{"id":4085,"date":"2002-05-17T15:17:54","date_gmt":"2002-05-17T20:17:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/starwarz.com\/tbone\/?p=4085"},"modified":"2022-05-24T09:39:52","modified_gmt":"2022-05-24T14:39:52","slug":"review-commentary-episode-ii-attack-of-the-clones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starwarz.com\/tbone\/review-commentary-episode-ii-attack-of-the-clones\/","title":{"rendered":"Review\/Commentary: Episode II: Attack of the Clones<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all waited patiently for three years for the follow-up to The Phantom Menace<\/em>, and now it\u2019s here. Yes it\u2019s good, yes it\u2019s an improvement, and yes people still care. I guess being a longtime fan can sway your opinions a little, but I really loved this film. Even people who aren\u2019t that into Star Wars<\/em> are telling me it’s really cool. Everyone loved Yoda, and that seems to be all they\u2019re talking about\u2014that and how his big fight scene was too short. Everyone wanted more Yoda kicking Sith booty.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The film begins with a big explosion that catapults us into Episode II<\/em> at a breakneck speed. As far as the editing goes, it\u2019s similar to Episode I<\/em>, utilizing fast cuts and the traditional wipes the Star Wars<\/em> films are famous for. The scenes are short but useful and necessary. 15 minutes into the film, we\u2019re already on a wild chase through Coruscant traffic with Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi hanging on to a flying assassin droid for dear life, while an older and whinier Anakin Skywalker \u201cborrows\u201d a speeder to try and rescue his dangling master. From then on it\u2019s a rollercoaster ride of fun that doesn\u2019t stop until the credits roll. That\u2019s how Episode II<\/em> moves. It builds, climbs, and drops you over and over again. Yes, there are some slower slower, expositional scenes, but I think if you pay attention to them, you’ll be rewarded because many of them are quite enjoyable, like the Watto\/Anakin reunion which is both humorous and heartwarming.<\/p>\n

Many people didn\u2019t like the look and feel of Episode I<\/em> since it was new and unfamiliar. I actually liked the way it looked. It showed a galaxy without the rough edges. Everything is perfect, nicely designed, and all curved and shiny. In this film, while some aspects of the beaten-up universe we\u2019re familiar with start to manifest, the look and feel is quite the same as in Episode I<\/em>, just a little more enhanced. In some cases, it’s a lot more enhanced, as with any scene on Coruscant. We didn\u2019t get to see a lot of the place in Episode I<\/em>, and what we saw was mostly indoors. In Episode II<\/em>, we\u2019re treated to some very nice exterior establishing shots that are nothing short of breathtaking.<\/p>\n

The high point of the Coruscant scenes is the high-speed chase through the traffic and underworld which starts with Obi-Wan leaping through Padm\u00e9\u2019s bedroom window onto an assassin droid sent out by bounty hunter Zam Wesell. Obi-Wan is taken on a perilous ride through the traffic lanes as the droid tries to shake him free. Meanwhile, Anakin takes off after him. After catching Obi-Wan in a borrowed speeder, he continues to pursue Zam, now in her speeder trying to get away. The visuals here are fantastic, if you have time to look at them. The chase is extremely fast and the amount of eye candy is enormous. Repeat viewings will definitely reveal a lot more in the background. Fans of Blade Runner<\/em> will be quite happy to see the familiar neon look of the downtown Los Angeles set. The whole chase kept bringing Blade Runner<\/em> back to my mind, especially the part where Anakin chases Zam on foot through the crowded Coruscant streets. There\u2019s one shot of Zam running at the camera I just love. All I think about during that part is Rick Deckard chasing the Zhora through the streets. While perhaps not a conscious homage, it still made me associate the two scenes right away, and because I\u2019m a big Blade Runner<\/em> fan, I enjoy the similarities in a big way.<\/p>\n

Speaking of Coruscant, one of the eeriest moments in Episode II<\/em> happens in Palpatine\u2019s office. Anakin and Palpatine have a conversation that creeps me out, knowing what\u2019s going to eventually take place years later. This scene alone reveals Palpatine\u2019s true evil nature without really giving it away to those who haven\u2019t seen the original trilogy. In this scene, Palpatine is priming Anakin for his turn to the Dark Side. You know he\u2019s just biding his time, waiting for the right moment to take Anakin and mold him into a Sith minion. You can see it in his walk, hear it in his voice. He wants Anakin on his (dark) side and fills his head with a few ideas to keep his ego boosted until it\u2019s time to turn.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s lots of cutting back and forth between Obi-Wan trying to solve the mystery of who\u2019s trying to kill Amidala, and Anakin who is trying to protect her by taking her off-planet, which she\u2019s not too happy about. The Anakin\/Padm\u00e9 scenes take us through the love story arc and while there are a few quirky dialogue moments, I feel it was as good as it could be without being too boring. Casting director Robin Gurland was right when she said Hayden says it all with his eyes. Sometimes he stares at people and no words are needed. I\u2019ll have no Hayden bashing. He did a fantastic job. In fact, the scenes I was worried about turned out great, like when Anakin breaks down after the Tusken encounter and finding his mother, or when he says his final goodbyes to Shmi at the gravesite.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t pay attention, you might miss a few things. I\u2019ve seen it a few times in the theater already and I\u2019ve noticed that different audiences picked up on different things. When Anakin and Padm\u00e9 first kiss, she pulls away and the music dramatically stops. Sometimes people laughed at this, sometimes not. Then Anakin apologizes but if you look at his face, his expression is of sheer confusion and it\u2019s humorous. Some crowds missed that as well. There are no gratuitous love scenes in Star Wars<\/em>, which is probably one of the reasons I like these scenes so much. Those little nuances, like Anakin\u2019s confused face, help lighten the serious tone.<\/p>\n

The last hour of this film shows us what the Jedi and the Republic are capable of when pushed.\u00a0We already know who wins this particular war, but if we had no original trilogy, we wouldn\u2019t know this. In fact, it\u2019s a pretty interesting little twist. On the surface, it appears that the Republic came out victorious in the Battle of Geonosis, but perhaps in Episode III<\/em> Palpatine\/Darth Sidious will simply point the Clone Army in whatever direction he wants. Palpatine can then declare himself Emperor, disband the Senate, and become the dictator we know from the original trilogy.\u00a0The battle scenes in the last 30 minutes of the film are true movie magic. Even if you\u2019re disappointed with the first two-thirds of the film, the last third makes up for it in a big way. The arena, the rescue by Yoda and the Clones, the whole \u201cDeath Star\u201d nod, the land battles, the pursuit and duels with Count Dooku, Yoda once again proving that \u201csize matters not,\u201d and everything else that follows will keep you on the edge of your seat.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t get the same feeling seeing Yoda\u2019s performance in the last part of the film as you did when you Luke and Vader first fought in The Empire Strikes Back<\/em>, then you really need to lighten up a bit and learn how to enjoy a film again. I just wish the lightsaber duels in this film were as long and involved as the ones in the original trilogy. They seemed to whiz by as fast as the Maul vs. Obi-Wan duel in Episode I<\/em>. What makes these duels with Dooku a little more interesting is the confidence and arrogance of Dooku, taunting Obi-Wan with a huge grin while uttering lines like, \u201cSurely, you can do better!\u201d There’s nothing like a little trash-talk while fighting with a lightsaber. Maul was cool, but you have to give Dooku credit. He\u2019s older, more experienced, elegant, classy, but knows when to jump ship when he has to. Christopher Lee plays this character well, goofy faces and all. Everyone was worried that he would be too old to pull this off but he, along with Yoda, steals the final scenes. The Dooku\/Yoda fight alone makes the film worth seeing. That shot of Yoda opening his robe to reveal his lightsaber will no doubt join the list of the most memorable Star Wars<\/em> scenes ever.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m fully satisfied with the direction the saga is heading. I feel that people need to realize that no matter what Lucas does, he\u2019s never going to top that Original Trilogy for a lot of people, myself included.\u00a0Part of the problem with people\/critics\/fans today is that they keep comparing the new films to the originals. The thing they\u2019re forgetting is how old they were when they saw the film. Your age gives you a different perspective. When you\u2019re young and impressionable, it can mean all the world to you. It\u2019s all you think about because when you\u2019re young, you have nothing else to worry about. You\u2019re not looking for technical flaws, special effects mistakes, bad dialogue or acting\u2014you\u2019re there to have fun. When you go see these new films, you need to get back into that mindset of, \u201cI\u2019m here to have fun and enjoy the story.\u201d Once you can do that without sitting there over-analyzing the film\u2019s intricacies, you\u2019ll find the new films are a pretty fun ride.<\/p>\n

Before these films were made, people had their own ideas about what they think happened in the prequel era. Obi-Wan and Anakin had a fight in a lava pit, and so on. But what if Lucas decides that it didn\u2019t go down that way after all this time? Will people have tantrums when Episode III<\/em> comes out? There’s no reason to be so uptight about the films. Perhaps some fans love the series but don\u2019t want to see their version of events distorted or destroyed. The trouble is, this is the story as per its creator. There are some tweaks along the way, but you\u2019re getting what Lucas put in his back story notes and outlines years ago. He\u2019s not going to change that for anyone.\u00a0If you\u2019re going to let Jar Jar Binks ruin a whole movie for you, then that\u2019s your problem, but just remember that not everyone hates the guy. I\u2019m happy he\u2019s in Episode II<\/em> and I like what happens to him. Many people didn\u2019t find him that funny, except for kids, I suppose. I have the feeling that if Episode I<\/em> was made back in 1977 and A New Hope<\/em> was made today, people might be running around now saying things like, “That C-3PO is so annoying,” or “Luke is a whiny, unlikable punk played by a really bad actor,” or “Peter Cushing is excellent in the film, but he\u2019s not enough to salvage this mess of a B-movie.” They’d probably say that veteran actor Alec Guinness was forced to do his best with Lucas\u2019 bad dialogue.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all about perspective. As a longtime fan of the Star Wars<\/em> series, I\u2019ve always been willing to let go of most of the cinematic flaws that appear in the saga, including the newer films. I find them fresh, entertaining as hell, and a nice break from the usual Hollywood drivel. Episode II<\/em> in particular exceeded my expectations. I was pleasantly blown away by some of the visuals, effects, and even by the scenes where the effects were minimal, like the Tatooine set. I love that they recreated the whole Lars kitchen just for that little scene when Beru brings a tray of drinks out. I mean, they didn\u2019t have to go to all that trouble to reproduce every little detail just for a few seconds of film time, but they did. Of course there\u2019s probably more footage from the kitchen on the cutting room floor, but the point still stands.<\/p>\n

I think the film is outstanding in lots of ways. It\u2019s technically great, visually dynamic, entertaining, and satisfying, at least to me. Some might disagree, but no opinion is wrong. However, I feel that people let too many factors sway their opinions, and those who felt \u201ccheated\u201d by Episode I<\/em> are now looking for new things to complain about. While it\u2019s not perfect (and what movie is?), it\u2019s still loads of fun and a good time at the movie show. Enjoy it!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all waited patiently for three years for the follow-up to The Phantom Menace, and now it\u2019s here. Yes it\u2019s good, yes it\u2019s an improvement, and yes people still care. I guess being a longtime fan can sway your opinions a little, but I really loved this film. Even people who aren\u2019t that into Star […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1001004,"featured_media":4088,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[951],"tags":[150,149,768,971,592],"class_list":["post-4085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","tag-attack-of-the-clones","tag-episode-ii","tag-film","tag-prequels","tag-review"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starwarz.com\/tbone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starwarz.com\/tbone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starwarz.com\/tbone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starwarz.com\/tbone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1001004"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starwarz.com\/tbone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4085"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/starwarz.com\/tbone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4085\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4091,"href":"https:\/\/starwarz.com\/tbone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4085\/revisions\/4091"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starwarz.com\/tbone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starwarz.com\/tbone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starwarz.com\/tbone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starwarz.com\/tbone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}