Part two of a great fantasy series

Rating: 10/10 (24 March 2006)

This is the second part of my essay on the themes and motifs of Star Wars.
Attack of the Clones portrays the beginning of the fall from grace of Anakin Skywalker. This tragic hero suffers with the loss of his mother and struggles with the beginning of his secret romance with Padme Amidala. Hayden Christensen has been criticized for his "wooden" acting with regard to this relationship. I think that he comes across as honest, however, as many of us act that way when we are in love.
Attack of the Clones continues the series' emphasis on pairs of things. The pairing of two Jedi and two Sith continues with Christopher Lee's Count Dooku becoming the second apprentice to Darth Sidious. In addition, there are two women that facilitate Anakin's downfall: his mother Shmi, and lover Padme.
The use of image patterns is notable in this episode. We see the cloning operation on Kamino. This scene contains a room full of babies being grown in bottles, reminiscent of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. In that book this room was lit with with red light, creating a hell-like atmosphere. Star Wars makes ironic use of the opposite effect. The cloning facility is lit with blinding white lights and everything is painted white. It should be noted that, despite its heavenly glow, this facility is surrounded by vicious stormy seas, reflecting the evil within. In contrast, the industrial center seen on Geonosis has hell-like imagery, with red lights and molten metal.
Technology is once again an important motif in Attack of the Clones. In Episode I, the main villainous army was composed of droids. In Episode II, the clones are introduced. Although purported to be far superior to droids as an army, they are also more thematically perverse. They are bred to be docile and to take orders without question. The result is a subhuman creation that is seen to move with the same precise mechanical coordination as the droids.
In contrast to the uniformity of the clones, the Jedi represent the importance of diversity. Each Jedi is distinct and they include many species, races and gender. Their power is gained with little help from technology. One thematically brilliant scene is the fight between Mace Windu and Jango Fett. After being trampled, Jango's jet pack misfires and he is cut down by Mace. Despite his cleverness, Jango relies too much on technology, which fails him at a critical time (a common science-fiction motif). Mace, on the other hand, wields the Force which never short circuits.
Overall, Attack of the Clones is an exciting continuation to the epic. As Chancellor Palpatine gains more power, Anakin begins his descent to the Dark Side. Thus, the decline of both civilization and individual occur in parallel. 10/10