so....

alright.

this has probably been done before, but, there's not a thread like this on the first couple of pages, so, whatever.

we've had almost 3 years to digest AOTC. what do we think about it, as a whole, individually, and as part of the saga generally?

some things are obvious. padme's delivery could have been better. some of the dialogue sorta sucked. but some things were awesome, like the arena battle, and yoda (in my opinion).

so what do we think? i don't think anyone would deny that it was better than TPM. but was it better than any of the OT movies? does it make you excited or afraid for ROTS? does it stand on its own two legs? how do we FEEL, what do we THINK?

i'm just interested to see what the general consensus, if there is one, is.

andy

 

Well, my opinion of the movie now is definetely more favoraable compared to three years ago.

 

Still my second fave of the saga.



Rick McCallum loves you!

 

My favorite episode in the saga, and probably my favorite movie ever.

- O_F

 

TPM = Set-up
AOTC = Build-up
ROTS = Payoff

 

I agree with Adam on this one!

 

I watched it again recently, and although I absolutely loved it at the cinema, I like it even more now. I watched all five episodes a few weeks ago, and AotC was probably the film I most enjoyed after ESB. I love the mysterious tone of it, the way it seems to be building quietly towards something ominous, and also the moral ambiguity with a lot of the characters and forces at work; the complexity of the politics and the intruige is fantastic, and it's the SW movie that most makes you think about its plot and everyone's motives; the romance was better than I remembered it - this time I had in my head what GL had said about intending to write an old-fashioned 1930s melodramatic romance, and it works for me; the acting's generally good in the movie, and I think Hayden is very underrated; and it also has some of the best action scenes in the saga. So overall, the movie blew me away when I first saw it, and has actually got even better with age, for me.

 

What do we think about it, as a whole, individually, and as part of the saga generally?

The second darkest of the Saga, apparently intentionally when you consider that Lucas says that the middle act is always the darkest. Except: this isn't the second act of three, it's the second act of six so we should still be setting up the story this point. This works when we consider the Saga as two separate trilogies but apparently it's all one Saga now isn't it?

I don't think anyone would deny that it was better than TPM.

Hmm...hard to say. Certainly TPM was on the surface a lighter, more throwaway film, and it probably suffered as a result. AotC was, I believe, an attempt to not only advance the story but also to address some of the criticism of TPM. Therefore: darker theme, less Jar Jar, fan references and in-jokes galore, Boba Fett. I could go on. Unfortunately the pay-off is that TPM is ultimately a more satisfying film because it does not attempt to do anything but tell a story - whereas certain elements of AotC break down under close scrutiny. Meditate on this I will.


But was it better than any of the OT movies?

Nah.

 

Everything Darth Marky Mark said. In order. With the following phrase underlined and in italics:

"I love the mysterious tone of it, the way it seems to be building quietly towards something ominous..."

Spot on, man! Excellent one-paragraph review.

 

But was it better than any of the OT movies?

Oh, I don't know, it comes really close to the quality of Jedi. The pacing (=building of excitement) isn't as dynamic, and of course it doesn't have the big emotional payoff of the OT films, but the action scenes in Clones are stunning, without question the best shootouts and battles of the saga.

 

When i first saw it in theaters i loved it pretty much because it was a new star wars movie. but now 2 1\2 years late, I watch it almst every night before i go to sleep. The Geonosis Arena jedi/clones vs. droid battle is very intense. the duels are awesome but not over the top (which is a good thing), and of course my favorite part; the Obi Wan vs. Jango Fett fight. I love it!!

 

TPM = Set-up
AOTC = Build-up
ROTS = Payoff

Great statement. Doesn't mean I don't like AOTC. I love it. It's my favorite movie. But that is exactly how the PT is being setup.

 

we've had almost 3 years to digest AOTC. what do we think about it, as a whole, individually, and as part of the saga generally?

As a whole, I think the film is still one of the best of the saga. I know alot of people will disagree with this, pick on its flaws, cry foul due to the romance and acting, bash the lack of non-perfected digital work, but I like it. The movie, visually, is absolutely gorgeous. And I like the characters. I like that we get to see the bad guys win for once (for a little while). I like the edge of "humanity" it gives to the characters, showing them able to make mistakes...terrible mistakes, which makes their own personal redemptions all the better in ESB.

Individually, I think it's probably one of the stronger "complex" plots we've had thus far. TPM wasn't a bad movie, but alot of people get caught up in the face value that they don't realize that there is a message Lucas is giving his viewers in letting us in on such a seemingly insigificant event as a Trade embargo turned invasion. It's supposed to be a small demonstration of what's to come, just a little image of the corruption that's stifling the Republic. Palpatine makes his move in the places people don't expect, and it's because of the tiny things that they let slip through the cracks that Palpatine eventually gained so much power. AOTC did a better job of toning down the light-hearted nature that threw viewers off in TPM, I think. It definitely carries alot of plot lines, and with the exception of the controversial romance, I think it follows through with each lead fairly well.

As part of the saga, it makes a nice foil to it's episode V counterpart. In AOTC, we see the Sith lord coming out in Anakin. In ESB, we saw the Jedi coming out in Luke. The trilogies do well to show how each was in the grey area of morality, but ultimately how different choices completely changed father and son's destinies. In AOTC, Anakin allows darkness to lead him to slaughter and conflict. In ESB, Luke refused to take Vader's hand. It's as simple as that.


so what do we think? i don't think anyone would deny that it was better than TPM.

I don't know why anyone feels the need to consider TPM *the* bad movie of the saga. I think alot of people overlook some of the more subtle attributes of the film that made me enjoy it. But, yes, I did like AOTC better than TPM.


but was it better than any of the OT movies?

Well, it certainly knocked ANH and ESB out of the running for first place on my favorites list. I like it more than I do ANH, but I tend to place most of the movies fairly on par with each other in terms of how "good" they are. Well, except for one. ROTJ used to be my favorite, but now it's the lowest on the list. As I got older, some of it's more glaring flaws made it seem less...appealing than it was before. I still like it, but I do think it's one of the weakest in terms of story progression.


does it make you excited or afraid for ROTS?

I'd feel excited for ROTS even if AOTC had sucked. But, yes, it does. It's a powerful kind of foreknowledge going into a movie realizing that you're about to watch everything fall apart, knowing what happens without really knowing at all. Especially when you've already seen how it come back together in the OT.


does it stand on its own two legs? how do we FEEL, what do we THINK?

Well, I wouldn't say it stands on it's own two legs...mostly because it isn't meant to. It's a bridge movie. A very complex bridge movie, but still one all the same. The only SW movie that can really stand on it's own to a degree is ANH, and that's because it was made to do so in case Lucas hadn't been able to do the rest of the trilogy. But as a bridge movie, I think it stands well on it's own. It managed to tie up it's own central plot points while continuing some of the underlying points and opening up a whole new can of worms, strapped to a can of dynamite and ready to explode in episode III.

Over all, I think AOTC could

 

sweet, i'm glad other people like it as much as i do. i remember when we came out of the theatre the first time, we were all in awe, proclaiming it the best ever. i think i've stepped back from that a little bit, but i'd still rank it at least second or third.

that's a good point you made about ANH being the only one able to stand on its own. i hadn't considered that, but i think you're right.

andy

 

I'm not sure how much my opinion of the movie has changed, really, but my understanding of it has vastly improved, mostly due to these forums.

It's still one of the weaker films overall, IMO, but it could have been a LOT worse. It's enjoyable, which is really the most a movie can hope to be, especially when the entire story has yet to have been told.




The Cleric 007

 

Loved it then - love it even more now!
Another stunning masterpiece from George Lucas

 

IMO, it can stand on it's own. With what we've seen-the clone army on Coruscant, Padme & Anakin getting married, Sidious' and Tyranus' little talk-I think we can extrapolate what happens.

Anyhow..I loved Obi-Wan's story- it's like one fo those Humphrey Bogart detective movies, except applied to a galactic scale. Chock full of sleezy informants, gorgeous dames with secrets, and shocking discoveries.

As for the romance..well, I don't watch SW for romance stories anyway. (Tell me Han & Leia's romance made any sense..at all...and I'll fork you in the windpipe.) I thought it was more concrete a love story than say, Jack & Rose in Titanic, and it was cool seeing Natalie prettied up for a change. But it isn't the main focus of the story-if it was, the title would probably be Star Wars: Attack of the Horny Teenagers. The main focus is the clone army, which gives us big dividends in practically every scene they're in, and probably my favorite end scene of any SW film.

I also liked the whole 'seperatist' idea. It's the Rebellion as the bad guys, and kinda gives you ideas that Yoda & Obi-Wan have alot more to do with the rise of the rebellion than Lucas has let on.

The Geonosians. Hands down, the coolest language in the GFFA. SQQuWAAARTIE EN *CLICK CLICK CLICK* QARTZAAA. LOL.


The Kaminoans. They're such nice people. Unless, that is, you're broke. And that longing look Taun We gives Obi-Wan as he leaves..Obi-Wan is teh man when it comes to attracting alien babes.

All in all, I love this movie.

 

Ewan McGregor is doing a phenomenal job with this. Bravo!

 

Ewan Mcgregor made the bad scenes watchable. Singly AOTC and TPM are decent movies, but as a whole they work into the saga really well. I guess it's which way you look at it.

Ciao!

 

I think that both the prequels we've seen so far work much better when together, but they really don't quite have what it takes to stand on their own. Of all the SW movies, only ANH really has that honour.

TPM in particular is much better when you see how it sets things up for AotC and (one would assume) RotS.




The Cleric 007