Star Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones [Blu-ray]

I find it kind of weird to be writing a review of Star Wars: Episode II so long after the fact. But for what is and has always been a series of popcorn movies, it took me a surprisingly long time and large number of viewings to really appreciate the subtlety of what Attack of the Clones was doing and how well the prequel trilogy as a whole succeeded.In a nutshell, George Lucas set himself a gargantuan task in doing the three prequels. He had to take the character of Anakin Skywalker, make him a likable and sympathetic character that viewers would enjoy watching for most of three movies, and then turn him into Darth Vader at the end in a way that was both fundamentally believable and effective, and allow the us to feel the tragedy. In short, he had to do something almost completely unlike the heroic arc he did in the original trilogy.And you know what, for me anyway, he succeeded, and once again the middle chapter is the key one. This is where Lucas had to develop Anakin as a real, likable character, and yet give us just enough of his darker side to set up his final fall without yet making us actually dislike him. I think Anakin's romance with Padme was the linchpin and very well-done, even though many fans have criticized it for lousy dialog. You know, I had badly-written dialog when I was that age too. We've had a lot of hip teenagers in popular culture these days, like the character from Buffy: the Vampire Slayer, who talk more like what their 30-something writers would have liked to have talked like when they were that age. Anakin is an awkward, conflicted, serious yet emotional teenager who is deeply in love with Padme and doesn't know how to talk to her. And that's what he sounds like, and for me, it worked, allowing Anakin to develop both sides of his character (Padme's side of the relationship is a little sketchier; her role isn't as well drawn in my opinion, and additionally Natalie Portman, a talented actress, may have been mailing this one in).Needless to say, the action and chase scenes are brilliant, and George Lucas is the master when it comes to framing and setting these things up. Whether it's the skillfully managed tension of the bar scene, the cleverly-shot lightsaber duel between Dooku, Anakin, and/or Obi-Wan, or fisticuffs in the rain, Lucas makes all the action scenes compelling. Crucially, they are an extension of the plot and character development and not just spectacular set pieces as they are in so many movies of this genre.I'm not going to say the movie is perfect, or as compelling as The Empire Strikes Back; it's got its awkward moments, not all of them there for a good reason. The first time I saw Episode II, I wasn't that impressed. But what Lucas set out to do was much more ambitious than it appears on the surface, far more ambitious than most Sci-Fi action flicks, and for me he's succeeded in delivering a trilogy of both exciting action and emotional depth. It took a little while for them to grow on me, and for me to appreciate and understand what he was doing, but now that I'm there I like the second three as much as the first three.

“I don’t like sand. It’s coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.”-Anakin Skywalker

Love all the Star Wars movies

I saw ATTACK OF THE CLONES five times in the theater, and have since seen it many more. I've heard some people bash the film from almost every angle, but I am not so sure the thinking is exactly clear from these reviewers.First of all, the title is just as cool as THE EMPIRE STRIKES back, utilizing the same sense of adventure serial dramatics that appeared in the original trilogy. Modern titles like "Star Wars: Reloaded" or "2TAR WAR2" would be out of place. Get over it.With its plot being almost an American folk legend, the Star Wars prequel trilogy is about story (you'll hear Lucas talk about it over and over again on the DVD). In my opinion, not every line of dialogue has to be stand-alone poetry in order to be effective, or to serve the story, as it does here. Each scene is about finding new points, and establishing details upon details of information for the entire saga.Add to the story some of the nuances of talented actors- Portman's frigid-to-soft Padme, who struggles with her work and her first real romance (feelings that are indeed childish to her)- Christensen's Anakin, an agrier version of Episode IV's Luke with whiney-ness and headstrong action leading toward the ultimate fate of the Dark Side- McGregor's Obi-wan, who has a witty sense of humor about him. Take all of these plus the rest of the ensemble, and look at the moments, tiny nuances that say "love", "anger", and "friendship". It's with them all the time.Remember your youth with the original trilogy. During ATTACK OF THE CLONES, some kids near me cheered and named off characters just like I did as a young fan. The Force was with them, and it should be with us too. An excellent movie!