Star Wars's Episode II got attacked by the fans. Was it a bad movie? No, but it wasn't good, too.

Rating: 7/10 (10 September 2013)

Attack of the Clones is probably my less favorite Star Wars movie. Don't get me wrong, I love the originals movies more, but I don't hate the prequels like some fans do. Director George Lucas didn't rape my childhood. The prequels were pretty interesting for me. A story about Anakin Skywalker's rise and fall, how the empire got started, details about the Clone Wars, all of these ideas sound good. But it was executed in a way that wasn't that well done. It didn't felt like Star Wars, we came to love as children. The film is set 10 years after the events in 1999's Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, when the galaxy is on the brink of civil war. Under the leadership of a rebel Jedi named Count Dooku AKA General Robert E. Lee rip off (Christopher Lee), thousands of planetary systems threaten to secede from the Galactic Republic. When an assassination attempt is made on Senator Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), the former Queen of Naboo, Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is assigned to protect her, while his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) is assigned to investigate the assassination attempt. Soon, Anakin, Padmé, and Obi-Wan are drawn into the heart of the Separatist territories and the beginning of a new threat to the galaxy, the Clone Wars. The first thing, I would notice about Attack of the Clones is how boring it is. There is barely any action in a film titled 'Star Wars' in this film. Even with the limited action scenes, with all the visual effects, it doesn't look real enough to care. No sense of danger in a world full of CGI. We know its CGI characters fighting other CGI characters. Why do we care about the clones? We have no feelings for them if they get killed nor do we care about the robots. The rest of the film is replace with talking scenes about politics, non-realistic love, and unrelated issues we can't even put our hands around. The audience is expected to accept too many things that we are told and not told about. Too much talk, and not enough show. Honestly, we not shown how the character feel about each other, but told how they are. How on Earth, is Anakin and Obi-Wan even good friends, they sound like they can't stand each other, most of the film? They complain about each other way too much. Plus, their action doesn't match their words. Obi Wan is supposed to be the mentor and Anakin is the loose-cannon, but in some scene, the roles are reverse. Obi Wan does stupid stuff like jumping out of a building onto a probe droid. Then Anakin jump into another speeder. Man, these scenes are way unrealistic and cartoony. Plus, the whole assassin plot really doesn't go anywhere, anyways as it tossed out halfway through the film. It was as useless as the shift shifter assassin who doesn't use his/her shift shifter powers. The whole relationship with Anakin with Padme is awkward and flat, too. It seem forced as hell as both have no reason why to love with each other. Both character are total different from each other and share little in common. Anakin is clearly violent, arrogant, and Padme still take the guy. It seem like one-dimension romance like Romeo and Juliet where they just madly fall for each other for no reason. Why couldn't they just make Padme tempt Anakin to sin by loving, similar to Eve tempting Adam with the apple? It would have made more sense. I don't understand why Senator Amidala isn't allow to love. Politicians have sex all the time, everybody knows that. Plus, I don't understand why love is banned in the Jedi Order. Its OK, to get angry as a Jedi, but to love is bad. The Jedi Order seems some of the dumbest people on Earth. First off, nobody check up on the missing Sith Lord from the last movie; second off, none of the Jedi had a clue that an army is being build and the guy that probably build it is probably the Sith Lord, Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). It makes no sense. This movie makes Yoda (Frank Oz) look so dumb. I was deeply angry to see Yoda is force to fight with a Lightsaber. I thought of him like peaceful loving figure like Gandhi who didn't need a lightsaber because of his wisdom and knowledge. He was great Jedi master, because he master the force, not the lightsaber. I hate the fact, that George Lucas even have a scene where Yoda train children with lightsabers. Isn't that a bit dangerous for children? Why is Yoda doing this, anyways? Yoda never train Luke with a lightsaber in 1980's Empire Strike Back. He use the force, not weapons. In the end, the massive story and the virtual filmmaking kinda ruin of the film for some. I did like the movie. I don't want to leave this review with a sour note with only negative notes. There are good things about the film. Epic battle scenes. Another great score from John Williams. Alright acting from all the main actors. Great themes like warnings signs of fascism and how democracy can quickly fall. I didn't mind the poetic similarities in the prequels that remind us of the original source. I was pretty pleased to see that Jar Jar Binks has only a minor role. Last, I did like great world building of the film. The movie is watchable and still need to be check out if a big Star Wars fan. If you happen to be one of the very few movie audiences never to see a Star Wars film. Watch the Originals first, not this lousy movie. They are making sequels to the originals, so maybe there is a new hope coming soon. Let's hope so.