A Long Review - But It Goes Somewhere

Rating: Null/10 (17 May 2002)

Now, it's only been out for, two days, maybe? Already a lot of people are saying they loved this movie, a lot of people are saying they hated this movie, but what's confusing me most of all is the sudden consensus that Episode One sucked. Where did that come from? Three years ago, Episode One ruled the school. Everyone was walking out of theatres everywhere more or less satisfied. Most, more.
And if you read that and cringe, think at least of the fight between Darth Maul and the two Jedi Knights. Now that was FUN.
I saw Attack of the Clones today, and I came out of two minds of what to think about this movie. It's certainly doing nothing to reverse that unseemly Hollywood trend of doing EVERYTHING on computer. But that's a given anyway, I would have thought. It's Star Wars.
There are a lot of things in Clones that seem a bit out of place. The Jedi
Knights don't seem to be the passive, peaceful negotiators in this episode they have been portrayed as in all the other flicks - one memorable moment towards the end of this movie has Samuel L. Jackson's character hold his lightsaber to someone's neck, to force a resolution. That's not a bad thing. That's just a thing.
In the end, Attack of the Clones IS worth seeing, even if you do end up hating it. Personally, I didn't think it was as good as I thought it was going to be, leading up to it - but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of it. Does that sound strange?
There are a lot of ideas that are underdeveloped, and a lot of ideas that are overdeveloped.
CONSIDER MY NEXT PARAGRAPH SPOILER CITY.
Jango Fett, for example, is referred to always as a "bounty hunter." He is used as the model for a mass cloned army, and you can see why. Not only is he a man of many talents, but he's got more tricks up his sleeve than a swiss army knife. But why is he referred to as a bounty hunter? We all know Boba grows up to be one. But Jango never catches anyone for a bounty, no one ever refers to him catching anyone for a bounty - it's not that it's WRONG for him to be a bounty hunter, it's just not necessary. He could be a general warrior. I also agree with something someone said in an earlier review - he dies the way of Darth Maul, eg: too easily.
AND THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IS PRETTY BAD TOO, ACTUALLY.
The scene with Anakin exacting his passionate revenge on the Tusken Raiders, that could have been one of the most powerful ideas ever presented on the silver screen. In the end, it still packs a punch, but you can't help thinking it could have been milked for all the evil glory it could get. How Darth Vader would it have been, how positively evil would it have been for Anakin to look into the eyes of the woman he loves, and say to her, "Don't ever ask me again: what happened out there today."

That's just what I think, anyway.
But I think that's why people are taking such an extreme stance on this movie - either loving it, or hating it. Some ideas are overdeveloped, some ideas are underdeveloped, the point of the matter is, THE IDEAS ARE BRILLIANT, and if you let them fester in your brain, they will move you.
Let's hear it for Darth Tyrannus - a bad guy who ACTUALLY SURVIVES!
-ant