I now know of the anger, the hatred and the love

Rating: 9/10 (30 June 2002)

The hype surrounding Attack of the clones, not even came near to the hype that surrounded The Phantom Menace three years ago. The biggest contributors to that, were of course the fact that The Phantom Menace did not live up to people's expectations as being the best film ever made and that it has not been 16 years since the last Star Wars film, but only three. These two factors also contributed to Attack of the Clones fairing much worse than The Phantom Menace at the box office (the huge success of Spider-Man being a third factor). Despite a lot of good reviews, many people were not to excited to see this film and critics (again) did not appreciate the effort. They described Hayden Christensen's portrayal of Anakin as bad and the evolving relationship between him and Senator Amidala (Natalie Portman) was laughable. I tried not to be hasty on my comment and went to see this film twice, before making my final judgment. I did that, because I had learned from the mistake I made with The Phantom Menace. I would have loved to change my review of that film after I had seen it for the second time on the big screen, because I realized, that if I wanted to comment on a film so loaded with effects, the only way I could do every aspect of the film justice was to see it twice (the remainder of my thoughts on Episode I, are to be found in my Episode IV review).

The Attack of the Clones film takes place ten years after The Phantom Menace and a lot has happened. Anakin has become a Jedi, Padmé Amidala is no longer Queen and the Republic finds itself in a predicament once again. This is to be the background of an epic tale, in which the effects will not be the only things to stand out.
The characters portrayed in Attack of the Clones are basically the same as in Episode I. There are (of course) a few additions (such as count Dooku, Jango and Boba Fett) but the remaining characters from The Phantom Menace are the ones that steal the show in this film. Obi  Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), Anakin (who is now portrayed by Hayden Christensen) and Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) are portrayed with great skill and love. McGregor's performance as Obi  Wan is a lot better than in The Phantom Menace and even Natalie Portman was able to exceed her first portrayal of Amidala. Hayden Christensen, being a first timer in the Star Wars universe, blends in just perfectly. He captures the inner struggle that tears Anakin apart with great talent and brings it across the screen in a fantastic manner. The love that flourishes between Amidala and Anakin is good, although some critics say it is laughable. Either those critics have forgotten how it is, when one is young and in love for the first time, or they have never been in love at all. Whatever the critics say, I think, that the way the relationship between Amidala and Anakin develops is good. Actually, they serve two purposes, one is to show us how Anakin and Amidala fall in love and the second is to show us the good and bad sides of a troubled Anakin. They show him how he is, angry, hateful, arrogant and loving. The emotions that overwhelm him during the film and will ultimately lead him to the Dark Side.

Contrary to The Phantom Menace, more of the film's attention is focused on the Jedi, especially Mace Windu (Samuel L.Jackson) and Yoda (Frank Oz). Not only is more attention focused on both these characters, but we see them in action for the very first time. For Samuel L.Jackson, this film is a real big step forward. Where he was more like Yoda's sidekick in Episode I, he now gets more involved and is even allowed to lead a Jedi attack in which he also takes part. Another thing that I felt was important, was that he fits much better into this film than he did in The Phantom Menace. One of the highlights of the film, are the lightsaber duels at the end, in which Anakin, Obi  Wan and last but not least Yoda confront Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). The latter fight (Yoda vs. Dooku), is the biggest event of the whole film. We finally get to see the Jedi Master in action and I must say, this was one of the best lightsaber duels I have ever seen. The characters, were however not the only things that were improved. There were many cool new beasts too. My favorites were the three beasts in the execution pit, although I must say the beasts Anakin had to battle in the factory looked pretty good also.

Returning to a good screenwriting form seemed to make everything else pick up too. R2D2 is back to his old habit, of getting C-3PO in trouble, while C-3PO provides the laughs. The battle scenes are also much better than in The Phantom Menace, somewhat bringing back into mind the great battle scenes on Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back. Even the music has improved since the last installment. John Williams succeeded in adding some great tunes to the Star Wars saga, some darker in tone than others, but all of them were great (Oscar Nomination). The effects are great (as always) and will ensure us of a great battle between The Two Towers and The Attack of the Clones for the Academy Award for special effects. Speaking of which, I'm sure that these two films will put on a great battle for most Academy Awards involving technics.

At the end of this review, there are some things I'd like to say to say to Mr.Lucas. First of all: Keep up the good work.' Second of all, I own Star Wars: Behind the Magic, where you can see through a galactic timeline and I must say that I was astounded by what I saw. A timeline covering about 25 thousand years. I think there is some good stuff in there, before Episode I as well as after Episode VI. I know you don't want to do anymore Star Wars after this trilogy, but I m asking you: Just think about it.' Third and last of all, I would like you to do me a favor, if it is possible (heck, I'm no effects guy): Could you please improve some of the effects in the original Star Wars Trilogy before you release it on DVD? Not much of course, but I really hate the effects in the Rancor scene in Return of the Jedi. If something was possible, I'd appreciate it a lot. And if there are no possibilities to improve that scene, than that's OK as well. I will always love your work and appreciate your effort.'

A grateful Star Wars fan, who applauses George Lucas' return to GREAT filmmaking -

8,5 out of 10 (a padawan torn between an 8,5 and a 9)

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU, ALWAYS!