Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones film review

I share my thoughts on Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. Here's the non spoiler review then the spoiler review.  

Non spoiler review

Story

I love the fresh, new views of planets and new kinds of ships. The civilizations we see differ from Episode 1. Like the last film, episode 2 is intense and dramatic from beginning to end! 

Star Wars episode 2 is much darker than episode 1 starting with the opening scene. Star Wars Episode 2 challenges the characters internally far more than the last episode.    

Characters

Cinematography 

The cinematography was outstanding! The shots from vast distances do a spectacular job of showing you the gravity of the situation and the vastness of other worlds. 

Dialogue

Like Episode 1, i love how simple and straight-forward the dialogue was. There were some clever lines that made you love the story and characters even more!

Theme

The theme here is about how important trust is and how deception can damage it. To be trustworthy, you must be truthful. 

Acting

The actors all did fantastic. All played their roles extremely well!   

Music 

Overall, i love Episode 2. The film was very well made. 

Spoiler review

Story

I love the fresh, new views of planets and new kinds of ships. The civilizations we see differ from Episode 1. Like the last film, episode 2 is intense and dramatic from beginning to end! 

Star Wars episode 2 is much darker than episode 1 starting with the opening scene. I suppose Padme has her first experience of seeing her friend die and feeling guilty for it.

I love how Anakin and Obi-Wan have grown very close. Its also natural for Anakin to be nervous before meeting Padme not only because he hasn't seen her in so long but also because he's unfamiliar with his own feelings. As a Jedi, he was taught to suppress them and avoid love interests.  

Palpatine seems suspicious.You can't help but wonder why he is flattering Anakin.     

I love how flawed the characters are. For example, Obi-Wan can be too analytical that he fails to be creative like Anakin. Without Anakin, he doesn't do as well.  

The heated exchange between Obi-Wan and Anakin made me uncomfortable. I was anxious Padme would lose attraction for him seeing his aggression and rebellion. 

The assassination attempt on Padme had me nervous. I was disturbed and uneasy imagining what would happen if one of those alien creatures bit her. 

The chase scene was very creative and had me anxious! I felt Anakin was going to crash, fall by accident, or get Obi Wan killed! The intensity is raised when you learn the bounty hunter can shapeshift.    

Jar Jar is more mature than Episode 1 by taking himself more seriously.  

I'm impressed by the Jedi's vast array of knowledge in their library. 

The scene when Obi Wan and Yoda discover a Jedi deleted the archive of Kamino shocked me. I think it was probably Anakin or Palpatine. 

Kamino is somewhat scary but also beautiful because of its oceans and rain. 

The scene between Anakin and Padme reflecting on their past lives was romantic. Anakin indirectly tells her despite what they suffered, they would've never met each other had they not endured it.   

The scene where Anakin reveals how he feels about politics is somewhat disturbing.

The confrontation scene between Jango Fett and Obi-Wan was fierce! The way they looked at each other gave me the impression they knew exactly who they were. Jango was clever for speaking to his son in another language and telling him to hide his suit. 

The scene when Anakin confesses his love for Padme is powerful. This scene highlights why Anakin is different from the other Jedi.   

The fight between Jango Fett and Obi-Wan was utterly ground-breaking! I felt he was going to die despite being a skilled Jedi knight. He was fighting against Bobba and Jango at the same time! I was surprised Jango could skillfully disarm a Jedi knight.

Watto apparently became a beggar after Qui Gon affected his business drastically in Episode 1. 

The scene when Anakin searches for Shmi was disturbing especially when you hear Duel of the Fates faintly playing. It reminds you of the battle between the Sith and Jedi over Anakin in Episode 1. You can slowly see anakin becoming more aggressive and darker. 

Shmi's death scene was heart-breaking! Who knows what the Tusken Raiders did to her before Anakin arrived. It was cruel and almost traumatizing realizing Shmi couldn't even finish the sentence "I love you" before dying. Seeing Anakin's emotions shift from grieving in sadness to enraged was deeply disturbing! Maybe even terrifying! We're slowly seeing him turning to the dark side more and more.    

One of the most powerful and disturbing scenes of Episode 2 is when Anakin expresses his real feelings over his mother's death. This is where we see him grow even further to the dark side. He knows he shouldn't let these feelings overcome him but he can't deny his real self. This is why he feels Obi Wan is holding him back. 

Another disturbing scene was when count Dooku reveals Qui Gon knew the Senate was corrupt but still served them. 

The battle between the Jedi and the droid army was savage! It was visually impressive, nerve-racking, suspenseful, and exciting! I was impressed by how well a small mission escalated into an all-out war! I loved characters like Mace Windu and was curious to see how he fought in Episode 1. When i got to see him fight for the first time, i had an adrenaline rush!

The internal and external conflicts were powerful like they were in Episode 1! For example, in the scene where Obi Wan and Anakin argue over whether to rescue Padme or not was heated! Anakin was forced in a position to choose between helping Obi Wan or Padme externally and internally. What made this such powerful conflict was he had to overcome his fear of loss in either case!

The battle between the Jedi and Count Dooku was so ferocious! When you hear Count Dooku speak before drawing his lightsaber, you instantly know he's not to be trifled with! Although Obi Wan was careful in fighting him, you still felt Count Dooku could've easily killed him when he insulted him. Dooku tried to get him to give into anger and make mistakes. 

When Yoda slowly appears to face Dooku, that was probably the most pivotal point of the film! I got very excited to see him fight for the first time! When he deals with Dooku's sith lightning, you think its going to overpower him but he absorbs it then says "much to learn you still have.." I'm surprised at how much wiser Yoda still is compared to Dooku! When Yoda turns on his lightsaber, the hum feels as if it hasn't been turned on in ages! I was shocked and a bit disturbed by how aggressive Yoda was in a lightsaber duel with Dooku! You would think he would be more relaxed and peaceful but he delivers fast blows from different angles screaming! 

The fight between Anakin and Dooku was also hard to watch! Anakin cuts off the lights almost as if he's trying to make it harder for both of them to see in an attempt to challenge himself to be the best Jedi he can be!

Anakin and Padme's wedding was bittersweet. On one hand, it hurts because they're the only humans there. The Jedi wouldn't approve of their marriage nor would the Senate. Anakin also lost his arm. On the other hand, its romantic because they make the best of what they have.    

Characters

I love Padme's character development. In Episode 2, she's more vulnerable than Episode 1.   

Cinametography 

The cinametography was outstanding! The shots from vast distances do a spectacular job of showing you the gravity of the situation and the vastness of other worlds. 

When Anakin fights Dooku, the camera is very close to their faces. We don't see them do any complex combinations which is special. You can see the fear, determination, and aggression in Anakin's face when he struggles with Dooku.     

Dialogue

Like Episode 1, i love how simple and straight-forward the dialogue was. There were some clever lines that made you love the story and characters even more! When Anakin blocks Dooku's strike against Obi Wan and Dooku says "brave of you boy but i would've thought you learned your lesson..", Anakin replies with "I am a slow learner!" That had finnesse! It was not exactly arrogant nor weak. Just right!   

Another example is when Dooku tells Obi Wan "it may be difficult to secure your release.." He wasn't just talking about physically freeing him from the Geonosian prison. He was also talking about the mental prison the Senate allegedly have him in.       

A minor flaw with this film is the humor seems forced. When Anakin says "you call this a diplomatic solution?" and Padme says "I call it aggressive negotiations..", i felt the punchline was dull and trying too hard to appeal to children. This film would've done better without most of the comic relief.         

Theme

The theme here is about how important trust is and how deception can damage it. To be trustworthy, you must be truthful. Padme recognizes this when she tells Anakin "our lives are destroyed anyway.." after confessing her love for him. She wasn't just referring to the strong probability they were going to die. She was also referring to the probability even if they survived, they would be living a lie and in torment by denying their love for each other. Yoda trusts his own instinct when he calls for a ship because he didn't trust Anakin would succeed in helping Obi Wan defeat Dooku. Had Yoda not appeared to face Dooku, Anakin and Obi Wan would've been killed.    

Acting

The actors all did fantastic. All played their roles extremely well!   

Music