A decent sci-fi film

Rating: 5/10 (20 August 2002)

There are some films that go beyond their genre, becoming something greater, something that nearly anyone can enjoy, with powerful performances and excellent writing and directing. The Sixth Sense. Gone With the Wind. As Good as it Gets. The original Star Wars Trilogy. The Matrix. Films that may not be without flaws, but nevertheless are an inspiration to watch. Star Wars Episode II is not one of those films. It is a sci-fi film...that's all. As those things go, it's certainly decent enough, and definitely worth watching, but it isn't anything particularly special. Anyway, here ends the comparison to other films, and begins my commentary on this one alone. "Attack of the Clones" is, largely, the story of Anakin Skywalker's coming of age, and his difficulties in dealing with his love for Amidala and the subtle manipulations of Palpatine as he learns the ways of the Jedi from his teacher, Obi-Wan Kenobi--who he believes is holding him back. This is set against the larger story of the political troubles of the Republic, which is faced with a terrible choice between watching planets split off and destroy the unity that once was or fighting those that rebel and watching the destruction arise even quicker as they destroy the very principles upon which it is based. And at the head of it all is Palpatine, a scheming mastermind who uses all the others, from senator to Jedi, like pieces in a chess game. It's a great setup, and could lead to an excellent plot. Unfortunately, it's derailed early on in the film...in part, due to the performances given by some of the actors. Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman are the focus of a great part of the film as Anakin and Amidala...and come off as very flat. The emotions they portray seem false...as though, really, they were just trying too hard. It doesn't help that the writing for their many scenes is generally overdone, with the lines written in such a way that they simply can't be said in a natural manner. There are a great many scenes between the two in the film, and each has very little true point being there...it would've been far better to have fewer scenes, with more meaning in each. What is so unusual about this film is that it really seems to have been written and directed by two different people. By contrast to the Anakin/Amidala parts, the Obi-Wan parts of the film are quite excellent, extremely entertaining and filled with neat plot points and stellar performances by just about everyone involved. Ewan McGregor, in particular, does an amazing job of portraying Obi-Wan, exactly as he should be portrayed, and brings the character to life in a way few actors can. His parts of the film save it, easily...though they perhaps also make the Anakin/Amidala parts more depressing to sit through, because of the stark contrast. It's really very odd. I have several problems with various parts of the movie's plot. Most, probably unsurprisingly, fall within the Anakin/Amidala parts of the film. I won't comment on most of them, because often it'd spoil parts of the movie for those who haven't seen it...but I will comment on one thing. *SPOILER WARNING* Anakin's attack on the Tusken Raiders was horribly handled--in my opinion, the attack should not have happened in this film, especially not if it is going to be ignored for most of the rest of the movie, outside of one single scene. I'm not saying that it should've been the focus of the rest of the film, but the writing seemed to suggest that watchers are expected to look at Anakin in the same way they always have...when he's just slaughtered an entire camp, men, women, AND children. *END SPOILER* In any case, "Attack of the Clones" is worth watching, if only to form your own opinion on the film. It was certainly entertaining, which is all I really ask for when I go to a movie...but in the end, it is only a decent sci-fi action film, that had so much potential to be better--not because of the Star Wars name, but because of the honestly great idea for the general plot. Oh, yes, I also feel obligated to mention that Yoda is great.