*WARNING MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS* If you remember, I was one of the few who did not hate The Phantom Menace, in fact, I gave it a positive rating. If you'd like to get a different opinion on the prequels, please be sure and check that review out as well, but now, let's talk about The Attack of The Clones. This movie has a few rough spots, Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman don't have very good chemistry together, despite both of them giving decent performances in the rest of the movie. No, Hayden Christensen isn't that bad, he's a bit wooden, but I think he plays a believable confused young man who has been isolated all his life. In fact, I think that most of the hate surrounding Christensen is less about how he plays his role, and more about what role he's playing. People don't want Vader to be a bitter and over- reacting teenager, but in the scenes where Christensen is able to show who he'll become, he's great. Besides, this is all about how Anakin becomes Vader, he can't start out as Vader in Episode II. The movie also gets heat for other stuff, too boring, too much CGI, etc. The CGI effects look great, it makes it look like a more advanced culture, by having surroundings that we can't yet physically create. Now, maybe a few practical effects wouldn't have been amiss, but I think the use of CGI is a relatively minor complaint, and one that doesn't really effect the over-all quality of the film. The plot may be slow at times, but don't forget, we have lots of action in here as well. A full scale battle at the end, a high speed chase through Courscant, a duel between Obi-Wan and Jango Fett, etc. Yes there are slow stretches, but there are also plenty of scenes that are really fun. I know Yoda fighting with a light-saber, you know, a Jedi's weapon, is supposed to be just like heresy or something, but I can't take that complaint seriously. How else would Yoda have fought? With a stick? It's not like he doesn't use the force or anything! But enough with the negatives, let's talk about why this movie is genuinely good. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan is great! He brings the right level of sophistication and intelligence to the character, while still managing to seem like a less experienced version of the character in A New Hope. Jango Fett is a really good villain, he brings in great action and is just over all a really cool character. I already said I like Hayden Christensen, who I think accurately displays youth, and provides a relate-able character for everyone who's ever been a teenager ever. The action is top-notch as well. The speeder chase on Courscant is a great start to the movie; humor, good effects, and very fast-paced. The finale is very well done also, and it's a blast to see the first full scale battle in a Star Wars movie (the gungans don't count). The story, thought admittedly a bit muddled, is interesting enough (let's be honest, Star Wars isn't story based, it is driven by characters and action). I understand very few will agree with this review, but I wanted to give my own opinion on the Star Wars movies, so, I started reviewing them. I'll try to have my Revenge of the Sith review up soon!
