Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
It’s easy for someone to tell by watching Star Wars: Attack of the Clones that George Lucas probably doesn’t like working or dealing with people to a great extent. From his dependence on computer animation to the laughably bad dialogue in this second installment of the prequel series, AotC is a good example of introverted filmmaking.
The film begins ten years after The Phantom Menace left off; Anakin Skywalker, now nineteen and a Jedi apprentice, has been pining away for Padmé Amidala since he last saw her on Naboo. She hasn’t been sitting at home dreaming about his pre-pubescent bod however, but instead has served out her remaining time as Queen and is now a Senator in the Galactic Senate. Obi-Wan Kenobi, last seen telling Yoda that he would train Anakin in the ways of the Jedi, is still trying to rein in Anakin’s mercurial impulses — proving that he’s up to the challenge of taking on his former master’s charge. All of this takes place while hundreds of member systems of the Galactic Senate are considering seceding from the Republic; the Jedi are having a hard time containing threats to its existence; and a vote is being considered to allow for the creation of an army to help create a bastion of peace and tranquility. Whew.
Enter Hayden Christensen as young Skywalker, ordered to protect Senator Amidala on her home planet from would-be assassins leaving plenty of time for what I and all Star Wars geeks have hoped for: space lovin’. Throughout the “love” scenes (which amount to no more than bare-backed dresses and frolicking in luscious fields), Christensen is believable as he makes the moves on a Scarlet O’Hara like Portman. However, his overall dialogue delivery left me turning to my wife and remarking, “You can sure tell where Luke got his whining from.” On the other hand, I thought he did quite well with what he was given and it will be interesting to see how he takes the dark side of the Force and kicks it up a notch in the third picture.
Natalie Portman, however, was a serious disappointment as she delivers her lines in a wooden monotone most of the film. She starts this one though as a snobby ex-queen turned senator who finally softens to the advances of Anakin, but the dialogue that comes out of her mouth remains stilted and forced. I laughed at serious moments where she was pouring her heart out and found it hard to watch during her scenes because I kept cringing.
Ewan McGregor is growing into the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi quite nicely, as is evidenced in his speech patterns mimicking those of the late Sir Alec Guinness. He has a presence and style that I don’t think he showed off in The Phantom Menace and is the true star of the series thus far.
The film does have its high points. I loved the water planet of Kamino, Anakin exacting his revenge on a tribe of Sand People, and the clone troopers were excellent foreshadowing to the future stormtroopers. The highlight, definitely, for any Star Wars fan though was when Yoda finally showed us that he was a true Jedi master in combat. I would see the film again just for that sequence (I don’t want to give away the circumstances, though).
Overall, the film struggled to be mediocre, which is sad to say since I’m sure a great deal of effort and tenacity went into its creation. The computer-generated characters and creatures seem flat, whereas even puppets, like the Rancor in Return of the Jedi, seemed real enough to kill you. Some of the action sequences were bordering on dull and about half of the jokes needed a rim shot.
The Star Wars franchise seems to be suffering under the digital age. What once had weight and texture now seems to be a cartoon and a shadow of its former self. Fans have been saying ever since The Phantom Menace that “the next one will be better.” We’ll have to wait for that next one and see.