Lord of the clones

Rating: 7/10 (21 May 2002)

Episode II is, as could be expected, an example of how far Lucas and ILM have taken special effects and computer animation. But it's also an example of how much you lose if you are too focused on and impressed by visual effects. And it's sad, because the story behind Attack Of The Clones is actually quite good. We have the young soon-to-be-intergalactic-lord-of-darkness Anakin Skywalker, who is trapped between his jedi training, `the woman he loves' and the desire to go back to his home planet and save his enslaved mother. And we have the political disturbance in the republic, with the deceiving Palpatin pulling the strings, and a bunch of very distressed jedi-masters pondering and wondering.
But all of this is just not working as it should... or as good as it could anyway. First of all: Anakin's character lacks development. All the way through he just appears as a frustrated teenage boy, with a grudge against his master, and this makes him and also his interaction with the other characters quite unbelievable. Especially the love affair with princess Amadela seems contrived.
Then we have the whole part with the jedies, and most of all the jedies fighting! A part of the movie I really looked forward to. And it does look extremely great when fifty jedi-knights light up their sabres and come the rescue. And Christopher Lee is quite good as the renegade jedi-master Dokuu, although he plays exactly the same role as in Lord Of the Rings, just with a shorter beard and a light sabre instead of a magic wand. But that just completes the circle, because the original Star Wars movie also had a lot of elements from Tolkien's novel. And in general Episode II: Attack Of The Clones HAS borrowed quite a lot from other films, although I doubt that there is self ironic joke in the title.
So. to sum up: The new Star Wars chapter is a beautifully made adventure movie, better than Episode I, but it lacks some essential storytelling elements and actor directing, which could have saved a lot. But worst of all, and a lesson for future Star Wars films: Thou shall not have Yoda fighting with a light sabre! Imagine a frog on speed with long green ears and a glowing green stick, flying around Christopher Lee, while making Darth Maul moves.
Anyway. It's Star Wars, so you have a tendency to accept more, than you would with other films. At least that's how I feel...