The International House of Mojo

Episode 2: Attack of the Clones
- by Matt Shaw

4 hours before the film....

I wasn't sure how to start off this article. So decided what might make it more interesting is if I start it before I even see the film!

It's Wednesday, I have booked tickets to see it barely hours away at 12.01am (which is technically Thursday) and I can't think about anything else. For 3 years I've waited for this film- and as of which I have several expectations.

All day at college, work & with my friends- it's all we've talked about in anticipation of making the pilgrimage to the Stratford Picture House, UK.

First off, yes Phantom was far from perfect. Even for me (huge hardcore Star Wars fan) I do admit it had its flaws. But I've never lost faith in Mr. Lucas as I believe most of the bad points of Episode I was that Lucas had a lot of plot telling to do, as of which Phantom should really only be judged as Chapter One of Six.

Anyway, this leaves me with some strong expectations for Episode II. To win back some the disgruntled "old skool" fans and win over the critics after Episode I, Attack of the Clones will be the make-it-or-break-it film for the prequel trilogy of the Saga. A lot is riding on this movie. I want action, suspense, intrigue, clever plot development. I want my questions answered and plots ends tied or left open for Episode III. Lucas has laid down the foundations for the plot in Episode I, he's learnt his lesson about saturating the merchandising and hype, and most importantly, he's learnt what exactly the fans want in this film, or what they don't…

Time's ticking….

10 hours later
Oh my god… I want to try and write this review unbiased but I fear I can not. The film was everything I could have wanted and so much more. The Cons, the film wasn't perfect- but I believe no film could be. It was riddled with Lucas's funny lines and odd plot twists, but these were so outweighed by the staggering piles of pros…

This film actually MAKES Episode I a better film. It handles the transitions between the prequel trilogy and original trilogy extremely well. Without wanting to spoil too many details, I give the examples like the way the technology is moving towards the original trilogy, and the small character repercussions, like the way Anakin tells Padme how he thinks a dictatorship would be acceptable means of controlling the senate if it works. As for how the "ultimate weapon" fits in, I'll leave that as a surprise for you.

I may get flamed for this, but in my opinion, this is not only better then Phantom, it's better then any Star Wars film I've seen. I wouldn't have bet a dollar on that before seeing it. In my eyes it's achieved what I thought couldn't be done- It had everything I wanted.

The plot is great, leaving interesting poignant note for Episode III. The acting is superb; Hayden's performance exceeded all expectations, the warmth of his love for his mother and Padme, the rage and anger at Obi-Wan and the villains on Tatooine.

One thing that made my draw drop though, was the sheer complexity of the action. I feel like I need to see it another 5 times to see everything I wanted to. The action sequences were sheer breath-taking. I thought it'd be hard to make me speechless over a film, but it certainly did.

I'm so excited by it, and there is so much I want to talk about, but I fear I might spoil points of the film. I beg you to go see Attack of the Clones, even if you're not a Star Wars fan. I feel that Lucas has now bred so much life into the franchise- things can only get better from here. And one final thing, Yoda rocks- I now see why he is THE "master".

Lucas has delivered, the film is fantastic and force is definitely back… Just leaves me with one negative thought though… I have to wait three years now until Episode III.

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