Fun, Campy & Unfairly Maligned

Rating: 9/10 (7 August 2019)

I know I'm in the minority, but I love, love Attack of the Clones. For so many reasons, both good and bad.
The Good: "Across the Stars" (my favorite love theme from any movie). Gorgeous Naboo. Padme's dazzling costumes. Jango Fett (the sexiest single dad in the universe). The seismic charges, pure aural magnificence. Kamino and the Kaminoans. Christopher Freaking Lee. Dooku's unique lightsaber. The arena scene. All those Jedi in battle dueling with lightsabers--pure eye candy. The clones coming to the rescue. The beautiful, hopeful ending where Padme & Anakin get married and Padme grasps Anakin's metal hand.
The Bad: The hammy, meme-worthy dialogue that makes my belly hurt with laughter. Hayden Christensen's valiant attempt to act decently, in spite of that awful, hammy dialogue. Two of the ugliest hairstyles ever worn by two handsome men (Obi-Wan's Jesus mullet & Anakin's pony-tail/rat-tail combo).
And last, but not least, AOTC takes me back to my childhood. It reminds me of watching those cheesy B-movie adventures on Saturday afternoons, movies that were supposed to be objectively bad, but I had no idea, because watching them brought me so much fun & joy. Too few films fill me with childish joy, and AOTC is one of them.