Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
"Victory? Victory, you say? Master Obi-Wan, not victory. The shroud of the Dark Side has fallen. Begun, the Clone War has!" - Yoda
release year: 2002
genre: sci-fi/action
viewing setting: home Bluray 6/14/22 and 8/20/13 and home DVD, 4/5/09 and theater, 5/27/02
synopsis: The man who will become the Emperor works various plots and schemes to sieze power, while now-teenaged Anakin Skywalker begins his descent into evil.
impressions: This one was better than the last one, though it suffered from its very nature as a setup piece. The main problem for me was not only the love story, but the very nature of that love story: the two kids had little to no chemistry. I had no idea what Padme saw in Anakin. About all he did was whine, when he wasn't busy engaging in foolish stunts. The latter is key to what comes later: he's brash and young and lacks wisdom and patience, and this really comes into play in episode III. Other problems: the Jedis' ability to jump from any height and have no problems landing, the apparent "everything must tie together" plot edict. Strong points: legitimate new villains in Count Dooku and Jango Fett, Jedi (and especially Yoda!) battle action, lots of spaceships and special effects. Most importantly, after watching this for the second time, and as part of the I-II-III trilogy, I finally understand the whole plot with the Trade Federation, the Clone Wars, and all that.
things to watch for: When Yoda pays a visit to Count Dooku.
acting: Actually, very little stood out to me. I thought the actor who played Jango Fett did a good job (you can also see him as the Hangman in From Dusk Till Dawn 3.) Ewan McGregor does a great job as a young-but-becoming-older Obi-Wan Kenobi, and I coudl really see the similarities between his character here and Alec Guiness' character in Star Wars. Ian McDiarmid is great as a typical power-hungry person whose dark side (literally) is carrying him into power. Hayden Christensen is the now-teenaged Anakin, who's a bundle of emotions without any wisdom or experience (i.e. he's easily manipulated.)
final word: Good setup piece that really ties together episode I and the later ones.
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