Inside Look @ Star Wars Episode 2

by

Mike & Amy Nappa

FAST LOOK:

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones takes viewers into a fantasy world filled with valiant Jedi knights, high-tech spacecraft, bizarre creatures, and lurking evil.

INSIDE SCOOP:

Many adults remember 1977 as the year they spent hours standing in long lines Star Wars. Due to the incredible success of this movie, it was renamed Episode IV: A New Hope, and two more movies were created, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983). Then, after a 16-year break, creator George Lucas produced the first in a series of “prequels,” Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999). This year’s Episode II: Attack of the Clones zoomed to the top of the box office the weekend of its release with over $110,000,000 in ticket sales, giving it the third-highest opening weekend in movie history. The yet-unnamed Episode III is due to release in 2005.

Star Wars movies focus on the battle between good and evil, and Attack of the Clones is no exception. Fans of the series know that Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) will eventually become the evil Darth Vader. In Episode I, Anakin (then played by Jake Lloyd) was an innocent child. By the time viewers catch up with Anakin in Episode II, he’s a brooding young adult who has difficulty controlling his emotions. As Anakin falls in love with beautiful Senator Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), he also vents his wrath with chilling recklessness.

Attack of the Clones clearly demonstrates the path that awaits those who dwell on anger, jealousy, and hatred, especially when this path is compared to Padmé’s virtuous nobility or the valiant heroism of Obi Wan Kanobi (Ewan McGregor). Episode II values celibacy and marriage, with Anakin and Padmé sharing no more than a kiss before they exchange vows, and even takes on the issue of cloning. Parents may find watching the movie with teens and pre-teens opens doors to conversations about the long-term effects of various actions and attitudes.

Others find that the whole Star Wars series is a trap leading viewers into eastern mysticism. God does not exist in these movies. “The Force,” similar to the yin and yang concept in eastern philosophies, it is an energy that can be used by both the good and the evil. Attack of the Clones is also filled with stylized violence, explosions, and vicious animals of bizarre origins, which many parents may find objectionable.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT Attack of the Clones:

“While the Star Wars saga acknowledges a type of spiritual warfare similar to that described in Ephesians 6:12, the concept of The Force clearly contradicts biblical truth. It’s a derivation of New Age pantheism.”

— Bob Smithouser, Plugged In

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“Apparently, George Lucas has decided to slightly reinforce the Buddhist leanings of the saga, where the heroes (and villains) engage an impersonal, illogical, spiritual, and transcendent “Force” in a mystical, partially occult way.”

— Lisa Rice and Dr. Tom Snyder, MovieGuide.org

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 “What it comes down to is, I have kids who say to me, ‘thank you for making this movie’…That I can make a movie a young person will be blown away by. That’s what I do.”

—George Lucas, Attack of the Clones writer, director, and producer

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“[Lucas has] still got the visionary eye of a technological Tolkien, and the worlds he creates are pure magic.”

—Steven D. Greydanus, Decent Films

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“…it is a rare wonder, the way that moral and spiritual truths are powerfully illustrated and communicated by the Star Wars stories. Like the Arthurian legends he so clearly reveres, Lucas is giving us an alternate history rich with parables.”

—Jeffrey Overstreet, Christianity Today

LOOKING INSIDE…:    

Use these questions to spark family discussion about Star Wars:

---How do you see Anakin Skywalker’s choices leading him toward destruction? How are choices we make like or unlike Anakin’s choices, and what are the results in our lives?

---The Jedi knights vow they will not hate, and they also vow they will not love. Would a vow like this be useful in real life? If so, when?

---Some say there are dangers in entertainment that focuses on mystical powers, while others say it can open doors to discussions about God. What’s your opinion, and how can you support your argument?

[SIDEBAR]

If members of your family like Star Wars, then you may want to check out:

---Mars Diaries by Sigmund Brouwer (Tyndale Kids).

Great for older elementary and young teen readers, this series revolves around 14-year-old Tyce Sanders, who lives in an experimental community on Mars. Robots, spaceships, oxygen leaks, hostile takeovers, and more! With ten books in the series so far, there’s plenty of reading ahead, and each book includes a message from the author, inviting readers to know Christ personally.

---Space Trilogy by C. S. Lewis (Scribner)

Teens and adults will be fascinated by Lewis’ take on outer space. Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength make up the trilogy that moves from Mars to Venus in it’s exploration of the universe. Readers follow the adventures of Dr. Ransom who is kidnapped by a mad scientist and taken to Mars. Ransom’s journeys are filled with symbolism and analogies to Bible places and events such as the Garden of Eden and the Tower of Babel.

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[BIO LINE] Mike & Amy Nappa are renowned cultural commentators, best-selling and award-winning authors, and creators of the Internet magazine for families, www.FamilyFans.com