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Strictly for 'Star Wars' junkies
DESIRE AND DUTY: Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), Amidala (Natalie Portman) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor).
Star Wars - II Attack of the Clones (ENGLISH)
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman
Dir: George Lucas
THE SECOND instalment of the Star Wars saga is visually stunning but falls by the wayside in the fun department. Everyone in the film seems to be labouring under the burden of the Star Wars myth.
The greatest thing about Star Wars was the fun Lucas had making it. People loved the movie for its unpretentiousness - these were space cowboys kicking some serious butt with some fun chases and lovely music and super charismatic stars.
You look in vain for just one little bit of Han Solo's rakish charm, for Lord Vader's menace or the feisty Princess Leia. Even actors as skilled as Ewan McGregor and Samuel L Jackson speak in these weighty, measured tones and look quite stone faced. Maybe the fact that they had to mainly perform in front of blue screens where their environments were added on digitally later worked against them.
The only character that looked rounded and believable was Yoda and he got all the whistles and cheers. The story takes off ten years after the events of Phantom Menace and Anakin Skywalker is now training to be a Jedi under Obi-Wan Kenobi. The teenage queen of Naboo, Padme Amidala, is now a senator and Obi-Wan and Anakin are assigned to protect her from assassins.
Sparks fly between Anakin and Amidala but it is a love they cannot indulge in as the rules of the Jedi forbid it. Count Dooku, a rogue Jedi Master is the villain. There is feeling that Lucas directed the film on autopilot - he has the stencil and he just filled in the variables. There is the asteroid chase, the amphitheatre set piece, light sabre duels and Anakin recognising the dark side of the force. The soul, however, is totally not there. Visually the film is beyond amazing. The cities, the planets, the droid army, the strange creatures and the exquisite costumes are stunning. The loveable druids R2D2 and C3PO make a welcome appearance.
It is difficult to imagine beach boy Hayden Christensen who plays the 19-year-old Anakin as Lord Vader. Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregor reprise their roles as Padme and Obi-Wan.
Lucas shot the film entirely on digital video and it has been projected on digital video in 19 screens in the US. In other theatres, it has been transferred on film, which explains the grainy nature of the close-ups.
The only thing about the film that is not a let down is John Williams' wonderful background score. Just for that you could watch Attack of the Clones. Another reason for watching the film is if you have grown up on the goings on "long ago in a galaxy far, far away," and would like to know the back-stories of the characters of the original trilogy.
MINI ANTHIKAD-CHHIBBER
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