(This review was written as a guest
critic at www.christiananswers.net in 2002)
For every generation there
are a group of movies that are so incredibly new and exciting that we take them
with us as we grow older. These are the movies that we can all remember who we
were with when we first saw them and how we felt, even if the details of the
film are not clear. For my parents Star Wars might fall into this category, as I'm
sure it would for many people their age. However, although the new addition to
this series does have somewhat of a timeless quality to it, I'm afraid it would
never fit in my list.
Not a "bad" film by any means, Episode
II is a little transparent or flat as far as the script is concerned. As in
the original films, Episode II is at its best when the action is going
strong, but unfortunately this one seems to fall short once it stops. If action
were enough, and it is extremely good action, then this film would be
fantastic. The problem lies in the scenes leading up to the fantastic final
forty-five minutes.
Much of the plot focuses on Anakin, who has now
grown into a young man; a young man who is plainly in love with Senator Padme,
our Queen Natalie Portman from Episode I. What could be an endearing love story
ends up dry and predictable. Often I felt myself wondering when they would go
back to Obi-Wan Kenobi, a much more entertaining character thanks to the ever
talented Ewan McGregor.
With a great cast of actors, most seem to rely
too much on the idea of Star Wars and never really make it their own. The three
exceptions would have to be Ewan McGregor, Sam Jackson, at the top of his game
when allowed to stretch his muscles in this humble role, and last but not least
Yoda, with thanks to Frank Oz and more advanced puppets.
As great as the action is I could not help but
notice that it is extremely violent. There is not a lot of blood and guts but
the violence still seems a bit extreme for a PG rating, which is something you
might want to take into consideration before taking any young children to see Episode
II.
Aside from the violence the film does a good job
of staying fairly clean but the subject matter can still be rather dark at
times. Episode II deals with the abuse of power to a great extent and
although there is something to be learned from this it seems that we end up
watching a great deal of the characters abusing their power rather than the
ones which are good. As in all movies about good and evil, evil must be
portrayed, as Satan is portrayed in the Bible, but Episode II realizes
that evil is often more interesting to an audience and so they choose to focus
on it.
The Attack of the Clones is entertaining at
points, long at others (over two and a half hours including the previews) but
worth seeing in the theatres if you plan to see it at all. Before taking
the kids, make sure that they are mature enough to handle some tense and
frightening scenes as well as violent battles. As far as finding a strong
message in this film, well, may the force be with you.
Entertainment Value:
8.5/10
Quality of Filmmaking:
6/10
Historical
Significance: 7/10
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