As promised, here is part 1 of...

Star Wars - Episode II: Attack of the Clones

A Review by Steven Hawk

written: May 17, 2002

Maybe I have become too cynical. Perhaps my expectations were too high. It's possible I know too much now about the trickery of modern special effects. And maybe I am too knowledgeable (not to pat myself on the back or anything) about the background and details of this particular tale. But for whatever reason, I was a little disappointed with "Star Wars - Episode II: Attack of the Clones." Now, don't get me wrong, I would still recommend seeing the movie to anyone. I am a Star Wars fan, after all. And I know that nothing I say, or that anyone could say, would or should dissuade a true fan of the saga from seeing this particular installment. In fact, as a nearly life-long fan who, as a thirteen-year old boy, gaped in awe at the original film back in 1977, just seeing the opening titles to this film is almost worth the price of admission, even with all it's flaws.

I am, however, left with the conclusion that George Lucas has lost the magic, or at least some of the magic, that infused the original Star Wars. Perhaps he's too close to his own creation. Perhaps he has tackled too many roles in the making of these prequels to his 1977 masterpiece, "Star Wars" (now known in terms of the Star Wars saga as "Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope"). And perhaps we have a case of the Emperor's new clothes. No one in Lucasfilm's empire is willing to tell the boss - the man who created Star Wars and Indiana Jones - that something is awry.

As to the particulars of this movie, there is a lot to nitpick even as there is a lot to admire. First, and foremost, the dialogue is more stilted and corny than in any previous Star Wars film. To be fair, dialogue has never been the strong suit of the Star Wars films. If you are looking for engaging dialogue and multidimensional character interactions, you shouldn't be looking for them in a Star Wars film. But Lucasfilm has billed "Attack of the Clones," title notwithstanding, as the romantic centerpiece of the saga. And the dialogue between the central romantic characters, Anakin Skywalker (as portrayed by Hayden Christensen) and Padme Amidala (portrayed by Natalie Portman), simply fails to convey a sense of genuine love developing between two young people. We can fault the dialogue in the script as being wooden and more than a little corny - the audience I saw the film with laughed at almost every romantic exchange between these two characters. We can fault the actors' delivery of those lines. Christensen, though convincing in his portrayal of the anger, bitterness and dark emotions boiling within Anakin, is less than convincing in the more tender scenes with Natalie Portman's Amidala. And for her part, Portman's portrayal of Amidala fails to convince us why she might be falling for the troubled Anakin in the first place. Her wide-eyed gazes at Anakin seem to be all she has to offer. We know, fro mthe story, that Anakin has had a crush on Amidala since he was a boy, as seen in "Episode I." But why the older Amidala would be falling for the young man she knew as Little Annie isn't made clear. However, we know that Portman and Christensen both are capable of better, evidenced by the other work, as are all the human actors in this film. But the real fault here is not Christensen's or Portman's, it is that of the writer and the director, who just happen to be the same person in this case.

[continued in part 2, coming soon]