Imagine a version of Attack of the Clones that is worse than the original film, but in doing so, is also hilariously better. A new shot-for-shot low-budget remake of the most reviled Star Wars prequel has actually captured its brillance.
On Tuesday, Knights of Renesmee published their hilarious shot-for-shot remake of Attack of the Clones, which is worth watching for the Anakin/Padme love scenes alone. The best description of the remake is “sweded,” a technique popularized by the film 2008 Michel Gondry film Be Kind Rewind in which a huge blockbuster is remade using almost nothing. For the Clones remake, this means cheap paper masks, coach-cushions standing in for the smashing metal of the droid factory, and the actor playing Padme just wearing all-white underwear in the arena battle scenes. The most these guys shelled-out, other than their time, was probably just on toy lightsabers.
Everyone loves to hate on Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace, but if people are being honest, the most cringe-worthy of the dreaded prequels is probably Episode II — Attack of the Clones. From Anakin talking about how much he hates sand to the baffling lightsaber battles in the end, the film probably elicits more head-scratching now than anger. Which, from a certain point of view, actually makes Attack of the Clones a kind of baroque masterpiece.
Knights of Renesmee clearly agree. On their YouTube channel, they jokingly write the following about the film:
“Attack of the Clones is undoubtedly a masterpiece and almost universally regarded as the greatest installment in the Star Wars saga, some of the special effects have aged and the acting could be improved (despite the script being flawless).
Last year, the group also remade Revenge of the Sith using the exact same technique, with equally hilarious results.
It is unclear at this time if Knights of Renesmee plan to remake The Phantom Menace next year, for its 20th anniversary.
