Friday, 2002-05-17
silence the critics
I saw Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones the day it came out. All I did was show up with my younger brother and sister, older brother, and a friend of the family, Brandon. No need to order tickets ahead of time at my local Magic Johnson theater. I think there were a total of thirty people in the theater, present posse included. The scenario was the same last time around when Episode I: The Phantom Menace came out. I am beginning to notice a trend. One that I will appreciate when the third installment of the prequel trilogy hits the theaters. And, for that matter when both The Matrix: Reloaded and Revolutions explode in 2003.
Back to topic...
Attack of the Clones was better than I could have ever imagined. It is very tough, though, to witness the beginnings of Anakin's transformation to the dark side. But that was to be expected. I truly believe that Attack of the Clones is a masterpiece. The Phantom Menace was my least favorite of all episodes (past and current) and I hoped I would not be disappointed by the second prequel. In retrospect I have more respect for The Phantom Menace. It took an interview with George Lucas to understand that fans really wanted to jump right into Attack of the Clones and skip the story of The Phantom Menace. But, what I recently realized, is that the prequels are the journey of Anakin Skywalker. And this story really begins when he is found by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Gin.
"Duh," you might say, but again...I digress.
Attack of the Clones was great for so so many reasons. It was visually breathtaking. I was blown aback by the action sequences and duels. Jar-Jar didn't really bother me as much as he bothered me in The Phantom Menace (because of his deprecated role). And some details were finally filled in that I had always pondered in the original trilogy. Critics didn't like Episode I because it was arguably a kids movie. But of course, I say. Anakin was a kid. A very light-hearted one at that. It would be impossible to see the dark side in him, except in his fierce competitiveness. Critics hounded Episode I and only recently have began to attack Attack of the Clones. In my humble opinion, they need to sit back, let their age go, and enjoy the feature.