A boost to the saga, but still unconvincing in parts

Rating: Null/10 (18 November 2003)

STAR WARS: EPISODE II - ATTACK OF THE CLONES ***
Personally I love Star Wars, when I first saw the movies as a child I was captivated by the whole premise on which it was based and fell for the characters instantly. Undoubtedly, the first three Star Wars films will be etched into my movie history as they brought together so many fresh concepts and proved to be unbelievably enjoyable. I rated those films accordingly, giving full credits to them all. The first three Star Wars movies were in short, and still are, my favourite movies in the sci-fi fantasy mould. It was in anticipation, a dreaded anticipation, that I waited for the prequels to be produced, because I feared that the time had come and gone, and that perhaps the saga would be affected by sub-standard cash ins. If the Phantom Menace proved to be a not so bad movie (it could certainly have been worse for my money) then Attack of the Clones fitted quick snugly in my good movie category.
The Attack of the Clones is set ten years after the first instalment, whereby Padme Amidala has become a Senator representing her home world. However, when an assassination attempt on her life fails there are fresh fears that the Senator must lie low in the face of growing hostility from a growing faction against the Republic. Obi-Wan Kenobi's young apprentice Anakin Skywalker is selected to look after Senator Amidala whilst Obi-Wan pursues his own quest to uncover a sinister plot of which the Jedi know little about.
Attack of the Clones is a welcome breath of fresh air, and contains all we want in a movie and some more. We are introduced to some important concepts along the way like the love between Anakin and Amidala that has grown for ten years, even though they had only memories of a distant time of each other. A clone army has been unearthed, and we ask ourselves who is it for, for what purpose, and for what end? Count Dooku is introduced, as a scheming manipulative Jedi, working towards the Dark Side. And we get glimpses of the Jedi's powers failing against the Dark Side onslaught of fear, pain and suffering.
Looking at the performances, I would say that all in all they were satisfactory. Nathalie Portman does an adequate job and I got the sense that a growing burden had become all too evident. The feuding and bickering amongst tribes and sects may have led to Senator Amidala growing up a hell of a lot in the political mess that incorporates the galaxy. Not brilliant, but she is believable in most ways. Hayden Christensen I perhaps had more of a problem with. He was good in many ways. I got the growing feeling of someone being held back and the intensity of his character shone through incredibly well. But sometimes he was unconvincing. I felt he over-acted on occasions, and his Jeckyll and Hide character was a little unbelievable. We are meant to believe that he is indeed starting a process whereby he turns to the Dark Side.
If the process was incremental then I would have had little problem with it, but his rapid mood changes from playing in a field of daisies (or the galactic equivalent) to butchering 'women and children' was radical. Many may argue that it was because of his mother, and indeed she plays an important catalyst role in determining his future. But for me, his character needed more subtlety. It's as if Lucas had wanted everything to be highlighted for the audience (a younger audience maybe) and showed the pointers to them; 'look, that's where he is good, and that's where he is bad). Christensen doesn't write the script, but he possibly could have acted with more depth here.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is played brilliantly by McGregor who is given more license to perform, and it's a good choice. The Jar-Jar Binks character has a limited role, and although many people criticised his character in the first movie I felt a little sorry for him. Yes he was annoying, but at least he was a character with some attitude and a character you could honestly pick out from the movie and say that he was different. The most gripping part for me though was the action containing the Jedi and some of the backdrops. The scenery was spectacular, amazing and totally awe-inspiring. But that was also a problem of it.
Things seemed too crystal, backdrops were too spectacular and after half an hour I began looking more closely at the surroundings and concluded that although its impact is at first tremendous it simply isn't real enough. When R2D2 first appears, his shell is too clean, are you telling me he showers every five minutes. C3PO has no scars of the terrain, he is glaringly magnificent which shouldn't be the case. The contemplation of whether or not to bump the movie up to three and a half stars was unbearable, but in the end the way the characters seemed to talk to empty spaces was noticeable. On a number of occasions the special effects worked really well, like when the Jedi were being attacked near the end and being encompassed by Dooku's soldiers.
But all too often I got the impression that characters were talking and acting against blank boards. On a brighter note, the action sequences were terrific, brilliantly done. I have always been intrigued by the Jedi, and in this movie we get a much closer look at what makes them what they are, the training rituals, the way the force works and not to mention their battle sequences throughout the movie. Especially, Yoda's stand off with Count Dooku. Many aspects begin to emerge with reference to the broader story, like the influence of Palpatine for example. Jedi talk is also expressed and in one of the funniest moments in the film Yoda utters, 'around the survivors, a perimeter create.' which I found amusing some time after.
The whole experience though was positive, and in many areas spectacular. The way the Jedi use their powers in the midst of being outnumbered by Dooku's soldiers was epic and it was an enjoyable ride right the way through the film. I am a little concerned about the third instalment, as it seems a hell of a lot of stuff is still left in the wind. Most Star Wars fans know what the loose ends are, but the amount of detail still seems huge. Anyway, whatever the case may be, this movie is certainly a worthy Star Wars addition.