Episode II falls short of the hype
By Justin Manger
"A long time ago ... " there was an innovative approach to the hero epic in Star Wars. The series has reached a legendary status for a number of good reasons. Unfortunately, the most recent installment, Episode II: Attack of the Clones, does not exemplify many of those reasons.
The story begins with an assassination attempt on the now-Senator Amidala of Naboo (Natalie Portman), which prompts Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his Padawan Learner Anakin Skywalker(Hayden Christensen) to become her protectors.
As Anakin and Amidala are reunited, sparks immediately fly, setting the stage for much of Episode II to be a love story between them. While this is transpiring, Kenobi attempts to discover the identity of the group that wants her dead, which causes the main characters to go through a series of events that shape the plot of Episode II.
Naturally, the American movie-going public has been eagerly anticipating the release of the fifth film in the Star Wars series. Each of the other episodes in the series has met with overwhelming success due to engrossing storylines, memorable characters, solid acting and stunning visual effects. Sadly, Attack of the Clones falls far short of its predecessors' achievements, save for the latter.
I've been an avid follower of the epoch since I first saw Episode IV (the first of the series released in 1977). Never once in the entirety of the series had I spent one moment of time during a movie thinking about how slowly the story was progressing. That is, of course, until I saw Episode II. I actually found myself rolling my eyes at a number of the many instances of long-winded dialogue, as well as the extended "dry" periods where little action took place. Although such events as the Jedi Council conferences and Obi-Wan's life-lesson lectures to Anakin are necessary to the story, and despite the fact that such dialogue is very well-written, the script as a whole moves at a relaxed pace for a Star Wars film. This leads to boring lag time while the foundation for the ending is being laid.
The acting and characters in the story also suffer from the same mediocrity that plagues the script itself. Natalie Portman's (Beautiful Girls, Where The Heart Is) portrayal of Queen/Senator Amidala was fairly deadpan in Attack of the Clones. While such would fit more cohesively in her role in Episode I as an all-business politician, the warmth Episode II requires of her seems all but lost. Hayden Christensen (The Virgin Suicides, Life As A House) is downright laughable as the angst-ridden Anakin, as the vast majority of his lines seem forced, most obviously those in his "emotionally intense" scenes with Amidala. In fact, even though I rarely find a love story too "cheesy" or "sappy," the romantic interplay between Christensen and Portman was so far-fetched and unnatural that it became unintentionally funny at points, sapping much of the plot's steam. Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting, Moulin Rouge) does a good job portraying the wise yet maverick Obi-Wan Kenobi, although a shockingly small number of lines are given to him, undermining his ability to completely convey his character to the audience.
Ultimately, almost all of the Episode II's highlights were a result of the amazing visual work put into the movie. All of the computer-generated action sequences are spectacular, such as Obi-Wan Kenobi's hanging onto a wildly gyrating flyer on Corsucant. The final battle sequence of Episode II rivaled those of A New Hope and Return of the Jedi in both scope and grandeur. All of the sword fights, as usual, were masterfully choreographed, and thoroughly exciting. Without a doubt, however, the best combination of all visual effects in the movie was Yoda's lightsabre battle with Count Dooku. The scene is arguably the most exciting in the movie - people in the theater were standing up in their seats and clapping while Yoda was flying around, wildly flailing his sword. Indeed, this scene alone is reason enough to see the movie. There is no question that the action enthusiast will get his or her money's worth out of this one.
Still, despite the amazing visual portrayal of the events in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, a number of other mediocrities bog down this continuation of the Star Wars epoch. While the movie is still unquestionably entertaining (it is, after all, Star Wars), the nagging inadequacies that shadow the film make this attempt George Lucas' least impressive artistic effort to date. It's definitely worth a view, but most likely Episode II is one you won't find yourself going back to see again and again. B-