Official AOTC Fan Review Thread

[Rob]

Hey folks,

Getting ready for next Wednesday night already. This is the thread where you'll be posting your review of Attack of the Clones if you choose to do so.

Please keep them here within this thread, and feel free to post any pre-release reviews if you have watched the bootleg version of the film.

[Anthony]

Well, I guess I'm first to review the film that we've all been waiting three years to see. *You realise that as soon as you've seen it you'll have to wait ANOTHER three years though, don't you?

Anyway, this review will be laden with SPOILER material, so you’ve been warned – you’re in the Spoiler Box, after all.

Now. Let me start by saying “GEORGE LUCAS HAS RAPED MY CHILDHOOD!”

Yes, Mr. Lucas has gone and screwed up the single most important part of the Star Wars saga, the defining point of the movies, the one thing that made them the success they are today. *Yes, YOU know what I’m talking about. *And if, by some chance you DON’T know, please, let me elaborate…

You know the deal – the Star Wars logo, fading into infinity, the opening crawl, well, crawling into infinity, and then, hey, we ALL know what happens – the camera pan’s DOWN to reveal the first sequence of the film…

Well. *NOT ANYMORE, Eh, MR. LUCAS?? *Panning DOWN is too GOOD for you is it?

You see, in Episode 2, we pan UPWARDS, not DOWN, as all sensible pans should be!

…

…

Just kidding. *Well, no, I’m not kidding about panning UP for a change, but I am kidding about the rest of it. *Star Wars Episode Two – Attack of the Clones, will ROCK YOUR FACE. *AOTC owns you, your dog, your folks, and your neighbours HOT daughter.

Attack of the Clones is THAT good. *And anyone that had criticisms about the first film being slow, will understand why everything was set up the way it was. Episode Two makes the first a better film - or should I say, for those that didn't truly understand Episode One, all will be revealed by this, the sequel.

How I managed to see the film is irrelevant, but let me say this – you will NOT be disappointed. Sure, you’ll probably be disappointed that Jar Jar doesn’t die a gruesome death, and you’ll probably be disappointed that `Threepio replaces, to some extent, the annoying Jar Jar Binks of the first movie, but all in all, you’ll walk out of that cinema with an ear to ear grin on your face, itching to go back again, if only to see Yoda kick ass. *And oh, what ass he does kick.

The special effects are… well, they make the first one look like it was made using MS Paint. *

Okay, maybe not that bad, but once again, Star Wars is on the cutting edge of CGI, and I’d be amazed if it can get much better – though of course it will by the time Episode three rolls by. *There's still some work to be done as far as human's riding on CGI animals - the sudden jery movements still give the animators trouble - but all in all, it doesn't get any better than this.

This review is really jsut a collection of brain explosions, a hodge podge of thoughts, so please bear with me.

But… let’s start from the beginning. *A wonderful indulgent fly through early morning, fog shrouded Coruscant, Capital City of the Republic, that doesn't know what's about to hit it. *A feast for the eyes to be sure, and while I didn’t get the impression of the Capital being a “vertical city”, it’s impressive none the less. *

The first few scenes of the movie are, to my mind, cut too quickly – there’s not enough of a transitional fade from one scene to the next, which I found a bit jarring. *This is alleviated later on, though, so no lost points there – it just gave me a bit of a “oh, oh” kind of feel, a creeping dread that maybe AOTC wouldn't be the movie I was hoping for. *

It seems that there was a rush to get the prologue out of the way so that we could move into the meat and gristle of the story a little faster, hence the hurried cuts - the movie is two hours and fourteen or so minutes long, and there’s a lot be be packed into that tiny space.

The first real action piece, aside from the “God, I saw that coming” explosion on the landing platform is the speeder chase through Coruscant. *This scene is amazing, and more than a little reminiscent of the Pod Race from Episode One. *

This is the first time that the impression of Coruscant’s towering skyscrapers is made – it looks like a looooooong, looooooong way down. *The chase is action packed and suspenseful, and an amazingly enjoyable ride, and certainly introduces us to the impetuous and arrogant side of Anakin well. *Anakin, as you may have read elsewhere, is not entirely likeable. He's a whining punk, and it's easy to see where Luke got his whine! *But he MEAN's well, even if it doesn't appear that way to his long suffering master, Obi Wan.

The relationship between Obi Wan and Anakin is fantastically played out. *Obi Wan, now an accomplished Jedi Master, is cool as a cucumber - except when it comes to his Padawan Learner. *Obi Wan is the face of calm, but with Anakin his frustration is visibly boiling over. Anaking is brash, pig-headed, overly confident and just won’t listen to his Master. *Admittedly, Obi Wan doesn’t help by being OVERLY critical, and constantly dressing Anakin down in front of others. It’s clear that this frustration which Obi Wan feels has been going on for some time now, and he’s finding it harder to conceal. *Anakin’s apologies always sound as if it’s what Obi Wan WANT’s to hear, and that there’s no real heart behind it. *Anakin thinks he’s better than Obi Wan, not wiser, but stronger, and it frustrates him no end. *The impression of power jsut fighting to get out of Anakin comes across well.

The first cameo I noticed, by the way, was Anthony Daniels, sans metal, playing a character in the Spots Bar that Zam hides out in. *He sticks out like dog’s balls, which is the problem with big names and cameos, but still, I’m sure he was happy to have his face on screen for the first time in a Star Wars movie!

After Zam’s failed assassination, the scenes jump to Dex’s Diner – for those of you that have read the book, there is no scene in the movie featuring the Analysis droids at the Jedi Temple. *Obi Wan mentions it in passing, but nothing more. *Speaking of the Diner itself, George is definitely getting back to his American Graffiti days, roller-skate waitress and all – or should I say uni-wheeled robot waitress and all style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif

Speaking of Robots, we finally see how Artoo goes up stairs, and I’m not talking about using rockets! *It’s great to see the plucky little droid doing this mundane task, and it settles all arguments once and for all about how Artoo gets around.

I’ve read people say that the love story portion of the movie seems forced, or hurried – but I don’t see it that way at all. *Anakin is so open, so honest, that it’s impossible for things to move slowly. Every time he speaks to Padme, Anakin lays his heart bare. *He plays no games and is so earnest, it’s, well, for those of you old enough, think back to your firs frantic teenage feelings of love and lust and of how the whole world revolved around your feelings for each other – it’s a bit like that. *Poor Padme is assailed by this attractive young man just throwing himself at her – but her sense of responsibility is too strong. It’s only when it looks like they may no longer live that she does finally give into her feelings, and this all feels right. *The whole rolling in the hay is a little clichéd, but hey, it’s still great to see young love!

Natalie Portman, as Amidala, is HOT – and while I appreciate it, the torn mid-riff top is gratuitous. *It’s easy to see why Anakin would fall for her, and it’s clear where Leia get’s her spunk… *It was also great to see Padme getting about without the constraints of being queen - we certainly get to see more of what makes her tick this time around. *

The Jedi Starfighter – Obi Wan flies in one cool piece of spacecraft – it was also interesting to see that it uses and EXTERNAL HyperDrive! *Neat effect.

Jango Fett – Quietly menacing, a powerful presence. *Temura Morrison plays the Galaxy’s most feared bounty hunter well, and puts up a good fight against the Jedi - though not good enough when it comes down to it. *His death, much like his son Boba’s, is sudden and without ceremony, and it was kind of a shame to see him go so quickly – though the scene does emphasise how powerful Mace Windu really is. *Speaking of whom, check out the look that Mace gives Jango in the arena, just before the Jedi Master takes care of the Bounty Hunter. It’s priceless.

The movie doesn't go into the Father/Son relationship between Jango and Boba like the book does, but there are a few scenes that highlight the bond that these two have. *And by the time the movie ends, it's clear that Boba will have a lot of Jedi blood on his hands on Episode Three. *It's also worth mentioning that the quietly under-stated scene with Boba holding his dead father's helmet is very poweful, and I think it showed great restraint by George - it could have easily been a teary, fist in the air cliche - but it's not, and it's all the better for it. *

Count Dooku - I was dissapointed by Christopher Lee, not in his actining abilities, but at the end of the film where physical skills were required. *After seeing Darth Maul in Episode One, watching an overweight Dooku fight so slowly was a bit of a low point. *At one stage Anakin even cuts the lights - and while this makes for a moody set piece, I suspect it's because Chris Lee just can't keep up with the younger Hayden in the sword fighting stakes. *In the dark, the ILM giys just need to put in a random flurry of lightsabre strikes, saving the aging actor the heart strain. *I don't know - Dooku just didnt' do it for me.

Palpatine on the other hand - boy is he evil. If there was doubt that Palpatine and Sidious are one and the same, this should put those thoughts to rest. Palpatine is a bad, baad man, and the way he has played both sides against each other is pure genius. *For more than ten years he has been biding his time, setting the wheels slowly in motion, and only now is he seeing the fruits of that labour - and he's loving it. *I cannot wait until episode three to see that dark hood come off to reveal the chancellors face!

The last thirty minutes of the film is pure action, and certainly won't dissapoint. *For those that criticised the first film for the lack of space combat, you'll be facing more of that here - but I guarantee you the ground based skirmish will more than make up for it!

Yoda - I don't know what to say. *He's not comical, he's not goofy - he's THE MASTER. *This is also his movie. *

It's clear that to Yoda, *the Force in an Ally, not a tool. *It's difficult to imagine Yoda frivilously using the Force, to imagine him ever doing something with the Force that he couldn't do by his own hand. *Watching Yoda hobble about, grunting with each step, weighted by the effort of moving his frail body and yet exuding so much raw power - the guys at ILM deserve several awards for this character animation alone. *

Yet when you see Yoda drop his cane as he faces Dooku and tap into the Force, it's awe-inspiring. *For a few moments, Yoda is one with the Force and he is a truly awesome warrior to behold. *This scene will no doubt draw the biggest cheer from the crowds! *At the end of it all, *we see him pick up his cane once more and hobble away, demonstrating such humility in the face of the Force that we know why he is the number one Jedi in the Galaxy.

It's getting late and it's way past my bed time so I'll wrap this up for now. *I know this has been kind of jumbled and mixed up - but there is sooooo much to say that it's impossible to type it all. *If there are any questions anyone has, I'm happy to answer them, but for now, let me just say you won't be dissapointed. *I have my tickets to the premiere sitting on the desk and I glance at them every couple of minutes - I cannot wait to go into a packed cinema with a couple of hundred other people, psyched to see this movie. *I imagine the cheers will be deafening as Obi Wan fights Jango, as Yoda struts his stuff - I just cannot wait. *I love this movie, and I will be seeing it over and over again on the big screen!

Oh, I guarantee you that the wait for the THIRD one will be a killer.


See you Thursday!!! *Over and out style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

[Powerful Jedi]

I saw AOTC in my own home on Monday night! *I did write this review as soon as i had finished watching it. *But I created a new topic, not seeing this one! *So now I have been asked to move my review that I wrote Monday evening into here!

After reading this review, you mite wanna see some screen shots taken from the movie! *They can be found in Prequels (Spoilers).

-----------------------------------------------------------

I just watched Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. *All I can say is.... *Entertaining! *:)

I am actually quite disapointed with the Obi-Wan/Jango fight! *It lasted quite literally 2 minutes! *Actually, it probably wasn't even that long!

Great chunks, that we have heard so much about, haven't even made it into the final feature, such as the Jocasta Nu/Obi-Wan conversation regarding Count Dooku and the Lost 20! *In fact, the Lost 20 isn't even mentioned anywhere in the movie???

I don't know if its because I was watching it on my imac, or whether my expectations were too high, but the part of the movie where Anakin gets his arm lopped off, didn't seem that climactic, as it did when it happened to Luke! *Yoda is good - leaping around like a gremlin on a combination of speed and poppers, and the much hyped Mace Windu was quite border-line! *I was expecting much more action from him. *In fact I felt that the Anakin/Obi-wan/Dooku battle was almost just there as a lead up to the Yoda/Dooku battle. *An excuse to get to the Yoda battle. *Maybe??

I also felt that... I know some people are going to disagree here... but the plot for Phantom Menace was stronger.

A part of the movie, that i didn't really see the point in or understand why, is why does R2-R2 push C-3PO off the ledge onto the conveyer belt? (Similar to Return of the Jedi) *Is it an excuse to show that R2 has rocket jets, or as a reason to put humour into the situation, as C-3PO has his head put onto a battle droids body and a battle droids head put onto his body???? *The way GL's head has been working, while writing these new episodes is best left alone! *Lets just hope that Episode 3 will help bring the standard of the new trilogy, up to the standard of the old one!

I feel the best parts of this movie both come from Hayden Christiansen. *Shmi's death scene was so convincing, the emotional change from grieving to anger and hatred in Hayden's face was magical! *The other scene is where Anakin explains what he has done, to padmé.

PADME: *I brought you something. *Are you hungry?
ANAKIN: *The shifter broke. *Life seems so much simpiler when you're fixing things. *I'm good at fixing things... Always was. *But I couldn't.... Why'd she have to die? *Why couldn't I save her? *I know I could have.
PADME: *Sometimes there are things no one can fix. *You're not all powerful Annie...
ANAKIN: *Well I should be... Someday I will be... I will be the most powerful jedi ever... I promise you. *I will even learn to stop people from dying.
PADME: *Anakin...?
ANAKIN: *Its all Obi-Wna's fault... He's jealous... He's holding me back.
PADME: *Whats wrong Annie?
ANAKIN: I... I killed them. *I killed them all. *Their dead. *Every single one of them. *Not just the men. *But the women. *And the children too. *Their like animals. *And I slaughtered them like animals. *I hate them.

Anakin then sits on the ground, up against the counter. *Padmé sits next to him, and comforts him.

I think this is the most powerful scene in the whole movie. *Obviously when he talks about the men, women and children, he's talking about the sand people he killed in a couple of scenes previous. *Actually, its more like 3 sand people, the rest is left to your imagination!

Oh yeah, another little spoiler.... *Which I was shocked to see and really excited about... *We get to see the plans for the Death Star. *They are now in the safe keeping of Dooku. *It seems the Genosisians are the builders of the classic Death Star (Known in AOTC as the Ultimate Weapon). *The plans are in form of a small red hologram of the Death Star. *A similar hologram as Qui-Gon used when making the deal with Watto in Phantom Meance.

And yes it was the full movie - 2 hours 22 minures!!!

I've just remembered a question from the "Ask the Jedi Council" at the official site (www.starwars.com)! *A few months ago (Feb 7) someone asked Jocasta Nu if there would be any Pod-Racing in AOTC! *She said Yes. *And guess what.... There is no Pod-Racing! *Its not even mentioned! *What are they playing at?
See the question here (http://www.starwars.com/community/askjc/jocasta/askjc20020207.html)

[NelsonCoressel]

You saw it on your IMac???

So, in other words, you didn't really SEE it.

I've been all anal about in which theater I should see it in first... any number of multiplexes within walking distance or the digital showing near Cincinnati (a whole hour away)... and you base your review on an IMac????

style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hmmm.gif

[Powerful Jedi]

I saw it on a DVD played on my iMac! *The thing is I have seen it, so I can actually review what I thought of it!

Remember.... * I saw it, i reviewed it!

For some reason you seem to have a problem with that! *Don't know if its something to do with me seeing it already and you haven't yet! *You know, jealousy can lead to the Dark Side of the Force! *style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif *style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif

[Teek]

I think Nelson doesn't like the idea of seeing it at home, on your computer, instead of with friends and fans in a theater. *It's like spoiling your first time if it's you alone watching the movie in your house, and not with an audience.

[Powerful Jedi]

I don't care how I see it, as long as I do see it! Seeing it with an audience doesn't effect the way I watch a movie, especialy Star Wars! Its how I see it, not who I see it with.

No one jumps for joy and clamps, etc in my cinemas! But that probably cos I don't live in America!

I'm going to see it with my friends at the cinema (Which does have digital projectors and has the 3rd biggest screen in the world) on Monday after college! No one's wetting themselves about not seeing it the first showing, cos they will end up seeing it at some point anyway! Thing is I was lucky! I got to see it even before the cast did! style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

And I think its a bit excentric to actually plan which cinema you see it at! As long as u get to see it, I don't think it really matters!

[NelsonCoressel]

Yeah, I know I'm being picky... You certainly did see it, but you didn't see it cinematically. *That's what Star Wars is: a cinematic experience.

I'm not jealous, just concerned when people base reviews on seeing it on a small computer screen as opposed to the medium it was composed for.

Was your apparently illegal copy widescreen or pan & scan?
I'd be curious to know what you think after seeing it in the cinema. *I'll be catching it tomorrow afternoon and will post my review later.

[Powerful Jedi]

It was wide screen. *I am basing my review on what I watched not how I watched it. *I guess I thought I would get more out of seeing it, but I became slightly disappointed when I didn't see what I had heard about it and saw about it. *For example, the scene where Anakin says I've learnt this before and then Obi-Wan says No you haven't learned anything. *This scene was in the trailers, but for some reason didn't make it in to the movie. *Alot of stuff does not show up in the movie. *Another example is the Jango/Obi-Wan fight. *It is extremely skinned down. *What is seen in the trailors at not all shown in the movie. *Obi-Wan does ignite his lightsaber and charges at Jango while deflecting blasts, but then Jango simply flies up and goes behind a tower. *There is no laser deflecting, involving a little spinning around action from Obi-Wan as seen in the trailors. *I couldn't believe it when Obi-Wan simply swings onto a gantry and runs through a door only to get back onto the platform to throw a homing beacon on to Slave 1, as it jets off. *I couldn't believe it... I thought, is that it!?

The chase in the asteroid field was supposed to be one of the the big chase sequences in the movie. *I though it quite bland and boring.

I see what u mean by saying it is better to see it in the cinema. *It does heighten it all... maybe too much! *I saw it with out all the build up of commericals, etc. *I saw it in its basic form.

I am a star wars freak. *And many people probably think that I should think it is brilliant simply cos it is star wars. *But I can't stop feeling kinda disappointed.

The acting was kinda wooden in places. *And the end battle in the arena looked brilliant in the "clone war" trailor, but in the movie the lightsaber sequences where not as refined as Phantom Menace. *Even Obi-Wan vs. Dooku and Anakin vs. Dooku could have been a lot better. Its as if the actors could be bothered.

I love Star Wars, I just feel disappointed!

The beginning of the movie is extemely rushed and is kinda... well boring. boring for star wars anyway! it does seem to get better in the second half, as anakin and padmé travel to genosis, and the spectical in the droid factory is good too. the battle in the arena seems abit short tho. would have been better if it was a bit longer.

The battle between yoda and dooku is the best lightsaber duel. altho i think that was a bit short too.

[Teek]

Yeah, I think that was some people's problems with TPM. Their expectations get the better of them.

"This isn't how it's suppose to happen! It's suppose to be like this..."

[RedMirax]

It was AWESOME!!!!! Things were popping and things are coming together!!! I can't wait to see it again to pick up stuff I missed!!!!!

[Talious]

I saw AOTC last night at the Australian midnight screening premiere and I'm writing a review later tonight for the newspaper I work for here in Victoria.

I'm also writing a feature article on what it is to be a Star Wars fan in the midst of the prequels and I'm keen to get some responses from the people who use this site. I'm a former Jedicouncil regular myself (I went by the handle of Corran), and anyone whose ever visited Corran's Love Shack will know who I am, but anyway, if anyone wants to take part and give me some feedback on AOTC, email me at mneal@standard.fairfax.com.au and I'll send you a list of questions I'd like you to answer.

I'm going to post my review up here when it's done, and I may start a new thread and stick the article up there as well in the coming weeks.

[Clara]

I just got home from ATOC, after the May 16th, 6:30pm (AEST) screening. Two words:

IT ROCKS!!!

Better the ESB I reckon, and leaves TPM for dead.

[Seanakin]

Clara, I disagree about the Empire assessment. Nothing, in my mind, will EVER surpass that film, and it's all because it's the only film where George's supremacy was effectively challenged. Nowadays, the only visible rogue in LFL seems to be John Knoll, and he gets too swamped in his lists of CGI shots to be the least bit effective.

Hayden worked for me as Anakin, particularly when he had the robe on. Sure, his dialogue was a tad wooden, but to me that's partially not his fault. What they should have done was set him up as a likeable guy first before casting him into the inevitable descent into the Dark Side. Sorta like Michael Corleone, who in the beginning is this nice yet frumpy little kid brother just returned from the service, even though his father felt he should have stayed behind and not gotten involved.

[[[...]]]

Anyway, I've about given up trying to sell these films to people still unfamiliar with the SW saga. Which is fine and dandy with me, but it also means I have to put up with my father going on and on about preaching to the choir.

BTW, what's with this Jedi ritual of Last Rites? Just wondering.

As I walked up to Fredo the Cullenium Falcon and searched for my keys, I had a thought: Talk about giving away your hand in marriage. :biggrin:

[RoaryUK]

I just watched ATOC for the 10th (or was it the 11th time?), not saying how I came to be so lucky of course...when I *found this board . And so here's what I thought and didn't think about GL's latest epic offering...oh to be objectional LOL.

BEWARE LOTS OF SPOILERS (here & there)

Once again those critics we all know and love (bahhh!!) have *got stuck into Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones! * Not that I'm suggestiong this movie is flawless, it has its problems, but in terms of entertainment value this film delivers as much as any from the origonal trilogy. *It has the look of TESB, plenty of action when compared to the disappointing TPM, but most important of all in my opinion, AOTC forms MANY links with the OT, and even makes TPM a better movie by making more sense of the political side of things. *We even get to see why Lucas brought us Jar Jar in the first place....whos clumsiness leads to a terrible thing!

As for wether the movie is any good, well....yes AND no.... Yes, the special effects are as good as we expect them to be nowadays, excellent!! *The new and old worlds are beautifully rendered, with totally believable environments!! *The live action scenes are wonderfully executed, in particular the lightsaber duals, which put what we saw in TPM in the shade...a certain little green guy comes to mind especially. *

On the negative side I'm still not really convinced about Lucas's writing abilities...I mean the story is great...but all too often the dialogue just grated on me (that's the only word I can think of right now)!! I know Lucas had help this time (Jonathan Hayles), BUT it's also well known that Lucas went over the final draught himself and could have made any number of changes. *Hayles was supposedly happy with his contribution...but he would say that wouldn't he?

Given this dialect weakness it's not suprising then that some of the acting on show isnt of the highest order either. *I just love Ewan McGregors performance as Obi Wan, his very movements and expressions...Jesus sometimes he even sounds like the late Sir Alec Giunness...but there are times when he looks decidedly bored with his lines! *

There are the obvious exceptions of course...truly great actors will make the most of even the most rediculous dialect most of the time...enter Christopher Lee, Ian McDiarmid and Samuel L. Jackson to name a solitary few. *Newcomer Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker) does struggle a little at times, particularly in the love scenes, but he is a fine actor and for me he just IS Anakin...and also that tortured soul of someone else he is about to become! *

As for Natalie Portman...well, she's cute, so sexy on screen...but for me she was far from convincing. *Fair enough her lines are often dire stuff too...but sometimes it's like she is reading from a lamp post or something (probably)! *As for C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2D2 (Kenny Baker)...mmm anyone remember how Jar Jar who was slated just for doing what he was created for in TPM...well, lets just say the Threepio-haters out there at least are gonna have a field day with this.

Onto the story...well considering the complex plot there's really a simple tale here. *It's 10 years after the events of TPM...as usual the universe is in chaos. *A rogue Jedi named Count Dukoo (Christopher Lee) has left the Jedi Order after the death of his former apprentice Qui-Gon in MENACE, for whom he blamed the Jedi Council.

Using his influence and connections with The Trade Federation, Dukoo has formed a huge seperatist movement united by hundreds on star systems, who intend to break away from the Republic. With so many systems involved in this movement the Jedi Knights, guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy, are struggling to maintain law and order and so its put forward a new peace keeping force is needed to work alongside them. *At the begining of the movie a vote is about to be cast in the Republic Senate on wether a REPUBLIC ARMY should be created.

But some are against this ARMY, fearing it will create not just moe unrest but possibly even civil war. Senator Padme (Natalie Portman) is one of those, and her actions spawn a series of attempts on her life supposedly by seperatist agents.
With the latest attack practically on the Senates doorstep the Council finally swings into action, and so the real adventure Begins.

Anakin is assigned as Padme's body guard and ordered to take her to her home planet Naboo, while Obi-Wan embarks on a dangerous quest to discover the identity of the assassin(s)!
I wont go into too much detail, but there are some nice suprizes along the way, some more unexpected than others. *The connections with the OT are almost frighteningly clear, the Clones the most obvious as they are the blueprint for the imfamous STORMTROOPERS. *In his quest for the truth Obi-Wan discovers that someone from the senate, thought to have been dead for 10 years, has signed an order on its behalf for a clone army to be created on the water Planet of Kamino. *The template for the clones is a mean looking bounty hunter named Jango Fett (Temeura Morrison), who in return recieved a gift from the Kaminoans...an unaltered clone to be his son...Bobba Fett (Daniel Logan). *

Meanwhile on Naboo the love theme between Anakin and Padme seems to trickle at one pount then rush through the next, with some sickly high school dialogue along the way before they eventually share their first kiss. *At some point Anakin dreams about his mother in danger, and the scene is soon set for the pair to return to Anakins home planet of Tatooine. *It's here that we meet the Lars (as they will be in ANH Owen & Beru).

It's also here that Christensen has his finest moment in the movie. *Anakins mother has been taken by Tusken Raiders and never returned, leading Anakin into an unknown journey to find her. *When he does she is nearly dead, that moment they do have is as heart warming as you'll see in any movie...as is the terror that follows when she dies in his arms. *The slaughter of the Tusken Raiders is brief...you can only imagine the rest, even though Anakin talks about it...but the scenes of anakins anger and then his own retribution are 2 of the most powerful of the movie!

Back on Kamino Obi-Wans friendly discussion with the Kominoans ends with him meeting then fighting Jango Fett in the famous RAIN BATTLE...which was far too short in my opinion, barely 2 minutes long!! *But Obi-Wan manages to track the Fetts leaving Kamino as well as alerting the Jedi Council to his discovery. *An asteroid chase ensues, leading to Jango's hideout on the rock planet of Geonosis. *Obi-Wan discovers the Geonosians manufacture the droid armies for the Nemoidian Trade Federation, but another familiar face to him is here also...Count Dukoo. *Obi-Wan manages to relay a message to Curoscant via Anakin before he is captured, Anakin and Padme decide to go to Geonosis and rescue Obi_wan, knowing they will get there long before the Jedi. *

And so the scene is set for a climatic battle, which I won't go into except to say it's BIG and SPECTACULAR. *But not before Anakin and Padme are also captured by the Geonosians and taken to an arena to be executed in true GLADIATOR style. *
There's lots of weird monsters here, unfortunately this is one of the few places where the effects do suffer a little...as you'll see when Anakin rides the Reek (like a 3-horned bull) the effect isn't seemless...on occasion the monsters movements are a bit jerky too...but it's fun to watch non-the-less! *

Eventually the Jedi arrive to take on the masses of the Droid Army, strangely though there aren't as many as I would have expected...just a couple of hundred out of probably thousands that there must have been to be such a peace keeping force. *

Eventually the Jedi are surrounded and about to be fried when the CLONES unexpectedly arrive to save the day. *As the battle rages the REAL reason behind the Geonosians fear of defeat by the Republic comes to light...they have created plans for the ultimate weapon of destruction (The Death Star)

The Clones save the day of course, but there are lots of questions here for the sceptics...it looks great make no mistake about that...but this is an army created by someone from the Senate for the Republic even though no one authorized it, yet Yoda sees fit to use them when he is obviously aware of their links to the very people who are responsible for them? (which in turn will start a war the council wanted to avoid) .

Furthermore, its template is a bounty hunter who by this time Obi-Wan KNOWS was involved in the earlier assasination attempts on Padme, and he just happens to be in league with Dukoo (something else Obi-Wan knows)!

At the end is the expected saber dual between Obi-Wan, Anakin Vs Count Dukoo, but its the fight between Yoda and Dukoo that is the highlight of AOTC. *Just trust me on this....I can't even begin to explain it...but it really is the coolest sword fight you'll ever see....and that's even AFTER Episode 3 Im sure....

This weekend I'm off to see AOTC on the big screen for a change...it'll be worth the admission fee just to see Yoda kick some ass...and "of course"I always intended to anyway!!!

[Vibroblade]

Short review..


I loved it. Absolutely loved it. Sure I had some problems with the movie, but it just FELT like a Star Wars movie.

By the way, the dialogue was fine with me. Couldn't really tell that it was any different than any other SW movie. The acting was at least adequate and at times superb. Good plot and pacing.

Ranking as of now.....ESB ( still the most powerful ), ANH-AOTC tie, ROTJ, TPM.

Sure I realize that TPM used to be higher on my list, but time away from discussion here has proven to me that, although I like the movie ok, it is my least favorite. Opuchi, Wook, Patrick do you hear?

The main thing that has changed my opinion of TPM is I find I have no desire to see it again after the 12-15 times I've seen it already. I've seen AOTC twice TODAY and I'm DYING to see it again.

[Kambei Koyanagi]

BTW nice Job on this forum.


It was awesome, and you all may get mad at me,

but it was better, I think than, ESB.

I have seen it twice so far. 12:00am and 7:10 this eve.

Acting was good, not great, I agree with Vibro. It did have its moments.

CGI, unbelivable, There are more that 10 times in the moive that I forget its CG.

Ewan, you are OBI WAN.
Hayden, I think played a whining Luke times 10. Wonderful
Natalie.........Im in love. my god, if you've seen it you know what Im talking about.

Breathtaking shots, with out a doubt, Lucas' best direction, This blows THX 1138 away, direction speaking.

Jar Jar was tolerable. Poor guy whats he going think when he finds out what he did to the galaxy.

Yoda. nuff said.

IT DID FEEL LIKE STAR WARS AGAIN!!!!

The force is with Lucas this time.

"I will never fail again" - Anakin to his mothers grave

Boy that line makes me think about the end on ROTJ.

well done Lucas, well done.


Jedi Koyanagi

[Shoma Barad]

I saw the film. I loved it. Although I was a little stressed.... the person I went to see it with was running late, and I was sooooo worried about missing the opening crawl... but we made it! Hurrah!
And a very good thing it was that we did.

Star Wars: Episode II- Attack of the Clones is, in my humble opinion, up there with "Empire" as one of the best in the saga.

Sure, it has its faults. Some of the effects looked a little dodgy. Just the outlines of people, and CG humans... kind of ruined moments, but by no means ruined the whole film.

CG yoda made me miss puppet Yoda (but CG Yoda was redeemed by the fight scene with Dooku). The movement of his mouth didn't always match what was being said... and his movement was alot different. The character though, was fleshed out alot more through the CG (the scene with the kids was great!). I liked Yoda... and I hope he's perfect for III.

Jar Jar. Alot of people said Jar Jar ruined Episode I. Alot of people expected him to ruin episode II. People hate him, despise him, told Lucas he'd die if he put JJ back in. But he was there. And for my money, he was great. True, im a big advocate of Jar Jar. He really grew on my as I watched TPM over and over looking for hints about AOTC. And in EII, he was very good. I said over on Jedinet quite a long time ago that i thought Jar Jar would be a pawn in Palpatines game.. that he would be tricked into doing something that would significantly aid palpy in creating the Empire. And in EII, Jar Jar basically makes Palpy Emperor.

He didn't smash anything. His dialogue made far more sense. He didn't step in anything smelly. He didn't fall down. Everything people said they hated about him is gone in AOTC, except his voice. He served a purpose, and a really, really important one. I want WAYYYYY more of this more mature Jar Jar in Episode III. So sue me!

Anakin. Hayden rocked. His eyes made his character. His dialogue seemed forced at times (as did Portmans), but he never said Yippee. As our Anakin Skywalker, he'll do! style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif
And no doubt, he has the female posters here in a frenzy... lol...

Portman- well, she bugged me. She did in TPM, too.I know shes meant to be all regal and ex-royal and stuff, but surely a Senator, who is so much in love, can smile more often. There's no facial expressions- Carrie Fisher she aint, that's for sure. Shes more like Drugged- Carrie from Jedi than cool carrie from ANH. Lucas needs to give her some DIRECTION.

THat, I think, is my biggest problem with AOTC. Lucas, we all know, doesn't give the actors a whole lot of guidance. That, i believe, is why Empire rocks so hard. If he'd just tell the actors once in a while that they aren't up to scratch, the last two films would have been absolutely fantastic. I hope he brings in someone to help him with III. We've got evidence of how much it helped with the plot... if he gets a director like Spielburg or cameron, just to work with his actors on the characters and line delivery, III will probably be the best of the Saga. And that's my two cents about Lucas' directing.

Special Effects- Mind Blowing. Absolutely mind blowing. As I suffer from Epilepsy, I actually had to look away during some sequences... it was almost strobing... so some of the film will have to wait till i can see it on the small screen... but it was all great. Some of it was, as I've said before, a little ordinary, but the great effects more than made up for that.

Sam Jackson was Sam Jackson. The Baddest Mo fo in the arena battle. He was a little stiff in the joints- I expected Mace Windu to fight more like Obi or Ani- all style- but I guess since Sam is 50-odd, that was asking a bit much.

Christopher Lee put Sam to shame in the Saber department. The man was pure evil, and I cant wait to see his return (and demise??) in III. One of the better villains.... now, if they'd matched Dooku's character with Mauls.... that would have been awesome.

Palpy- was Palpy. Nuff said, really.

Clone troopers... very, very kewl. Can't wait to see them in Stormy Helmets!
Daniel Logan as Boba Fett bugged me... as they say, never work with Children or animals... and Lucas has for the last two. Lets write a petition about that for the next film.

Lots of subtle humour, which was great- way better than the far-out slapstick of TPM... it was much better, and much closer to the humour of the classic trilogy.

Speaking of Humour, OBI WAN IS THE MAN. Ewan did a great Job. I think he enjoyed this film more, because he got to use the mind trick... hehehe... he did a great Job, and played a great father to Hayden's "Son"... cool stuff. The relationship between the two was developed quite well.

Im running out of things to say about this movie for the moment, but there is just so much to like about it. The Imperial March came back, which was incredibly apt... The Star Destroyer shape of the clone transports was as intimidating as ever... the battle droids were still great cannon fodder... Tatooine was still very bright... All my countrymen (and women) did a good job...

Over all, as I said, I'm putting AOTC in second place on my list of favourite SW movies. Empire, AOTC, ANH, TPM, Jedi.

Great Story, great action, great characters, cheesy dialogue... everything I love about Star Wars. I'll be talking about it all the way up to III. It's just that good.

To the critics, I say "Get a life"... you need to be a star wars fan to love it... but i think there is enough there for everyone to love.

It does put TPM in a different light- I totally agree with the people who have said that. I'll have to watch TPM yet again now, to figure out why... lol

If you havent seen it, GO AND SEE IT RIGHT NOW!!!!

If You HAVE seen it, SEE IT AGAIN!!!!!

And if you dont WANT to see it, you SHOULD!

EII- it rocks. Nuff said.

This review? It blows. But anyone who has seen the film and loved it will know why its hard to stay coherant while talking about it... hehehe

~~Shoma

[Patrick]

What a fantastic, WEIRD film this is!!!!!!

From the moment the camera suddenly and unexpectedly panned UP to the action after the opening crawl to the powerful scene at the end of the movie with the thousands of Clonetroopers marching onto the departing proto-Stardestroyers as Palpatine watched proudly from his balcony and the Imperial March swelled majestically in the background, the surreal nature of this latest Star Wars flick was ever-present for me both times I saw Attack Of The Clones yesterday. Suffice to say, I'm firmly in the "AOTC blew TPM out of the water" crowd, though IMHO TPM was a pretty easy kill.

AOTC isn't perfect... no SW movie is. I'll be the first to admit that much of the romance storyline was rather dodgy, and the picnic scene had all the dramatic punch of a Massengil commercial (and let's not start me on the fireplace scene... ), but by and large I really thought the movie had a good story, I FINALLY was made to care about these characters, and MAN is it one fun, FUN movie! Even the dialogue-heavy sections of the movie move along smoothly and interestingly enough to keep the flow going. And let's face it... virtually everything after Padme and Anakin get to the droid factory shows EXACTLY why we're Star Wars fans!

I thought Hayden did a very good job as Anakin. Here's a Skywalker who's not just whiny... he's creepy! Creepy in that "stalker" sorta way. I think even if we didn't know that this kid was a heartbeat away from becoming Darth Vader, we'd be wondering how long it would be before he ended up in a bell tower with a blaster. The CHEER that went up from the audience when the music started pulsing and Anakin looked up from his mother's body with that utterly psychotic look in his eyes... the kid pulled the role off very well, as far as I'm concerned!

And we finally got OBI WAN in the thick of things in this one! About damned time! Ewan is even better at this whole Alec Guinness thing than I'd expected, and he adds a familiar old brand of humor to the movie that was virtually absent in TPM. His little roll-with-the-flow detective schtick when he first arrives on Kamino is just great!

If anything, I thought that Padme was a little short-changed in the story. The way she almost lost it and bolted for her fighter when her decoy was killed on the landing platform indicated that she might have been grappling with some issues of her own as far as whether or not she was doing more harm than good by continuing to fight the good fight. But it never really showed up again, and I think it should have, at least a little bit. But Natalie did fine. I still think she needs to loosen up a bit as an actress, but there was definitely good chemistry there with Hayden, which counted for a lot.

Jango/Baby Boba... this development worked a lot better than I'd expected it to. The kid was a creepy little punk (chuckling dementedly when "Dad" nailed Obi Wan with the seismic charges, etc.) and didn't go out of his way to be cute. Jango himself... man! GREAT addition to the saga! The fight with Obi Wan was great, and his role in the arena battle was just great... blasting at Mace with his flamethrower, shooting the Jedi off of the balcony, then facing off again with Mace down in the arena... excellent stuff!)

Now then... we can officially hate Jar Jar now without being tagged as jaded sociopaths, right? I mean, the guy was INSTRUMENTAL in Palpatine's efforts to form the Empire! I LOVE that little development!!

Death Star designed by the Geonosians?! And another little bit of the EU is whittled away. :wink:

It's not a perfect movie... if it truly WAS four hours long in its first cut, then it makes sense that some scenes seem a bit truncated. But honestly, I enjoyed AOTC as much as I enjoyed any of the OT films when they first came out. I realize it won't suit everybody, but it certainly suited me in a way that TPM just did not.

Can't wait to see it again!

[Jedi_Zachaa]

I don't know what can be said that hasn't been said already... I just can't get over it, I MUST see it again... soon. What can I say? I'm in love.

This movie kind of didn't have any good guys and bad guys. Sure, you rooted for certain people. But way back in the corner of our brains, we know- OMG... BOTH of these sides are either bad or turning that way.

It was alarming knowing that this time around, I was ROOTING for the guys in white... very strange experience.

And of course, Yoda, my goodness. I think the CG did him good. At first, I admit, I didn't like it. But into hte film, I forgot he was CG and I loved his facial expressions no puppet could make. The end... was just.... I was seriously jumping up and down in my seat yelling, but I don't think anybody cared because they were all doing it too. I almost cried. It was just too good to be true.

I also liked the Jango/Boba thing going on. We realize here, Boba is just a young boy who loves his bad-ass dad. I truly felt for him at the end when he cradles his father's helmet. Although at some points he has this sadistic laugh, it's really just a boy inside. He's not evil.

OMG... Obi-Wan... I LOVED HIM!!!! His facial expressions, everything, he came ALIVE!!!! His dialogue with Anakin at the beginning was very good at showing their relationship. I just wanted to SLAP Anakin.

Anakin. Oh man, I know he's gonna turn evil but I don't want him to!!! He DOES have good in him. We couldn't really believe Luke when he argued that against his father, we were just like, yeah Luke, sure. But in this movie... we see there was good. He is trying, but his emotions get the better of him. Anakin was wonderful.

Padme... what can I say? I'm jealous. It's just not fair that some people can look so pretty and some of the rest of us can just not be... and I mean it's not a slutty Britney Spears type thing either, it was classic beauty. Dangit, that's not fair!! :wink:

I don't know what else to say. It's all been said, and those critics ... yeah whatever. I loved it and that's what counts. And I doubt it will beat Spiderman, but again, I could care less.

[Senator Theant]

Ok . . . you guys have covered alot. Thats totally cool. This movie rocks. Ill start by saying my favorite SW movies:

1. AOTC . . . 2. ESB . . . 3. ROTJ . . . 4. ANH . . . 5. TPM

I dont know if what I sayin is an exhalation of all the hype that I have absorbed throughout my three year wait, but for now this is the best Star Wars movie I have ever seen. The acting isnt all that great but, like the OT, it doesnt disrupt the flow of the movie.

Jar Jar: Doesnt anybody else think that this film should be relabeled: THE REVENGE OF JAR JAR? Lucas stuck to those fans. Those fans that doubted his very sanity when he concieved the character known as Jar Jar. Those fans that are now completely flabbergasted. No! Not him! All I can imagine during Jar Jar's speech in the Senate--in which basically hammers the last nail unto the coffin of the Republic--was the recording session that recorded Jar Jar's voice. I can picture an Ahmed Best speaking from a script watchin the overhead screen, while Lucas laughs hysterically behind the sound-proof glass. He certainly succeeded.

Anakin: Wow! Hayden shut me up. His acting is superb. I couldnt possibly expect anything more. I dont mind the love scenes. I felt the same quesiness as the Han the Mac daddy pulled off his stunts with another overly stiff politician and pacifist. What is Lucas trying to say about politicians?

Yoda: Yoda

Mace Windu: Holy crap! It is gonna really hurt when I watch this guy die in the hands of [Anakin/Bobba/Dooku/Palpatine]. He adds sooo much to the film. He is very significant as he brings much of the OT flavor to this prequel. He can easily be compared to an Admiral Ackbar or Mon Mothma in plot importance; he elevates his role ever so much by fighting.

Obi Wan: He is the number one reason why I felt that this story felt so much like the episodes of the OT. He is the late Sir Alec Giunness. But better yet, he plays exceptionally well the part of one of the greatest Jedis ever. What a role to take on in the midst of all this turmoil.

R2D2 and C-3PO: I thought this was the most important episode for the two droids. Although they were not as featured as much as in earlier installments (ESB being the film with the most Artoo/Threepio appearences), this film serves as the basis of their relationship. They actually dont like each other very much! (this is seen as R2D2 pushes 3PO off the ledge to help his master, Padme) I love 3PO's line: "Im so confused". I just simply bust up laughin. It felt so much more simpler with them around, like the OT back to life all over again.

The plot wasnt the best, and the ending was rather rushed and a little bit overwhelming but that is no reason to downplay this film. I hope it murders Titanic. I havent seen Spider Man (thank you AP tests), but I think this will very dramatically pick up its numbers once the Summer start all over again.

[Vibroblade]

and let's not start me on the fireplace scene


100% agree with you Patrick. That scene is the only one in the movie that strikes me as just flat out bad. Some of the others are cheesy, but that one sucks....

That's not much of a negative in a 2hr20min movie.

[DarthSidious]

This was the best SW movie since ESB. I dont know which one is better. This film brings up a lot of mysteries. Darth Tryanus and Sidous. I wander what the next step is for them. And who is Sido-Dyas? I was surprised the clone troopers where working for the republic. Will more plans of the Death Star show up in the next one?

[Mara1Jade]

OH MY GOODNESS THAT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!

Ewan as Obi-Wan, MAN he is so convincing. Again there are so many details of the acting he's paid attention to to make himself a convincing young Alec Guiness.

I like Obi-Wan and Anakin's relationship. You can see where the kid is going the wrong way from scene one with he and Obi. The kid has a smart mouth, and I really think that possibly the small age difference between Anakin and his master has a part in Anakin's downfall. He views himself as being better or AT LEAST as good as his master at things, and this is the wrong way to go if you are truly intending on LEARNING from your teacher.

Hayden. Woah buddy, that kid can really show some fire in his eyes. I really thought he was a convincing Anakin slipping to the darkside. You still see him WANTING to be good. But then he lets his emotions control his actions and LATER realizes what he's done. Sooner or later he's gonna be lead to deciding that acting with those emotions is okay because hey, he's the choosen one and his emotions SHOULD be right. "You don't need guidance, Anakin. I forsee you will become the greatest of all Jedi."

Yoda. HELLO. I had NO IDEA he was gonna kick Dooku's butt at the end. That was just...awesome. Size really matters not.

And NOW that we know what role Jar Jar plays in all of this based on the events of Episode II, I think it really was important to know he was a bumbling idiot via Episode I. He was so easily manipulated to vote that Palpy have emergency powers. He should have known Senator Amidala would NOT vote for Palpy to have those emergency powers, had he really been paying attention. No wonder they wanted to kill her off. She'd become a strong-minded individual. Who wants someone like that when you can just manipulate someone else who would take her place?

But the biggest thrill of this movie for me will always be Anakin and Obi-Wan. We feel their frustrations, yet sense the connection between the two of them. Anakin's "He's like my father" is rather surprising to hear but not really. There's a fall-out between them in the works, and I dread seeing what will occur to finally pull Obi-Wan off Anakin's father pedestal. We know it's gonna be ugly. Anakin is portrayed very well as a hot-headed youth who wants to live life his way and doesn't respond well to authority. We see his anger in Hayden's eyes and movements, yet we also sense that he knows what he is becoming and doesn't like it. I'd venture to say he never WILL like it. We get a glimpse of Anakin's view on politics, and it comes as no surprise he's rather fond of what Padme calls a "dictatorship." No wonder Palpy sucks him in.

Okay, I'll stop rambling now. I could use another few viewings for this film to completely meld with the other Star Wars, but hey, I was impressed.

Nicely done.

[Bithysith]

I've seen it twice, and loved it both times. *style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif *I can't write a longer review right now, but I'll defininitely come back here and post my thoughts later on. *I'm probably seeing it today for a third time.

[NelsonCoressel]

I've been trying for a couple of days now to write a coherent review of this movie, and I can't! So here are my random ramblings after having seen it twice so far:


Attack of the Clones is not only a great Star Wars movie, it is a great WAR movie!!

I always figured that Episodes 2 and 3 would be the real flesh and blood of the prequels, with Episode 1 just serving as the lead-in to the whole thing. And by God AOTC boosts the entire saga to a whole new level! I am really impressed with this chapter of the series. It has action, romance, mystery, death, murder, battles, sword fights, humor and more than a couple of heads flyin' off!

I love the fact that AOTC has just as many references to classic films as the rest of the saga does. From Kurosawa to Kubrick, from The Hidden Fortress and Spartacus to Apocalypse Now and Lucas's own Indiana Jones flicks, this movie contains a whole history of great movies! The moment on Tatooine when Anakin tells Padme "I won't be long," and as he gets on his bike and zips off across the desert, I knew I was watching a most impressive unfolding epic. That moment alone contains all the feeling, epic and intimate, of a classic John Ford Western mixed with Lucas's visionary landscape.

I read and heard a couple of critics review this thing before I saw it, including Roger Ebert whose opinions I admire. So I went in fully expecting the love story dialogue to suck. My wife (a brilliant English teacher who can spot crap dialogue a mile away) and I were totally amazed at the fact that it DIDN'T. It was just fine, the romantic scenes work, and I actually never once cringed during the movie. In fact I wince more at some of the talk early in ESB than here.
Yes, the fireplace scene may come a little close to cringe inducing, but it still works.

Some critics have said that the first half of the film is long and boring with "too much talk." That opinion really confuses me. Usually critics bash action/adventure/sci-fi flicks because they have no brains or plot... just explosions. Here, the movie has plenty of character development and intelligent dialogue. It HAS a plot.

Some plot points that suprised me:
I was intrigued by the fact that Lucas has not yet blatantly revealed that Palpatine IS the "phantom menace." Although the crowd I saw it with on Thursday seemed to "get it" as soon as Sidious appeared and called Dooku "Tyrannus." With all the talk about how the Senate is being controlled by the Dark Lord of the Sith, you would have to be sound asleep to not put it together by now. I bet the big epiphany of Episode 3 will be the fact that Palpy has been the main bad guy all along.

I didn't expect the film to end with Anakin and Padme tying the knot in secret. That is, I knew they would sometime, but never expected the sort of "cliffhanger" or dramatic moment just before the closing credits to be Anakin clandestinely breaking his Jedi vows while making new vows to Padme!

And the very title of the film, which tons of loser fanboys across the planet claimed was "stupid" half a year ago, has now taken on deeper meaning.... When the clones finally attacked, it was for the benefit of the good guys! Although the clones will ultimately be the Imperial Stormtroopers, the fact that Yoda and the gang used them for this first battle of the Clone Wars was quite a twist.

That's all for now... there is so much to think about, I'm sure I'll visit this forum and post more thoughts soon.

[RollaFett]

I'll get the obvious out of the way...THIS MOVIE KICKED A$$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That said, here are some likes and, well, dislikes:

DISLIKES
-I'm a Fett fan (obviously), so I took it a little hard when Mace decapitated Jango. I kinda guessed he was gonna buy it, but I thought it would've been a little more difficult for someone to do it. Guess it also states how much of a badass that Mace really is, huh?

-The romantic dialogue. Not so much what was said, but how it was said. GL does need to take a good look at his direction and recognize that it is a weakness. I've read many people defending these scenes, and I can't see why.

-Anakin losing his arm was pretty cool, but I didn't really feel it, ya' know? It just happened, and cut away real quick. I would've expected a little more drama associated with it. Maybe I'm being a bit too picky.

LIKES:

-EVERYTHING ELSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pretty much, anyway. Here are some of the particulars...

-On Tatooine, when Anakin is about to leave Padme to search for his mother, all you see are shadows of the two. I'm telling you, Anakins' shadow is a dead ringer for Darth Vader! I know I can't be the only one who saw this! If I'm ignoring an earlier post, forgive me.

-Yoda, 'nuff said.

-Boba Fett. Not nearly the catastrophe that I feared. Patrick, you and I had a pretty good discussion on this issue a while back on Jedinet, and we both feared the same thing. Judging by your earlier post, it seems as though you were as pleased as I was with the result. He wasn't some 'gee-wiz' kid, he had that constant, untrusting scowl that seemed very appropriate. But also showed genuine pain when confronted with Jabgo's death.

-Jango Fett was completely kickass!!! Sure, I didn't like the way he died, but it was better than falling into a Sarlacc pit, huh?!

-One more thing, seeing the Death Star plans was just friggin' awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is so much more that I loved about this chapter of the saga, but I'd be typing all night!

[sean]

Overall I thought the movie was amazing.

Likes:
Ewan McGregor. The "you'll be the death of me"-esque line made me laugh a lot.
Christoper Lee and his lightsaber.
The big battle in the arena. Seeing all the Jedi storm out was amazing.
Yoda
The almost lack-of Jar Jar.
Natalie Portman in general
Natalie Portman especially at the fireplace scene style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif
And I liked how the digital cameras still made things look the same.

Dislikes:
Anakin -- I thought Hayden Christensen was an awful actor. If I closed my eyes, it sounded like he was just reading out of a 2nd grade reading book.
The cheesy romance lines.
Anakin
Anakin
Anakin

[Bithysith]

Well, I promised I would come back and write a fuller review for AOTC once I had time to digest it all. *

After three viewings, I can honestly say this film ranks up there with ESB as my favorite in the series. *I have already begun to cherish favorite scenes and dialogue just as I have with the OT. *

Favorite Moments

• Anakin nervous in the elevator before meeting Padmé.
• Obi-Wan saying "What??" when Anakin questions his judgment about their mandate.
• Obi-Wan jumping through the window onto Zam's droid.
• The entire chase through Coruscant
• Anakin's reaction to Padmé saying he's still just a Padawan.
•*Anakin and Padmé's first kiss. *The look on Anakin's face after she rebuffs him is priceless.
•*Obi-Wan's meeting with Jango... the tension in that room was palpable. *
• The fight with Jango (those rocketpacks seem pretty unreliable), and the chase through the asteroid field (seismic charges rule!).
• The most powerful sequence in the film, and perhaps the entire trilogy, was Shmi's death, the Tusken massacre, and most of all, Anakin's confession to Padmé. *That was the most emotional, and superbly acted moment in AOTC. *Bravo Hayden!
• Dooku telling Obi-Wan the truth behind the Sith and the Republic senate. *
• The entire conveyor belt sequence. *I love how Anakin uses his lightsaber! style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif
•*Padmé telling Anakin her true feelings right before they are brought into the arena. *Easily the best acting by Portman in the prequels so far.
• Obi-Wan's "good job". *Excellent delivery, and great humor.
• The sequence with the arena creatures was great. *I loved how Padmé took care of herself. *
•*It was a rush to see the Jedi enter the arena battle. *Tragically, so many of them didn't survive (one nice little touch was seeing Obi-Wan check the pulse of a fallen comrade).
• Boba cradling Jango's helmet. *That moment brought a choke to my throat.
•*Yoda entering the arena on the Republic cruiser with the clones. *"Around the survivors a perimeter make!' *
• The entire clone/droid battle, and Yoda's pensive reaction to the violence.
• Obi-Wan and Anakin fighting over saving Padmé after she falls from the cruiser.
• The confrontation with Dooku, and both Jedi's humbling defeat. *Yoda entering the hanger, and the ensuing battle had to be my second favorite scene in the film (right behind Anakin's confession).
• The clone army and ships shown to the Imperial March. *What a powerful moment!
• The wedding scene... so bittersweet. *Anakin smiles at Padmé, but she doesn't smile back. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif


The Characters


Obi-Wan Kenobi
I loved his "detective" role in this film, and his obvious distase for unnecessary excitement. *He's obviously alot more cautious and reserved that Anakin, although he knows how to protect himself when action is necessary. *Ewan's ability to channel Alec Guiness is stunning...

Anakin Skywalker
My favorite character in the film, tied with Yoda. *Hayden's acting was pitch-perfect, from the impetuous impatience, to the obsession, cockiness, and intolerance for failure. *I couldn't take my eyes off him.

Padmé Amidala
Definitely less wooden in this film than TPM, and she has some geniunely entertaining moments, but overall, I thought Rose Byrne was better in that one scene of emotion when she said goodbye to Padmé. *Natalie Portman seems to have a problem losing herself in the role.

Mace Windu
Awesome.. I loved the few fighting scenes he had. *His authoritative lines OWNED. *I just wish his fight with Jango could have lasted a bit longer.

Jango and Boba Fett
Tem's presence was great in his tense dialogue with Ewan. *Their fight on Kamino made me forget all about the older Boba. *And as for the young clone... I loved that kid.*He was the son of a bounty hunter, and very entertaining to watch. *He was genuinely scarred when he witnessed his father's death – now we know where those braids on his armor come from.

Yoda
What can I say? *The most soulful CGI creation ever. *I loved every moment he was on the screen. *He is the MASTER. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif

Count Dooku
Very elegant, very intelligent. *You can tell that he is using Sidious for his own agenda, just as much as the other Sith is using him. *I loved having a fight with verbal taunts again... and his battle of the wills with Yoda was a joy to behold. *I can't wait to see what his fate is in Ep III.


All in all, I can't stop thinking about this film... and I can't wait until it's a permanent part of my collection. Star Wars strikes back!

[shaps]

I love the OT. It's the first movies I ever remember seeing. I collected all the toys when I was a kid in the 80s. I read all the novels as they came out in the 90s. I thrilled at having a chance to actually see the OT on the bigscreen in 1997 with the SE as I was only 3 when ROTJ hit the screen.

It was when I saw ROTJ:SE that I started wondering where the Prequels would go, stylistically with the special effects and tone.

I remember seeing the scene in Jabba's palace with the new song and dance. I hated it. I still hate it. I love the old song. The darkness of it all.

When TPM came out, my expectations along with a lot of people's where insanely high. We all waited our whole lives to see this movie come out, and finally, here it was.

As the lights in the theater on May 19th, 1999 went down, the audience clapped and applauded. When the lights went back up with the credits, the audience wasn't so sure what to think.

Was this Star Wars? Where was the magic?

I reflect back on this experience now after seeing AOTC. For three years, I've been waiting to see if Lucas could rebound from the flawed TPM.

I was hoping beyond hope that he would do it with AOTC.

Watching AOTC there were so many things to like... there were also so many things to not like.

You take the good with the bad right?

For every stilted scene between Anakin and Padme, you have cool ones with Obi-Wan and Yoda. For every horrible joke coming out of 3PO's mouth, you had the pure evilness of Palpatine.

It's just that for me, I remember watching the love scenes between Han and Leia and absolutely loving how it all developed. And yes, I have watched the OT recently enough to know that there were clunkers of lines and bad dialogue.

Yet with AOTC, it seems that the dialogue has gotten worse... at least in the scenes with Anakin and Padme. Did Hayden and Portman just not have any chemistry or did Lucas forget to yell, "Action?"

I'm not sure what to think.

I remember Luke's whininess in the OT, expecially in ANH. And in that respect, Anakin fit the mold well. Still there were many things not to like about that acting.

The acting I did love from Anakin was when he wasn't around Padme. He pulls off the anger well.

I remember saying to my friends as I left the theater, "If it didn't have the Star Wars label on it, what would have thought of it?"

In that light, I would've said, awesome action, amazing special effects, but the overall storyline was a bit lacking.

Are we becoming blinded by special effects and what Lucas can do with ILM that we ignore the other deficiencies?

To me, the OT felt organic. It felt real and tangible. So far with the prequels, expecially with AOTC, it just feels fabricated, somehow fake. I don't know whether or not to attribute that to CGI vs. models/puppets or what.

Maybe it's just me getting older? That could be it, right? I'm not so sure of that. I still watch the OT and love it. I reread the novels, expecially Zahn's, and love them. I watch movies like FoTR and Spiderman and love them.

But then there's AOTC. Something felt weird. To play off the popular line from Han, I had an UNEASY feeling about it all.

After saying all of that, I'm still going to go see it again, so obviously I liked it enough to do that. Hopefully after seeing it again, I'll be able to digest it all better.

[merryweather]

Just so ya'll know, I thought it rocked. Like really, really rocked. Blew TPM out of the water (as well as making it a better movie) and all of that.

But uh... I'm surprised by all the enthusiasm I'm seeing about Hayden Christiansen. Maybe that's how he was directed, and certainly the dialouge was as hokey as in the rest of the movies, but I wanted more ambiguity of my Anakin. I love moral ambiguity. I wanted to feel for Anakin, to be able to hope in spite of what I know that he wouldn't turn to the Dark Side. I thought the darkness in Anakin should have been more subtle, at least until he finds his mother -- I could have done without the maniacal laughter in the speeder while Obi-Wan told him to slow down...

I guess I'm spoiled on the ambiguity front. I'm a Buffy fan, and it isn't fair to expect Christiansen to be James Marsters, but we all know Anakin is going to become Darth Vader, so if the hints of agression were more subtle in the beginning, everybody still would have seen it because we all would have been looking for it.

I also didn't buy Anakin's "Obi-Wan is like my father," despite really wanting to. I love the whole father/son thing with the master/apprentice, and i certainly saw Obi-Wan acting like the father, and Anakin acting like a bratty teenager, but I didn't see him *acting* like he thought of Obi-wan as a father. Except for the part with the light saber, "Obi-Wan is gonna kill me." That worked for me. But I didn't like that he could blame Obi-Wan for... his mother, or whatever he was *really* blaming him for and then say "he's like my father." It wasn't the script, it could have been done, especially in the early scenes in which they were together. All I needed was to see some affection from Anakin, then I could have happily written it off as a Skywalker teenager being a whiner, big surpsise. Mood swings, no big deal. Instead, I really got the impression, during the very cool speeder chase when he said, "I'm sorry master, I forgot you don't like flying," that he meant, "I block out that you don't like to fly with me becuase I dont actually care. Because I'm agressive and arrogant and bad!"

I also didn't like that Anakin could ignore Obi-Wan and go to Tatooine, but couldn't disobey Mace Windu to go rescue the man he thinks of as a father. If the rest of it had been played well, I might have bought it. If Anakin had given the impression that he was being more stubborn than actually not caring about Obi-Wan, it would've been all good. But it wasn't. And i guess that was my biggest problem with this aspect, I can see how good it could have been.

Other than that -- It didn't take away from the movie for me that I didn't beleive Amidala would fall for the stalker brat, and they had no chemistry at all, but Amidala had some great clothes in those scenes, so I didn't mind watching.

And of course -- Ewan McGregoor is totally channeling Alec Guiness, and that it excellent. *He* is a great actor, and an excellent casting choice by GL. I LOVED the scene at the end where he convinced Anakin to help him face Dooku. Christiansen didn't suck then either. Nothing did for the last 45 minutes.

Yoda. kicks. ass. From the second he entered the room, it was perfect; not just the fight, but the way he picked up his cane and went back to hobbling along afterward. Beautiful.

The massive Jedi fight -- thrilling. beyond cool. Why does Mace Windu have a purple light saber? (and if all sith have red light sabers, shouldnt the green and blue and purple have specific meanings too? oh, well.) Rooting for the Clones Who Would Be Stormtroopers? Creepy. Fun.

Speaking of creepy, I got chills when Anakin was on Tatooine, just outside of the Lars' home and the the music was the same as when Luke looks up at the twin suns in ANH... that was... wow. All the music was great. The imperial march was worked in beautifully.

Jango and Boba Fett? Awesome. That kid was creepy, but I totally felt for him when he picked up his dad's helmet... with the severed head inside. ew.

And again Yoda. With the ass kicking.I've only seen it once, and when he came in I was like, "hey, I wanna see Yoda break out a lightsaber, that'd be cool." but I didn't really expect him to (I was stubbornly unspoiled) and then he did and WOW.

Deep breath. i'm done now.

[Jedi_Zachaa]

Mace has a purple lightsaber because Samuel L. Jackson specifically asked for one. He thought it'd be cool, and he obviously was able to convince George-man of it. YAAAAY PURPLE RULES!!!!!! Hehe George must really like Sam, he let him be in Star Wars... not just as a one-liner walk-in or anything... he got his own character BUILT for him... AND he got a strange lightsaber color on request. LUCKY GUY!!!

[Seanakin]

Sam had had this thing for purple for quite some time, I think. *I know he specifically mentioned it as his one design contribution to "Unbreakable," where his character often wears purple-colored clothing. *He said something about it being a rather regal shade, which it was, at least during the Roman Empire, where the Emperor's colors were purple and yellow.

[wook]

I haven't seen AOTC yet. My brother did tho & told me it was as bad or even worse than TPM. The reviews that I have read (including some of those here) are either of the "it's something only a diehard fan would love" or praise the action/FX. Somehow tho the notion of a kick-some Yoda ripping through a legion of enemies with a lightsabre does not see right.

So now I just have one question: if I go ahead & rip into AOTC like the turkey it would appear to be, who's going to slam me for not seeing it? The only reason that I ask is, when the same thing happened with TPM, folks told me I should not see the next one if I thought it would be bad. Now I expect those same folks will tell me to shut up if I haven't seen it.

Isn't a guaranteed audience a wonderful thing?

[RollaFett]

Zaccha- In 1973 GL wrote a 40 page outline entitled: "Journal of the Wills" about "Mace Windy, a revered Jedi Bendu of Ophuchi". This was the beginning of what we now know as the Star Wars saga. So, Sam Jackson's character wasn't actually bulit specifically for him. They just changed the 'Windy' to 'Windu'. I know I'm being unbearably picky about this, but there it is. :wink:

[NelsonCoressel]

Wook,

Man, you do need to see AOTC. It's pretty amazing.
I'm not sure where your bro is coming from, but even as one who found TPM to be "ok" but not brilliant, and even as one who defended TPM when people called it the worst thing they'd ever encountered, I really think AOTC is far far superior to TPM.

In fact, while I still see TPM as nothing more than the overture to the space opera, I see AOTC as being so much better that it has in fact diminished TPM in my view.

I have a few close friends who despise TPM as much as you do, and they just went wild with AOTC.

Check it out and let's have another serious debate if you hate it. I really would like to have your opinion.

[Vibroblade]

I would love to hear your informed opinion Wook. The fan in me has changed over the years and I really don't care what others think anymore other than for simple curiosity. If you see it and hate it that wouldn't bother me at all. I'd be disappointed for you of course, but it wouldn't change my opinion that AOTC is a far superior film and worthy entry into the SW franchise.

That said, if you bash it without having seen it, I would lose all respect for you. That's flat out wrong, and yes, I'd slam you hard. That's not something I would expect of a poster of your intelligence. I can't really even understand why you would ask such a question.

[Jedi_Zachaa]

Wow, GollaFett, I didn't know that. *Always learning something new :smile:

Wook, let me say this. *I have gone to see AOTC with mostly non-fanatics (some of whom aren't even very familiar with the Star Wars Universe). *All said they liked it, many said it was awesome. *If you don't want to give it a chance because TPM just ruined it for you (which I don't recommend...) that's fine with me. *But trying to bash something you haven't even seen is very disrespectful.

Also I think your comment about Yoda was a bit misinformed. Acutally, if you would actually SEEN the movie, you would notice that Yoda behaved the most nobly of all the Jedi and stayed true to what he told Luke: Use the Force for defense, never for attack. He didn't fight until he HAD to and then he only defended himself and others around him. If you had seen the movie, you'd know what I was talking about.

[Mara1Jade]

Wook, I don't get it. You are posting in a fan review thread about a film you haven't SEEN. What is up with that?

And FYI, the FAN and NONFAN opinions I'VE heard of this film (excluding the critics cause I just don't care about them) has been 100% good so far. ONE HUNDRED PERCENT. I went to see the film with a couple of people who had little SW background and they liked it. I went with 2 people who were fans. And NOT necessarily diehards. And they liked it too. Said it far outclassed TPM. And I liked TPM pretty well myself.

But do not slam a film you HAVEN'T seen. If you choose not to see it because of something you heard, then fine. But don't knock it til you try it. And if you aren't gonna try it at all, then just don't try to review a film you haven't seen. It'd be like me saying I Episode III sucks when it hasn't even been finished yet.

[Seanakin]

wook, if you're going to slam the movie based solely on what SOMEONE ELSE TOLD YOU, you're no less gregarious than those fat-a$$ed cows on Naboo.

I agree with VB, if you've seen it and don't like it, hey, it's still a free country.

But to bash it publicly without having even seen it is the definitive form of prejudice.

Even the aristocratic snobs in the media who bash it (and are paid to do so) have seen it.

[shaps]

Originally posted by shaps@May 19 2002 - 17:28
I remember saying to my friends as I left the theater, "If it didn't have the Star Wars label on it, what would have thought of it?"

In that light, I would've said, awesome action, amazing special effects, but the overall storyline was a bit lacking.

Are we becoming blinded by special effects and what Lucas can do with ILM that we ignore the other deficiencies?

To me, the OT felt organic. It felt real and tangible. So far with the prequels, expecially with AOTC, it just feels fabricated, somehow fake. I don't know whether or not to attribute that to CGI vs. models/puppets or what.

Maybe it's just me getting older? That could be it, right? I'm not so sure of that. I still watch the OT and love it. I reread the novels, expecially Zahn's, and love them. I watch movies like FoTR and Spiderman and love them.

But then there's AOTC. Something felt weird. To play off the popular line from Han, I had an UNEASY feeling about it all.
Has anyone else felt this at all, or am I the only one out there?

[kyris00]

Ummm i thought that AOTC was pretty good, i mean it wasn't as bad as TPM, but that's not saying much. i really enjoyed it though, but when i went into the theatre i didn't have any expectations. i had not read any spoilers and had no idea what this was supposed to be like. i thought as long as it's better than TPM. and i was really happy with how it turned out. in fact i thought it was really good, better than ROTJ but not as good as ESB, not much is better than that. but wook really please go see it. seriously because i agree it's so wrong to bash something that you haven't ever seen before and yoda does not go slicing through armies at all, like
Jedi_Zachaa said that is not even true.
lets see what did i like about AOTC :
hummm
well i really enjoyed anakin played by Hayden Christiansen
i thought he did a wonderful job about really showing the conflict that must be going on inside him b/t the good side and his feelings. also i really liked how very subtly it is stuck in their that you get the feeling that anakin and palpatine have a relationship going on even though only a little is shown about that. i also enjoyed those looks of evil on his face like when he wipes out the sand people.
i also enjoyed obi-wan i thought the part was played out beautifully. and the part when he goes to the water planet (i can't spell the name so i won't even try) and he is questioned. i think that he really pulls off that scene, trying to act like this is just a check up visit after learning of the clone army being built.
umm the romance parts were all right. i didn't find them to be to short or sudden. i just thought, and you can ripe this up if you like, it was kinda like in romeo and juliet. were you know right away that because they get married in secret that this will be a fouled relationship. and i see the same thing in this movie with their relationship that it is rushed, in secret and you know that that can never lead to a happy ending. as for how can amadlia (sp??) love someone like anakin, i can see it happening. i really don't know how many of you are male and female but often girls will like the strangest guys esp. ones who are bad. and i mean look at anakin ..... HE'S SOO HOT!!!
oh and seeing obi-wan jump through the glass in the beginning is really cool and seeing anakin coming with his lightsaber and chopping down the worms is awesome as well. but the best is seeing yoda fight. at the end i couldn't describe the joy.
yoda is the MASTER that's all you can say.
and the part with obi-wan saying i have a feeling you will be the death of me was cool to becasue that was just another link bewteen the OT and the new ones. i really thought AOTC was really awesome and i cannot wait till i have the time to go se it again. which hopefully will be this weekend. there is so much to say i cannot say it all and what i said is probably so scatered it doesn't make much sense. i'm sorry about that it's just everything i wanted to say came in patches. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif
oh and i think it had that star wars feel to it but then again i was not alive to see the OT in theatres. but that is why i think that many older people feel that the new movies are not the same as the older ones. just a theory.

[Vibroblade]

Shaps,

It's a bit unusual for a poster to quote themselves...I don't believe I 've ever seen that before. I guess you feel that your opinion needs validating.

I didn't feel the way you describe when I left the theater, but I'm sure there are those that didn't enjoy the movie for whatever reasons. There is no movie that suits everyone. Maybe you need to see it again to form a more concrete perseption of why you didn't like it. Maybe you'll like it more the second time.

[wook]

Folks, believe me I am in no way about to bash (or gush over for that matter) anything I hadn't seen for myself. Nor would I blame anyone for smacking me aroung for doing so. (Case in point: how far off base was my "kung-fu fighting Yoda" reference?)

My whole purpose in asking such an inane question in the first place is to call attention to the "guaranteed audience" phoenomenon that we had so energetically bantered about in the past. Ordinarily I would never go to see a film that I had heard bad things about, but AOTC is no ordinary film. It's the newly-released, "latest & greatest", etc. Star Wars flick. Who (aside from those who actively hate, or are at least indifferent toward, SW films) would *not* want to see such a film, esp. after having so greatly enjoyed SW films in the past (at least some of them)?

To me it seems like not going to see AOTC just because someone else said it was bad is somewhat akin to not going to a ball game because someone said your team was going to lose. So is there *really* much of a choice about how to "cast your vote" for a film in such a situation? I suppose one could choose not to see it multiple times, but there is still that initial viewing that so many people *will* choose to go see that amounts to a guaranteed audience.

So, George, here is my $8. And BTW just for the record I *will* be going to see this film with an open mind -- I *do* want to find something to like, hopefully a lot (I hope folks would be at least willing to give me some credit for that).

BTW Mara, try a few web searches and I think that you will find all kinds of reviews. They won't be 100% either way, but perhaps there is some pattern or common threads? And you might want to change that 100% to 99%, given Shaps' May 20 2002 - 23:33 post.

Lastly, Vibro, your "I guess you feel that your opinion needs validating" remark sounded a bit judgemental to me. Sometimes people just quote themselves because it's easier than rewriting something all over again.

[NelsonCoressel]

WELCOME BACK, WOOK!

We missed you... :thumbs-up:


I'd be really suprised if you don't find something you like about AOTC or if you find it to be as bad or worse than TPM. It is definately better, in my opinion. And in the opinions of a number of TPM bashers and even in the opinion of my better half, who is by no means a Star Wars fan. She liked it alot, and I have to drag her kicking and screaming to see these things.

[Vibroblade]

Welcome back Wook;)

If it sounds judgmental then I'm sorry. I actually meant it in a good way. What I was trying to say ( I was rushed ) was that if Shaps doesn't like the movie, he doesn't like the movie and shouldn't worry about what others think. His post strikes me as being apologetic for not enjoying the film. He certainly has nothing to be apologetic for. He shouldn't need anyone else to support his opinion.

Does that clarify my perspective?

[Mara1Jade]

Wook, I don't care about critic reviews online or anywhere else. I have a habit of loving stuff they hate anyway, so I don't take much stock in it.

And out of the bajillion of people who have seen this film, considering the VERY FEW (1, maybe 2) bad reviews from REAL PEOPLE (in other words, NOT critics) I wouldn't even begin to consider that I'm just falling into the "garanteed audience." I've seen alot of folks who HATED TPM loving AOTC.

And as for you going to see it with an "open mind," if you REALLY are going to do that, then WHY did you have to post the "well, I already heard it was bad so why should I see it." comment? Doesn't sound like your mind is too open to me.

And you can find something you don't like about everything. If you go in looking for something wrong, you'll find it. It's called a self-fullfilling prophecy.

[Tovor]

Wook, I hope you see it very soon because whether you love it or hate it, I am looking forward to your review on it. *I really don't think you should rely on the opinions of someone else to determine whether you venture to see a film you may either absolutely love, think of as so-so, or not like at all. *It has to be your experience seeing the film that counts, not someone else's. *I will tell you, before I saw AOTC on opening day a waiter who said he had seen it previous with a friend who works at the theatre, told me it was lousy and exactly the same movie as TPM. *Well I'll tell you I liked TPM a lot but I felt it was lacking in a lot of areas and could have and should have been much better. *But AOTC, IMO, was excellent in its own right, and much better than TPM to boot. *Afterwards, I told my employee how much I liked it and he said he probably wouldn't go to see it because he hated TPM. *He saw it anyway with his friends, and then told me it was much better than he expected, and he wanted to know why I hadn't told him that mumble mumble was going to do mumble mumble at the end and that mumble mumble would happen, cause he thought that was too cool. *I told him I hadn't wanted to ruin the surprise and besides there was so much more than just that. *

I can only partly understand your not wanting to waste 2 hours seeing a movie you're going to hate, because I wasted hours I can't get back watching Jaws4, Deep Rising, Blues Brothers 2, Superman 4, Last Action Hero, ect. *But AOTC was outstanding and well worth it, so much so that I've seen it 5 times already and want to see it again. *But even if you hate the story and characters completely, the battle scenes will not dissappoint you. ON the other hand, and some reviewers have said this and I will too, much of what did not make sense to many in TPM will make sense after AOTC. It is a continuing story, after all, and themes begun in the first movie are brought up and developed further in this one.

[James]

Episode II Attack of the Clones is the best movie in the Star Wars saga, next to The Empire Strikes Back.

Because I live in Auckland, New Zealand, I went to the movies and saw Daniel Logan (Boba Fett) and Temuera Morrison (Jango Fett). Great people. I'm proud that NZ'ers are now in Star Wars, and making films like The Lord of the Rings.

I also thought that there was no Podracing, like someone else mentioned earlier. But there is. A recent update on starwars.com can be found here (http://www.starwars.com/community/askjc/jocasta/askjc20020521.html)

When I went to the movies, at the beginning, the people in the movies had set the screen all wrong. I was disappointed to see the main title and all that come up at the bottom of the screen!!

When they got it right, I was disappointed to see that it panned up to Coruscant instead of panning down. What a shame! It looked all wrong.

Don't get me wrong though. Attack of the Clones is a great 2.22 hour movie with plenty of action, and more an adventure story in some of it, rather than good against evil.

Anakin Skywalker, by Hayden Christensen, is a good actor who does really well with his transformations from happy and good, to bad-tempered and angry. But, however, he does have some rather wooden dialogue:

"Being round her again is...intoxicating."

Padmé is a good character, and she and Obi-Wan manage to keep Anakin bad mood good. She acts as a Senator not wanting to let the Republic crumble. When she's in danger, she grumbles about hiding!

I would definitely go see this movie again.

Anakin is arrogant over the abilities he yields. Obi-Wan has to reprimand him in front of Padmé and others. What I don't like about Obi-Wan is that he's so overly critical about Anakin.

I do NOT think that C-3PO is like another Jar Jar. I like how he and R2-D2 join Anakin and Padmé in their adventures, setting the scene for Episodes IV, V and VI. R2-D2 pushes C-3PO off the side into that droid manufacturer to rescue Anakin and Padmé. Strangely, that droid manufacturer reminded me of that boiler thing that those chickens have to run through in Chicken Run.

Another thing I don't like about Episode II is that how a Jedi can be so easily foiled by a non-Jedi. Jango Fett arrests Anakin, escapes from Obi-Wan, and the droidekas surround the Jedi fighting in the arena of Geonosis.

Like most other people, Yoda fighting with Dooku was GREAT! He showed us his attunement with the Force and how he can be a match for full-grown men. The lightsaber fights should have lasted longer though.

The love between Anakin and Padmé was well developed during their stay on Naboo. Sending them both off to Naboo so the Senator could hide was a perfect excuse for love. Padmé has the worst taste in men in all the galaxy. But who could blame Anakin when he sees Padmé in all her mid-riff gear? She is HOT.

Episode II develops Episode I further. While many thought that Episode I was a dead-boring movie, it explains more to us.

Go watch the movie. Enjoy it. Make the most of the time when it's on bigscreen. And for heaven's sake don't watch it on an iMac. You can't pick up all the details.

[wook]

Thanks, folks -- your replies are encouraging. My boss saw it yesterday & called it a "mixed bag" -- ok if you like action/FX but not much else. However I still find myself with some degree of optimism (more than I have for the Avs beating the Red Wings, esp. after game 3) :^)

[Teta]

Well, I've had 3 experiences so far, and am going 2 more times this weekend. I think that eventually (and I think this is already happening) AOTC is going to be my favorite SW film, yes, even more than Empire. I will talk about my first screening, though the 2nd one was better in terms of audience reaction, b/c the first one was a matinee with a lot of little kddies in the audience, while there were a lot of ppl at the 7 PM Saturday showing who I could tell were fans. (At the Sunday evening showing, a couple of dudes in the righthand side of the theater, bottom front rows, were seriously getting on my nerves whistling "Over the Rainbow" VERY LOUDLY (WTF?!?!??) before the previews--this went on for like 3 or 4 minutes. And nobody to them to shut up. SW attracts the strangest people...)

It didn't help that the Star Trek theme was played from start to closing film credit finish either. I know the manager of this theater a little bit--I knw he had a twisted sense of humor but didn't think he'd go THAT far:). I forgive him though. This was one of the most enjoyable film experiences I've had since I was a kid. I n fact I think it makes the Top 5.

Going into this film, unlike with TPM< for some reason, I had this incredible rush of bittersweet nostalgia. I remember seeing ANH in the theater when I was a kid. I may have been only 7 at the time, going on 8, bit I remember it very vividly. I was the one who bugged my parents to take me. I remember (and this really came back to me at the Sat matinee) how I started UP at the screen, and was lost in it; I remember how big the yellow letters looked, and my sense of wonder as they crawled up the screen. It was like I was being swallowed in the screen, a very weird feeling. And the mystical feeling as the words went off into the distance and then faded slowly away..and the music to match. And how the camera panned down and it was like the story beginning again, "Once upon a time"...That was ANH.

Sat, it was repeated again. I didn't think I could still have a sesne of wonder at this age. I didn't think I could be totally swept up and taken somewhere new. But I was. Somewhere that was strange and totally unfamilar, yet we get the faint glimmerings of someplace that is vaguely as familar as our own, and this faint glimmer of recognition was strangely very moving, like the glimpse of bright paint peeling and flecking off the walls of an Egyptian tomb, when you can close your eyes and imagine what it must have been like, by the brightness of the colors.

I came out of the movie with a quote from that guy who plays Boss Nass, Ahmed Best or someone Best, ringing in my mind: "I really do believe that this wonderful galaxy filled with all these wonderful people does exist, out there, and someday we will find it." What a rich, dense, detailed, and fully realized world, as rich anf fantastic and utterly believable as Anything Tolkien ever wrote. Dense, multi-layered, and utterly beautiful.

Strange that I didn't get this feeling with TPM. It was a great story, but I didn't have the sense of wonder. I think that is becuase GL WAS rusty, and had to take the time to get to know his universe again. But he had got his groove back. There are flaws, but those are minsicule and quickly forgotten.

The thing Iloved most about this filmis its FEEL, and it is hard to describe. I got pulled so many ways emotionally, and that is what affected me so much. I will never forget my reactions to certain scenes: there plapable thrillof danger on the chase at Coruscant: that "Blade Runner" feel of danger, otherworldiness and menace. I had to kick myself and remind myself that this was still the safe and comforting world of SW. The alien majesty of Geonosis (the interior of Doku's palace was very much what my vision of Morgoth's fortress of Angband would look like (for non-Tolkien fans, Morgoth was Sauron's master, and lived in the MUCH more ancient First Age, as opposed to LOTR's Third.)--the designs on the walls, the balustrades, the cavern outcroppings, etc. For the first time since I was a kid, since I saw The dark Crystal and ANH (Empire was very organic to me) I got the TOTAL sense of an alien world. The feelof the SW galaxy was hard to describe. It was like I was growing up and a Padawan like Anakin, out going about a very dangerous world. When he walked into the club, and was hunting for Zam, my heart was in my throat, and I was really scared, what if I had to do this for a living? Don't laugh guys! For the first and only time, I felt what it really would be like to be a jedi, and I was scared. Beucase the place loooed just as dangerous and familar as it looked alien. And of course, we've all been to sports bars and nighclubs.

By the time the chse was over, I had been sucked in, and was totally lost. Learning from my experiences with Titanic and LOTR, I had eaten, drunk and gone to th bathroom long before hand, though I had my ubiquitous bottle of iced tea with me. And so did my friend. (I have learned to cut down on the iced tea, but my iced tea habit is still bad. Iced tea is my drug of choice. I used to drink it literally by the gallon up until 3 yrs ago, I'd buy a big 6 -dollar can of the Lipton mix, and go through a half quart or more a day, sometimes as much as 2quarts. Sometimes I'd dilute it with water. Buit then, fearing diabetes, of which there is history in my family even though we are healty and in shape, I drastically cut back. I don't buy mix anymore, and limit myself to a bottle or so every week, 2 at most. I try to drink only water, but it's hard. Thank God my teeth are still in shape, though I don't know why:).)

The planets were majestic, the landscapes fantastic, the creatures..well, Doug Chiang must have been smoking crack :sigh: I really was taken away, and found myself melting into the screen, and swept up in this world. I don't know, whatever it was, the "distance" that I as adult have been able to put between myself and the suspension of reality, (so easily achived as a child) was totally erased. I still can't figure out why this is, even 5 days later. I mean, there have been all theother great films I've ever seen in the theater that could have done this to me, but none have ever done it so completely. None have broken through the barrier that I had built up as an adult, someone whose world was so much wider than the smal, closed and sheltered worldof a child. Maybe this was becuase of the film's darker, more Empire-like, "mature" feel; but that wasn't exactly it. I think it was to a degree the intellectual knowledge that I as someone who had grown up with the Trilogy was able to take in with me: that as palpable and real a world this might be, it was from a civilization that was very soon no more to exist, and we knew how dreary what takes its place was going to be. I was exploring a majestic civilization that I knew was soon no more to exist. It was the same feeling of wonder and haunted mystery, I think, as the feeling I got when as a kid i watched "National Geographic" specials or "In Search of" re0runs with Leonard Nemoy. I just can't describe it, and I am so gald that I had an opportunity to have this feeling one more time in my life, and I hope it won't be the last.

There are so many wonderful things in this film: the beautifully implied "father-son" relationship unfolding as Ani and Obvi-wan in the chase--Obi-wan telling Ani to in effect "slow the F*** down" like any father would who begs the kid not to race, "Anakin..how many times ..have I told you to stay away from..AAAH!--POWER COUPLINGS!!!" You really got the sens eof just how deep the bond between the two must be. This wasn't Obi-wan treading cautu=iously around his own quiter, more stern Master's gentle nudges; this was the bond between tow young men who MIGHT have have been brothers..or father and son. Obi-wan perhaps loving him more becuase Nakin was so much a version of his younger self. Obi-wan being a conservative at heart but having that recless streak in him too.

The startling relaization that Anakin knew Palpy before all this; that Palpy was muddling his mind with tales of how powerful he could be. The utter chills in that scene, when Anakin walks around the chamber and down the steps in Dave Prowse's walk, with that dark cloak inheavy shadow. Hayden's performance, amazing. In fact, I hadn't been so taken up with performances since Elijah Wood in LOTR, and before that, not to many performances on film mving me the past 5 yrs. I have leaborted on the utter creepy chjills I got hrough the whole Tatooine sequence.

What amazed me is the way that Hayden and Ewan have studied their roles and got them down to a science, a composite of past actor's performances grafted onto present incarnations. They successfully take those later manifestations and make them their own. The best example of this is STILL Robert De Niro's younger Don Corleone, whix=ch is utterly mazing to mein those days before home video. How many times did he study the film to get the very walk and gestures and inflections and mannerisms right. There are so many great examples of this: Hayden's echoes of Jake Lloyd when he talk to Watto on tatooine and his "This is a shortcut. I THINK", during the chase. As well as his inflections and the way he talks during the first half. But then he metamorphisizes into Dave prowse, during the 2nd half, and its creepy. The stare he gives Amidala when she'spacking--I can't decide if that was just him trying to be sexy or the creepy stare od someone who's obsessed. It was probably meant to be the former but came off to her as the latter. Which IS creepy becuase there are undoubtyedly elemtns of both. Hayden was just as complex in his portrayal of the younger Anakin as Prowse, Jones, et al, were in theirs of Vader. Anakin Skywalker is shaping up to be one of the great characters not just as a villain but of all film history. He is a true and believable person, who could be a Hitler or as simple as all of us. A true Greek tragedy of a character.
I could go on and and on, and I will in other forums. The way Ewan sounded JUST LIKE Guiness when he said, "This weapon is YOUR LIFE."

I could go and on, and I will, in other places. But this is for starters.

[NelsonCoressel]

It didn't help that the Star Trek theme was played from start to closing film credit finish either.

Say WHAT?!

You're saying they killed the Star Wars audio and played Trek over the closing credits instead?
That is a major MPAA violation and would cause that cinema and the manager to be sewed and or shut down.

[Tarkheki- Jedi Dug]

Hey there!
ok, i admit that maybe this isn't the place to post this, but i didn't want to start a thread for a one- poster.

first and formost, to add my opnion, loved it. loved it to peices.

now, for all those who want a good laugh (or at least a cute chuckle) can view the following links... but, unfortionatly, there will be some work required... since i can't link to geocities, i typed the addie falsely... with an extra "w" in the beginning... just cut and paste the addie without the extra "w".

anyhoo:

1. Obi alert and ready for aciton.
wwww.geocities.com/gargogirl/obisleep.jpg

2. Obi gratifying yoda for saving his life:
wwww.geocities.com/gargogirl/obiyoda.jpg

3. Obi batteling a visious geonosian bug.
wwww.geocities.com/gargogirl/obismack.jpg

4. Obi searching for Kamino.
wwww.geocities.com/gargogirl/obisearch.jpg

ok, so thank you for your time. :biggrin:

[Jedi_Zachaa]

[color=cc00ff]AHH!!! Tark, those are SO AWESOME!!!! Can we make the second one a group hug? I want to hug Obi and Yoda!!!! Oooh makes me want to just print it out and hug it!! :biggrin: ok i'm a little weird, i know[\color]

[obi-ed]

Well at first I said I wasnt gonna post here but..here I am!
Tark baby..loved those doodles..keep em coming!
Also hello to Darth Sithster..welcome to the club!

[Tarkheki- Jedi Dug]

Zachaa... i'll see what i can do. ;)

[Teta]

No, Tarkehei..the "Trek" theme was played before the previews. I meant that they played the closing credits of the Trek Theme from the "Motion Picture" before the previews. *Sigh*...

[Tarkheki- Jedi Dug]

teta...what theme? what trek theme?... i just posted some doodles that's all... ???

[SKYWALKME]

Episode II was a pleasant surprise. It reached most of my expectations, and I was very, very happy with Hayden's performance as a whole, which I thought would make or break the film. The openning scene with Amidala's ship cruising through the clouds was probably one of the most stunning opennings (visually, that is) in any SW film, not to mention that that ship had the coolest sound of any SW craft. Each scene transition worked perfectly, and the moment Padme's decoy was killed on platform, the movie kept itself at a steady, active pace which was so reminescent of the OT. AOTC felt more like a SW movie (to me, anyway) than TPM did.

It's probably unfair to compare TPM to AOTC, because TPM was more of a starting point for the new trilogy to set itself into motion. I love TPM, it is what it is, but I still feel that AOTC hit so many points that TPM didn't quite do. Maybe it was because TPM lacked a genuine love story, which I feel is important in any good movie. A love interest that unfolds can grip an audience. AOTC definitely had the best love story of the series, and it completely worked for me. It had a touch of darkness, of mystery, of pain, of steamy passion...Han and Leia's romance was more of a dodge and hit kind of relationship. It was cute, it was funny, and for the most part, worked well. However, this new take on the romance in SW was more desperate...and determintal to the series. I have many favorite scenes from this film, and I wasn't too disppointed with anything really, other than how the music was mixed; but of course, many have said that already. I have the sountrack on CD, and I think Anakin and Padme's love theme feels like a sweeping piece from "Gone With The Wind", and was totally appropriate. AOTC, despite a few minor flaws, is just one hell of a fun movie to watch. It's a solid movie, through and through. Hayden held his ground, and Ewan give it his all. And as for Mace Windu!!...why didn't they show more of him in TPM? I love this guy! And that killer expression Samuel L. Jackson made after he cut off Jango's head (when he looked down at Jango's body) goes down in history as the greatest face of SW! Darth Dooku wasn't as cool looking as Darth Maul, but I loved his no-nosense approach to the character. And Yoda........I wish he would have unleashed the Dragon much sooner!

All in all, this movie was a delightful surprise and well worth the 3 year wait. The good far out-weighed the bad. I give it 9+. And I'll be seeing it again for the 5th time this weekend.

[Vyndim]

Hello, new to the forums so I thought this an appropriate thread to post on. Well I've seen Episode II a total of six times since Friday...I have yet to tire of it... Personally it is my favorite movie of all time(not just of the starwars series). Now this may sound shallow, but I truely enjoy it. Now I understand that some of the dialog was cheesy, but I can live with that. Everything has to have its faults. I thought the love story invovled fit the setting perfectly.(I personally don't feel it was rushed as many others do) Before I saw this movie I still enjoyed Starwars. However, after seeing Episode II, I can't get enough Star Wars information. I've actually been delving into the Star Wars Universe and actively serach for Star Wars Information. Well I loved the movie, I stand by my decesion as I feel the movie is superb and I hope to enjoy it many more times to come.

[Luthien]

Whew, I finally got to see Attack of the Clones for the first time.

I think it was awesome. Sure, it had some cheesy parts, like all Star Wars movies. The look in Anakin's eyes at his mother's death...oh, my GOD...psychotic Anakin. And his obsession with Padmé... I cried when Shmi died.

And the scene with Boba Fett holding his father's helmet...I can't forget that image. Poor Boba. You know, I actually feel sorry for the boy now. My old Boba Fett fetish hasn't exactly lessened with this. If anything, it has increased. It reminds me of a favorite tagline of mine. "When you wear Mandalorian armor, no one can see you weep..." I wonder what Boba hides beneath that armor? God, I'd love to pick his brains some day.

Palpatine was magnificent...the sheer scope of his manipulation and betrayal...

I'm still too speechless to go into much more detail. But I'll definitely watch this again. It was better than TPM, definitely, in my opinion. IN parts, it was as good as The Empire Strikes Back...

Of course, there were parts that just confused me...like the whole thing with the Kaminoans and Obi-wan's arrival. I have a feeling there is much more that needs to be revealed in Episode III...still, Episode II was as good as it needed to be for me to regain some of my old fascination with Star Wars that I lost with The Phantom Menace.

The Anakin/Amidala love story was both cheesy and creepy...but it worked for me...

The Anakin/Obi-wan relationship was interesting...when Anakin says that Obi is like a father to him, I found that apt, actually. He acts like a teenage son in many ways. He yells at his "father", he thinks his "father" is an idiot who doesn't understand his true potential, and so on. Indeed, I found it believable how this cocky, brash teenager could become Darth Vader.

Now, I admit, I was kinda disappointed by the lack of a mention of Mandalorians. I really hope they will be in Episode III. Because I NEED to know about the Mandalorians.

[Darth Bun]

Well, the post icon says it all, but I've never been a man of few words, so here goes....

First and foremost, upon my first (and only, so far) viewing of Attack of the Clones, I was reminded of what Star Wars films are supposed to be: FUN! And it got me thinking. Why? Why are so many fans so critical of every move George makes? Why was there so much bile spewed over TPM? WHY IN THE HELL CAN'T WE JUST WATCH AND ENJOY A MOVIE FOR A CHANGE!?!? WHY, GOD, WHYYYYYYYYY!?!?!?

::Ahem::

Thankfully, AOTC seems to be gloriously devoid of such bile, but it's not without its rough edges, and I'll knock those out of the way right now to get it over with.

1. At first, Hayden seemed to be a bit uneasy settling into the role of the Skywalker Family patriarch, but that uneasyness is melted off through the course of the film and is replaced with a smoldering anger. And, if you notice during the movie, he only smiles when things go his way, and I thought that was a nice reflection of the Darth Vader to come.

2. The big exsposition scene on (El) Kamino - See, I think this kind of stepped over the line as far as outright exposition goes. It's like the dialogue from the Kamino residents was too clear in their exposition. But, it wasn't too noticeable.

and finally...

3. I just wish they hadn't killed off Jango. That's all.

Now the goodies.

1. The Music - Is the Love Theme Not the most beautiful piece of music to ever come out of the five films so far? G'Head try to find a better piece. I dare ya.

2. Obi and Ani's Interaction - I loved the love-hate relationship that they shared. Bickering that was very reminiscent of a father and his adolescent son. Good stuff.

3. Obi-Wan in General - Cool, Calm, Collective, and funny as all get-out, The former Eeeeeewan has definitely made the character his own.

4. The Effects - Very Much seamless CGI characters and backgrounds. Really, is there ANYTHING ILM can't do?

5. YODA! - Just try and tell me that you didn't get chills whenever Yoda ignited his lightsaber.

6. The Ending - Very Empire Strikes Back. There was no winner (Except for maybe Anakin on his Honeymoon :0), but there was no loser either. I liked how the fate of The Galaxy was very much uncertain at the end of the movie. And I thought that it was good that we get Christopher Lee for the next go-round as well.

And Finally...

7. Anakin's Rage - Could it have been done any better? I loved it. Oh man. To see how well his rage was portrayed onscreen gets me really excited about what's to come in Episode III.

Anyway, all in all one of the best SW movies I've ever seen. Right below The Empire Strikes Back, but Definitely above Return of the Jedi.

[Winston_Sith]

Originally posted by Darth Bun@May 25 2002 - 13:59
7. Anakin's Rage - Could it have been done any better? I loved it. Oh man. To see how well his rage was portrayed onscreen gets me really excited about what's to come in Episode III.
Nope. The first time I saw the movie I found that I had a very unusual reaction to the "confession" scene: I laughed. Now, I was starting get scared, because I thought it was because I thought the acting was bad. You know, like some of the harsher critics said? Upon seeing it for a second time, I had to admit to myself that Hayden Christiansen IS, in fact, a GOOD ACTOR; I but already knew that, I saw Life as a House and he was just excellent.

I now can say that I laughed because the scene, the dialogue, the performance, the Sith Theme *and* Imperial March playing in the background was just plain *disturbing* and I guess laughing is my way of relieving some of the tension. LOL (see, there I go again).

[moocat]

I would just like to say for everyone that still insists on ripping TPM, go back and watch it again. Watch how it's not as bad as you thought it was. Watch how it slots in quite nicely with the storyline. TPM Wasn't a bad film just as it wasn't a great film and with the addition of AoTC it's now a better film. At lest to me.

These prequel movies will never be the same as the originals. They aren't meant to be. Similar themes and characters used to tell a different part to the same story, but they aren't meant to feel the same. In fact if they did feel exactly the same we would all be upset that GL isn't moving anything forward.

I've personally found it interesting the GL is fitting everything together in ways I didn't expect (the death star!).

I've begun to look at the prequels in a different light as more of their own thing, and have stopped judging them by the standards of the originals. The OT is the end now lets sit back enjoy the story of the beginning. I think it's all going to come to together very well when it's all done.

style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/eh.gif

[Daroy Lin]

Namasté*, all you Jedi and other endangered creatures of the galaxy!

It's so exciting to share your feelings and thoughts about AotC, and I literally suck in your comments! As SW fan of the first hour (I went to see ANH with my class and English teacher for the first time in 1977, and it blew my mind at the time and for the rest of my teenage years ... and beyond), I just can't help becoming a kid again every time a new episode approaches.

As to my reaction to AotC, I'd like to be as brief and clear as possible since there are so many other reviews waiting to be read ... So here's my humble contribution:

1. First of all I believe (or feel) that no SW movie will ever be able to surpass ANH in its mood and emotional impact (on me), for the simple reason that it was so strikingly, refreshingly new, so different, so alien yet warm and beautiful, and so wonderfully inspiring for a sf-loving, daydreaming teenage boy like myself at the time. This personal experience was unique and unrepeatable, even though I adored ESB and agree that storywise and for character development it did outdo its predecessor. I think the impact of ANH was a unique phenomenon in the history of filmmaking, and it will remain so regardless of how mindboggling Episode III turns out to be!

2. There is no doubt that George Lucas is neither a first rate script writer (which he himself has admitted more than once) nor a terrific director. He might have achieved better results if he'd managed to "let go" (as Jedi learn to) and kept using people like Leigh Brackett and Irvin Kershner. BUT ... George Lucas IS a visionary filmmaker, and besides the ingenious mix of mythical elements he achieves with the Saga, I find the very idea of going back in time and creating prequels which explain at length how "a galaxy far far away" became what it is ... simply fantastic! Also, the complexity of the whole enterprise really overwhelms me: remember, this is not just a series of six different adventures of the same characters, such as Star Trek or Alien (though I loved those movies), it is one continuing story lasting more than 12 hours!!! As far as I know this kind of thing has never been tried before, especially not with the opening chapter taking place in the middle of the story and the introduction following the conclusion ... plus a plot that uses characters, a technology and places far removed from the author's own world! Yes, SW is truly unique!!!

3. Sorry, I get carried away (most of you know the feeling, I suppose ...). Now here's what I'd like to say about AotC after watching it twice (I start with the more negative aspects):

a) Some very very improbable, even incomprehensible scenes. Obi-Wan thoughtlessly jumping through the window of a skyscraper to catch a flying droid. Anakin stupidly climbing out of a car at who-knows what height and effortlessly landing on Zam's vehicle. Ok, it's a fairy tale, but hey ... I just couldn't swallow that one. Or was it supposed to be ironic? But then what's the point?

Same thing with Anakin entering the Tusken camp and slaughtering everyone without getting even a single scratch. Or Threepio clinging to a flying factory droid like Spider Man.

b) The picnic on Naboo. In front of gorgeous waterfalls. Beautiful. Sweet. So sweet. Too sweet. As are a lot of the romantic scenes. And especially the dialogue.

A little moment I enjoyed, though, was the interruption of the love theme when Padmé shrank back from their first kiss.

c) The Kamino Reception. Obi-Wan gets in too easily. No guards, no passport control, no questions, no doubts.

Now some of the good points:

a) Beauty. Pure beauty. Spaceship design. Buildings on Coruscant (The landing scene at the very beginning is in itself a masterpiece). The Library with busts of great writers/scientists of different species and from different places in the Republic. The landscape and buildings near the landing spot on Naboo. The Geonosian Hives. The Jawa sandcrawlers at dusk. The Tusken camp with blazing fires. The huge, spherical Federation vehicles. Scenes reminding me of 2001, Perry Rhodan and some of the best, most exotic sf paintings ever. Count Dooku's ship with its unfolding, glimmering sail. Wow. AotC is like a slide show of great pieces of art. You can tell that the folks who made this movie love their job. They love to be part of the SW project. SW is a child of love and devotion. It is a tribute to beauty and originality. That's why I recommend it to my pupils. Kids should get to know beauty. Our world is often ugly. So many movies today dwell on that. So many (most) sf films show a dark, filthy, rotten, depressing future. Filmmakers often lack positive vision and thus invite violence and despair. George Lucas doesn't. Like Spielberg, he loves kids. You can feel that in SW, can't you?

b) Obi-Wan. Yes, he is great! Most of you have said it, I don't need to elaborate. Ewan is convincing, witty, cool, ... and polite.

c) Anakin. Impressive. I love his rashness and arrogance. His embarrassing remarks on Naboo, when Padmé dares to question his being a fully trained Jedi. And above all, the scene where he explains to Padmé what he did to the Sandpeople. The way he says it. It's so creepy. Gives me goosepimples. It's just incredibly moving to follow this guy's very human suffering -- this common man fight with the ego, the animal side. This anti-hero stuff. It's so untypical for a fairy tale. But excellent. Good work, Hayden.

An interesting thing I noted with the music is that when Anakin returns from the "Tusken incident" and climbs off the speeder bike, there is a flourish which exactly echoes Alfred Newman's opening music for the 1953 Bible film "The Robe" (with Richard Burton and Jean Simmons). I wonder whether Williams used this piece on purpose ...

d) Yoda. Yoda! I need not say what obvious is. Master Yoda his title earned has.

e) Watto. Yes, Watto! He appears only briefly, yet I love every second of it. To me he's one of the most convincing and loveable characters of the whole saga. Funny, sly, greedy, ... and somehow (is it his accent or his movements?)very Italian! Moreover, he has aged in AotC, you can tell that. Watto is so well done, so real in and out that I wouldn't be surprised if I met him in the street tomorrow afternoon!

There's definitely much more to say about AotC. But as I said before: there are so many other esteemed senators waiting to share their thoughts ... . So: May Jar Jar's tongue be stilled!

*Namasté: Indian greeting meaning "I bow before the god in you"

[QUOTE]"Sounds a lot like a dictatorship to me." - "If it works ..."

[Mara1Jade]

Moo, I like your points alot. The new trilogy coming out now SHOULDN'T be compared to the second and existing one so much. Yes, we want it to fit in with the old, and for the whole to be complete. But this is the year 2002 and the old trilogy was finished by 1983. Needless to say, things are going to be a wee tad different in filmmaking now. And I don't say that to give GL any excuses, I can admit that this trilogy is different than the existing one.

BUT IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE.

Listen to what GL is saying when he talks about all the things that he wanted to do in the original SW trilogy and couldn't. Like Daroy says, he's definitely a visionary. It's going to be different. We are gonna see CGI Yodas, bigger battle scenes, DIFFERENT types of battle scenes.

One of my MOST FAVORITE things is seeing Coruscant for the first time. WHOA BABY, THAT IS COOL. Could GL have done that in 1983? Heck, no.

And yes, AOTC makes TPM cooler. Go back and watch it again. You'll start seeing some of the actor's nuances between both movies, and you'll see how things are starting to fit together and really unsuspected ways. Yes, we might know what's going to eventually happen to Anakin and Obi-Wan, but we don't know how they get there. That's what GL is taking some liberties with. And it's his story, I say go for it. The surprises in the plotline of a movie are what keep you on the edge of your seat, even after you've seen the film 90+ times.

[Patrick]

Padmé Amidala
Definitely less wooden in this film than TPM, and she has some geniunely entertaining moments, but overall, I thought Rose Byrne was better in that one scene of emotion when she said goodbye to Padmé. Natalie Portman seems to have a problem losing herself in the role.

Y'know, I don't know if anyone else had this happen, but when I saw that scene with Byrne saying goodbye and tearing up, I thought to myself "Man... why couldn't SHE have been cast as Padme??"

I've seen AOTC four times now, and coupled with the numerous times I watched TPM (which IMHO still blows goats for the most part... sorry) I just find myself wondering what ever happened to all the potential Natalie Portman had when we saw her in "The Professional". Honestly, the girl just comes off as if she's reading cue cards half the time. Whether it's because she just isn't happy doing Star Wars or whether it's something to do with her overall acting ability I don't know. But when she and Hayden came to the point of having to slog their way through the excrementally-bad dialogue in the Naboo scenes, it just seems like Hayden tried his ass off to breathe life into that garbage, but Natalie (particularly in the fireplace scene) just did her lines and that was that.

What she reminded me of a few times was a school girl in a play who cringes every time she has to kiss her leading man. I could buy Hayden as digging the hell out of her... I couldn't buy her as digging the hell out of Hayden.

And it's not the character. Leia was basically the same general character... royalty-turned-politician, obsessed with duty and the greater good, not particularly experienced with men, etc. And Carrie Fisher made us buy the fact that under the tight-arsed facade she REALLY had it bad for Han. When she kissed Harrison, there was no question about the emotions being conveyed. Natalie too often looked like she was kissing Hayden because somebody told her to.

(BTW, this is still one of my favorite SW movies... the rest of the movie outside of the romance is JUST THAT GOOD!)

[Vibroblade]

You know Patrick....I think this might be the first time we ever trully agreed on much of anything.

I got the same impression...not that she didn't dig the guy physically, just that she struggles much more with GL's tradionally cumbersome dialogue. On the other hand, I felt she was great in the scenes involving more action and less romance.

I do think the dialogue she has to use it a bit more difficult than Carrie's though. I believe Leia was not meant to seem as reserved and...well...regal as Padme. I don't mean that the dialogue is more worse, just more stilted. I noticed on the last couple times that I saw AOTC that the Jedi and the politicians are very formal ( sure I should have noticed it before but I'm stupid ). The other characters are not nearly so formal and their dialogue much less stilted. Also, when Anakin and OB1 speak together the dialogue is more laid back, but when either speaks to Padme or another high ranking person, they slip back into the stilted dialogue. I really believe that part of the difference in the original's and the prequel's dialogue is GL attempting to show the difference in CLASS of the main characters. Only the Imperials come off as formal in THT. Han, Luke, and Lando are not nearly so formal. Of course, none of them is exactly a big shot.

[Patrick]

Vibro, it seems that this time out we agree to a great extent about this SW film. I'm ENJOYING the fact that I like this one... I never did like the feeling of disliking a SW movie when TPM was the New Flick On The Block.

I realize that in her official capacity Padme has to be professional, reserved, and regal. However, Natalie never seems to be able to shake her starchiness even when Padme is among friends... or with a new lover. As bad as the fireplace scene is, the moment (held off on for about half a dozen lines too long IMHO) when she finally has had enough of Anakin's stalker trip and goes into her "snap out of it!" rant, that is EXACTLY the sort of moment where she needed to bust out with that no-nonsense, Leia-esque fire. When they're about to die and she confesses her love to Anakin, she also needed to loosen up and let loose with some sparks. That was the PT's version of ESB's carbonite scene, and it had all the emotional charge of a Hallmark card... largely because Nat just didn't drop the debutante act and exhibit any emotional hunger... which is what moment-of-truth scenes like that require.

Honestly, I thought that the girl who played Dorme had a far greater ability to shift from reserved/professional to vulnerable and emotional, just from the few scenes she had in the film. What else has she been in? I'd like to see her in some larger roles.

[RollaFett]

Patrick and Vibro- I agree with you guys concerning Potman's performance. At first, I was under that impression of her character struggling to get out from under all of her formal upbringing (a young queen, then senator, no real childhood or adolescence), but the more I think of it, the more I'm not so sure of that theory. She actually begins the movie fairly well. She shows genuine emotion and strength after the first assasination attempt, then truly appears happy to see Obi-Wan and Anakin when they first appear. After that, it's all downhill.

The tragedy is this: Who do you blame? Obviously, Portman does a poor job, being a big fan of her past work I have followed her career to some extent and she appears to have a good, mature head on her shoulders. It would surprise me that she would perform badly just because she is unhappy with being in Star Wars, but that's what it looks like. Well at that point, GL is at fault. We all know how he adores directing style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif, but it is ultimately his responsibilty to get the most out of his performers. It's a damn shame.

Overall, I really liked AOTC, but a small part of me dreads EPIII, if only for the fact that I fear we will be treated to some really stiff acting, and a director who is either helpless to correct it or to disinterested about directing to care.

[RollaFett]

Finally saw AOTC for the second time last night. Still feel the same way about Portman's performance, but much differently about Hayden's. At first, i thought that he was just as stiff as Portman in their scenes together, but upon further review I don't think that anymore. Hayden delivered a very strong and convincing performance of a young man in love for the first time and not really knowing how to deal with it. The only time I didn't buy it with him was during the fireplace scene, and I believe that was mostly due to how it was written. Suddenly there they are sitting in front of a fireplace, then he begins with this painful, tortureous, tirade of how he is suffering. It just didn't do it for me. There was no prompthing involved, he just starts up and can't be stopped. He sounded a little psychotic actually.

Overall, seeing it a second time really helped clear up certain plot points I was having trouble with previously. And well, it still rocked.

[Mara1Jade]

LOL. Maybe he's SUPPOSED to sound psychotic...

[NelsonCoressel]

I found this thread over at the Home Theater Forum, a website that has seemed (to me anyway) to be one of the biggest "Star Wars Sucks" sites on the net. Usually they go out of their way to bash all things Lucas, but there are some very favorable and quite objective views and reviews of AOTC there.

Check it out:

Home Theater Forum AOTC Reviews (http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htforum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=69662)

[RollaFett]

You're probably right Mara1Jade, but when he begins on that tirade of how Padme is a part of his soul and he cannot breathe, etc., it just comes off wrong. Most girls that I've told that to run away and call 911 style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/huh.gif

[Tovor]

It makes him sound like a possessive, obsessive, stalker. Seriously. No wonder he pulls an OJ in Episode III, forcing Padme to flee with the kids.

[Tarkheki- Jedi Dug]

Hey people!
I figured this should go here... have you even noticed how much boba's icon (the mandalorian one... see pic attached) looks a lot like the skull of...yes, the reek?

think of it, jango's last triumph was wackin' the reek, right? and the sign has 2 huge horns from the side of his head... semi huge nasal pasages, and 4 inscisors... kinda fits... one pic attached, next post front view of the reek.. you tell me?

[Tarkheki- Jedi Dug]

and here for the sake of argument, a crude storyborded image of the reek (front view)... i do realize that the top horn is missing in the icon, but it could be a variation...

[RollaFett]

Hmmm....interesting. I'm inclined to think it's coincidental, but maybe not. Either way, nice pickup Tarkheki.

[Tarkheki- Jedi Dug]

style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif
thank you!
... i have too much time on my hands....

[bodhisattva yoda]

in response to wook's ambivolence toward clones, i can sort of relate. i walked out of clones with the same feeling i had after i saw menace. after many subsequent viewings of menace, i grew to enjoy it. my adult cynicism faded as jar jar became more tolerable and i'm able to dismiss most of the crapty lines as we all seem to able to do with the original trilogy. the cheesiness in the original trilogy has been thoroughly digested by most of us partially because it was introduced to us in our unskeptical childhood and partially because we've all seen it about a billion times. i'm certain that the negative aspects of clones will fade if we're willing to watch it many times over, which i personally am, because despite it's faults, it was thoroughly enjoyable and, objectively speaking, not anymore flawed than the original trilogy. even empire. star wars films are essentially made by lucas's inner child, and that's why most of us can relate to them, the original trilogy in particular. the key to enjoying the new trilogy to the utmost extent is by inducing that childlikeness to which the films are intended.

i would like to make a few criticisms though, as it's impossible to fully ignore my cynical adulthood at all times. i particularly want to address some of the visual effects and i'm wondering if anyone agrees with me. i'm almost certain that everyone can agree the scene with anakin balancing on the nubian pig creature was absolute crap. something out of those awful mummy films. i noticed a few more subtle flaws however, as during my third viewing i was seated like, two rows from the screen. did i detect a digital padme when she's lying in the sand after her decent from the clone vessel? the footsteps in the sand were also quite unrealistic. i also happened to notice dooku's digitally implanted face on the stunt double. at first i thought that his character was cgi at times, but then i learned of the digital face replacement... another problem i had was with the yoda levetation scene. shouldn't the light reflecting from the pillars move as the camera does? there were quite a few visual flaws, but most of them have been pointed out by others. er. that's all.

[padme_rocks]

Ok if I had to rate the SW movies right now it would be:
1.ESB
2.AOTC
3.ROTJ
4.ANH
5.TPM
The love story was a little strange at times, but Hayden did a great job of keeping his character for 140 min. He didn't even have to say anything just his movements were enough. The dule between Yoda and Dooku was great. So good I'm going to see it for the 5th time tonight!

[NelsonCoressel]

...anakin balancing on the nubian pig creature was absolute crap... i noticed a few more subtle flaws however... ...did i detect a digital padme when she's lying in the sand after her decent from the clone vessel? the footsteps in the sand were also quite unrealistic

I just saw a digital screening of AOTC for the first time last night and had your above comments in mind as I watched and analyzed the film. I don't think those are "fake" footprints, and I was suprised at how much better Anakin riding on the cow/pig thing as well as how much better his lassoing and riding the monster in the arena looked.
However, it is a digi-padme in the shot in the arena when she's riding the creature pulling the chariot with Ani in the back. But still even that shot looked better in the digital projection.

I'm wondering if transferring this digital movie to celluloid might have something to do with certain effects looking odd. Sometimes even the wear and tear of the film after it's played 1000 times over might degrade the look of certain shots.
The digital version was crystal clear with no pixelization or artifacts that might hurt the effects shots.

[Count Dooku]

Here's my review:

STAR WARS EP2:AOTC 9.7-10

I just enjoyed the movie so much I liked the love scenes people said it was rushed but I had no problems with it. When I watch a movie I go and watch it not take notes on the downfall of the movie. I enjoyed every single moment of it. It was a great movie.

[Polunis]

I loved the movie, but I wanted to see some more fights style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

[QuigonWindu]

I would rate AOTC 9.0.

[QuigonWindu]

Here are my rankings for the other movies.
10=perfect 5= average 1=bad
ESB 10.0
ANH 9.0
ROTJ 8.0
TPM 4.5

[Bandersnatch]

I was completely floored by this chapter of the SW Saga. I couldn't believe how good it was. I never thought TPM was the horrible piece of poodoo so many others seem to think it was, but I still feel that AOTC is a million times better and even makes me look at TPM, ANH, ESB and ROTJ in a different light. *

Hayden C. as Anakin did a fantastic job. I went in convinced he would be lame, but he was really quite good.

There are some minor points I would criticize a little though: You would think that JarJar's voice would change after all these years. Why not bring his voice down at least half an octave? *Also, having so many aliens as Jedi doesn't work for me, but that's just me. And while I liked seeing Yoda's sword fighting style, I would have liked to have seen him do maybe 3 or 4 fewer back-flips and sommersaults.

That's about it. The rest of the flick knocked me out!

I am especially blown away by the final act of the film. Not just the action and sword fights and stuff blowing up, but the extreme epic war feel of the whole thing. At one point I half expected Yoda to say, "The smell of napalm in the morning I love... Victory it smells like..."

Indeed the Clone Wars have begun, and I can't wait to see Episode 3.

[Darth Badly]

Originally posted by NelsonCoressel@June 13 2002 - 09:22
I'm wondering if transferring this digital movie to celluloid might have something to do with certain effects looking odd. Sometimes even the wear and tear of the film after it's played 1000 times over might degrade the look of certain shots.
Because that would never happen with any other movie of course...

[NelsonCoressel]

I originally posted that question because it DOES happen to other film prints.

[Tovor]

Because that would never happen with any other movie of course...
DB, I don't have any details for this other than extremely vague memory, but perhaps there is someone else out thereabouts who can add to what I'm about to say.
Film certainly does deteriorate over time, and precautions have to be taken to preserve original movie reels. *There is a place (don't remember where...the memory is hazy on this) in America where most if not all original movie reels are stored in a special storage facility constructed below the ground (don't remember how far down...the memory) which is set at a constant particular temperature (don't remember what) to ensure that the films do not deteriorate. *Classic films, among others, like Wizard of Oz are stored in this place. *In fact, when I watched the intro to the Star Wars Special Edition and RC spoke of how badly the original SWANH reel had deteriorated, I was quite surprised having heard of the cold storage facility, and I wondered why Lucasfilm of all companies would not have taken such careful steps to preserve the original reels.



EDITED: Whoops, my bad. I hadn't read back far enough and had assumed that someone was talking about the Special Editions and the need to restore them for the 20th anniversary.

[NelsonCoressel]

Tovor, funny you should mention that because a good friend of mine is a film preservationist in one of the biggest film vaults in the country!

[Tovor]

DB, I don't have any details for this other than extremely vague memory, but perhaps there is someone else out thereabouts who can add to what I'm about to say.


Tovor, funny you should mention that because a good friend of mine is a film preservationist in one of the biggest film vaults in the country!
Really? *You could be the person I hinted at. *For educational fun, can you find out for me/us the details of the film vault facility? *Where, how is the film stored, what temp, ect. *I have no memory of the show I saw about that, and I'd like to learn some more about it. *Thanks, if you can! =)

[sithwitch]

THE SITH WITCH REVEALS THE EVIL TRUTH
HIDDEN IN EPISODE TWO: ATTACK OF THE CLONES
HERE IS AN EXCERPT:

Oh, poor Jar Jar. Poor Ahmed Best, overexposed to criticism in tight rubber. In Episode II Jar Jar shows us the most terrifying thing in the entire Star Wars epics. Jar Jar will demonstrate just how the good intentioned sheeple of the galaxy can be hoodwinked into giving up the henhouse to the fox. This archetype of the plain and simple fellow, Jar Jar is every man who has tried to leave his unsophisticated ways behind, to improve himself and to give back to his community. With the best of intentions and believing it is the right thing, Jar Jar's acceptance of undemocratic rule is ultimately what empowers the evil emperor.

* For many, Jar Jar was the Menace of Episode One. The same may be said of Two.

READ THE TERRIFYING TRUTH ABOUT EPISODE TWO
AT SITHWITCH.COM (http://SithWitch.com/) style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/inlove.gif


http://dailyrevolution.org/allgood/020516.gif

[echoseven]

I have seen AOTC 4 times so far and think it fits right in with all the others. It's either my favorite or second favorite behind ESB. I choose not to critize any of the PT movies because in my opinion they are exactly in the same realm as the OT. It seems that so many hold the OT is such high regard that rediculous expectations are placed on the PT. I think they all fit together quite well.

[NelsonCoressel]

...they are exactly in the same realm as the OT. It seems that so many hold the OT is such high regard that rediculous expectations are placed on the PT. I think they all fit together quite well.

I'm glad to hear someone else say that for a change! I totally agree with you echo. Even the parts of Episodes 1 and 2 that I have criticized are similar to my criticizms of Episodes 4 - 6.

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