CONTEST: Post your SW2 Review here!

I agree with the members who have said that instant reviews are not the best ways to judge films.

I've seen AOTC twice now, but I still think one has to take a step back to make an accurate judement of the movie.

For now, I'll say it gets nine out of 10.

It's everything that's great and bad about Star Wars. The excitement of lightsabers and the battle of good and evil, as well as some cheesey dialog.

In five years, the number of people who dislike the fact that Yoda was shown fighting will be larger, but probably not the majority.

The film combined the familiarity of the old, a simple Tatooine moisture farm, with the excitement of the new, a planet in the state of perpetual rain.

It was far more grand in its brush strokes than TPM: the fighting, the conflict, the peril.

It was the movie that Star Wars fans have been awaiting for 20 years.

MTFBWY

 

I loved it. I was very happy to find out that I *didn't* know everything and that on some of the stuff I did know, I was partially wrong on it. The Death Star plans was something I didn't see coming, nor finiding out Dooku was Qui-Gon's Master, and Yoda's Padawan. I had known before hand that Zam wasn't human and that she died by Jango's hand, the wedding at the end, Anakin losing his arm, and all but knew Shmi would die. I hadn't seen, read anything that had confirmed Shmi's death, but I figured she'd die and I was right. That scene was the first time I cried in a SW movie. I couldn't help it. Then when I thought I was done, I started again, when Anakin was telling Padmé how he had murdered the Tusken tribe. The anguish and torment... and knowing this guy goes on to become Darth Vader... Interestingly, I knew a *long* time ago, possibly back in '99 that Shmi got married to Lars, but I had *totally* forgotten about that until Anakin and Padmé were back on Tatooine.

I *really* enjoyed Yoda with a lightsaber. Man, that kicked major @$$. When we saw him coming from the shadows, I was thinking, Dooku's gonna get it... and he did get his butt kicked. MWHAHAHA. Mace Windu was also awesome as heck and I wasn't suprised Jango went down. I actually felt for Boba then. No wonder the kid grows to hate Jedi. I also found 3PO's part hysterical. Poor droid. R2 was his usual cool self, of course. ^_^

On the romance... it was ok, but I'm sorry. It didn't hold a candle to the chemistry that Han and Leia had in the OT. As for the humor... this is the way humor is to be achieved in Star Wars... not in the potty jokes of TPM, but in real humor that actually makes people laugh!

I saw the movie for the 2nd time this evening. Upon this viewing, I was happy to have spotted both Anthony Daniels and Ahmed Best in their cameos. I looked them up yesterday after seeing the movie and was able to find them with relative ease (they are in the bar scene). I've also decided this is my favorite film, by far, for Yoda, but also for Threepio. I also heard Qui-Gon this time, and I'm not entirely sure how I missed it the first time. So much going on in the scene, I guess.

My few only criticisms.... we never saw Padmé's family, which I had thought were supposed to be in this (I guess they are in the novel?) nor did we see much of the Lars (same?). A little more in both areas would've been appreicated. Jar Jar... I expected him to fade away gradually, not help bring about the fall of the Republic. GAH! I'm not a Jar Jar hater, but I think I'd like to push him off a cliff after that... Then again, the Dark Side has a powerful effect on the weak minded...

My main beef would be... the name... Attack of the Clones? ? Hello... in this movie the clones didn't attack. They were used to help the Jedi on Geonosis. The name implies something that we have yet to see.

~*~Bria

 

Attack of the Clones was incredible. This is beyond reproach.

Was it the greatest Star Wars ever? I belive that it is now safe to say, my friends, that this question no longer matters.

The reason I say this is because all the review and approval of such things as the special effects and the amount of whoop-ass Yoda unloads is at this point academic ****ing at best. At this point I concede that yes, it was the best effects that we've probably yet seen in any movie, let alone the Star Wars Saga.

I believe the real yardstick of AOTC's greatness is its storytelling. Which I believe is Lucas' primary motivation these days after all. And in this capacity, this little popcorn flick pays off in spades. I, and a countless number of my Star Wars fan bretheren, spent years debating what would bring Anakin and the Republic to such a precipiece of doom. These questions began to be answered here. We all know that anger, fear, and agression lead to the dark side, but we all wanted to know why that peaceful, benevalent Republic turned into a war-mongering dictatorship. AOTC gives us the beginning of the Great Clone War.

The way Anakin's gradual slide toward the dark side mirrored the Republic's slide toward Empire was particularly good. Anakin strikes out in agression to keep from losing that which he holds dear, as does the Republic. Nevertheless, both of them lose pieces of their body and soul, and allow seductive and corrupt leadership to waltz them toward the pit.

One thing that needs to be addressed is the notion of "flat" acting and expositive dialogue. The facts is it's supposed to be flat. Hearing the dialogue immediately reminded in particular of Superman II, and then it occured to me that it was a particular style. An expositive British style, in fact. You'll see it if you watch "I, Claudius" as well, or any of those old classical epics like "Sparticus" or "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly". The reason British actors adapt to that more readily is because the English way for an actor to approach a role is to go from the outside in (molding their character around the events of the plot), animating their character the way one would a marinette. The American way is to go from the inside out, like a glove puppet... examining a character's internal motivations and desires, etc. Unfortunately, when American actors work in this style it sometimes looks flat. Oh, well. You just have to go with it, really. Suspend disbelief, the way you do when you look at a two foot tall gnome bouncing around weilding a lightsaber.

Some people's discomfort with this style notwithstanding, there was major character development present. Everything from the Anakin/Obi-Wan relationship to the Jango/Boba relationship to the Anakin/Padme relationship served to not only advance the story, but to add depth and meaning to characters that we already had a great sense of attachment to. One moment I found particularly good was Yoda with the younglings, watching the elder Jedi master well up with pride at the achievements of his students.

The humor was even appropriate, considering the tacking that it was given in the film. Jar Jar was used as an unwitting dupe rather than comic relief. That job was solidly back in 3P0's court. Although after Mace and Yoda were discussing their diminishing ability in the force, I could barely choke back the line, "I am this close to working at 7-11, man!"

Also, the "rhyming" aspects between the movies was poetic. The middle movies in each trilogy have asteroids, dismemberment of our hero, and powerful love undertones. This technique of dramatic symetry is one of the strongest things done in the Saga, and one that will make the Saga a more perfect circle when complete. How much do you want to bet someone gets thrown down a pit at the end of Episode III?

So the question is did it serve well the overall story of the saga? Yes indeed. Were the effects up to speed? Don't take my word for it. Was it the best Star Wars ever? Quite possibly.

Yoda did, after all, ki

 

There is a lot to say about this movie. THERE ARE NO SPOILERS HERE! Perhaps a local film critic here in Portland, OR said it best when he said that to dislike this movie you have to WANT to NOT like it. For some reason there are a lot of people that want it to be bad. If you have been reading reviews of Episode 2, then you have probably realized that there are just as many positive ones as there are negative ones and a fair amount of mixed bag reviews out there too.
So far, as of Friday, May 17th, I have seen the film three times. My first viewing was so completely overwhelming that it was a totally different experience the first time as compared to the next two times. This is due to what I have come to call "Star Wars Lag". Much like jet lag, "Star Wars Lag" can have an effect on our minds. "Star Wars Lag" is caused by becoming used to the most current Star Wars film from viewing it SEVERAL TIMES. This effect was first noticed most profoundly by most of us with Episode One, because we had TWENTY YEARS or so of viewing the original trilogy like hundreds and hundreds of times. We were so used to the original movies that when Episode One came out, it took us 2-5 viewings for it to be integrated into ourselves as something "Star Wars". It seemed to have a different feel, it seemed "off". My initial reaction after seeing Episode One was "Well that was a COOL movie, but it doesn't seem 'Starwarsy' at all." Things that helped to magnify the "Star Wars Lag" effect were the fact that there was hardly anything that linked Episode One to the original trilogy. The only things familiar to us were R2-D2 and Yoda. All the ships were new. All the characters were new or played by different actors, because they had to be younger. The musical score was like 99% original material. Even Duel of the Fates seemed like an odd song within the realm of Star Wars. After a few more viewings of Episode One though, and not only did it become "starwarsy", but it became comfortable to watch. Everything (well almost everything) that was Episode One became integrated into the rest of that part of me where Star Wars resides. Duel of the Fates became one of my favorite Star Wars songs ever, and now is just as 'starwarsy' to me as is the Imperial March. This leads into the 'Star Wars Lag' effect for Episode 2. The same thing happened to me as I watched Episode 2 for the first time. I was so used to the original trilogy AND Phantom Menace that as I watched Attack of the Clones the whole thing seemed a little weird. The effect was not nearly as strong as it was when I saw Episode One though. This movie is strongly connected to Phantom Menace, the music is similar, the same actors and characters are there. But this movie is much more connected to the original trilogy than Phantom Menace. There is a lot of familiar music from the original films. And some other things, but I won't go there, spoilers are EVIL. So the 'Star Wars Lag' was there, but barely.

The next time I went to see the film was so much fun. The environments that seemed unfamiliar were now familiar and it was that second viewing that Episode Two became a part of the Star Wars universe for me. I love this movie! It is hard to have favorites among the Star Wars films, they are like kids. You love each one for its uniqueness. But this movie is really something to behold. For true blue Star Wars geeks, like myslef, this movie is infinitely fun for so many things that it is an overwhelming experience the first time you see it. We learn so much more about the world of Star Wars and it is fun to start to piece things together. This movie caters to the fans. This film has some of the best Star Wars Moments of all time. It is absolutely SPECTACULAR.

The cinematography is incredible. The special effects are off the chart. On a one to ten scale, I can honestly say that 10 does not do them justice. If this movie does not win the Visual Effects Acadamy Award, it will be due to a conspiracy. The music is absolutely moving. There is one scene in particular that involves Anakin where the music is mor

 

Reading through some reviews, and also a post on the Fan Film's forum, I just had to add this addendum/PS I made there:

Y'know, I've been thinking about how everyone is saying AOTC's love story was just too fast, too soon, too corny. Well, I can't say much for the corny part, but let's think here a moment. The thing that led us to believe and accept Han and Leia's relationship is that it was developed as we all feel Anakin and Amidala's was done - long drawn and over time with many hardships between them. It wasn't so quick to come along.
But consider that Lucas has one hell of a story to tell this time around. He needs to tell of the fall of the Republic, the rise to power of Palpatine, the progression of Anakin to Jedi, then embrace of the Dark Side, Anakin and Amidala's romance and then future children, the obliteration of near all Jedi, the creation and recruitment of the Empire, the inception of the Rebellion led by Princess Leia... There is just SO much to tell between three movies. THREE movies to tell all of these origins. Now I don't know about you, but I'd have a hard time telling an appropriate love story in a 2 hour movie while also telling about three side stories (Obi-Wan and the Clone Army, the Jedi Order, the Senate, Seperatists and Palpatine, and Anakin and Amidala - and that's not including the substories like Anakin and his mother, Jango Fett...). It's just too hard to do. And it can't continue on into the third movie. There's even more to tell there than in Episodes one or two. To also contiune Anakin and Amidala's relationship into marraige then would not leave enough room for everything else.
I think Lucas needs to be given credit for his telling of this portion of the story. In ANH, ESB, and ROTJ, he wasn't constrained because he could change anything he wanted any time he wanted. He wasn't bound to telling a large backstory within three movies. No he was creating the future of the story.
Hopefully what I've said made sense. I'm not looking to change opinions, just give a little bit of the other side to the argument. I too thought the love story was too quick. But could I have done better in telling everything Lucas has to in three 2 hour movies? Doubtful. Could any of you? Maybe, maybe not. You're the only one who would know that. Could Lucas? If he could, my money is all placed on, "he would have."
We all do what we can with what we've got. And now I realize that AOTC's love story wasn't near as bad as it could have been, and in my opinion, probably as good as anyone could really have done it. And even with my new insight comes the appreciation of TPM, Jar Jar and everything Lucas has done so far.
This is Star Wars. This is Lucas. And I thank him for giving us two more spectacular movies, and soon, a third.

Thanks for hearing my rant.

 

Attack of the Clones was entertaining, emotional, and had lots of cool special effects. Basically what all the Star Wars movies are and should be The only problem I had with Attack of the Clones was that I didn't get to see it in its digital format.

Two thumbs way up

 

I was very nervous when I entered the theatre. I had been waiting for this movie for three years. sitting in the theatre waiting for the movie was a strange experience because three years (over 1000 days!) of digesting every little bit of info from theForce.net and the gathering of momentum and anticipation had finally climaxed into this VERY moment, the Five minutes that ur sitting in the theatre (in the perfect spot in the Center, with a Coke and your friends around you) waiting for the famous intro to appear. When it finally happens, its almost like its a dream, this is what happens to me when I see Star Wars, especially a Star Wars that ive never seen before!...........

Ok, enough setup. I was extremely afraid that this movie would leave me as dissapointed and dissalusioned as the Phantom Menace did (although, ive grown to like it even more, i mean, its StarWars!). Did AOTC dissapoint me? Would i have to share False enthusiasm for the movie so that other people would go see it like i did with TPM?(So it would break BO records)

NOOOOOOOOO!!!! this move RUUUUUUUULLLLLEEEEESSSSSS!!!!!!! It completley Entertained and thrilled me and made me proud of being a Star Wars Freak. I was so afraid of Haydens acting and the Anakin/Padme scenes because the Stupid, idiotic, blind, old, moronic, CRITICS said that they were so bad, that people would be laughing and shaking theyre heads in digust. I couldnt disagree more. The acting was AWESOME, its easily the best acting in ANY Starwars movie. Look at Hayden in the scene where he tells Padme about what he did to the Sandpeople.... I was SHOCKED at how good he acted. Especially when he screams "I Hate Them!!".

The Best Scence in the Movie and the Best Lines are:

1) The part where ObiWan uses the force to make a drug dealer "rethink his path in life" and then Ewan Smiles at himself as he takes a drink...AWESOME

2) THE best line in the ENTIRE film is when we have watched Dooku literally Blow away ObiWan and Anakin like children and then begins his awesome fight with Yoda. Dooku does his lightning bolt thing and throws it at Yoda and Yoda simply absorbs it and then Yoda says to him, "You still have much to Learn my old aprentice"...It was an INCREDIBLE line and moment, and you cant help but LOVE Yoda. unfortunatly, the fight is wayy too short. but im nitpicking here.

3) Mace Windu saying, "this party's over" and suddenly all of these Jedi take theyre Lightsabres out...Awesome!

4) The SoundEffect of the Space Mines...Awesome!! one of the best in the series.

5) Schmis death/Haydens Acting/Hayden killing the Sandpeople!! This scene marks the begging of the Greatness of this movie.
When his mom dies, you can Feel the anger at the SandPeople with him, and you can Totally root for him as he destroys them!
This was an awesome scene...although, once again, WAYY too short

Another thing that i Really liked that the critics trashed was Threepio. Threepio rules! hes funny as always, and his dumb jokes are funny because threepio is saying them, Period. I mean, compared with crap like(take a deep breath)...Hey Yusa, Stoppa der!....How Wood!.... Yusa in Big Doodoo dis time......Boss Nass shaking his head!!....and the Worst line EVER in a StarWars film.."Oh Maxi-Big da force, Well that smells Stink-a-Wiff"....Ok you guys get the idea...Oh by the way, artoo Rules like always and hes funny and cute as hes flying through the air!


The best part of AOTC(Besides the incredible Special Effects) is that its a really BIG movie that has 5 worlds. You never get bored of just seeing one planet over and over again. Like in TPM, all u had was Naboo, Tatooine (which weve seen Wayyy to much of) and Corascant. Here, the story takes you all over the galaxy and its extremely entertaining. The hightlight for me was KAmino...I LOVE the shots in the rain, and obiwans fight with the Awesome JAngo Fett. The rain added greatness to those scenes.

Another cool part, and this is the Shocker!! I actually liked Jar JAr in this movie. Since he wasnt in EVERY single scene like last time, i act

 

What can one say about this film, other than WHOA?! I walked into the theatre with some what lower expectations (due to Episode 1), but walked out saying it was one of my favorite of the Star Wars films. George has done it again, and I'm so happy that I was a part of it. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I thought it was nicely done. Yoda rocks, and it is no wonder why he is the master of masters. This proved to me why I'm a Star Wars fan, and I don't know if I will be able to wait another 3 years to see the next episode.

Jonathan

 

I give AOTC 8,5 out of 10.
It was really great.

 

Entertainment Value: 8 out of 10
Mythological/Intellectual Value: 4 out of 10

Reasons:

Hayden has proven that he will be a great Vader. Ewan is great as always. And Ian McDiarmid needs an Oscar for the task of being able to keep the prequels interesting and unpredictable.

Samuel was excellent, and no-nonsense. Jango needed some decapitation badly anyhow, how dare he kill one of our unkillable jedi!

Yoda... well... either Oz voiced him when he had the cold, or just didnt care enough.

There are many intricate details apparent in the movie which I liked, but Lucas, being the money-grabbing-rebel-without-a-cause he is, wants us to see it multiple times so we can understand the "deeper meanings" of the story.

On the other hand ILM has proven that Yoda is on ten tablets of caffeine per hour. I found the plot nicely laid out, although the action scenes became overwhelming. So many battles went on, and so many things happened in a split second, that Lucas needs to either start directing Megadeth music-videos, or calm down the pace a bit. It seems as if the pace has been ever-increasing in the series. I sure do hope he does not attempt 10 simultaneous battles at the same time.

AOTC has convinced me, that Lucas needs to get done with the franchise before he reveals that C-3PO is Darth Sidious, and Han Solo is Ben's son. Not that the film was bad, I enjoyed it a lot, but only as a popcorn flick. The revelations were stale, and began to crowd the mind. The absolute nonsense of Dooku apparently "lying" to Obi-Wan to join him, blah blah was just redundant.

One suggestion boss:

Give Episode III to Spielberg, for gods' sake. I don't want to see Vader falling in the pit after the long-lost (and very insidious) banana peel of Darth Anorexius slides under his foot.

--O.W.

 

Crimson Larko's Revised AOTC Review

Once upon a time towards the end of century a great wizard that had brought much love to the world announced that he would bring his joyful creations back to life in three installments. All through the land thee excitement grew, and at the night of the creation's premiere, the kingdom was filled with high hopes. The kingdom was let down, disillusioned by the creation. "Blasphemer!" the crowd shouted at the Wizard, "You raped my childhood!" But the Wizard was not affect by the crowd's chants for blood. He got right back to work on his next creation, promising the Kingdom's people it would be better then the last. And he did not disappoint.

Star Wars: Attack of the Clones is one of those movies you have doubts about. Will it be any good? Or will it be The Phantom Menace all over again? George Lucas silenced most fans (well, there will always be dudewalker's in Star Wars fandom), with this masterpiece of a movie that truly reflects what Empire did to the original trilogy.

The Galactic Republic is in turmoil once again. A Jedi, tired of the corruption and deceit within the theatre of the Senate, has left the order to begin a Separatist movement against the Republic. The threat posed by this hostile force is a concern to all within the Republic, and a vote is called to decide if it is necessary for the Galactic Republic to have an army for its protection against any attacks that could be made this Confederacy.

The movie opens with some eye-popping visuals as Senator Padme Amidala's descends into a misty Coruscant. From this point on we can all see that Episode Two will be filled with Eye-candy for our delight. The notoriously crappy Jar-Jar is alot better this time around. He is a more mature character, but not at the expense of totally betraying the personality we see in Episode 1. In fact, his ignorance and naïve tendencies play out will later in the story, as he is manipulated into making a decision that is critical to the outcome of the Prequel Trilogy.

Right from the moment Obi-Wan dives through that window we can tell that this movie will be a different experience all together. The chase through Coruscant is one of those things that really makes the Star Wars universe, particularly Coruscant, more real, which is a refreshing change from the pristine cityscape we are treated to in TPM. The shouts from the drivers as they pass by, the more derelict, industrial area's (which was a wonderful salute to Blade Runner), and of course, the nightclub. After this sequence of events, you are left screaming for more.

From here on the plot thickens, and our hero's get split up. Obi-Wan is sent to Kamino thanks to a very clumsy Bounty Hunter (well, he wasn't thinking at least), and young Anakin is charged with protecting Padme. Enter the romance. Some (actually, pretty much all) of the lines that are attached to this budding romance are quite cheesy to say the least. The conversation in Padme's quarter sounds very forced, and it just doesn't seem to flow with the rest of the movie.It's hard to figure out if it's the acting or the script that lets us down in the dialogue (quite possibly both). The only one in this film that really pulls off the acting will is Chritopher Lee.

Obi-Wan's trip to Kamino is quite interesting, and reveals a major plot point that starts to make one think about what's going on. We meet the mighty Clone Army as well, and are introduced to a young Boba and a very arrogant but none the less dangerous Jango Fett. The battle between these two on the Landing platform is quite well done and very well choreographed. Obi-Wan's "Not good?" line is a classic, but one thing that bugged me was the jump cut of this scene. Obi-Wan standing at the door, and then all of a sudden he's right in the middle of the platform. The chase through the rings of Geonosis was beautiful too. The way the Seismic Charges exploded is jast damn cool.

The trip to Tatooine was one part of the movie, which really le

 

Okay here is my review:

First off I give it a 9 of 10.

Let me start off by saying WOW! I really was impressed by this movie! It was a lot of fun, action packed, and well paced. Was it better than Empire, probably not, but it was better than Episode 1 and Jedi. Here are the high and low points.

I really only have a few minor complaints. A few of the effects scenes didn't work. Specifically when the live actors were required to ride CG animals. (Anakin riding the cow things on Naboo or the Reek in the arena) This has a way of destroying the illusion and reminding you that 'oh yeah they are filming in front of a blue screen' which of course we already know, but I don't want to be reminded of it during the movie.

ALso, some of the sound effects were stale, during the chase scene between Obi Wan and Jango Fett. The ships sounded like the pod racers on Tatooine.

I have read reviews picking on things like the acting or the romance being forced and unbelievable. I don't agree. I thought the romance was well done and totally believable. Hayden is an amazing actor!! You could feel the evil bubbling up right beneath the surface. I got goose bumps during the scene right after he slaughters the sand people and describes them as animals and he hates them. Wonderful!

What were the high points, really far to many to name. The film looked amazing. Kamino was awesome, I loved the rain swept feel of the planet. The arena fight was amazing, how fun to see dozens of Jedi in action at once!!! As I said Hayden was fabulous and Ewan is becoming Obi Wan, but this is Yoda's movie to steal and he certainly does! In a scene that is sure to be talked about for months, Yoda shows you why he is one mean muppet! I have never, truly never been in a theater where the croud cheered that much. It was amazing, such a pure reaction was a testament to how wonderful the picture was.

I have already seen it twice and plan to see it at least that many times before it is gone from theaters. One last film to go and then no more. : ( Lets hope the third film builds on this triumph and we go out with a bang!

May the Force be with all of you.

M JAM

 

Fan Review? A Fan Review you say Master Obi-Wan? Hehe, just kidding. Well, you are asking for fan reviews of Attack of the Clones and I see there are no shortages of them here but I figured I'd add my own two cents in.

On the outset of this movie, I will admit that I was semi-disappointed with Episode 1 when it came out. Despite the cool battles, the podracing, and the fun lightsaber duels, I felt that it lacked a lot of things needed to make a good Star Wars film. Granted though that Episode 1 did what Episode 4 was used to do. Introduce the characters and set up for the next two movies.

Now, I would like to say I stayed away from all of the spoilers that flooded TheForce.net but....I didn't. LOL I read every new report that would come in, and I bought the Episode 2 novel before the movie and finished it before I saw the movie. But it's one thing to read words in a book and imagine what it would look like, it's another to see it blast up on the screen.

I went to see Episode 2 on it's release day. I did go to a noon showing but I would rather discuss the 7:00 p.m. showing the same day that I went to.

The crowd was packed. Star Wars fans and regular fans alike were buzzing about what would happen in the movie. I even saw a few toy lightsabers flashing away. When the lights came down, there was a big cheer, and an even bigger one when the Star Wars logo flashed upon the screen.

Now, as for my review of the movie, I'll break it down into points.

The Storyline: I think that the storyline this time around was much better organized than it was in Episode 1. We had more plot development, we had more character development. In Episode 1, I always felt that some areas of the film seemed rushed to get us to the next battle or big scene. Here, we saw how much Anakin has grown since we last saw him at the end of Episode 1. We learn a lot more about the troubles plaguing the Republic, and that there is yet another plot secretly aided by Darth Sidious to help bring about the destruction of the Republic.

The Characters:

Anakin: I thought that Hayden did a excellent job with Anakin. Since he is a relative newcomer, no one was really sure how he would do. He brought a lot of depth and character to Anakin. For the first half of the film, he really portrays the fact that Anakin is a very cocky, self-assured padawan. He feels that he is beyond what even Obi-Wan is capable off and wishes that they would see that. But it's Hayden's performance in the last half of the film that really gets to me. He did a superb job in bringing the hatred and anger behind Anakin's eyes during the whole Tusken scene and later when Anakin confesses what he did. I admit that it sent chills up my spine when, while the Emperor's theme was playing in the background, Anakin turned to Padme and said, "I killed them...and not just the men, but the women, and the children. THEY'RE ANIMALS! I HATE THEM!!"

Padme: I think Natalie did a great job, even better then her performance in Episode 1. In TPM, she was kinda restricted on her performance due to the fact that her character was the Queen of Naboo but in this film, just being a Senator, she was able to bring a larger range of emotion and depth into her character. We see that she wants what's best for the Republic and is torn between her feelings for Anakin and her duties. And, just as Leia showed in the first trilogy, she isn't a woman who will sit out and hide when the action starts, but one who will pick up the nearest blaster and go kick some droid butt! Like mother, like daughter huh?

Obi-Wan Kenobi: Ewan was very good in Episode 2. I was always bothered by the fact that Obi-Wan seemed to be more like a sidekick role in Episode 1, never really getting much screen time but here, Ewan really shined. Many times, you could almost feel the spirt of the late Alex Guiness in him as he brought Obi-Wan alive. His quick wit and sharp remarks against Anakin, his willingness to look for outside information sources other than the Jedi archives (Dex's Diner) a

 

AOTC REVIEW

Rein van Appel (The Netherlands)

To start with, yes I am a long-time Star Wars fan, starting in 1977 by viewing ANH a an 18 year old.
I don?t collect the toys but I do have an extensive library of books and comics.
So to speak about historic perspectives I have a more or less clear picture of the Star Wars universe and the development of most of the main characters.

Last night (May 17), I saw AOTC in Utrecht.
I wasn?t sold out as I expected it to be, but that must be due to the warm wetter.
Normally, the public doesn?t applaud before or after the movie like I experienced several times when seeing movies in the USA. This time that was different. The expectations were high!
The public roared at the moment as ?A long time, ??? appeared on the screen, and again at the end many of the people were applauding and almost have was waiting until the latest word of the closing titles.

I think that the picture is well made but has at times a certain flatness.
Of course this can be due to the acting, uninspired lines etc as other reviewers are stating as the flaws of the movie, but I think something else is happening amongst people like me who have that long time experience with the Star Wars universe.
We know what is going to happen, because of the parts 4-6. We know what happens to Skywalker, Palpetine, ?.. We know what is going to happen to the Republic etc. etc.
This will imply the feeling that you are watching a newsreel of things that happened 5 years ago. The story is known, the pictures relate to your memories, but don?t bring up fresh emotions, as you should have experienced at the first time. Nothing is new and no real surprises (like Palpetine is the father of Anakin, ?..)
Of course, all is well-documented in beautiful pictures and something astonishing special effects and there are occasionally moments that you feel for the main characters like the death of Shmi.
But you seldom got carried away by the story itself.
Another problem, I think is the bad guys. I heard several people having discussions about the who?s and the motives of the bad guys. Why are they fighting each other. Star Wars movies should have a clear bad guy. And the public must get the feeling that your heroes need your support in their war against them.
In AOTC the bad guys operate in the unexplored land between good and bad and that is at least to say different from the other Star Wars movies.

To conclude, yes I was entertained, no I wasn?t carried away by the movie like the previous ones (including TPM!) did. The packaging of the story was sometimes unpreceded and special effects raised the bar again. I?m going the see the movie again in a few days and my hopes are set for the third instalment to have 2 or 3 real surprises in storyline for the fans.


Rein van Appel

 

In the past, I was an avid Star Wars fan. I bought many toys and vehicles in my youth, but as I got older, my interests matured to comic books, hardcover books, computer games, etc. One time, I even wrote a short story for a now defunct gaming company that had a "journal" of Star Wars short stories. My story was approved by Lucasfilm, but unfortunately, the gaming company soon went bankrupt and was not accepting new submissions. I got caught in the door, despite getting my foot in just a bit. I'll admit that this incident has made me a bit bitter toward Star Wars. I wanted to make a contribution to the Star Wars mythos that would last for a long time, but alas, it was not meant to be.

I did not enjoy Star Wars: Episode One. Maybe it was because of Jar Jar, maybe because of Anakin's lack of emotional variety, or the general "look at all the nice merchandise you could be buying now" feeling that I sensed while watching the film. Or maybe due to my negative past experience with Star Wars. Well, whatever it was, this Generation X'er is far more jaded now than even three years ago, and yet ... I did not hate Star Wars: Episode 2. In fact, I actually enjoyed watching it! Now, don't jump to conclusions, I am not saying that it is a veritable masterpiece of fine literature. From the first minute, I was taken aback by the banal acting and emotionless banter.

For instance, in this aforementioned first minute, Padme's (Portman) bodyguard Corrde is killed in an assassination attempt intended to kill Padme herself. Padme cradles Corrde for a moment, and tries to look concerned, but walks away briskly right afterward. Even her prior attempts to look concerned for her old friend and bodyguard looked completely false. Padme seemed about as concerned for Corde as Barbara Streisand would be concerned for activists in a pro-Palestinian parade.

Then, we are taken to Obi-wan Kenobi (McGregor) and Anakin Skywalker (Christiansen). I've always appreciated McGregor's acting. He is making a sincere effort to appear as and sound like, a young version of the late Sir Alec Guinness, and I do believe he is doing a fine job there. He seems to have put on some weight, as can be seen by his wider girth and proportionally wider face, but it works well in the sense that he wants to portray an Obi-Wan Kenobi who is 10 years older than his Episode I counterpart. Christiansen's acting is almost inexcusable, save for a handful of moments where he bursts with anger midfilm. In the beginning, he is devoid of emotion. I swear that I thought that the real Christiansen was on lithium medication when I saw him in this state. But I don't suppose he had much to work with, given Lucas' well-known ability to make even the greatest epic tear-inspiringly boring with pointless and unrealistic dialogue.

Anakin's lines, especially during "love scenes", were quite unnatural, and quite frankly, I don't see how Padme falls in love with him. He gives himself to her freely even from the beginning, fawning on her. The first time they're alone, he gripes to her about his relationship with Obi-Wan Kenobi, and how he wishes that Obi-Wan would give him more responsibility. Here he is, with the girl of his dreams, whom he hasn't seen in 10 years, and he is coming off sounding like a whiny, dejected child with self-esteem issues. Since Amidala/Padme is supposed to be older than Anakin, you can argue that there is a motherly, maternal instinct inspired within Padme to become Anakin's bohemian lover, but frankly, I don't buy it. Somebody in her position a) is far too busy to engage in a bohemian relationship and b) would be too aloof to even notice or desire such a situation, since she is supposed to be a powerful senator, after all.

But let's for a moment forget about Christiansen and Portman. What do we have now? A fairly good movie that's a lot of fun to watch! We have an insider's look at the Jedi Academy and their main buildings in Coruscant, which I couldn't get enough of. I loved seeing that old British spinster with her silver hair tied tightly in a bun, overseein

 

Yesterday, I saw AotC twice - once in the company of young children, and once by myself. And I came out of the second viewing with the same impression that I had after the first - namely, that the impression was still vague and trying to firm up.

OK - before I proceed further I'm going to don my asbestos suit and grab an umbrella to fend off flying rotten fruit. For I'm about to tick off a lot of people.

In a word - I was finally less than thrilled.

Better than ROTJ? Yes. Better than TPM? I'm not so sure. Better than TESB? No way.

First of all, let me say that the effects are spectacular, as always, and the film would be worth seeing on that basis alone. And some of the imagery was marvelous - like the flight sequence in the very beginning when the big Naboo ship was flying through the clouds. Just gorgeous.

The speeder chase was brilliant; the fight scene on Kamino was thrilling; the arena combat and the overall battle scenes were extremely well-done.

And kudos as well to Ewan McGregor, Christopher Lee, Sam Jackson, & Ian McDermiad. For the material they were given, their performances were remarkable. I'd almost think Ewan was channeling Sir Alec if I believed in that sort of thing.

Even the overall plot was not disappointing, even if it WAS slightly predictable.

BUT - and here's the rub - there was a time when the weakness of the characters and the inanity of the dialog was somehow part of the charm of a SW film. You sort of expected cheesy; the naivete added to the ambience.

Unfortunately, I no longer find that true.

I had many, many objections, and I won't mention them all - but here are a few:

Watching this movie was like watching a series of vignettes. Some of them were extremely good; some were mediocre; and some were downright painful - but, even if all had been satisfactory, there did not seem to be a natural flow between them. I found the editing jerky and uneven, and the pacing either very slow or so frenetic that it was difficult to follow.

Could we possibly have been any more heavy-handed in our use of musical mood manipulation? I mean, really. When you watch it again - as you most certainly will - note that every single time we are given a "clue" - each of which is already about as subtle as a sledge hammer - that Anakin is teetering toward the Dark, listen to the music. If you close your eyes, you will actually be able to envision Vader stalking the bridge of the star destroyer. I mean, please; are we really that obtuse that we need to be hit over the head with the imagery?

I'm sorry; I remember Vader as the ultimate embodiment of evil - but also as formidable and powerful and unbelievably strong; I simply cannot accept the notion that he was originally nothing more than a whiny adolescent who - at every opportunity - could only lament that "It's all Obi-WAn's fault."

Now, admittedly - and anybody who's read my fiction knows this - I'm a huge Obi-WAn fan, and always was; even when Sir Alec portrayed him, long before luscious Ewan was even in the picture - and I've never liked the tendancy to blame him for Anakin's fall from grace. But I'd almost rather believe that he drove the kid to Palpy with a whip and a chair than that Darth Vader was born as the product of teen-aged angst. Puh-leeze!

I realize that characterization and dialog have always been Lucas' weaknesses - and I don't think I expected great poetry from the young lovers - but Geez! Was there anybody besides me who just wanted to stand up in the middle of the theater during the famous fireplace scene and scream, "Just shut up, please! This is embarrassing!" In this area, Natalie was the lucky one; it was Hayden who had to speak most of the drivel.

AS for the performances of the young lovers, I am having a hard time being objective. The lines were so bad that it's impossible to come to a fair judgement.

Final objection (that I'll mention): The final conflict between Anakin, Obi-Wan and Dooku. Frankly, I found the duel scenes very disappointing. I thought Maul/Obi

 

What did I think of Star Wars Episode II - Attack of the Clones? Fantastic! The force is definitely back with Episode II...but did it really go anywhere?
It's not enough for me to say Episode II was fantastic and leave it at that. Take note, my review is slightly different from other reviews. I concentrate on Anakin and the Star Wars feel?you?ll see what I mean soon.
Now, let's consider the casting of Hayden C. I don't know about you, but Hayden C. is Anakin Skywalker! If one was to try to imagine a young padawan Anakin Skywalker, then Hayden C. fits the bill. He was strong at times, yet emotional and weak at times and he possessed an uncomfortably dark nature...you wouldn't want to mess with that guy! The latter portrayal of Anakin and the impression we get of him is very important for character development and the telling of his story. The fact that people do get that strong, yet weak and dark impression of Anakin means that Hayden C. was successful at portraying Anakin and introducing us to the young padawan Anakin Skywalker.
The next aspect of the film is the Star Wars feel and Star Wars tie-ins. The reason why Episode II was a great Star Wars film, is not just the special effects and the story, it?s because when we watch it we can feel Star Wars. For example, in A New Hope, a classical Star Wars moment (when we feel that this is more than a film) is when Luke is watching the sun(s)set on Tatooine and we can hear the Jedi music (that?s what I call that piece of music) in the background. I don?t know about you, but that moment takes me somewhere else. Now, that?s Star Wars and Episode II achieves this same inspiring feeling. An example of a classical Star Wars moment in Ep II is the scene when Anakin leaves his stepfathers house on Tatooine and walks over to his speeder to go and find his mother. Now, if you took note of the music, it was the Jedi music, the same music as Luke?s sunset scene and that was superb!!! That made me remember A New Hope and that?s what we need the movie to do.
Another Star Wars moment, is when Anakin tells Padme about his slaying of the sand people. As he is telling Padme he starts crying slightly, getting very emotional and then the imperial march music starts in the background?excellent, excellent scene composition! That?s another moment that takes us back; back to a place we were when we were kids. There are actually plenty of other Star Wars moments in the film, so I can?t possibly list all of them here now.
I can go on forever, but I will wrap things up with some quick additional comments. Special Effects: come on, can I really say anything bad? Ok, there were certain moments where objects or characters didn?t look as real as something you can touch, but I don?t that?s the purpose anyway. Great environments, great city chase, great war (with realistic smoke and debris) and great fighting sequences. Did everyone out there love all the Jedi?s and their light sabres?
In relation to the story, we are getting closer boys and girls. We are getting closer to the dark Episode III?and the story is being told the way it should i.e. Palpatine is growing stronger, the Jedi are slowly, very slowly starting to slip and Anakin is slowly becoming darker. The Republic is slowly falling apart and instability is increasing.
Now, I?m sure I left out many things in my review, but as I told you, my review is a slightly different review. I concentrated on elements that make a Star Wars film exactly that, a Star Wars film. Episode II, I love it, I give it 9/10 and may the force be with you?

 

Just got back from seeing AOTC at Randolph DLP.

"Lucas, you have seen the future and it's DIGITAL all the way"

The theatre was nearly packed, a few seats here and there (even one right beside me!), I had a prime spot, in the middle, about 6 or 7 rows from the center walkway split, wanted to get there for a good seat.

Onto the film, well. FANTASTIC, BLODDY FANTASTIC. Digital projection may get its share of knocking (cost etc and it'll never match the warmth of film), but when you see it for the first time, no cracks, blemishes and the colours, sheer perfection! And then there is the sound. The sound is possibly one of the most important pieces of the movie, and with John Williams's score, the movie is spot on with effects and the dialog is extremely clear.

AOTC zips along very well, some minor moments that you wonder, some dialog delivered very rough and not timed very well, some effects shots not what they should have been (Anakin riding that beast in the grass fiend in Naboo).

The story, we all know and love continues from TPM, where we are lead on a fantastic voyage of discovery, to the planet city, where Obi Wan and Anakin are told to protect Padme after an attempt on her life and then a further failed attempt, which leads two the two male characters taking different paths which meet at the explosive end of the film.

Hayden plays Anakin very well, almost sometimes a little like in anticipation of what's to come in EP3 with him becoming Vader. He is assigned to escort Padme back to her home planet where he and Padme share moments where they both show what will come later in the film. Hayden, the actor, as people have said is very in-experienced actor, but from what I just saw, GL has hit the mark, the youth tied with that anger and bad boy temperament that will lead to the dark side, who else could they have gotten to make such an impact.

Padme's character is very well done, with the costumes being a very significient difference from GL?s previous films, which show a more sexy and alluring character to which now draws Anakin even more.

Then there is old Ben, Obi-Wan, he takes a more ?direct? route through the film, which is actually my favorite part. He takes off in search of the mysterious planet Kamino, from which the dart that killed the assassin who attempted to kill Padme came from. The fight scene with Jango was what everyone envisioned, looking at the trailers, but with more intensity and the yearning that Obi Wan was being pushed to his limits to fulfill his orders given to him from the little green guy in the old folks home! Jedi against jet packing; laser gun touting; bounty hunter, what a match up? Needless to say, Jango has to use ALL his skill over many years to get the better of the Jedi.

As the film moved along, you saw more characters take their place in Star Wars folklore, Count Dooku, what a performance by Christopher, he defiantly is one of the coolest dudes this side of the outer rim, he never breaks a sweat, even with the climactic scene with Yoda. Palpy?s character shows us that he is a very calculating politician, controlling both sides to get what he wants? More power. The senate we see more off, especially Jimmy Smits character, which I presume and want to see more off in EP3.

And now to the main man, Yoda, GL said a while back, I also think Rick said it too, that Yoda would be the man to watch, and boy oh boy did they come through! The scene where Obi Wan speaks to Anakin where the discussion of Yoda?s sword prowess come up is just a tease as to what waits at the end. And then the fight scene, OK, this goes down as one of the best ?david vs goliath? matchup?s in movie history, it?s just a pity that Dooku is just a little more devious as to Yoda protecting his friends vs trying to fight a loosing battle with a little green guy!

The presentation of the film, is totally eye dropping. Every shot is so clear, crisp. Digital is here to stay, I have see the film once in DLP, and am going to see it again in DLP, the way GL has intended it to be. And

 

I have seen AOTC twice now, the first time (midnight showing) i was a little shocked by it and a was little tired. I loved it compaires to all the other Star Wars movies, ultimatly corny and campy, but heh, who said ANH wasnt ? It was better then TPM only because the writing and acting was way better. The best were the lighsaber battles which were beautiful to watch but probly a pain to perform. The battle sequences wereawsome as well but somethings happenened to quick. I will like TPM see it many time this summer,but i think that ultimatly the Star Wars saga is coming to an end. If George can pull off an another hit like this, we have no worrys for Episode III.

 

I thought that AotC was a pretty good movie overall. The down sides were the acting, some scenes look fake, and the love scenes.

The acting was mostly blunt. Not much enthusiasm.

Although the F/X were great, some scenes looked fake. Most of these scenes were blending a human into a CGI background. ILM could have done better.

The love scenes...fine they had to be there, but the script for them was just...shall I say 'boring'?

Don't get me wrong, AotC had plenty of up sides. Most F/X, the plot, the Arena battle, and...of course...the unforgettable...Yoda-Dooku duel, were great.

Most F/X were awesome. The clonetroopers were amazing, and Yoda was unbelieveably life-like.

The plot was great as well. It almost fits in with what's happening nowadays, about the clones and all. Whether they're humane or not, etc.

The Arena battle is no doubt the best fight scene in Star Wars. You wanna see Jedi in action, here you go.

And who could forget the Yoda-Dooku duel. We are under the impression the Yoda is old and weak from TPM and the beginning of AotC, but you'll see that that is certainly not the case. The Yoda-Dooku duel is hands-down the best one-on-one-lightsaber-duel in Star Wars. I would pay to watch this one scene again, even if it is too short.

All in all, AotC was an excellent movie. Better than TPM and ROTJ.

 

Let me begin by saying that I really didn't know what to think when I saw The Phantom Menace. It was Star Wars--what can be wrong with that?--but I would have liked more action, especially concerning the space battle at the end and Maul/Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan. I have tried to reserve any sort of definitive judgment until Episode 3 is completed, and perhaps even beyond that, because George Lucas has said that the movies are meant to be seen as a whole and Lucas might not even consider himself finished until he puts the original trilogy on DVD (which will unfortunately take a while).

Now on to Attack of the Clones. I thought the movie was wonderful, and the four things that most stick out at me are the the visuals, the music, the action, and the depiction of Palpatine's machinations--the second of his "three steps to power".

The visuals: When I first saw the opening sequence pan up to Coruscant, I had a huge grin on my face, partly because I had waited so long for this movie and also because it looked wonderful (I should mention that I was a digital screening, but I doubt that this matters much). The chase through Coruscant was mindblowing, I loved the ocean world of Kamino, and Naboo was visually stunning. I did not have a problem with any of the CGI characters; I did not detect any problems with their interaction with the real characters. The climactic battle on Geonosis was amazing, what with the thousands of clones, Jedi, droids, etc. all looking like they are supposed to look. If I can say one bad thing about the visuals, it was during Yoda's floating scene. The background there definitely looked like it was painted on--but please, an insignificant detail!

The music: What can I say? This might turn out to be the best part of the whole experience. I had purchased the soundtrack ahead of time and I was a little worried about how it would fit in with the movie, but it turned that I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect. I loved all the different parts of The Chase Through Coruscant (like the electric guitar), and I was pleasantly surprised to hear it again in the Droid Factory. I was also surprised by the appearance of Duel of the Fates, when Anakin is on the speeder in search of his mother; that was one of the best parts of The Phantom Menace, in my opinion. The Love Theme was great, subtle for most of the movie, but very powerful at the end. But I think the best part was the Imperial March, both when the clones are marching on Kamino and when they are boarding the Republic ships at the end. It was just an incredibly powerful sequence.

The action: I really enjoyed the chase through Coruscant and Jango vs. Obi-Wan on Kamino. They both had a lot to them and I can't wait to watch them again for the second time this evening. Of course, there was the arena battle. I had read the novel beforehand, but I was still impressed by the appearance of the Jedi and by everything else that went on there! Droids vs. clones was just awesome. My favorite shot was when the clones focus all firepower on the departing Trade Federation ship; they bring it crashing to the ground, and we can see the battle continue to rage in a storm of dust. Dooku vs. Anakin/Obi-Wan/Yoda was awesome, probably the best lightsaber sequence out of any movie thus far.

Finally, the plot with Palpatine: I thought it was really well done. We know that each prequel represents one step of Palpatine's rise to Emperor, and the Senate scenes that further this plot point were interesting, to me at least. I only wish there had been more of the Senate. If we allow ourselves to forget that Palpatine --> the Emperor for the duration of the movie, I think it is really cool to see the final scenes in which Dooku meets Sidious and we discover that Dooku, in fact, started the clone production and that a war is exactly the desired effect, and also Palpatine's look of "grim determination" (which I think are the words used in the novel) as he watches the Clones boarding the starships. There are a lot of unanswered questions, which is exactly how the middle portion of a trilogy shou

 

I am not posting a lengthy review.

I loved the movie. LOVED the movie. If you do what lucas wants you to do...which is sit down and enjoy yourself for 2 hours and a bit..you will. If you think you own star wars more than lucas does..are afraid of change, something new, and think that nothing can compare with the OT which has NUMEROUS FAULTS (which you have already predetermined) you wont.

I have read enough reviews here from people who are simply not getting star wars. The more they say they ACTUALLY DO the more I believe the ACTUALLY DONT.

The movie ranks high for me. Next to ESB in fact. It has the emotion, has some great performances, and has a story that is unparalleled in star wars. I dare someone to say ESB was more complex cause I have about 40 points to make you look stupid. Clones connects alot of dots and is crucial in its explanation of what is to come.

I dare not talk about effects, because they have no relavance to making this movie good...look at the originals....they dont have the killer effects yet you will all say they are better. SO fine...lets play in your ballpark. EFFECTS ASIDE, why AOTC is great: action sequences blow away the OT's and most of them have an ACTUAL POINT, rather than just being placed there for fun. FOR YOU BASHERS...why did there need to be a scene in ANH of 4 ties chasing the Falcon after they escape the DEATH STAR? Vader put on the homing signal, so if the falcon was destroyed they would sacrifice the location of the rebel base...I'll tell you why...IT WAS THERE FOR FUN! THIS MOVIE IS ABOUT FUN AND EXCITEMENT and ITS GOT ALL THE MYTHOLOGY...IT IS STAR WARS.

MANY MANY PEOPLE are forgetting what star wars is....and you know what...I feel sorry for you...but for you to say that AOTC is inferior in all of these facets and using all of these dead arguements...you are simply wrong. You dont get star wars.

This is not to say that AOTC doesnt have faults...because it does. The music complaint I can agree with. I was shocked to see what George did to it. I would never have thought he could make the same mistake twice. I pray Williams really voices his opinion this time around. For me though the big complaint ends there. There is some wooden performances but they are minor like Typho..but thats Star Wars...remember General Reiken?

You see guys, I remember everything...and know EVERYTHING ABOUT STAR WARS...so when you think about these small things to tear apart AOTC...I will think of at least 10 examples to destroy your opinion and make you look stupid...its as simple as that. Wooden performaces plague all of the movies and thats what makes it fun...and gives it that old saturday morning serial feel.. THATS WHAT STAR WARS IS GUYS...DONT THINK ITS MORE FOR A SECOND...if you think it is...well you dont get star wars. LUKE is a wooden character for pretty much ALL of ANH...his acting is sub par at best...and is saved by Ford's. Ford's performance is great by that time period's standards...but if he were to do that today...he would be hailed as an awful actor...its a different time and the judging of acting has changed.

I could play this game with every character in the saga at one point or another but I am really interested in furthering my arguement. The story sheds light on about 10 MAJOR questions in star wars. The clone wars, the rise of palpatine, the obsession of anakin, the bond between obi wan and anakin, the companionship of R2 and 3P0, the intro of lars, how he is luke's uncle, why yoda is the master, how love is an outlet for anakin's strong emotions, how padme will give into her love in a hope to quell anakin's growing hate, the death star, the beginning of the fall of the jedi, TONS OF FORSHADOWING!!

The acting in COMPARISON to other star wars films is above and beyond in terms of consistency and quality...some dialog is pure star wars cheese, but MUCH of it is very important to not only the saga, but the characters.

The love story works..WHY..because its SUPPOSED TO BE RUSHED...THATS THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANAKIN...HE TAKES THE QUICK AND EASY PATH TO E

 

I'm writing this review more for myself than anyone else in order to put down in words and make sense of all the stuff that is flying around in my head since I saw the AOTC last night. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since walking out of the cinema and let me say, I love it, my faith in Star Wars has been restored after it was badly shaken by TPM and I am absolutely ecstatic because of that!

To start though I need to go back 3 years and seeing TPM for the first time. My expectations for that film were so high I was never going to be satisfied and ultimately I was greatly disappointed at the end of it. After multiple viewings I came to love it, even with all its faults, because it is Star Wars and has some of the magic that makes it so great.

However, with AOTC's approach, my expectations were pretty low. I was expecting another Jar Jar ridden kids movie, devoid of humour and heart, 2-dimensional characters and acting, with a plot that left a lot to be desired. I came out of the cinema last night totally blown away by what I'd seen, the film greatly exceeded my expectations, and I was so happy - George Lucas had rediscovered the Star Wars magic in a big way! And as many others have stated, AOTC turns TPM from a good film into a very good one.

I love so many things about this film but I won't go into everything otherwise this review will probably never end, but here's the highlights for me: (admittedly still pretty long )

- The characters and dialogue were far superior to TPM. Yes the dialogue wasn't perfect, as in previous episodes, but it was Star Wars, through and through. Well placed humour between the main characters was one of the most lovable things about the Original Trilogy and it was back in AOTC in spades. It's absence from TPM was a huge one.

One thing that disappointed me about TPM was the pacing/editing of the film, it was far too rushed, never seemed to come up for air to give us an insight into the characters. A scene with no real action which develops a character through simple dialogue can just be as engrossing and important as an epic action sequence. So one of the things I loved most about AOTC wasn't the intense action but the scenes where you see the characters interact - particularly Anakin and Obi-Wan. I thought their relationship was very well portrayed, sort of father and son but with an ever widening schizm developing between them. In fact, the first hour or so is my favourite of the movie. The chase through Coruscant was one scene I couldn't wait to see and it didn't disappoint. It's my favourite action sequence of the movie and I truly hope we see lots more of Coruscant in Episode III. The club scene is now one of my favourite all time Star Wars scenes - short but very sweet. A mixture of great humour, tension and action. The three gags were great: "you'll be the death of me", "I'm going to get a drink" and the death sticks!!

- The intricately layered plot was another highlight. So much is going on in the story, be it between two characters like Anakin & Padme or on the wider galatic scale as the Republic disintegrates. There are so many little nuggets foreshadowing what is to come that gave me a buzz. I think Lucas & Hale did a great job with the plot, tying everything together very nicely and setting up Episode III and beyond.

I loved the way Palpatine and Dooku are like the puppetmasters controlling all the strings, playing two sides against each other to bring about civil war so Palpatine can seize total control. Great stuff! My non-Star Wars friends didn't pick up on that at all (along with many other little plot gems) and I had a heck of a hard time explaining it to them!

- The acting was some of the best I've seen in a Star Wars, in parts anyway, plenty of wooden, stitled deliveries here and there but what's new?! Hayden was superb as Anakin imo, the Tusken Camp and then in the garage where he says he killed them all were brilliantly done and really convinced me that he is/will be Darth Va

 

am not posting a lengthy review.

I loved the movie. LOVED the movie. If you do what lucas wants you to do...which is sit down and enjoy yourself for 2 hours and a bit..you will. If you think you own star wars more than lucas does..are afraid of change, something new, and think that nothing can compare with the OT which has NUMEROUS FAULTS (which you have already predetermined) you wont.

I have read enough reviews here from people who are simply not getting star wars. The more they say they ACTUALLY DO the more I believe the ACTUALLY DONT.

The movie ranks high for me. Next to ESB in fact. It has the emotion, has some great performances, and has a story that is unparalleled in star wars. I dare someone to say ESB was more complex cause I have about 40 points to make you look stupid. Clones connects alot of dots and is crucial in its explanation of what is to come.

I dare not talk about effects, because they have no relavance to making this movie good...look at the originals....they dont have the killer effects yet you will all say they are better. SO fine...lets play in your ballpark. EFFECTS ASIDE, why AOTC is great: action sequences blow away the OT's and most of them have an ACTUAL POINT, rather than just being placed there for fun. FOR YOU BASHERS...why did there need to be a scene in ANH of 4 ties chasing the Falcon after they escape the DEATH STAR? Vader put on the homing signal, so if the falcon was destroyed they would sacrifice the location of the rebel base...I'll tell you why...IT WAS THERE FOR FUN! THIS MOVIE IS ABOUT FUN AND EXCITEMENT and ITS GOT ALL THE MYTHOLOGY...IT IS STAR WARS.

MANY MANY PEOPLE are forgetting what star wars is....and you know what...I feel sorry for you...but for you to say that AOTC is inferior in all of these facets and using all of these dead arguements...you are simply wrong. You dont get star wars.

This is not to say that AOTC doesnt have faults...because it does. The music complaint I can agree with. I was shocked to see what George did to it. I would never have thought he could make the same mistake twice. I pray Williams really voices his opinion this time around. For me though the big complaint ends there. There is some wooden performances but they are minor like Typho..but thats Star Wars...remember General Reiken?

You see guys, I remember everything...and know EVERYTHING ABOUT STAR WARS...so when you think about these small things to tear apart AOTC...I will think of at least 10 examples to destroy your opinion and make you look stupid...its as simple as that. Wooden performaces plague all of the movies and thats what makes it fun...and gives it that old saturday morning serial feel.. THATS WHAT STAR WARS IS GUYS...DONT THINK ITS MORE FOR A SECOND...if you think it is...well you dont get star wars. LUKE is a wooden character for pretty much ALL of ANH...his acting is sub par at best...and is saved by Ford's. Ford's performance is great by that time period's standards...but if he were to do that today...he would be hailed as an awful actor...its a different time and the judging of acting has changed.

I could play this game with every character in the saga at one point or another but I am really interested in furthering my arguement. The story sheds light on about 10 MAJOR questions in star wars. The clone wars, the rise of palpatine, the obsession of anakin, the bond between obi wan and anakin, the companionship of R2 and 3P0, the intro of lars, how he is luke's uncle, why yoda is the master, how love is an outlet for anakin's strong emotions, how padme will give into her love in a hope to quell anakin's growing hate, the death star, the beginning of the fall of the jedi, TONS OF FORSHADOWING!!

The acting in COMPARISON to other star wars films is above and beyond in terms of consistency and quality...some dialog is pure star wars cheese, but MUCH of it is very important to not only the saga, but the characters.

The love story works..WHY..because its SUPPOSED TO BE RUSHED...THATS THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANAKIN...HE TAKES THE QUICK AND EASY P

 

SW2 Review: (my first one give me some slack) By StarWars_Revelation/Swin Agen

First off folks; it's a great movie. But it's not entirely the kid's movie that The Phantom Menace was.

A few of the things that some parents with young children may be concerned about are some revealing articles of clothing being worn by a few patrons at a Coruscant bar. This film (as expected) featured violence in general; severed body parts in particular. This film also features the first swear-word since The Empire Strikes Back. So this film isn't entirely for kids, all of this giving a darkness to it in a way.

Like the past Star Wars film what stood out in this one was its amazing CGI and Sound effects. Just the smallest things that most of us may not notice at first glance add to the mixture of color and beauty in the Star Wars galaxy. At times you just feel that you're there with them, saving the galaxy of evil. This film will bring out your old child fantasies that the first film may have spawned.

The new atmospheres were spectacular. Kamino was one of my favorites being a planet that had constant rain; something that we'd only seen on Dagobah in the past films. Another thing I quite enjoyed was the design of the new Genosian landscape.

The Genosian's themselves were well designed creatures, much resembling termites. What also brought great awe in my opinion was the design of the Arena where that epic battle took place. The Arena resembled, in fact, a termite mound! And the lower-levels of Coruscant resembled a well-populated city giving it a familiar feeling--and the bar scene happened to feature what looked like. . .Droid Football?

And with each Star Wars film comes new characters that can bring a smile to your face or shiver with evil. I don't know about you; but I thought it was great to finally see some female Jedi in action (especially Aayla Secura). One of the more noteable characters would be the mysterious Count Dooku. I was unsure how Christopher Lee (Dooku) would do playing this infamous Star Wars villain. The way Lee played this character (having a lot of experience playing previous villains) brought this character to life and added some realness to him. Other interesting characters would most certainly be the element of father/son Jango and Boba Fett. Sadly it cut out most of the fater-son scenes that showed Jango's love for his son. But Jango proved to be as relentless as his son Boba from the Original trilogy (funny how Boba came first but Jango is older, in a way). Other noteable characters would be Owen and Beru, who were Luke's foster parents from the previous film. However it felt that these two only had a big cameo, and I really wished we could have seen more.

And with the good comes the bad. At times, the love scenes may cause your children to fall asleep on your lap if it's late at night (Don't worry too much the loud explosions should wake them up). The love scenes can get boring for some since we already know what's coming (basically the kids are thinking "Okay, kiss her, get it over with, and get to the good stuff that I'll be bragging to all my friends about"). Some of the acting (Mainly from breif extras with just one line) was fairly woody at times and only picked up the pace near the end. One of the things I didn't like was the completely CGI Yoda. Is it just me or does he look more realistic when he's a Muppet? Another disappointing feature of AoTC was the soundtrack. It borrowed a lot from the previous film, the only recognizable track being the new Love Theme.

But not too many films can say that they had a huge battle at the end ivolving clones, droids, Jedi, and Genosians--matter of fact, only one film can. It's one that when our children will be able to look back and smile upon in the future (And realize that us seeing it when it came out means that were older than they think). But a wise person once said; "We are living in special times". Being able to see Star Wars, a movie tha