Review of Star Wars: Episode II Attack Of The Clones (2 Discs)

Introduction

In May of 2002, one of my hopes was finally lost. I had hoped that the Star Wars prequels would live up to the high standard set by the original trilogy. Despite the fact that The Phantom Menace had failed to live up to many expectations, I still believed that with four hours of cinema left to fill, Episodes II and III would give the Star Wars experience that a slightly jaded audience still craved. I walked out of the Odeon Leicester Square thoroughly entertained, but aware of a certain nagging feeling that all wasn`t well in a galaxy far, far away. Two further visits to the cinema merely added to my disquiet as niggling doubts about the movie and story reared their heads.

It is natural and inevitable that comparisons between the original trilogy and the new films are always made. The audiences that go to see the new films usually consist of people in their late twenties and early thirties who have grown up with the original trilogy. The first films were made over twenty years ago under different circumstances and in a different world. Naturally there would be differences, but it still remains difficult if not impossible to watch the new films objectively without comparison to the originals. So forgive me if I lapse occasionally into nostalgia.

Ten years have passed since the events of The Phantom Menace, and matters have taken a turn for the worse in the Republic. Despite the leadership of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, internal divisions in the Republic have erupted into outright secession, as thousands of worlds under Count Dooku break away from the central government. The Republic senate debates the threat of the separatists, with many calling for the creation of an army to defend the Republic, where too few Jedi cannot. Standing firmly against this proposal is Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo. But when she returns to Coruscant to make her position clear, she barely escapes an assassination attempt. Making his concern clear, Chancellor Palpatine assigns two familiar Jedi as her bodyguard, Obi Wan Kenobi, and his precocious but arrogant Padawan, Anakin Skywalker. Anakin is still smitten with Padmé, even though it has been ten years since their last meeting, but she only appears to recall him as he was ten years ago. Attempting to explain his feelings to Obi Wan only results in another lecture, but their heated discussion is interrupted by another assassination attempt. Master and apprentice pursue the suspect, but before they can question her, a poison dart kills her, and the man who fired it escapes by rocket pack. Obviously Senator Amidala`s life is in greater danger than previously thought, and the Jedi council instruct Anakin to escort her back to Naboo and safety, while Obi Wan tracks down the source of the poison dart. But both paths will lead to considerable danger for the Republic.

Video

As transfers improve and cinema technology advances, the coveted title of `reference quality` passes from disc to disc. Well, all be upstanding because there is a new king in town. Attack of the Clones has a perfect transfer from the original medium to DVD. Let me say that again, Perfect. It`s not surprising really, considering the original medium was wholly digital. There`s none of those pesky problems with film, no signs of age, no colour bleed, no scratches, just a pixel perfect 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer from the original source.

The Star Wars movies have always remained at the cutting edge of effects technology, and Attack of the Clones is no exception. With the advent of the digital medium, the prevalence of CGI for all aspects of the movie is greater than ever before. George Lucas and ILM literally paint the Star Wars universe onto the screen with characters inhabiting amazing CGI vistas on Coruscant, Naboo, Kamino and Geonosis. The CGI character count has also gone up considerably, with a digital Yoda making his presence felt for the first time.

Audio

Another teeth loosening THX trailer heralds the start of the movie, and Lucasfilm lives up to its reputation of cutting edge sound quality. A DD 5.1 EX English soundtrack is supplemented by a DD 2.0 Surround track. Sound as much as the imagery help create the Star Wars universe, and the first thing you see is accompanied by the rumbling dissonance of throaty starship engines as the Naboo ambassadorial ship makes its descent to worldcity of Coruscant. The sounds of Star Wars are as distinctive as anything else in establishing the character of the movies, and the surround conveys that character effectively.

John Williams again provides his distinctive score. This time the over riding theme is that of the nascent love that blossoms between Anakin and Padmé. His music speaks of a grand and momentous love that consumes the two, and is by turn romantic and in a sense tragic. It does far more than anything else in conveying the passion that the two characters have for each other. As usual the John Williams score is really a character in the Star Wars movies, and the action and drama are only emphasised further by his music.

Features

Disc 1

As well as containing the movie, the first disc has a choice of three animated menus, one based on Kamino, one on Geonosis and one on Coruscant. They are beautiful to look at and show how much care went into the creation of this DVD.

Hidden away on the disc is an Easter Egg much in the vein of Episode I, which will play a blooper reel. There is a THX optimiser as well.

Finally on this disc is the audio commentary (DD 2.0 Surround). Many members of the crew contribute this to, George Lucas, Rick McCallum and Ben Burtt included. In this fashion it is similar to the commentary for Episode I. I was going to express my desire for a cast commentary but on reflection that probably wouldn`t be illuminating, "George told me to stand in front of the bluescreen and wave the lightsaber around in this particular scene". The commentary itself is a little technical but illuminating just the same, but interestingly George Lucas drops some hints about Episode III that were well worth listening to.

Disc 2

The second disc is practically brimming with extras, and I`ll just summarise them here.

There are three teaser trailers accompanying the theatrical trailer, and this is all accompanied by the TV campaign. There are 12 30-second spots all presented in 1.85:1 letterbox as opposed to the anamorphic transfers of the theatrical trailers. You will also find a 4-minute music video from John Williams here.

In the documentaries section, you will find two pieces presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic and DD 2.0 surround. From Puppets to Pixels is a 53-minute examination of the creation of the digital characters and is the most substantial extra with this release. This doesn`t repeat Episode 1`s making of, and is a refreshing and different look in another direction. While much of the CGI work discussed is what you would expect, there is a fascinating section on the use of digital doubles in certain sequences. While the use of a digital Dooku is to be expected, many of the other characters stunts were accomplished digitally and I was shocked and impressed at how seamless they were. State of the Art on the other hand is a 24-minute look at the Pre-visualisation of Episode II. Traditional storyboards have been completely replaced with computer animation effectively shooting a rough version of the movie first. It also discusses a novel and effective method of directing actors on bluescreen.

There are 8 deleted scenes, which you can watch with or without introductions. Most of these are character scenes for Anakin and Padmé, and it`s easy to understand why they were cut. A couple of scenes would have benefited the film though.

There are 3 Featurettes looking at different aspects of the making of the film. They last about 10 minutes each and cover the Story, Love and Action.

There are 12 web documentaries that in total run for about 65 minutes. A lot of the making of the film is covered here and look at many aspects of the production. Subjects covered include Digital Cinema, Starfighter design, Location shooting, Hayden Christensen, Extras, Visual FX, The Effects, The Family Fett, the Jedi and Costume Design.

The stills galleries are filled with images. There are loads of Production Photos, which you can examine with or without informative captions. The International Poster campaign is a little disappointing, as it seems to amount to the same picture but different language-writing underneath. The International Outdoor Campaign is more entertaining as the release of the movie coincided with the World Cup, and some of the adverts echo this.

Dex`s Kitchen houses Films Are Not Released, They Escape, which looks at the sound design for Attack of the Clones. This lasts 26 minutes. Episode II Visual Effects Breakdown Montage is just that, a before and after look at the effects shots. This runs for 3 minutes. Then there is the R2D2 beneath the dome mockumentary. This is a cut down 6 minute version of the series that ran on the Starwars.com website. There is also an Easter Egg in the kitchen that has a more light-hearted advertising campaign.

Finally there is a link to Starwars.com that has exclusive material for you to peruse.

Conclusion

So what to say about Star Wars: Episode II: Attack Of The Clones. It`s hard to reconcile my affection for Star Wars in general with my objective feelings about this film. That it is over 2 hours of entertainment is unquestionable. I doubt that anyone can watch this film and not come away entertained to some degree. However it being Star Wars it`s impossible to look at it in isolation. Comparing it to The Phantom Menace, it is in many ways an improvement, but I also feel that it has lost something. AOTC has in my opinion a far better story, and I am growing more comfortable with the characters introduced in The Phantom Menace. It is possible to see the origins of the Empire more clearly now and the peril facing the Republic is more tangible. Gone also is the sense of frivolity that so pervaded the first film, I speak of course of Jar Jar and the Gungans. Attack of the Clones is a more serious affair.

But whereas The Phantom Menace had a consistent structure and narrative flow, I feel that this has been lost in Attack of the Clones. Episode II often feels like three movies in one. It starts off, quite promisingly, almost as a detective movie, as Anakin and Obi Wan search for Padmé`s assassins, then pretty soon it splits into a romance as it focuses on Anakin and Padmé`s courtship, while Obi Wan continues his investigations. Finally we get a war movie as the climax of the film approaches. In amongst all this we get Anakin`s first steps to the Dark Side thrown in almost as an afterthought. This makes the film seem disjointed and almost hurried, despite its 2-hour plus running time, as if George Lucas was trying to get as much story out of the way as possible to make room for Episode III.

It`s in comparison with the original trilogy that many of the flaws in Attack of the Clones can be found, although as criticism they do stand up by themselves. Harrison Ford infamously once told George Lucas "You can write this s***, but can`t say it" or words to that effect regarding a scene in A New Hope. Unfortunately, this sage advice has fallen by the wayside, as Attack of the Clones surely has some of the most unwieldy dialogue that Star Wars characters have ever uttered. Yoda`s reverse syntax aside, the courtship between Anakin and Padmé is completely hamstrung by some unbelievable discourse. I found it hard to believe that these two were intensely passionate about each other while they were taking the time to think up such convoluted expressions of affection. It also showed in the performances, as barely a spark ignited between the two. Contrast Han Solo`s plaintive "You could use a good kiss!" to Leia in the tunnels of Hoth, to Anakin`s contrived "Your presence is soothing" In general the actors have to work around and through the dialogue, and as such the performances seem a little detached. Not good for a love story.

That isn`t to say that the performances are disappointing, far from it. Ewan McGregor was considered to be little more than an Alec Guinness clone (pardon the pun) in the first movie and maybe a little unfairly so. In Attack of the Clones however, McGregor settles in comfortably into the role and makes it his own. His Obi Wan Kenobi is a more wry and vibrant character, and gets some of the best scenes. The cinema audience I was with loved the scene in the bar where he is offered some death sticks and uses the old Jedi mind trick. Another excellent character has to be Mace "The party`s over" Windu as played by Samuel L. Jackson. Finally we get a Jedi with attitude. I bet he has the same inscription on his lightsaber that he had on his wallet in Pulp Fiction. Ian McDiarmid reprises his role as Palpatine and Frank Oz returns as Yoda, this time giving his hands a rest. Yoda is brilliantly brought to CGI life and remains consistent with the puppet of the previous movies, if more mobile. Jimmy Smits makes a brief appearance as Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan in a role that will no doubt be expanded in Episode III. Christopher Lee makes his considerable and prolific presence felt as Count Dooku and is perfectly cast as the initially ambiguous former Jedi. His considerable screen presence lends some gravitas to the story, and I feel is given too little screen time. Ahmed Best returns as Jar Jar, if mercifully briefly, and Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker once again bring C3PO and R2D2 to life. It`s Natalie Portman as Amidala and Hayden Christensen as the young Skywalker who come off worst in the roll call. Their screen time together hardly speaks of burning passion, and I felt that Natalie Portman performance was a little wooden. Many people liken Christensen`s character as more Dawson`s Creek than Darth Vader. Ironically that is the bit that I can understand, after all the character is just that, a teenager. For me Christensen`s portrayal of Anakin as a teen is spot on. The problems for him again come with the romance. His attraction to Amidala looks more like leering obsession and verges on stalking. But then again he is the Dark Lord of the Sith. The character`s first steps to the Dark Side are handled well, and I wish that more had been made of the background that results in his fall. As it is, it`s over much too quickly and we aren`t given much insight into the character. The implication is there that his career has been guided and influenced to some extent by Palpatine, but unfortunately we hardly see any of the effect that has on the young Jedi`s character. I hope that will be remedied in the final film.

George Lucas often speaks of the ways in which his films echo one another, the way that certain events and moments are mirrored through the trilogy. I for one hate this. It seems as if Lucas is giving a cheeky wink to the audience, a kind of "Hey, we know what`s coming but they don`t" attitude. Just as the romance between Han Solo and Princess Leia is mirrored by the relationship between Anakin and Padmé (no contest really) other moments appear as portents or omens. Obi Wan glibly asking, "Why do I feel you`ll be the death of me, Anakin?" or the appearance of the Death Star plans. I guess the final straw had to be the confrontation between Obi Wan and Count Dooku on Geonosis. As Dooku tries to explain the reality of the Republic`s peril to an unbelieving Obi Wan, familiar elements of dialogue crop up. Words spoken when Darth Vader confronted Luke Skywalker with the truth of his heritage while he dangled helpless from a parapet in Cloud City. That particular scene had emotional resonance and shock because of Vader`s revelations to Luke. But none of that resonance is there in Attack of The Clones, and the fact that the characters parrot the same dialogue seems contrived and a little tacky. Oh yeah, and guess who loses a limb during a lightsaber duel? No more knowing winks to the audience George, please.

Having said that, two of my favourite moments do indeed presage the future story. I love the return to the Lars household on Tatooine, it gave a feeling of continuity to once again see the sets that we saw at the beginning of A New Hope. Secondly, the conclusion of the film when the Clone army board their ships on Coruscant as the Senate members observe begins with the martial music from The Phantom Menace, but John Williams segues into the Imperial March. It is truly a chilling moment as we see what amounts to the Birth of the Empire, as Bail Organa hangs his head in anguish.

The Star Wars movies are best known for their fantastic worlds and creatures, and with the advent of CGI technology, George Lucas has free reign to create the worlds of his dreams. CGI technology has been used to an amazing and unprecedented extent in Attack of the Clones, and what you see is an astounding advance on The Phantom Menace. But you can have too much of a good thing. It often feels as if the whole movie was shot against a bluescreen and while the variety of worlds and intricacies of environments are great, the temptation is to concentrate on the eye-candy to the detriment of the performances. When you hear George Lucas describe his vision of filmmaking, where he can cut and paste performances as he chooses, mixing elements like a chef in the kitchen, you begin to feel that he considers actors as an obstacle to the final result. That can be seen in the greater number of CGI characters created for Attack of The Clones. While Yoda can be considered an unqualified success, the same cannot be said for the Kaminoans, who as characters are practically invisible on screen, and they`re there only to facilitate the confrontation between Jango Fett and Obi Wan Kenobi as well as supplying exposition. Also while Coruscant is an amazing creation, which appears to be straight out of fifties sci-fi comics, with their sleek lined space ships and elegant cities, the addition of Dex`s Diner with the character of Dex brings too much of Earth into a galaxy far away.

This tendency to focus on effects is brought to its extreme at the climax of the movie. There is a moment when C3PO and R2D2 follow Anakin into the droid factory. As R2 pushes his friend on to the production line, it was brought to me that I was watching a CGI droid fumbling around a CGI factory. There wasn`t as single live element in the picture. Star Wars had become a cartoon, albeit a remarkably realistic one. The quality of the effects work makes Final Fantasy look like Steamboat Willie, but the sensation of unreality remained. This feeling was really brought home to me during the battle between the clones and the droids. For much of this sequence there isn`t a single live element. The clones, in their proto stormtrooper armour are conveniently faceless, and are all CGI as are the droids, as is the setting of the battle. I couldn`t help but feel a little cheated and divorced from the action. There was no tangible emotion associated with the scene and I found myself missing the tension during the battle of Hoth, when relentless ATATs lumbered towards beleaguered rebel troopers. CGI has reached the stage where it is seamless, and whatever you can imagine can be created given enough money, but it isn`t good enough to completely fool an audience, yet. Then there is the climactic lightsaber duel, where Yoda struts his stuff. The first time I saw this, the cinema erupted in laughter. I don`t suppose that was the result that was hoped for. But the Phantom Menace still retains its crown for the best lightsaber duel. The simple reason is that it was choreographed and performed by two actors. The tension and violence was in a sense real. The lightsaber duels at the end of Attack of the Clones are in a sense as much a mess as the larger battle. The fact that Christopher Lee isn`t as spry as he once was means that the duels are either far enough away for a stunt double, or they are close up. The darker environment of the cave also means that the battle is a little indistinct. When Yoda finally makes his grand entrance, we are treated to a CGI melange of spinning blades and somersaults. The previously venerable Jedi Master seems something like a green pinball bouncing around the cave. It`s moments like these that really strain my suspension of disbelief. Perhaps by 2005, CGI technology will really be indistinguishable from the real thing, or maybe George Lucas will have learnt some restraint. Either would help.

So all that is left now are a couple of little nitpicks. For one, it turns out that Boba Fett is an Aussie. I hope when George Lucas once again revisits the original trilogy, (apparently to insert Amidala and Jar Jar into Return of the Jedi, Why?) he doesn`t go back and loop Bobba Fett`s dialogue to give him an Australian accent. "G`Day Solo". And why do the Geonosians sound like Clunk from the Wacky Races? For those of you who have hated Jar Jar Binks since the first time he made his annoying CGI presence felt, your hatred has been justified. It would be the irritating Gungan who allowed a certain Supreme Chancellor to have supreme powers. It just goes to figure.

It`s easy to be critical of something that you have a passion for, and Star Wars engenders a great deal of passion among its fans. We all want Star Wars movies to be as perfect as the transfer on this disc, and when a new film doesn`t match expectations previously established it is far easier to point out the flaws. Time can disguise any blemish, and many people look on the original trilogy as flawless pieces of cinema. They are hardly that, but I find that as time has passed, I find the Phantom Menace has attained a degree of permanence and history. I watch it now without commenting on the faults that I initially perceived and enjoy it for what it is, a great piece of entertainment. I feel that given enough time, Attack of the Clones will gain that measure of permanence too. Indeed it has already changed my perception of the Star Wars universe. When I first saw A New Hope, the moment where Darth Vader killed Obi Wan was emotionally jarring in the way it affected Luke but in no other way. I recently watched A New Hope again having seen Episodes I and II, and the scene affected me in a completely different way. This was now the loss of a character that I had grown fond of, and had been established in 2 films. The prequels are slowly beginning to resonate with the first trilogy, and that can only be a good thing.

I have been critical in my review, and perhaps unfairly so. Attack of the Clones has much to recommend it. The overall story is compelling stuff, and sets the stage for Episode III in a thunderous way. The action is for the greater part brilliant stuff and the screen is always filled with beautiful and luscious scenery. It IS Star Wars, and the feel of the other movies and the magic that we felt when that Star Destroyer first chased that Blockade Runner over Tatooine is still there.

Episode II is another must have release from George Lucas. This DVD`s technical quality is evidence enough of that. The film, while it has drawbacks is still intense entertainment. If that isn`t enough, there are enough extras here to keep you occupied until the New Year.