Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones

[thepepgal]

The second of the prequels. See many Jedi in battle.

[Darill Cyllem]

This movie has lots of elements I love, but none of them are Anakin (sorry Anakin fans).
I strongly prefer to skip pretty much all the scenes where Anakin speaks. The film then primarily involves Obi-Wan, Jango Fett, and lightsaber fights. What's not to like about that?

[Master Magnus]

I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere...

Seriously, I really like Attack of the Clones. When I first saw it in theater in 2002, I was pleasantly surprised as I really didn't like TPM. Much has been said about the dialogue, but the dialogue isn't an important element of Star Wars: It's a very visual franchise and could work as silent movies.

What I don't like is the surprisingly amateurish recut of the movie as released on Blu-Ray...

[Kapit]

What I don't like is the surprisingly amateurish recut of the movie as released on Blu-Ray...

Recut????

[borgmatrix]

Seriously, I really like Attack of the Clones. When I first saw it in theater in 2002, I was pleasantly surprised as I really didn't like TPM. Much has been said about the dialogue, but the dialogue isn't an important element of Star Wars: It's a very visual franchise and could work as silent movies.

I do, too. I found the story a lot more interesting; in particular, Obi-wan following the thread that eventually leads to the discovery of the Clone Army.

I thought the colors utilized worked very well, and I found it a lot more interesting visually than TPM. The fight between Kenobi and Fett was great, and something different. Physically, sloppy, messy. The sound was great.

Even with the Anakin/Padme stuff...yeah, some of the dialogue and deliveries weren't great, but other bits worked for me. I especially enjoyed the exchange with Anakin saying "...then they should be made to", Padme's reaction of surprise, and Anakin recognizing it and turning it into a joke.

The end was fantastic with the Jedi in numbers facing even an even greater number of droids, the arrival of the clones into the action, and then the lightsaber duels.

[Master Magnus]

What I don't like is the surprisingly amateurish recut of the movie as released on Blu-Ray...

Recut????

Well, two scenes were poorly re-edited: The chase after Zam and the Yoda vs Dooku duel. Shots were rearranged (and now makes little sense), but the music wasn't so it's chopped up.

[Kapit]

Well, two scenes were poorly re-edited: The chase after Zam and the Yoda vs Dooku duel. Shots were rearranged (and now makes little sense), but the music wasn't so it's chopped up.

Guess who hasn't watched their Prequel Blu-Rays at all

Seriously though, that sounds terrible.

[Master Magnus]

Well, two scenes were poorly re-edited: The chase after Zam and the Yoda vs Dooku duel. Shots were rearranged (and now makes little sense), but the music wasn't so it's chopped up.

Guess who hasn't watched their Prequel Blu-Rays at all

Seriously though, that sounds terrible.

It is. To detail the changes a bit more...

The Coruscant Chase: The scene where Anakin and Obi-Wan are running through the power couplings with a speeder was re-edited. In the original/DVD version, Obi-Wan shouts: "Anakin, how many times have I told you..." and then there are a few shots of the speeder as it passes through the power couplings and then it's back to Obi-Wan saying "...stay away from power couplings!". In the Blu-Ray version, Obi-Wan's lines have been edited together and all external shots have been moved to after Obi-Wan's lines. The order of the shots is now pretty awkward and the music wasn't edited to reflect the changes.

Count Dooku escapes after the duel: The scene during which Dooku escapes and Yoda saves Anakin and Obi-Wan from the falling pillar was re-edited as well. In the original/DVD version, after Yoda sets the pillar down in the foreground, the order of shots is as follow (I've tried to structure the scene by numbering the shots):

1. The pillar crashes in the foreground and the hatch closes and the gangplank is retracted on Dooku's ship in the background
2. An external shot of the hangar that shows the arrival of the gunship carrying Padmé
3. A shot of Padmé and the Clone Troopers jumping off the gunship
4. A shot of Dooku's ship taking off from the hangar
5. Shots of Padmé and the Clone Troopers opening fire at Dooku's ship and close-up on Dooku in the ship
6. A shot of Dooku's ship passing by a couple of Trade Federation Core Ships near Geonosis
7. A close-up on Anakin
8. A shot of Anakin and Obi-Wan lying on the ground
9. A reaction shot of Yoda sighing
10. A shot of Yoda using the Force to retrieve his stick and walking towards camera
11. A shot of Obi-Wan and Anakin with Obi-Wan getting up from the floor
12. A long shot of Padmé and the clones entering the hangar and running towards Anakin and Obi-Wan

On the Blu-Ray, the scene was re-edited as follows:
1. The pillar crashes in the foreground and the hatch closes and the gangplank is retracted on Dooku's ship in the background
7. A close-up on Anakin
8. A shot of Anakin and Obi-Wan lying on the ground
9. A reaction shot of Yoda sighing
2. An external shot of the hangar that shows the arrival of the gunship carrying Padmé
3. A shot of Padmé and the Clone Troopers jumping off the gunship
4. A shot of Dooku's ship taking off from the hangar
5. Shots of Padmé and the Clone Troopers opening fire at Dooku's ship and close-up on Dooku in the ship
6. A shot of Dooku's ship passing by a couple of Trade Federation Core Ships near Geonosis
10. A shot of Yoda using the Force to retrieve his stick and walking towards camera
11. A shot of Obi-Wan and Anakin with Obi-Wan getting up from the floor
12. A long shot of Padmé and the clones entering the hangar and running towards Anakin and Obi-Wan

In short, the scene is a complete and utter mess and as the music wasn't re-edited, it sounds awful! It is, after all, a scene that lasts about a minute, give or take. The color-timing has been changed throughout the movie as well and there's an ugly teal/green tint to it. There's one good change, Pernilla August recorded a few new lines for Anakin's nightmare scene, but sadly I find the movie unwatchable on Blu-Ray.

[borgmatrix]

There's one good change, Pernilla August recorded a few new lines for Anakin's nightmare scene, but sadly I find the movie unwatchable on Blu-Ray.

I only recently bought the Saga on Blu-ray, so I haven't watched it yet. But the version shown on TV is likely the BD version, right?

[Master Shrive]

I bought the saga a couple of years back on blu ray, finally thinking it was safe to own the whole set. A few weeks later they announced the ST... lol. Not sure I noticed the difference in the edits, but I'll keep an eye out more closely for my next watch.

[Momin327]

Happy 20th anniversary, AOTC!

[Master Magnus]

Happy 20th anniversary, AOTC!

Indeed!

[thepepgal]

Here is a link to the things that were learnt at SW Celebration Ep II 20th anniversary panel.

https://www.starwars.com/news/swca-2022 ... s-20-panel