third time's a charm

Rating: 8/10 (28 March 2003)

This is my third review of this film, and hopefully my last. I do, I really do, like Attack of the Clones, but I don't love it, and I wanted to, very much.
I can't put all of the criticism on George Lucas. He has an amazing imagination, and with the people at ILM putting his wildest dreams on-screen, I can't blame him for wanting as many new planets, aliens, weapons, and ships as possible.
Unfortunately, the focus on the visuals leaves the actors surrounded by blue screen instead of physical sets, marks on the walls instead of fellow actors, and wooden dialogue. Many scenes conducted with live actors on real locations also suffer with script and/or acting deficiencies. The acting necessarily must be fit into the planned effects shots, but this leaves no room for spontaneous rewording or alteration of dialogue that looks better in print than it sounds out loud.
The main problem is a serious lack of fun. There's wit and whimsy, sarcasm and menace, but the overall result is flat. From the opening with Senator Amidala's ship to the Jedi council meeting in Palpatine's chambers to the reunion of Anakin and Padmé, my mind is saying, "Well, that scene was pretty good," instead of being caught up in the story. I did enjoy the speeder chase and the bar scene.
In the middle section, Obi-Wan plays detective, to good effect. This storyline is intercut with an awkward, unconvincing teenage romance. Again, the pacing is deliberate, rather than building anticipation for the dramatic conclusion. The painful-to-watch fireplace scene with Anakin making his grand declaration of love to Padmé is a particular target of my dislike. The speech is overblown and both Hayden and Natalie look uncomfortable, not upset, or hurt, or in the the grip of passion. Anakin's fall to the dark side on Tatooine, and subsequent regret had much more real emotion.
Once everyone is on Geonosis, the action picks up. The conveyor belt scene, the battle in the arena, and the Obi-Wan, Anakin, Dooku, and Yoda showdown are all great. The menacing vista of the soon-to-be Imperial army sent chills down my spine. The secret wedding, though, is not convincing. Extreme circumstances brought Anakin and Padmé together, but nowhere in this film did I see anything but lust on Anakin's part, and perhaps curiosity on Padmé's. I don't see a good reason for Padmé to choose a relationship that will destroy both of them, when she doesn't seem to love Anakin.
Despite my reservations, I remain a fan of Attack of the Clones. I do hope the "third time's a charm," and that Lucas will develop a true winner with Episode 3.