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All of the Star Wars films are audiovisual spectacles, and Attack of the Clones is no exception. The movie is totally crammed with countless breathtaking examples of visual inventiveness. As far as the sound goes, I would have to say that this one is my favorite. Merging Star Wars music and sound effects that are both new and old, this film creates a rich audio tapestry that is just as thrilling to listen to as it is to watch the incredible visual effects. It even has my favorite sound effect of all the Star Wars movies (perhaps my single favorite sound effect of all cinema): the seismic charges. Released by Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison) to destroy Obi-Wan in the asteroid ring battle, they initially explode in complete silence, then ring off with an indescribable sound that's like nothing I've ever heard before. Hearing it in the theater was simply amazing.

Again, as with all the Star Wars films, Attack of the Clones has absolutely thrilling action scenes. What sets this movie apart from the others is the constant barrage of astonishing action set pieces in the last third of the movie. For about 25 minutes straight, there is nothing but intense action without any substantial scenes acting as breathers. Normally, all of this would get tiresome and repetitive, disintegrating into mindless mayhem. I don't know how he did it, but George Lucas managed to clearly and consistently sustain the tension for such a long time without faltering for a single moment. What's even more miraculous is that these sequences are still just as exciting with multiple viewings. No other film I have seen has ever accomplished this so magnificently.

It starts off with the heroes battling an array of monsters in an arena similar to the Roman Coliseum. One of these monsters, the green, crustacean-like acklay, is my favorite creature of Star Wars. There's even a homage to Ray Harryhausen (the famous stop-motion effects artist) involving this creature. Then, a battalion of Jedi arrive to the rescue, lead by Mace Windu (who proves just how cool and powerful he is in this scene). Watching all those Jedi attacking at once was like a dream come true for me when I first saw the movie. This is the first time I cheered during the film, and everyone else did too. The droid army overwhelms the Jedi, but soon afterwards Yoda comes and saves them, bringing along the clone army. The two armies engage each other, thus starting the first battle of the Clone Wars. By using zooms and "shaky-cam" effects, the battle attains an almost documentary-like intensity. The Clone Wars was something I was really looking forward to, and it turned out even better than I had expected.

The final action sequence involves three separate lightsaber duels, one after the other, in which the Jedi try to take down Count Dooku. The last duel, between Yoda and Dooku, was the second time that I cheered in the theater. Seeing Yoda use a lightsaber for the first time, flipping and whirling so dynamically, was pure ecstasy. Later on that day, one of my friends pointed out that my cheering during that scene was somewhat loud and disruptive. I was too excited to notice or care that the rest of the audience wasn't really cheering during that part. Consequently, when I saw The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers later on that year and felt like cheering during one of its action scenes, I restrained myself. Since Revenge of the Sith came out with an even more spectacular duel involving Yoda, between him and Palpatine, the effect of this duel became somewhat diminished. Nevertheless, it is still quite enjoyable. Attack of the Clones is such a great motion picture. I will cherish my memories of it for the rest of my life.