"Attack of the Clones" is by far the worst Star Wars movie - it has the worst acting, the worst story, the worst special effects, and even the worst title. "The Phantom Menace" gets its fair share of criticism, but at least that movie had a sense of wonder and epic scope. "Attack of the Clones," however, is a weird soap opera with a bland, disjointed plot and an awful protagonist in the petulant Anakin Skywalker. What should've been a grand science fiction adventure is an often boring and silly hodge-podge of political intrigue, throwbacks to old B-movies, and an excruciating romance that might be the low point of the entire "Star Wars" saga.
To be clear, I don't hate George Lucas or "Star Wars." Lucas is one of my favorite filmmakers and I love the "Star Wars" mythology. The original film from 1977 and "The Empire Strikes Back" are among the greatest ever made, and I will always defend them against those who snobbishly dismiss them as not being high art. (Yes they are!) But there is no excuse for this truly terrible second installment in the prequel trilogy. Certain elements of "Attack of the Clones" work well enough: once again Ewan McGregor gives a stand-out performance as Obi-Wan, John Williams' score is great as always, and the climactic lightsaber battle is superb. But the overall movie fails both as art and as entertainment. 5/10.
To be clear, I don't hate George Lucas or "Star Wars." Lucas is one of my favorite filmmakers and I love the "Star Wars" mythology. The original film from 1977 and "The Empire Strikes Back" are among the greatest ever made, and I will always defend them against those who snobbishly dismiss them as not being high art. (Yes they are!) But there is no excuse for this truly terrible second installment in the prequel trilogy. Certain elements of "Attack of the Clones" work well enough: once again Ewan McGregor gives a stand-out performance as Obi-Wan, John Williams' score is great as always, and the climactic lightsaber battle is superb. But the overall movie fails both as art and as entertainment. 5/10.