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Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones

Opening night for the 12:01am show was immense. Talk about a long line! Of course, that's what makes the hype of Star Wars even more fun. I went with my brother and my cousin, pushing through the line and making our way through the sold-out crowd to find a good seat. Waiting in my seat for a whole hour in advance went by fairly quickly with sour patch kids and good memoirs of the past trilogy and prequel. People talked through the previews anxiously waiting.

Suddenly, a silence surpasses. As the plot passed among the stars, we were once again encompassed by the song of this great epic. While many clapped with excitement, I anxiously waited to see what came next.

The scene opens, and we are introduced to familiar faces and our eyes dazzle with amazement. Amidala (Natalie Portman) had arrived for a mass meeting under the Senate to discuss the galaxy's growing fear of defending itself. Yet, there is obviously someone who wishes her absence at this meeting. All are shocked seeing the assassination attempt on Senator Padme Amidala.

Surviving her decoy, she is faced with apprehension and immediately is placed in the protection of her longtime friends, Obi Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christiansen). While still in fear from more bounty hunters' attempts on her life, the Jedi council orders Amidala to return to her home planet of Naboo, accompanied by the young Jedi knight, Anakin.

Anakin's infatuations still continue, since their last encounter in The Phantom Menace. He is still spellbound by Amidala, slightly making a fool out of himself during their reunion. Almost ten years his senior, Amidala fires a comeback that Ani will still be regarded as that little boy she met on Tatooine. Despite their growing attractions for one another, the two decide to resist, for breaking the code of the Jedi Order is taboo.

In the meantime, Obi Wan Kenobi is on the quest for tracking down the bounty hunter who was hired to kill Amidala. From the intricate designing of the bullet, he is led to Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison). His quarters are located in a hidden galaxy, removed from all maps, where he is secretly building a clone army. While the natives of the planet have no comprehension of the long term plans for this army created by a mysterious and long-deceased Jedi knight, Obi Wan learns there is something strange going on. While following Jango Fett, he is taken captive.

Learning of Obi Wan's captivity, Amidala and Anakin race to the rescue, only to find themselves at his side. At the hour of their executions, the Jedi knights arrive to their rescue, starting the Attack of the Clones.

This epic is full of exquisite scenes and good plots. There are no dull moments and keeps the audience in constant suspense.

George Lucas amazes us once again with his awesome special effects, creativity and new "out-of-this-world" characters. They are fully believable with the use of computer technology, even down to their native languages. Be sure to look for the characters meeting with the Dark Side's Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). They are very interesting.

This is the movie we are supposed to see the revealing motives behind Anakin's lure to the Dark Side of the Force. He already has a hatred for slavery and is haunted by visions of his mother in extreme danger. As a Jedi, he is encouraged to control these visions but his fear gets the best of him. He disobeys his instructions to stay on Naboo by going back to Tatooine in search for her. Amidala accompanies him and they do find out about his mother and unfortunately, they are too late. In an act of rage, he mass murders the Sand People, his mother's murderers. As Yoda once said, "fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, that leads to the Dark Side."

This movie is full of foreshadowing. We all get a chuckle when we hear Obi Wan give his memento mori comments on Anakin's daring stunts, "Someday I fear you'll be the death of me." Chancellor Valorum tells Anakin that he is the most powerful of all Jedi knights and will one day rise above them. And, no one will forget the scene where Boba Fett hold Jango Fett's head up to his own.

We also see interesting developments that explain unanswered questions we had from the trilogy. We learn who Uncle Owen and Aunt Veru really are. Remember Luke Skywalker's guardians in the original Star Wars? Here they are Anakin's stepbrother and step-sister-in-law. Did you ever notice that the Storm Troopers were modeled after the Clone army, who were modeled after Jango Fett?

You must keep in mind, of course, Lucas is no Shakespeare, and even though one of the big plots is the budding romance between Anakin and Amidala, the movie is a member of the action/adventure genre of movie picks, not a romantic movie. Don't expect to see Anakin serenading Amidala with heart-melting mumbo-jumbo. The movie's dialogue is not what makes the movie. It's the intertwined plots, the special effects, and the continuing saga of the Star Wars legacy. The characters can appear to come across as devoid of emotions but as long as you go into it not expecting "The English Patient", you will love George Lucas' epic for what it really is, one of the best Star Wars movies out there.

Written by: Caroline Clarke

Reviewers Rating: 9
Reader's Rating: 8.77
Reader's Votes: 22

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