The day I saw Attack of the Clones, my life changed a lot. I had been awake for a long time when the film opened. I was outside of the New York City theater for over 12 hours waiting for a midnight screening of the latest Star Wars film. I woke up and graduated from college. Attack of the Clones had a profound impact on me long before the film was released, but it was finally released after I graduated college. The lead-up to Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was where I found websites that covered movies. I got my daily fix of Star Wars gossip while surfing sites like Countingdown.com, and I inadvertently opened the door into what my life would eventually become, writing for sites like the one you are reading right now. That was an observer. I participated in the lead-up to Episode II. I began working for a few of those sites when I was balancing a part-time job and full-time school. I had written reviews for my high school newspaper and was writing about movies for college, but this was the first time I had done it professionally. I wrote posts about Star Wars here and there while also doing some of my first press junkets, and I knew the next step when the speaker made a joke about the movie. I wanted to write a review by the time Episode III was released. Three years later, I achieved my goal at a newspaper in southern New York. The linchpin was Attack of the Clones. The film came out at the right time. The memories of seeing Attack of the Clones are strong. For me, it was stronger than the other two. I waited on a sidewalk for an entire day for the midnight screening of the film at the legendary Ziegfeld Theater in Manhattan. It's where Triumph the Insult Comic Dog did the legendary Star Wars nerd sketch that I'm literally in.
The screening was even better than the waiting. It was electric as a thousand Star Wars fans sat in the same room, ready to see the next chapter in the saga. Everyone jumped out of their seats when the Jedi came in. It felt like the entire room shook when he lit his lightsaber. Even though I had to be up at 8 a.m. for graduation, I still wanted to see the film again at 3:30 a.m.
Attack of the Clones lost some of its shine in the years that followed. The memory of waiting for it and watching it was more important than the film. There are some great characters, great action beats, and a great finale, but for the most part, the story is convoluted, wooden, and abysmal pacing. The dialogue between Anakin and Padm is cringe-inducing. It is the worst Star Wars film to date, and it is currently giving it a run for its money.
This movie still means a lot to me. The movie represented something in my life. I followed a career path after my excitement and anticipation for Attack of the Clones. It's even mushier. The love theme for Attack of the Clones, by John Williams, was playing on the radio when I kissed the woman who would eventually become my wife. When we got married 12 years later, we played a song called "Across the Stars" because I thought it would make a great story.
Movies are art and art means different things to different people. Attack of the Clones is not a great movie, but it holds a great place in my heart. If I look through it, I can see my past, present and future. It is part of who I am. The Padm is to my friend.
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