Um, what was that movie called? “Lord of the...”? What was it— “dance”?
The second trailer for “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones” isn’t as coherent as the first (dubbed “Breathing”), but the tantalizing shots of Jango Fett, Count Dooku, and the army of alpha-stage stormtroopers are breathtaking. The film looks like an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink adventure along the lines of “Indiana Jones”, which isn’t surprising given the fact that Jonathan Hales, veteran of “Young Indiana Jones”, co-wrote the script with George Lucas. Combined with the romance of the first trailer, these new glimpses give us a picture of a story that should be as exciting as any we’ve seen in the cycle to date. That two trailers for the same film can be so different, in fact, is an encouraging sign. “Attack of the Clones” looks to be as dynamic and multifaceted as “The Phantom Menace” was inert and flat. Temeura Morrison appears to be the epitome of deadly cool (an amazing feat if that’s the case—how often is the man underneath as interesting as the mask he wears?), while Christopher Lee sent shivers down my spine as he tempted Obi-Wan with the obligatory “join me and together we’ll etc.” speech.
Resembling Vader’s temptation of Luke, it’s one of several quotations of earlier “Star Wars” films. The bar fight with Obi-Wan is an echo of Episode IV, and the pit monster that nearly lunches on Anakin and Padme is an ancestor of the Rancor monster from VI. These echoes of the original trilogy are more than a case of placating fans by returning to proven commodities. Lucas has made a conscious attempt to repeat himself in the series—something to do with “opera, mythological typologies, Joseph Campbell”, I can hear him softly explain over that stately, gelatinous double-chin—and any repetitions and variations in “Attack of the Clones” ripple through our readings of the other four films. This is particularly good news for “The Phantom Menace”, the shortcomings of which, I’ve long believed, will prove assets when the film is re-watched with knowledge gained in Episodes II and III. The best thing to take from this trailer, in other words, is that Lucas looks like he has not only made his first genuinely great film since “The Empire Strikes Back”, but also vindicated his most controversial. |
