Star Wars: Attack of the Clones – A classic or a clanger

We all know that the prequels of Star Wars received mixed reviews but it is important to register that for many under the age of 25 these are their star wars movies. They were aimed at a different market in a different time.  So, putting aside my love of the original series what did I make of my recent rewatch of Attack of the Clones (AotC).

AotC whilst not my favourite of the three prequels (that honour goes to Revenge of the Sith) it was the most enjoyable. There is something about the arena battle with all the Jedi that still keeps me gripped to this day. Whilst the action is… action packed the film does have its problems.

The script I have to say is dire. Star War has never been high literature but AotC had some awful dialogue, nearly every line by Anakin for instance. It was best illustrated after Anakin slaughters of the Tusken Raiders and tries to explain what he has done to Padme. The scene becomes clunky and silly as Anakin seems more like a petulant child rather than the conflicted hero who has taken one of his first steps towards the dark side. This scene had the potential to set a powerful tone for the rest of the film and link to the darker revenge of the sith, instead, despite the obviously important death of his mother and his response we get a sulky kick back against his life. Of course the dialogue has the knock on effect to the actors, you can almost see Haydn and Natalie roll their eyes in frustration during the delivery.

The effects are still good, they have dated a little, today’s CGI is a little more subtle but it conveyed the sheer epicness of war well. Likewise the arena battle choreography was a good mix of live action and CGI.

I love the end part with the duel of Dooku, first with Obi-wan and Anakin and then Yoda. I remember the cheer that went up in the cinema when Yoda force pulled his lightsaber out and boy what a fight it was. I kind of feel that Yoda and Dooku should have fought more using the force rather than sabres but it sure was fun. I also took note of Yoda before and after and in my own mind cannon explain his aging between the prequels and Return of the Jedi as a result of this fight and the one he has with Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith. In my view Yoda, due to his age, had to draw heavily from the force in the fight, draining his lifeforce in a similar way to the drain on Luke at the end of the Last Jedi.

So whats the final verdict? Simply put fun and flawed. AotC gave us some great moments including massive battles, a good look at the civilian areas of Coruscant and some impressive lightsaber action. On a final note, remember without the Prequels we wouldn’t have so many hilarious memes.