nan | 楠木

It’s often said that the intermediate of any trilogy tends to be a disappointment. Save perhaps for the exception of films like Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers, this law generally holds. Matrix Reloaded was one massively overhyped disappointment.
The 2nd installment is hard to please because of its pre-defined motive. It doesn’t give any substantial conclusions. It doesn’t have to give any answers. Its main purpose is to further develop the plot, and prepare for the glorious (or not) climax which should be guaranteed by the final piece. It’s very hard for a 2nd installment to stand alone as a great film.
Yet sometimes the opposite is exactly what happens. In the original Star Wars trilogy, it was The Empire Strikes Back that really stood out and made a difference, while The Return of the Jedi could only be described as mediocre.
As to Attack of the Clones, it is generally a improvement on The Phantom Menace. Episode I was all special effects and no real heart, while Episode II had much more juice in storytelling. And it is fascinating to see Anakin Skywalker develop towards Darth Vader, although this line is only briefly exploited, with just enough subtlety.
Episode II starts from nowhere and ends nowhere. Parallel plots are developed, one revolving around Anakin and Padme’s mutual attraction, and one around Obi-Wan Kenobi doing some inter galactic detective work. It ends on a epic battle between clones and droids, which marks the beginning of the famous Clone Wars. Yoda shows off a skill or two with a lightsaber, which is really the icing on the cake. All in all this film does what it needs to do, and does the job with quite some style.
8 out of 10.