn't seem as involving as one would hope, and the political drama is only slightly less pale this time around. The question isn't so much if this is a better film than the previous one as is it really a question of how it took so long to drive the story to some sort of meaningfulness. Lost in a shroud of effects, flashy costumes, and questionable motivations, Attack of the Clones is a mediocre sequel to a mediocre movie that is made lesser by comparisons of past and future of Star Wars films. I wasn't exactly bored by what I saw - I just felt much of the same mood that I did the last time.
Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.
