In the year 2002 comes to theaters Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. This is one of the worst films in the entire franchise.
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Something that initially shocks my retinas was that on a technological level this episode is more advanced than Episode IV: A New Hope. Even the costumes are more modern than in the films that follow.
Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Episode IV: A New Hope:
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Here, it is notorious that George Lucas relied too much on digital effects to build galactic scenarios, new worlds and alien characters. For me the CGI is notable in excess to the detriment of many practical effects that could have given a more organic visual balance to the film, is that many times it seemed that I saw an animated film, Ewan McGregor seemed the only physical thing that was on the screen as the rest that is observed is noted to be 100% digital.
As for the script and the acting, both are flawed. Lucas is not known for being a good screenwriter and here he has a hard time telling why the Republic falls, how the Jedi knights disappear and how Anakin Skywalker transforms into Darth Vader.
The characters talk and talk about the political problems that threaten the established order, presenting long and monotonous conversations. The villain of the prequels, Palpatine, is a politician who uses the growing threat of the Separatists to seize power and go to war, but the Jedi Knights really are the true culprits of the Republic falling, they have so much power and are unable to identify the machinations of the Sith and those complicit in their crimes.
We are not told why Anakin, the aspiring Jedi knight, and Padme the senator fall in love. Anakin is irritating and goes so far as to tell her that democracy should be replaced by dictatorship, he even looks at her with a desire she does not reciprocate, he touches her when she has made it clear she wants nothing, he watches her and watches her without her consent. Anakin tells Padme: "When you are near, something inside me grows", of course the reference was to the Force, (metaphysical element of Star Wars), but this can be interpreted as something very different from the galactic.
Anakin resorts to his powers to cut a pear to Padme, instead of fighting the Sith, the first kiss between them is stolen and is shown in an awkward way, with no chemistry between the two actors, and by magic Padme is in love with Anakin.
Hayden Christensen evolves in the film as a tormented Jedi apprentice with no charisma and terrible dialogue. Anakin after seeing how his mother dies after being kidnapped murders men, women and children of the Tusken tribe and establishes a painful dialogue with Padme, if we observe the null chemistry between these two characters:
We must remember that on several occasions Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill protagonists of the first trilogy commented that George Lucas did not know how to write dialogue.
George Lucas in this film shoots good action scenes except for the moment in which Anakin Skywalker loses his arm, an important scene for the evolution of the character, is incomprehensibly anticlimactic. The way Lucas shoots that scene, the mutilation is neither traumatic nor exciting. The most interesting thing about it is seeing Master Yoda fight for the first time.
It's all well and good that Lucas filmed us an action adventure movie that was committed to telling a story with seriousness and gravity that carries so much political weight, the mistake was that he did it in such a way that this discourse bores.
The Jedi's mission is to protect Padme, but also to take down the separatist factions in the galaxy, something we never see in the film. Seeing the discipline problems and internal conflicts Anakin has, the Jedi Order lets Anakin leave with Padme twice.
Jar Jar Binks, an unpresentable character, is the representative of the Gungans in the Galactic Senate along with Senator Amidala (Padme), being the one who proposes to the Senate that emergency powers be given to Chancellor Palpatine to authorize the creation of a clone army.
The protagonists arrive with the clones to Geonosis, a planet where they discover part of the plans of the Separatists and Count Dooku, this is an overdose of special effects. Here the Republic is defeated and the seed of the imperial authoritarian regime is implanted. A success for the dark side, most of the Jedi were annihilated and the few survivors were rescued by the clone troopers.
The first mistake of this film is that script, I am clear that it should be according to the following films and would first adapt the literary part and then the technical part. At the same time I would look for the ideal actors in the casting to play the central couple of the film, in this case Natalie Portman should stay since she appeared in the first film as Padme / Amidala, we should look for an actor who would present more chemistry with the protagonist than Hayden Christensen. I would do several screen tests to test the chemistry between the Padme/Anakin pairing, I would have cast Brat Pitt or Jake Gyllenhaal.
On a literary level I would take Lucas' main idea but I would speed up the political dialogues, I would show the courage and bravery of the Jedi Order, and not only Obi Wan's, (the best of the movie), I would consider a better way to present the lightsaber duels choreographing them to near perfection. The dialogues of Anakin when he is with Padme I would write them in a more charming way with words that really make that beautiful woman fall in love, I would eliminate the scenes of harassment towards her, I would force these protagonists to transmit that latent love to the public.
At the same time it would make Obi Wan Kenobi more attentive to the erratic behavior of his Padawan Anakin, Yoda warned him and it seems that because of the script he ignores it.
To make things more exciting I would have let the dark side of Anakin show itself in its totality, without so much insecurity and besides who says that a total bad guy can't love a princess. It would leave the door open so that in the next chapter, even though we know Padme will die, she will try by all means to dissuade her beloved from entering the dark side of the Force. Anyway, we all know who the future Darth Vader is.
I would reduce the treatment of special effects from the film, I would have used more models instead of so many digital effects, I think this would have restored the charm of the first trilogy.
It wouldn't in any way take away from the excellent John Williams soundtrack.
George Lucas is more of a director of action scenes than of dialogue scenes, if he would allow me I think that even I could be his dialogue co-director, correcting acting errors, and I do not think he is modest and of course I would eliminate Jar from this chapter Jar Binks, nobody remembered him and really what he plays in his scene could have been done with another character.
Friends of the CineTv community, I await your comments. This is my entry to the CineTV Contest #20- Your Dream Reboot or Remake. Link Here.
I am preparing to read the magnificent participation of my fellow community members, greetings to all.