Star Wars Episode II- Attack of the Clones came and went without nearly the fanfare of The Phantom Menace, it's true. That's not to say it didn't have any merit. It did. I have complicated feelings about this one and it is hard to describe, so this is a shorter review I think.
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are reunited with Padme Amidala, now a Republic Senator after an assassination attempt on her. They defeat a second attempt and Kenobi is assigned to solving the mystery of the assassin's origin while Skywalker is sent to Naboo with Padme as her bodyguard. Meanwhile, the Jedi try to halt the separatists trying to destroy the Republic. Everything comes together on planet Geonosis after some weird meandering, a silly love story, some ethnic cleansing and some slapstick.
The Good...
Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi is excellent. His entire storyline is really quite good as he goes about hunting the bounty hunter and, as it evolves, the origins of the clone army. Seeing him work as a Jedi doing actual work was kind of neat. Plus, McGregor seems to be the only actor in this series who is enjoying himself and doing well performance-wise.
The Not So Good...
Pretty much everything that Hayden Christenson and Natalie Portman do after they leave Coruscant for Naboo and, later, Tatooine. Their love story is torturous to watch and listen to. Seriously.
The revenge thing that Anakin does has no consequences, not even horror from Padme.
The computer generated stuff is kind of ridiculous.
While I liked Yoda, I did not care for Christopher Lee as Count Dooku.
Least of the saga but Ewan McGregor makes it worth watching. You can fast forward through the Skywalker/Amidala love story.
-all photos via IMDB.com.
