Monday, September 19, 2011

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones Review


First off I want to say that this is much better than Episode I, but that is not saying much. George Lucas did it again and made a semi-good movie with unbelievable special effects that had unlimited potential. This movie does everything better than the previous installment in terms of special effects, story, and characterization. The only thing it does not do better is the acting and that is a real shame. Ewan McGregor and Christopher Lee are solid as always but Hayden Christensen is actually a downgrade from the little boy in the last installment. So much of the movie depends on Christensen playing this conflicted character who is dealing with his feelings for a woman he has loved for years and his responsibility to protecting the universe, and none of this is conveyed in his acting. In many scenes there is an awkward silence where it seems as though he is looking for Lucas to say cut so he can walk off of the set. McGregor again is underutilized in his role as he is somehow knock out of each fight within 15-20 seconds, and Lucas should have developed this character to a greater extent because he is interesting to the viewer and McGregor is such a likable actor that people love to watch him on screen. The story put on the screen is nothing to write home about but at least it is not a complete train wreck. The idea of the Clone Army that would eventually become the Stormtroopers is also an interesting concept that was shown and tied nicely to the older movies. Count Dooku is also a solid addition to the cast of characters because he symbolizes the fallen Jedi and what can go wrong when a person with tremendous power becomes disillusioned.

The special F/X in this movie are also truly incredible and easily beat out 9 out of 10 movies that are produced today. The effects for the character of Yoda crush any of the motion capture character that were used in movies such as Polar Express and to a certain extent Avatar. Yoda actually expresses emotion and as soon as he comes on screen in a battle scene, all of the opposing characters automatically become cautious of him and it shows how formidable he is. He also happens to show a greater range of emotion on screen than the character of Anakin and that is a testament to how bad of an actor Hayden Christensen is.

Overall, I would have to recommend this movie because it actually lends important events tot the Star Wars Universe and it has some of the best special effects that I have ever seen. This is the movie that made me believe that Yoda could destroy any other character on screen and made Obi Wan my favorite character in the series besides Han Solo. See this movie for the special effects or just so you can get a better understanding of the Star Wars Universe, whatever the reason just see it.

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