Star wars: episode ii - attack of the clones - Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones Reviews

Fans will be relieved to know that Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones improves upon its predecessor in almost every imaginable way. What that film lacked was a compelling plot but even that could be forgiven if Lucas had injected the proceedings with a palpable sense of suspense. It also lacked the personality and character of the first generation of stars and seemed strangely soulless, more like a show reel for Lucas' special effects company than an emotionally involving movie. Here Lucas has remembered some of the things that made the first Star Wars sing. He has realised that spectacle is a poor substitute for story and that movie characters have some other purpose than modelling for the merchandising. In this instalment of the Star Wars legend, everything has been pumped up an extra notch. Instead of a dull tale about trade wars, we have political intrigue aplenty with assassination attempts, secret armies and covert coalitions. Instead of stilted clothes ponies posing as people, we have real characters who have remembered how to joke and smile and occasionally even cry. Above all else, we have romance as Lucas makes a clever play for the audience of teenage girls as well as guys by making an epic with emotion. In this chapter, newcomer Hayden Christensen plays the pivotal role of Anakin Skywalker, now grown up and an apprentice Jedi Knight with ideas far beyond his station. He is called upon to protect Padme Amadala, the princess turned senator while Obi Wan Kenobi investigates rumours of a secret clone army that is being developed on a mysterious planet. As Skywalker and eventually Darth Vader, Christensen is called upon to go deeper than any other actor in the series. He must make his transition from techno-brat to adolescent freedom-fighter plausible and he also has to lay the groundwork so he can make a believable descent into the dark side. He carries it off particularly well and suggests a range that will soon establish him as something more than the dude who plays Darth Vader in disguise. Similarly, Natalie Portman, who was left with nothing much to work with last time except an extravagant line of headdress, radiates here and manages to convey a playful sense of power as well as a certain vulnerability. The scenes between her and Hayden are surprisingly effective. And Ewan McGregor, who looked so uncomfortable consorting with green screens and imaginary characters as a young Obi Wan Kenobi, now appears to be having a fabulous time pretending to be Alec Guinness. There are plenty of pay-offs for long-term fans with the introduction of a baby Boba Fett, the continuing involvement of R2D2 and C3PO and a suggestion that Yoda can kick butt along with all the other Jedi. Also the infamous Jar-Jar Binks, who was all but burnt in effigy by frustrated fans last time around, returns but in a noticeably reduced role. Whatever doubts you may have had about the future of the series will leave you at the first sign of a light sabre and if anything, the film tries a little too hard to please with one too many video game-inspired thrill rides through the Skywalker Ranch. Still, Lucas has created his most exhilarating action sequences, yet with unbelievably rich chase and battle scenes that surpass anything the series has yet delivered. What's more, he has done more to expand the Star Wars universe literally with eye-popping new planets to visit and figuratively with an ear for characters as well as an eye for computer-enhanced carnage. Whatever transpires in this galaxy far, far away, it's safe to say that Lucas has once again tapped into both the excitement and spirituality of the first films and is once again feeling the force.