Goosestepping to Hell

Rating: 8/10 (27 October 2003)

I have had over a year and a half since I first saw ATTACK OF THE CLONES to process my reaction and try to understand most of the rancor directed toward it.
Firstly, I can understand why everyone loves TWO TOWERS over ATTACK OF THE CLONES. In TWO TOWERS, the landscape of the battle between Good and Evil is in black and white. In CLONES, it is a perfect shade of gray.
You have the military/industrial complex (that is, the Trade Federation) attempting to assassinate Senator Amadala because she is the main and most significant opponent to the Military Creation act. You have Greys manufacturing human beings for warfare. You have a duplicitous head of state manufacturing unrest for seizure of power. Most of all, you have the possibility that organization (that being the Jedi council) served to protecting the Republic's interests may be behind the creation of the army.
Hmmmm...except for the Grey manufacturing human beings for warfare, doesn't sound like something going on now?
It has the first time that I watched a STAR WARS installment and wondered if Oliver Stone have a hand in it.
Also, there is something interesting about Annakin Skywalker's descent to hell. The only other movie that comes to mind is AMERICAN HISTORY X, particularly the scene when Eric Vinyard (Edward Norton) kills the black gang-banger. It would be an understatement to say that Annakin's head was in the same place.
That's what's disturbing about Annakin: he looks like a Backstreet Boy, but his action scream Hitler Youth.
Also, I loved the immediacy Lucas gave the Battle of Geonosis, with swish pans and zooms into the action. The only thing it was missing was imbedded reporters.

In short, CLONES excels and it is better written and acted than its detractors have given it credit. It just happens to deal with some things that people don't want to think about: the banality of evil.