Starring Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Samuel L. Jackson, Frank Oz, Christopher Lee, Jimmy Smits, Ian McDiarmid, Pernilla August, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker. Written and Directed by George Lucas. It's ten years later, and Anakin Skywalker (Christensen) is all grown up. And a Jedi Knight in training. The Republic is mired in chaos, and a separatist movement consisting of hundreds of civilizations is underway. The Jedi Knights are too few to keep the peace. Queen Padme Amidala is now Senator Amidala (Portman), and she's fighting to have important legislation passed. Upon Amidala's arrival, an attempt is made on her life. Obi-Wan Kenobi (McGregor) and Anakin arrive to provide security for Amidala, but they soon split up, with Anakin protecting Amidala and Obi-Wan searching to find the source of the assassination attempt. While together, Amidala and young Skywalker soon discover their love for one another, but are torn because they believe their duties preclude any kind of romantic relationship. Obi-Wan discovers a clone army being created in secret on an isolated planet for the Republic. He follows a bounty hunter and discovers a separatist outpost headed by Count Dooku (Lee). Will Obi-Wan and the Jedi be able to thwart the plans of the separatist faction, and will war break out throughout the galaxy? There's good news and bad news. The bad new is that Jar Jar Binks is still present. He talks in the same moronic manner as in The Phantom Menace . He's even more annoying because now he's a (don't laugh) senator, and he wears a lovely dress. The good news is that he is only present for a short time. Although, not short enough. The good news also is that Attack Of The Clones comes much closer in spirit and style to the original trilogy. The characters are much more fleshed out - they are actually allowed to have personalities. Obi-Wan especially is a much fuller and interesting character. There are flashes of humour (although not many), thanks mainly to the presence of C3PO, and the multiple stories move along briskly, with the only lull being a protracted love thing going on between Anakin and Amidala. Which is not a bad thing, because Portman and Christensen make a nice couple, are lovely to look at and are solid actors. But the dialogue they are given is about as hokey and pretentious as you can imagine. The two actors do their best to make the dialogue believable, but they must have burst out laughing between takes because it is bad. Lucas has never been particularly adept at dialogue - it often being bland and stilted. Some of the best lines in the original trilogy were reportedly ad-libs by Harrison Ford. With the characters all introduced in the first film, Lucas is able to focus more attention on the story, which is interesting, and the action and battle scenes, which are often spectacular, although sometimes a bit busy with a smorgasboard of effects. The best ones include a pod chase scene early in the film through the multi-level capital city at night, reminiscent of Bladerunner. and a gladiator-like fight between the Jedi Knights and a huge army of droids. And a fight scene involving Yoda is a lot of fun. Some of the best scenery occurs right here on earth when Anakin is protecting Amidala on Naboo. The film looks great, even if not all elements match the visual quality. My chief complaint about Attack Of The Clones and especially The Phantom Menace is that unlike the first Star Wars trilogy, there is a significant lack of heart. There is a coldness to these two films, with an emphasis on the toys and special effects and insufficient attention to the emotional aspects. Several of the actors (including Jackson) have said Lucas doesn't really like filming the movie - it's the creation of the sets, the special effects and toys he really enjoys. I am still of the opinion that Lucas does not fully utilize the skills of his very talented cast. Ewan McGregor fares much better this time, with better dialogue and story to work with. Natalie Portman again is fun to watch, wears some very nice outfits, and is entertainingly feisty. Hayden Christensen smoulders well, and doesn't shy away from showing the arrogance and impatience that will become Anakin's undoing. Samuel L. Jackson has more to do, but I still think his energy is being muzzled. My favourite performance is provided by Christopher Lee as the suave separatist leader Count Dooku, who exudes class and presence. Attack Of The Clones is light years ahead of The Phantom Menace in terms of story, characterization and enjoyment. I suspect Star Wars fans will enjoy this film, and kids and young people will appreciate the action and visually stylish worlds Lucas has created. Still, I'd rather see Spider-Man. If you would like to respond, please click the E-Mail Press Here To Go To The Review List Page