8 Things You Learn From Rewatching Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones

The second installment of George Lucas' Star Wars prequel trilogy was always going to be the toughest assignment, the bridge between the anticipation and excitement of the first Star Wars film in sixteen years and The Revenge of the Sith, where fans knew they would finally get to see Anakin Skywalker become Darth Vader. Attack of the Clones was certainly the film I remembered enjoying least as a kid (the final 45 minutes aside, which everyone agreed were insane), and I was sure that that would be the case again. That's not quite how it transpired, though, and instead I have come away from my prequel rewatch marathon with Attack of the Clones as my unbridled favourite of the three. If anything, I might love it a little too much, so much so that the following eight points are basically seven mini love letters to the film and one slight disagreement. Early reviews of the film in 2002 were promising, but since then critical discourse seems to have slipped away to the point where, as with the Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones is now seen as a middling film. That's not entirely fair, though, and while there are some undoubted problems with the picture, for the most part it's a thoroughly enjoyable - sometimes masterful - affair. Here's why....