Forgettable characters make a forgettable film

Rating: 7/10 (27 June 2002)

The main problem I had with Attack of the Clones was that the new characters presented in this new trilogy just have not been captivating at all. Part of this is due to the horrible, wooden dialogue that has plagued the first 2 of this new series, but it just seems that the level of creativity and intelligence that went into creating the original cast is completely gone.
In the original trilogy, the duo of Han Solo and Chewbacca gave the original trilogy an energy and warmth that lacks in the new installments. Another great duo, C-3PO and R2D2 provided their own blend of comedy and just plain innovation as far as their costume design, which was something never seen before. No one has been able to reproduce another Darth Vader, which the incredible voice, the brilliant costume design, and the sheer mystery and awe he gave off.
Attack of the Clones features some really good Hollywood talent in Hayden, Natalie, Ewan, Christopher Lee, Samuel Jackson, etc, but the chemistry and the magic just doesn't exist in the film. Their characters have no edge, no individual style, nothing that sets them apart from anything people have seen before. There really is no one to root for, no one you really can cheer for, other than the computer animated Yoda.
The characters of the original trilogy were so fun to watch because your initial reaction was something like, "jeez, how did they come up with this stuff???" In the new installments, the best that Lucas's team can come up with is Jar Jar Binks and a bunch of bizarre, forgettable computer-animated creatures.
Even worse, Lucas's team relies too much on the originals. I am baffled as to why this Jango Fett was created. I understand that the Lucas team wanted to explain how the Clones and the so-called "Clone Wars" began, but why do a total RIP OFF of the Boba Fett character from the originals? Boba Fett was another brilliant design by the original team, his high-powered battle suit was just awesome and frightening, but his role was a small one in the scheme of things, and nothing more was alluded to. Along with the Boba Fett rip-off, why bring back C-3PO and R2D2? Again, the Lucas team is just lazy, un-inspired, or completely stupid in their choice to introduce these characters. In such an amazing, vast universe, how could this story revolve around a small group of characters? In my opinion, there may be two reasons for this. One, Jango Fett and the droids make for really great toys, and the people who profit from Lucas must absolutely drool when they think of the new line of Jango Fett toys that will hit shelves soon. Second, I think the new Lucas team are either not as talented as the original artists (who were absolute GENUISES), or they are afraid of taking risks and making the effort of creating a whole new universe for people to enjoy. Maybe Lucas was scared of trying something new, so his team decided to ride on the magic of the original trilogy. Nevertheless, the creativity is gone, replaced by computer animation, very pretty on the surface, but very shallow indeed.
There is one more thing that has been bothering me. The design of the stormtroopers is obviously somewhat different from that of the orginal soldiers, as the helmets are different, they seem to be more related to Jango Fett. But I also noticed that the design of the Star Destroyers, which also appear near the end of the film, seem somewhat different than in the original trilogy. Is this intended as an early design that will be changed later by the Empire? Or is this Lucas's new interpretation of what the Empire should have looked like? I was a little confused on that matter.
I gave the film a 6 out of 10.