Movie Review: Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

Most fans of Star Wars unanimously agree that Attack of the Clones-the follow up to The Phantom Menace (1999)- is the worst entry in the entire franchise. Yet there is a rift here; AOTC has a 66% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and various critics (CinemaScore for example) gave the film an A- based on their audience poll. Yet another movie that I loved as a kid, and also another film that I have reviewed on this blog before, Attack of the Clones saves itself in the last act, but that does not erase the memory of the first two which are (more often than not) cringe-inducing. The film stars Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, and Frank Oz. So ten years after the events of Phantom Menace, Anakin (Christensen) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (McGregor) return to the Jedi council and reunite with Padme (Portman) who needs Skywalker's protection from a mysterious assassination attempt. Anakin and Padme go off to Naboo, where the two slowly fall "in love". I suppose the biggest down-side of AOTC is the forced romance between Anakin and Padme's characters. There has never been worse chemistry between actors then the one depicted here. Not only is it awkward and forced, but since neither of these two give anywhere close to a good performance, the entire story with these two is flat and lifeless. Portman surprises here; whereas she is usually stunning her in performances, her acting in this movie was atrocious. As was Hayden Christensen's whose portrayal of Anakin is cocky and unlikable. Ewan McGregor does some good work here: constantly falling victim to the poor script and wooden dialogue Lucas writes. I must also remark that excluding the final act (which is sort of awesome) Frank Oz's portrayal of Yoda feels stale and unremarkable. As does Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu. The latter, in particular, doesn't have the depth or even just the compassion that a high-order, Jedi knight should possess. On the good side, AOTC is entertaining all throughout. Something Phantom Menace neglected, which caused it to become a science fiction snooze-fest. I was never bored by this movie, even when it gets flat and uninspired (which it does on more than one occasion). I'm also a fan of Christopher Lee, who fills Darth Maul's shoes, as former Jedi Count Dooku. His acting, as well as Ian McDiarmid's performance, is one of the very few positives we can extract from this movie. As always, the musical score by John Williams is filled with the fantastical wonder that should accompany any Star Wars movie. And as I said before, the ending battle sequence is terrific and exciting. A much needed change compared to the forced romance and poor visuals that consumed the first two acts. The ending of this film marks the beginning of the clone wars, which was then made into a movie and two separate TV series. This was a hard film to review, because there are so many bad things, but one really great thing at the end. Therefore the grade and rating of this movie are actually somewhat harder to put one's finger on. Overall, Attack of the Clones is poorly acted, with non-convincing visuals, and a script that turns very flat, very easily. However, the movie is very entertaining, and provides us with a kick-ass battle sequence as its finale. Two stars= C+