Just over twenty years ago, Attack of the Clones debuted in cinemas to a mostly mixed reception, but has in time received significantly more love and is now having fans demand some respect on its name.
The 2002 release competed with the likes of Spider-Man, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter in what was a stacked year for franchise films. Originally criticized for its pacing and the acting of Hayden Christensen, alongside its truyl bizarre amount of blue screen, fans now think we’ve all been a bit too harsh on the film.
A post on the Star Wars subreddit is celebrating the film, not quite calling it a hidden gem, but giving far more credence to the film than many have before.
The plot of Attack of the Clones possibly suffers the most from being both a middle chapter and a prequel, with the film kicking off Anakin and Padme’s love story by having the young and repressed Jedi in training escort the attractive young queen to her home planet. Why? Because robots shot some insects into her apartment.
The dialogue in Attack of the Clones isn’t exactly perfect, but it must be said that George Lucas was heavily inspired by more classic Shakespearean dialogue and seemed to envision love as something Dorian Grey-esque.
A popular fan theory explaining why Padme fell in love with Anakin is that the young Skywalker was using the Force to make her fall in love with him. Anakin is seen in Attack of the Clones to have no qualms with a fascist government or killing Tatooine’s indigenous population, so it’s in character.
George Lucas in the making-of documentaries for the prequels said that the films were designed to work without the dialogue, and undoubtedly the romance between Anakin and Padme is beautiful when it’s just the visuals.
Somewhat cynically, one comment chain may sum up Attack of the Clones the best: you are allowed to like bad movies, followed up by people saying it’s one of the worst films they’ve seen 20+ times.
Perhaps the greatest strength of Star Wars as a franchise is its generational pull. Initially disregarded and hated, the prequels have newfound love headed their way, and many hope the sequels could face a similar fate.
Attack of the Clones and the entire saga is available to stream on Disney Plus.
