Det, MI What do you think?

I was so anxious to see it Thursday that Kate and I went right after work to the local theater and saw it (and then saw it again Friday morning).

We absolutely loved it

It is tied with "The Empire Strikes Back" as my all time favorite Star Wars movie.

Yoda - In my opinion, he stole the steam from everyone else in the movie in his dual with Dooku. He was just spectalular and I loved it when he was giving orders to the clone troopers "Around the survivors, a defensive perimeter you must form"... I was cracking up at that (thats my favorite line so far in the movie). I also loved the part with the younglings.... they were so cute and he was so funny there "how embarrassing, Master Kenobi has lost an entire planet"... that was priceless.

Mace Windu - Samuel L Jackson was sweet. I loved it when he enters the arena, showing his booted feet walking towards the viewing box with all the bad guys in it. His whole fight sequence in the arena was awesome.

Obi-Wan Kenobi - Ewen was great, he's really developing the character into the one Alec Guiness protrayed in the original trilogy. I thought it was classic when he shows up on the Kamino and plays along with them while not really knowing what is going on... that was great. When he first meets Jango, you could feel the tension between them which was great (and the fight sequences - both on the landing platform and in space - were awesome as well). His relationship with Anakin I thought was very well done also (I particularly liked the words exchanged between them in the gunship after Padme falls out of it).

Anakin Skywalker - Personally, I thought he did a great job at portraying the inner emotional struggle of the character. I thought, from the trailers, that he was going to be too "whiney"... but the way the scenes develop it comes off completely different. While some of his lines didn't come off great, he made up for it completely (and then some) in his facial expressions and body language. I just look at it as he cannot separate himself emotionally from things and has become impatient because he knows that he is developing really fast in using the force. Both of these things are basically pushing him towards the Dark Side, and remember that Palpatine said something along the lines of "advising and encouraging" him which also says alot about how screwed up he is. The scene where he saves his mother, only to have her die in his arms really hit me in the gut.... all the emotions that went over his face and then finally settling on that angry, hateful look before he wipes out all those Tusken Raiders was just chilling. Also the look when he's carrying his mothers body into the farmstead from the swoop bike... that was intense. When he confesses that he killed all the Tuskens... the Men, Women and Children and the complete lack of remorse... wow, that was so dark and makes it so evident of what he will become.

Padme - She was really good also, the costume changes were a bit annoying but overall Natalie did a great job. I loved it when they are leading them over to chain them to the poles in the arena and Anakin just lets them chain him up and she puts that pick in her mouth and is already halfway out of the chains by the time the monsters are in the arena... that was great. With all her confidence and idealism you can see where Leia gets her personality and strength from.

Jango and Boba Fett - I really liked them, Jango was one bad mo-fo. I've heard some complaints with how he got offed, but I looked at it in the way that he just got trampled by that big rhino-beast (I think it's called a "Reek") so he wasn't 100%, not to mention... he was taking on one the best Jedi swordsmen alive (and a Jedi Master at that). After watching the expression on Boba's face when he sees his father get killed and then the bit with him picking up the helmet.... my money is on Boba in Episode 3 to be the one to kill Mace Windu.

Dooku - For not showing up in the movie until over halfway thru it... Christopher Lee was a

 

How I wish I had discovered this forum before AOTC came out. It sounds like you all had a wonderful time with the pre-movie tail-gaiting, watching the movie together, and then discussing.

Overall I thought the movie was wonderful. The only real complaint I have, would be all the animals. It just seemed like there were too many noisy creatures about.

I really don't have much to add to the previous eloquent posts. I was very pleased that George Lucas managed to exceed my expectations ... honestly, I wasn't expecting that to happen.

I loved this movie, and I'm so happy that Star Wars is back!

 

I have to totally agree with what Midnightguard said about Hayden's performance. In all the trailers, the little bits that we got to see of his acting came across to me as rather flat and a bit whiney. I was so blown away with how marvelous a job it turned out to be in context because I honestly wasn't wasn't expecting much out of him. That was the one thing that I was worried about going into the movie. As it turned out, Hayden's performance was probably what made this movie my favorite one. I really felt for the kid. In the original trilogy, poor Luke lived such a tragic life. It was just one thing after another- he loses his aunt and uncle, Ben, Yoda, finds out his father is an evil sith lord, learns that his crush is (yuck!) his sister, his dad dies...etc. Not to knock Mark's acting, but I never truly felt bad for him. He always moved on and that was that. In AOTC, I found tears streaming down my face when Anakin's mom dies- and his vow at her grave just tore me up. It was amazing. I cried the second time I saw it too, and it wouldn't surprise me if I did the next few times I see it as well. It was that moving.

 

I found this review over at www.aintitcool.com and so far, it's the best review and explination of the movie...

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Harry's STAR WARS EPISODE TWO: ATTACK OF THE CLONES Final Film Review

Just got back from the 12:01am Screening in Austin at the Fabulous METROPOLITAN. Best National Chain managers in Austin. They organize and help keep the lines from getting out of hand. Let people in a bit at a time so that everyone could take their time getting to their seats. They made sure the sound would boom, the projector was bright and that we, the audience, were ready.

Quint and the lovely Auntie Meat had camped out holding our spot in line, I hated not being with them. But being on these crutches and having oral surgery really put a damper on my ?line experience? this time out. And I must say? I really miss doing it. It isn?t about the film, it is about the sense of community that builds around the theater. The feeling of family and unity when you walk in.

I showed up and got in line. Saw the folks in costume? A fellow from Chicago in Jedi robes was first in line and he was? moderately enthused about seeing the film?. Well, actually he was jazzed in the unable to stay still sort of way. Constantly pacing. Constantly looking around, the pressure of having stayed completely spoiler free on his brow. Looking at me, he sees answers, temptation? evil. Here, in the final hours, he faces his greatest danger? He comes over to show he has no fear. I saw his face, he was a word from bolting. "R2 is pink in this one!"

He runs.

The crowd was enthusiastic. Not ecstatic to be in line like the crowd of 1999. This isn?t the frantic long drought and the first water fountain in 16 years. This was a film some were fearing, some were hoping and all wanted to love.

For me? I was dying to see it. I wanted to avoid the news crews, this isn?t about me, the real story were the people that camped. Me, I?m just a fan that was lucky enough to have a friend that held my place. I didn?t deserve my position, I didn?t do the time. Injuries or not? My place was in line.

10:30 ? we began marching into place. The line was excited? all a buzz. Getting closer.

10:45 ? we enter into the actual screening room. The largest best screen in Austin. Just a wonderful place to see this type of movie.

I get my favorite seat. My best movie buddy at my side. Behind me a row of friends and Dad. People with light sabers and costumes litter the theater. Folks eager to see the film. Sporadic folks come up to thank me for the advance review I wrote, telling me that they weren?t gonna get in line early till they saw that. GULP, HOPE THEY LIKE THE MOVIE!

As the film was getting closer I was getting more and more excited. You see, I saw ATTACK OF THE CLONES before, but the print I had seen still needed MASSIVE POST-PRODUCTION work especially in the sound and sound effects editing and the music mixing stages. That stuff, simply wasn?t all done yet. Actually vast sequences hadn?t even a single sound effect, though some did. For example? those sonic mines that Jango shat out of the Slave 1? Well, zero sound there. End Jedi battle and Clone War? zero sound effects and score. The print I saw was seen on a tiny TV screen that my father had to run and secure from the house. Not my big television, but the tiny one. SIGH. So I saw it small, incomplete Fx, nearly at stage 2 sound wise and I needed to see it complete.

What would I notice different? Would I? After all it has been a few months now. How many major changes could there be?

Patch sitting next to was tired from a long day, had the beginnings of a headache, which she took Tylenol for. Quint was actually a bit nervous looking to be honest. He didn?t look entirely confident.

I don?t know if that was just exhaustion or what, but he seemed a bit on the scurvy side. Father Geek was excited. Ever since March 16 it has been the two of us that have been able to talk about that experience. I haven?t wanted to spoil it for others.

The more that we talked through it, the more I loved it

 

Now that I have seen the movie a third time, I must say this movie is moving up in my rankings. After the the initial letdown (yes, I was letdown) opening night, I have come to many conclusions:

1. I wanted that feeling that I had as a ten year old boy seeing a new hope for the first time. In retrospect, I can never have that feeling again. AOTC has taken me as close to that feeling as a 34 year old can get. I actually had chills at points in the movie. I wanted to have both socks knocked off, but only lost one!

2. I will never read or listen to another spoiler again! It totally ruined my first viewing! I was anticipating all that occured.

3. I will never again read a review before I see the movie! Some of the reviews I read made me feel like I was going to have the ANH feeling revisited.

4. I was overly critical about some of the lines in AOTC. Look, lucas has ALWAYS been known for laying the cheese on thick. After the initial cringe of some of the lines spoken, I looked past them in my subsequent viewings, and enjoyed this film for what it really is. ANH is notorious for the cheesy lines. I watched ANH again today just to prove this point to myself.

I don't think that there will ever be a movie that wows me like ANH did 25 years ago, but I most say that AOTC is a fantastic film and only gets better with each viewing. When all is said and done I think that AOTC will probably move ahead of ESB to become my second favorite, and may already be there!