Review of Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) by Gordon H — 01 Aug 2016

Better in Some Ways, Worse in Others.

Originally Written May 16, 2002--.

Set ten years after the events of "The Phantom Menace," the Republic continues to be mired in strife and chaos. A separatist movement encompassing hundreds of planets and powerful corporate alliances poses new threats to the galaxy that even the Jedi cannot stem. These moves, long planned by an as yet unrevealed and powerful force, lead to the beginning of the Clone Wars -- and the beginning of the end of the Republic. In the middle of all this chaos, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is assigned to protect Sen. Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman).

I really wanted to like this new Star Wars adventure. After the disappointment that was "The Phantom Menace," I truly hoped this one would be a lot better. I'm happy to report that it is better in some ways, but frustrated to report that it's worse in others. While George Lucas has expanded his storytelling capabilities with amazing CGI advances in the last ten years, what suffers the most here is how wooden the acting is, how awful the dialogue is, and when there's no CGI candy to spice up the screen, how painful it is to watch. We all know that Anakin and Padme are destined to become the parents of a pair of twins named Luke and Leia, but there is exactly zero chemistry between Christensen and Portman. Luckily, the best part of the film occurs in the last 45 minutes when we get to watch the beginning of the long promised Clone Wars begin. And when yes, a certain diminutive Jedi FINALLY gets to show off his stuff! Three stars out of five.