Star Wars movie ranking after The Last Jedi
By Mike McNulty
Credit: Lucasfilm; poster for Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)
9. Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones (2002)
For decades, George Lucas built himself a well-deserved reputation as a master storyteller and a pioneering filmmaker, especially it came to Star Wars. Even if The Phantom Menace (1999) wasn’t as strong when compared with the original trilogy, fans, moviegoers, and critics still cut him some slack for this reason. Then came Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones, then everyone started wondering if Lucas’ lost the magic.
Clones was also one of the first big-budget movies filmed entirely in HD. It had more computer-generated characters and “digital [stunt] doubles.” Save for a few scenes on Naboo and Tatooine, much of the filming took place on a sound stage in front of a green screen. The result is that Clones looks like the most expensive full-motion video game ever made.
Not that Clones doesn’t have its moments. Obi-Wan Kenobi’s (Ewan McGregor) fighting Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison) on the perpetually raining planet of Kamino is an exciting action set-piece. Other moments like Kenobi’s ship dodging exploding asteroids, or the assembly of the titular clone troopers look breathtaking. Then are moments which may have seemed awesome on paper come off looking ridiculous on-screen, like the CGI Yoda and Count Dooku’s (Christopher Lee) lightsaber battle.
What really sinks the movie, however, is the cringe-inducing, melodramatic romance of Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and Padme Amadala (Natalie Portman). Christensen’s performance alone has more wood than the Amazon, made all the worse by laughable dialogue like the infamous “I hate sand” speech.
It’s clear what Lucas was attempting with Attack of the Clones. At its heart was a tragedy of forbidden love against the backdrop of war, of how evil can come to power by taking advantage of our fears and good intentions. Unfortunately, Lucas, for whatever reasons, failed to match his ambitions.