Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones: 5 Best & 5 Worst Things – Screen Rant

Welcome to our Star Wars countdown. Ahead of the release of The Rise of Skywalker, which promises to bring 40 years of storytelling to an emotional and satisfying conclusion, were pouring over all of the movies that have gone before it. And were now onto 2002s Attack of the Clones, which was the second chapter of George Lucas imaginative, albeit divisive, prequel trilogy.

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We now take a look at the five things we liked best about the movie - and the five things we didnt like so much. Its always good to start with a positive so here we go...

Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace was criticized by many, with some fans venting their fury at George Lucas for choosing to make the character nine years old and expressing their annoyance with Jake Lloyds portrayal. The decision was then made to advance the story by a decade and Hayden Christensen was given his chance to shine as the Jedi who would one day go on to become Darth Vader.

And while Christensen is guilty of some poor dialogue (something well get to) his dynamics with Ewan McGregors Obi-Wan Kenobi are brilliant. They are believable as Jedi master and apprentice and you genuinely see how their relationship could transform into something more sinister down the line. The sight of seeing them fighting side by side, too, also makes their relationship that bit more special.

Hayden Christensen, like Jake Lloyd before him, was also subjected to criticism for his portrayal as Anakin Skywalker. People just didnt seem to think that either of the two actors were doing the character justice. And, once again, its the dialogue that doesnt exactly work in their favour.

Comments like I dont like sand and Im haunted by the kiss you should never have given me arent the sort of things youd expect Vader, as the most-powerful Jedi knight of all time, to say. And, thankfully, George Lucas realized his mistake, thus improving things considerably for 2005s Revenge of the Sith.

Its rather ironic that Boba Fett is actually held in higher regard than his father, Jango Fett. The former is only in a handful of scenes during the original trilogy, not really doing much before dying a rather poor death via the Sarlaac pit during 1981s Return of the Jedi. Even George Lucas had no idea how popular the character would become.

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But Jango Fett is better in nearly every way. Hes deadlier with a gun, a master in manipulation and also shows immense courage by engaging powerful Jedi Knights such as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu in combat. Its a shame he wouldnt live to see another blockbuster, though, with Windu ruthlessly executing him during the battle of Geonosis.

Everybody had anticipated Darth Maul to be the villain of the prequel trilogy, particularly after his red and black face was plastered on plenty of merchandise material for the movie. However, after his surprise defeat in The Phantom Menace, George Lucas then chose to cast the legendary Christopher Lee as Count Dooku for Attack of the Clones.

And while Lee was a superb actor, Dooku felt flat by comparison. He was nothing special to look at and didnt have the same aura that Maul did. That said, he still featured in one of the blockbusters best bits...

For many years, the thought of seeing Yoda in lightsaber combat appeared absurd. That small little green thing from The Empire Strikes Back fighting? Is that some sort of joke?

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However, George Lucas took the bold decision to have him engage Count Dooku in a duel during the battle on Geonosis (more on that later). And its a superb, adrenaline-fuelled scene with Yoda using stunning acrobatic moves to try and defeat his opponent. Eventually, he has to give on fighting Dooku to save the lives of Obi-Wan Kenobi answers Anakin Skywalker, both of which had already been defeated by the Sith Lord despite it being two against one.

During the midway point of the movie, Anakin Skywalker is sent to protect Padme Amidala on Naboo following the Trade Federations failed attacks on her life. Despite love being forbidden for a Jedi, Anakin fails to control his emotions and Padme finds herself falling for him too, despite knowing the trouble it would land them both in if their friends were to find out.

But while weve nothing against a good love story, some of the scenes are rather hard to watch. The dialogue is certainly enough to make you cringe and they spend their entire time on Naboo woodenly flirting with each other. Their relationship improves significantly when they relocate to Tatooine to try and save Shmi Skywalker from the Tusken Raiders.

While Attack of the Clones is considered one of the weaker movies of the Star Wars saga, nearly everybody can agree that the battle on Geonosis was brilliantly executed. Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padme Amidala are all facing death when the entirety of the Jedi Council, and later the Clone troopers created on Kamino, come to their rescue.

George Lucas holds nothing back here, with action taking up every inch of the screen. Theres so many highlights, such as the trio escaping the monsters sent to murder them, Mace Windu beheading Jango Fett and Yoda leading the troopers on the battlefield. Moments like these are why this battle makes this list.

Okay, so we have just one complaint with the Geonosis battle scene. And thats the three creatures who are sent to destroy Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padme Amidala. Count Dooku, unwilling to dirty his own hands, sets an acklay, a reek and a nexu to kill the trio and deal a blow to the Republic in the process.

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But all three, despite seeming formidable, are actually defeated pretty easily. Anakin and Obi-Wan both kill one each while Jango Fett, despite not being a Jedi, is also able to get in on the act. We also think their CGI looks a little off, too, and we consider them to be among the worst creatures across the entire franchise.

Knowing that Anakin Skywalkers transformation to Darth Vader would be completed in the next movie, Attack of the Clones needed to end on a note where youd feel as if something big is coming. And the ending is absolutely brilliant because it adds intrigue and mystique ahead of the final outing of the prequel trilogy.

Theres so much to get excited about by the conclusion. How will the Clone Wars that wed long heard about play out? How would Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala fall apart when they seem so in love and get married? How would Palpatine put the finishing touches on his ascent to Emperor? All of those questions were swirling around our heads when we left theaters 17 years ago.

She may have only appeared in the movie for a couple of seconds, but Jocasta Nu may just be the rudest character within the entirety of Star Wars. We're serious!

Obi-Wan Kenobi meets her in the Jedi Library when hes trying to locate the planet of Kamino. She is most unhelpful, however, and sardonically snaps back insisting that if the location isnt in the librarys records, then it doesnt exist. Even today, many years on, shes been subjected to the meme treatment. And her rudeness, we think, was why you were given a chance to kill her off during the Revenge of the Sith video game released three years later.

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Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones: 5 Best & 5 Worst Things - Screen Rant

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero