Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)'s comments

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Jordan95

After rewatching the excruciating experience that The Phantom Menace was, Attack of the Clones predictably lives up to the mediocre standards set by its predecessor. Every filmmaking aspect, to the alarmingly corny screenplay, the overuse of early 2000s CGI, the stiff performances and the lifeless direction by Lucas only serve to make the film feel every minute of its 142 minute runtime.

Set 10 years after The Phantom Menace, the film follows Anakin's mission to protect Senator Amidala after repeated assassination attempts and falling in love, while Obi-Wan Kenobi attempts to uncover the responsible behind these attempts and the creation of a clone army. While it may sound like a great Romance-Mystery structure on paper, Lucas does everything possible to squander the potential for making a compelling story. Doesn't help matters that the main love story is filled with the corniest dialogue imaginable and that the actors have absolutely zero chemistry, which makes it impossible to accept as the transcendental romance that Lucas clearly intends.

The performances are even more uninspired this time around, as the actors mostly look bored and lost amongst the countless CGI landscapes. Much has been rightfully said about Christensen's performance, as he proves to be absolutely dreadful as Anakin, turning him into a whiny, creepy and self-absorbed asshole with delirious of grandeur. Ewan McGregor and Christopher Lee are the only ones who even try to look as if they give a fuck about their surroundings.

The script is lifeless, corny and once again more concerned with boring political discussions than with providing great characters and memorable adventure. It seems that Lucas forgot what was the spirit of Star Wars when he set out to make the prequels. The only great aspect is John Williams' unsurprisingly breathtaking score, which the filmmakers clearly noticed as they put it constantly in the background to add drama and excitement when there is none. His love theme for Anakin and Padme is one of the greatest themes of the saga, which makes all the more painful as it clearly deserves a better film than this one.

Attack of the Clones is overlong, boring, overloaded with dated CGI and a clear sign that Lucas' obsession with technology long surpassed his attention to good storytelling.

8 years 11 months ago

Rohit

I always thought there were two kinds of bad movies. The one that were just plain bad and the other that were so bad that they were actually good. Then, I met this third kind.

12 years 10 months ago

Rayek

Oh, Natalie <3

10 years 3 months ago

yocxl

Worst of the prequels. Yes, I think Phantom Menace is better. Far better.

12 years 10 months ago

NuclearPlanet

This was terrible.

12 years ago

vishnu

Terrible.

12 years 9 months ago

DisneyStitch

I don't know what the script writers were thinking, I really don't. It's like some of them got together and thought "how can we add the cheesiest dialogue possible here?" No doubt a rant against sand was their crown jewel. The only thing I can figure is that people behind the scenes hated the character of Anakin, like a lot.

The action scenes are ok, but the vast amount of CGI just makes it seem like a giant cartoon with the odd real actor stuck somewhere in the middle. It's like they forgot that you need a lot of real anchor props in CGI environments to help the audience focus.

Hayden Christiansen can act, that's the amazing thing, but no actor would survive this dialogue. The script itself seems to try its darndest to drive a planet sized wedge between Anakin and Padme and it's a shame that nobody bothered to try and fix it. Very interesting that in interviews Hayden claims that he signed a contract to play the character without even seeing the script first, an extremely uncommon thing to do for an actor to take that chance. I can't help but wonder if he might have approached things differently or even if he might have had some sway over his character if the script had been available first.

I've read an interesting theory recently that Palpatine specifically manipulated Anakin to be closer to Padme so that they would fall in love and he would be able to use that conflict to groom his future apprentice and the movie scenes seem to lend themselves to this theory. If true, it makes a lot more sense that their chemistry is awful because they're both pawns and not naturally supposed to be together.

6 years 4 months ago

Siskoid

The Obi-Wan/clone Fett stuff is watchable, and the Yoda duel nifty, but all the Anakin stuff is just awful. Hayden Christensen is totally out of his depth and he and the usually good Natalie Portman have no chemistry. Again, all overdone and senseless.

6 years 6 months ago

Agnezious

Pointless, boring, overkillllll, bad acting, bad directing. Waste my time!

7 years 9 months ago

Dieguito

Better than the first at least..

12 years 3 months ago

IreneAdler

Loved that movie. Visually lovely, I enjoyed the scenes on Naboo or in the big cities and all the aliens and animals... Ewan McGregor was good as always. I liked the pace of the movie and the feeling of menace in some scenes - as well as the humor between Anakin and Obi-Wan.

10 years 8 months ago

meysam_a

i just die for its epic music!
and this was absolutely the best part:
spoiler

11 years 5 months ago

ca_horror_fan

5 out of 10. Lucas toned down Jar Jar and the shiny-new vehicles--yet fell even flatter due to Anakin. Ani was pouty and insubordinate--but the super-perceptive Jedi hardly notice, and the leading lady inexplicably falls for him. For all my frustration with the main character and in-jokes, the visual effects were strong, and the sound effects phenomenal. I found the arena and first two saber battles with Count Dooku compelling.

8 years 12 months ago

Earring72

Enjoyed it more than the first one, especially the Obi Wan storyline, the "romance" part isn't that exciting or believable. Great special effects and sound. Never on par with the original trilogy but entertaining.

9 years 9 months ago

danisanna

I liked this one more than episode I. Better story, stunning visual effects.

10 years 7 months ago