PT Why does there seem to be a near-consensus that AOTC is worse than TPM?

I just explained in my last post just exactly how the movie jumps right into the action, and you're right that there is an element of a murder mystery, but also the rising tensions throughout the galaxy of which the murder attempt appears to be a part of. And it's all building up to the start of the Galactic Civil War.

By your logic, nothing much happens in ESB either - the heroes spend almost half an hour going around in the snow, then there is a small battle, then no more large action stuff for the rest of the movie, just one quick duel.

 

IMO, I prefer AOTC to TPM, but then I love both.
I like seeing all the Jedi in action and the start of the war.

From what I have seen fan opinion is fairly split, but then that is pretty much everything these days.

 

The best thing about AOTC is trying to spot the scenes whenever Ewan McGregor is wearing an obviously fake beard.

 

That's what I don't understand sometimes.

 

The hate for AOTC is why I can never quite relate to most online SW fans. To me the film captures of the essence of ANH and ESB better than any of the other prequels, sequels, or spinoffs. The universe feels genuinely lived-in, a quality not limited to dusty props and sets, but rather a crucial sense of breathing room to both the narrative and the way the characters are allowed to exist in it. Tatooine feels like a dangerous alien landscape that also happens to be a home for some rather than just a real desert amusement park attraction. The action is fantastically on point, but never in a manner that drowns out the melancholic and wistful atmosphere. The romance is no less stylized and at times exaggerated than Han/Leia, just in a different direction. Anakin's confession about killing the Tuskens is no less an emotional core than binary sunset and "I am your father."

I was a part of the film's positive reception upon release and my tune has never changed. AOTC is Star Wars.

 

Ftr, I liked AOTC better than TPM. I felt that the story was better albeit acting not so much.

 

It's just kind of one of those things where a lot of people see Empire as the best of the Original Trilogy and Jedi as the worst.
Attack of the Clones has better ideas for the most part than The Phantom Menace, but it's the execution of ideas that make The Phantom Menace at least slightly better. The Phantom Menace looks better than Attack of the Clones, has a better lightsaber duel, more Palpatine/Sidious, more heart, etc.

 

I go back and forth all the time about which is the worse movie. In TPM, I can do without the Gungans and l’il Ani’s yippees, wizards, and intensities. In AOTC, I can do without the Naboo love scene and the Sifo Dyas mystery. Is it possible that both are equally bad? (Note, I’m not trying be a hater. In TPM, I absolutely loved Maul and Sidious and the Chosen One prophecy (midichlorians don’t bother me as much as it bothers many others). In AOTC, I love everything about Anakin’s visit to Tatooine.)

 

Yes AOTC was the better received at the time. TPM is a more colorful and simply prettier movie. AOTC and ROTS are aesthetically similar and most would say that ROTS is the better movie. Also, in my opinion, not much happens in AOTC, as there is a lot of treading water until ROTS. Everyone has their own thoughts about the prequels—personally TPM is my favorite of the three.

 

Recently watched the PT in the lead up to TROS and I was surprised how much I enjoyed AOTC. There are things in it that I think reach cringe level at times, but I was surprised how well paced it is as a film. I was even more shocked that I enjoyed in more than TPM on this watch through. TPM has the Duel of the Fates and some strong world-building, but it feels like it's "going through the motions" at times.

I do enjoy them both though; faults and all!

 

I respect everyone's opinions, of course, but sometimes I am also strongly in (polite) disagreement. That anyone should come away from Ep 2 thinking that "not much happens" seems to indicate how clever Palpatine's plan actually is - because to the "good guys", it also must have seemed that nothing really crucial had happened.
But just what did happen?
Palpatine went from being an ordinary Chancellor like his predecessor to being one invested with extraordinary wartime powers and in command of one of the largest armies in the galaxy - one that has been especially programmed for blind obedience to him, and which he will use to take over the entire galaxy and eradicate most of the Jedi Order (the clone troopers will eventually murder most of the Jedi leading them).
So, in just one sublimely underhanded move, he has set up all the pieces he needs to eventually declare himself Emperor, kill nearly all of the Jedi, and destroy the separatists - and he does this while not actually tipping off the Jedi Council, and keeping them off-balance and on wild goose chases that lead absolutely nowhere and mysterious attempts on Padme's life which are never satisfactorily investigated.
Palpatine emerges from AOTC completely successful in all his nefarious treachery, and with the Jedi barely suspecting they've just all but handed him control of the Republic on a silver platter.... the best Yoda can suss out is that "the shroud of the dark side has fallen"
And the most that Senator Organa can do is put down his fist in frustration on Palpatine's balcony.
It is fascinating because it shows just how easily the mighty Jedi Council and the Old Republic were led to their demise, without them realising what was happening - and being utterly powerless to do anything about it.

 

I agree. Im shocked that quite a few SW fans place AOTC towards the very bottom of their overall rankings of the films. I dont get it. AOTC is one of my favorite "rides" in the whole saga. Of course its got some issues like any movie but it feels so Star Warsy! The good far outweighs the bad and I also love how AOTC sets you up for watching the Clone Wars TV show which then leads into ROTS. I like Phantom Menace too but AOTC is a more important film in the saga

Great points too about the universe feeling lived in and realistic. I "travel" to that world when I watch AOTC and this is something that adds to the enjoyment of watching it. The prequels all have this effect but AOTC really nails it!

 

My ranking is 3>2>1. I liked TPM at first, but was disappointed it was such a long prologue to what we had anticipated for 16 years and would have to wait for 6 years to conclude. Also, the hype, amongst the fans, the media, and from Fox and LFL, was unbelievable.

I’ve always like AOTC more. But after first seeing AOTC and then going back and watching TPM, I liked TPM even more. It has aged well, but all 3 PT films have. Of course, the OT has aged well, at least for me who first learned about SW in 1976 in the 6th grade and saw ANH in 1977. Will the ST age well? I loved TFA, but I can see it aging well for some, not for others. I loved TLJ even more. But that’s a tricky one. And I loved TROS the most. I don’t know. Maybe all 3 are tricky.

Back to the topic, I never got the TPM hate. I know a lot of old timers had problems with it. And it did mess with head canons, but so did V, VI, VIII, and IX. And it became cool and fashionable to diss on SW and Lucas.

I think one problem with AOTC was that it didn’t answer a lot of questions and raised more. And maybe when Anakin killed the Tusken Raiders there was anticipation he’d go dark, or even later when he fought Dooku. Now we had 3 more years to wait.

As Lucas put it, he put 20% of the PT into I and another 20% into II, saving 60% for III. And also that many fans would have preferred ROTS had been Episode 1 and then we have two films of suited Vader killing people.

 

While AOTC has its strengths and weaknesses, fans and detractors, TPM has podracing and Darth Maul, and that's just really hard to beat.

 

I also think a lot of AOTC didn't translate well to the small screen. In 2002, the Coruscant chase was quite the spectacle, as well as the Slave 1 chase, and the droid factory. Also, Natalie Portman's skin-tight white outfit was much more revealing in theaters.

 

I don't know.... my home theater screen is larger than those of a lot the smaller multiplex auditoriums...

 

Size queen...

 

I like AOTC better. My main issue with TPM and I think it effects the trilogy as a whole is they start Anakin out as to young. If you cast Hayden as a young man and actually have the same basic movie you have a really cool trilogy. He is basically same age as Padme, he has been a slave longer, he has been with his mother longer, the choice Qui gon makes to recruit him is even more controversial. Everything makes even more sense for his fall. Eh to late now.

 

On a technical, objective level, I do think AOTC is the weaker work of the two. However, I do prefer watching it over TPM, because I see it as more of a crowd-pleaser.

 

Attack of the Clones overtook Phantom Menace for the first time in a while for me after I recently rewatched the films. I love both of them, though I think Clones is the more flawed film.

I think that the general opinion on which is better is pretty evenly split. For those that prefer Menace, I think it comes down to TPM doing less "bad" than Clones rather than doing more "good". The main factors are likely AOTC's aesthetic (doesn't seem as "used", I guess), use of CGI, and the love story. Had the Anakin and Padmé romance been more like Han and Leia's in TESB, I'm positive Clones would be just as well received as Sith. I'm not saying that would have been better, but I think that's what would have happened.

 

I think AOTC is just too wild a shift in tone for SW fans. TPM and ROTS are more traditional in the sense they follow characters that are more easy to follow. AOTC introduces a lot of grey areas that were never quite expected. SW isnt known for super complex protagonists, so Anakin being more of a cautionary tale of a young gifted man overcome with arrogance was different than the young hero who is a vessel for children to live out their fantasies like the OT and ST.

 

I love Attack of the Clones, but It took some time to grow on me. When I first saw it, I found the love story to be extremely disappointing. It was rushed. When Padme confesses that she loves Anakin, my reaction was, "Why?". (What really helped was the deleted scene where they meet Padme's family. I have no idea why they cut that out. That's part of the movie in my head cannon) Revenge of the Sith made it better. I felt the relationship between Anakin and Padme better in Episode 3. When you watch the series back to back, AOTC works great.
.

 

Back in 1980, ESB seemed almost like too wild a shift from the 1977 original to many people. ANH and ROTJ are also more traditional in the sense that they follow characters that are more easy to follow, traditional heroes vs traditional villains. ESB introduced a lot of gray areas that went beyond the black-and-white world of the first film and added other shades of meaning, unexpected twists, some betrayals and double-crossings, a good guy losing a hand and another good guy snatched by the bad guys with no certainty he will ever be rescued. And the ending is totally downbeat, the good guys are lucky to have survived but they're just hanging on.... facing more challenges than ever before.

AOTC is a perfect counterpart to ESB

 

I love AOTC. But I also loved TPM, but not as much as AOTC and ROTS. So, I don't know why others regard the 2002 movie as the worse. I guess it's all down to personal tastes.