Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones



Unlike Episode One, Jar Jar Binks isn't an issue. Sure he's given the position of senate representative (something he's clearly unqualified for), but at least he's undergone some serious intelligence training and--for the most part--no longer plays the bumbling fool. Overall, Attack of the Clones is a slight improvement over Episode One.

The good:
 We've got more great visual effects. Like the first movie, it's a joy to see amazing new worlds both beautiful and hostile. Theirs something plain cool about the mixing of untamed planets and advanced technology. Theirs something fascinating about exploring new worlds, but to be able to do it in a sweet spaceship, that's totally rad...

I also enjoyed Boba Fett the bounty hunter...he was an almost sympathetic bad guy. Especially so since he had his son with him. Then there was the epic battle at the end with three fun monster-aliens, tons of jedi, the clone army vs. the droid army, and of course Yoda battling Count Dooku (I remember the audience going wild when I first went to see it in theaters).

The Bad:
Again, poor character development. The first movie was so-so, but this one was stiff. The lines were often simplistic and lacked depth. And then there was the romance between Anakin and Princess Amidala. It was totally forced. She had no reason to be so in love with him, and he had no reason to be in love with her. Anakin was just a kid in the first movie, why would he be desiring her...he barely new her...if he'd been a teen, then yeah, but he was just a boy. She'd have koodies still. And then on her end, why would she fall for him with all those cheesy lines he gave her. As a viewer, nothing in the romance was earned. My wife even protested saying: "What has he done to make her say that!"

So in conclusion, Attack of the clones was better than Episode One, but a far cry from what it could have been. But I'm looking forward to watching Episode Three...I remember it being the redeeming gem in the bunch!

8 comments:

logankstewart said...

Once again I have to agree, though I often tend to like Episode One over Episode Two if only for Darth Maul. I'm guessing by Boba Fett you mean Jango Fett? The battle scene with Yoda was pretty cool, and I remember the audience having the same reaction you described.

The romance is pure cheese. Lame. Boring. But perhaps the romance wasn't forced it was Forced. Maybe it was only so Luke and Leia could be born? (Yeah, a weak pun, but possible?)

Episode Three is definitely the best of the prequels. Enjoy when you get to it. Are you planning on watching the Clone Wars DVD that takes place between 2 & 3, or just the six films?

Brandon Barr said...

Logan,
boy my face is red...yes, Jango Fett.
I think.
And you're absolutely right, Luke and Leia had to be born...but he could have done a lot better job developing the romance that leads to it...
Do you recommend Clone wars?? I'll definitely rent it if you think its worth it! :)

logankstewart said...

I enjoyed Clone Wars. It's animated and completely different from the other STAR WARS films, but at the same time it's fun and simple. The action is (of course) predictable and some of the jokes are lame (when are STAR WARS jokes not?), but I still enjoyed it quite a bit. And I think it'll be great for hooking in new, younger fans, too.

I'd recommend giving it a shot. In some aspects, it's better than Episodes I & II.

Brandon Barr said...

Clone Wars is next on my list to rent and review! :)

owo xD said...

Great review. I feel the exact same way. This one bored me to tears, but was worth it all just for that scene with Yoda and Dooku. I got into that one, but I couldn't with the Jedi battle. There wasn't enough powerful emotion in the story at that moment. I felt detached. In fact, the only moment I really liked that scene was when Boba (Jango?) picks up his fathers helmet on the empty battlefield.

I haven't seen Clone Wars. Actually, I saw one of the TV series episodes on Nickelodeon the other night. Overall, just that episode was better than Episode I, minus the special effects and Darth Maul. lol

Great post.

Brandon Barr said...

Chris,
Yeah, the character connection certainly wasn't there in this film. Just a bunch of neat looking effects...which is all to common these days. I saw Avatar, and I'll be posting on that soon.

KM Wilsher said...

I agree about developing the romance. . . I mean, I didn't believe they fell for each other - at all. Was not romance. We waited all those years to witness the love that brought Luke and Leia and that was it.
There was alot of work done, showing his past, the rape of his mom, etc. We could have done without so much of that and put the energy on the growth of their love. -- even a love a first sight kinda thing.

As for the Clone Wars. . .yuck. I didn't get through the first 10 minutes and I turned it off. Tell me what you think.

Again, I didn't believe the "strong female" in Clone Wars just as much as the romance from Episode II. And you know I like strong female characters!

Great reviews and conversations.

Brandon Barr said...

Hey KM,
Sounds like Clone Wars will generate some good discussion! I'm looking forward to seeing what I think.
Yep, you want strong female characters, and rightfully so...I promise every story I've written (outside of WTSF) has very strong female characters! ;)