Children's Express reporters review Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones and find visual fireworks, but a script lacking in spark.
| We wanted a Han Solo type character to bounce into frame and deliver some throwaway lines. |
Our expectations before we went to see the film were high. After all, this is Star Wars, a series of films ingrained in the consciousness of everyone on the planet.
In brief, the movie has spectacular battle scenes backed by a rather dull and complex political storyline.
Picking up ten years after the Phantom Menace, Episode 2 revolves around two main plot lines: someone is trying to kill Senator Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman), so trainee Jedi, Anakin Skywalker (all grown up in the form of Hayden Christensen), is ordered by the Jedi council to protect her.
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| Sparks fly, but only in the fight scenes. © 20th Century Fox |
What ensues is a corny love story between the two, shot to look like a shampoo advertisement and not helped in the least by George Lucas's awkward script.
The other more interesting story thread is Obi-Wan Kenobi's (Ewan McGregor) investigation into the growing threat to the Republic from a separatist movement, led by the intimidating Darth Tyrannus (a brilliant Christopher Lee).
The best bits of Attack of the Clones were the expansive fight scenes. We are treated to Yoda fighting Darth Tyrannus in a mesmerising light sabre battle. Another battle sees all remaining Jedi warriors, led by Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson), charging at an outnumbering droid army - it made the hairs on the back of our necks stand up.
Battle scenes require little skill from actors and a lot from computer artists and in the scenes where the actors hold centre stage there seems to be something lacking. Hayden Christensen stays wooden and unbelievable in the juicy role of Anakin, a teenager with a powerful but uncontrollable gift for fighting.
It's probably the fault of a script, which doesn't leave actors much room to breathe. Attack of the Clones could have taken a tip from this year's other out-of-this-world blockbuster - Lord of the Rings - and had the good sense not to abandon using humour.
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| Hayden Christensen: no Han Solo. © 20th Century Fox |
Yet few people watching Attack of the Clones had anything to laugh about. We found ourselves wanting a Han Solo type character to bounce into frame and deliver a couple of throwaway lines.
The special effects here definitely deliver the magic bullet and will carry the film high into the box office.
We strongly recommend this flick, even if it is for special effects alone and not for the plot. The world Lucas creates is worth dipping into and somehow leaves you feeling warm inside.
About the team
This review was produced by Cathal Hannan, 11, and Hugo McIlveen, 16. It was published in the Belfast News.
More about Attack of the Clones
Visit the official Star Wars website: www.starwars.com/episode-ii
