Customer Reviews

Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones (Widescreen Edition)

5 star:		(411)
4 star:		(182)
3 star:		(176)
2 star:		(145)
1 star:		(333)

 

 

Those three long years were worth the wait. This movie, panned by many, still deserves the respect given to the other four in the series. I am not sure what people are demanding from Mr. Lucas. He is a master storyteller showing us what happens to Anakin. We all know what happens to him; this movie is explaining why he becomes so twisted and evil. This movie encapsulates everything in a neat, exciting, and interesting package. The dvd has a great set of extra features, a great hidden surprise(if you can find it...use the Force), and a plethora of other reasons it deserves its place in the Star Wars saga.

This movie is better than Episode I but still has the cheesy acting. Anakin whines, etc... but it's neat to see him angry, 'mis-use his lightsaber' and stuggle between his love life, which is a no-no, and learning to become a Jedi Knight. We get to see the Clone Wars, LOTS of Jedi fighting, we meet the Fett's and the Clone/Storm troopers. We get a new villain, Count Dooku (they were originally going to use the character in the Clone Wars cartoon called Asajj Ventress in his stead), but I guess old-man Lucas wanted to show an old Ben gone bad. I personally feel that THIS should've been Episode I, but then again they're making the movies not me. I say this because Anakin and Obi-Wan as Jedi and the Clone Wars goes closer to the stories of the orignals. None of us really care about a 9 year old 'Ani'. But just you wait until STAR WARS EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH....

Star Wars Episode II: The Saga Continues...

In 2002, Star Wars fans celebrated the silver anniversary of the release of Episode IV: A New Hope (the first film actually released) in various ways...by going to the Cincinnati Celebration...by purchasing 25th Anniversary memorabilia (such as Hasbro's trio of Silver Anniversary "two-pack" mini dioramas - which I happen to own)...and by going to the local multiplex to watch Episode II - Attack of the Clones.

This movie has everything Star Wars fans love. A good screenplay, awesome visual and sound effects, a fantastic John Williams score...and...Yoda fights in this one!

Considering the undeserved "bad movie" reputation of its predecessor, The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones was received by most Star Wars fans with "This is more like it!" I think Episode II - with its more grown up Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and its depiction of the beginning of the Clone Wars - is the film most fans wanted The Phantom Menace to be, without Jake Lloyd's "good little Ani" and certainly far less of the much maligned Jar Jar Binks. Yet, the more one watches Episode II (and the DVD's existence certainly makes this possible), the more one appreciates The Phantom Menace as a necessary piece of exposition. As some of my fellow customer reviewers have pointed out in their reviews of The Phantom Menace, all of the cornerstones and plot lines in Attack of the Clones were laid down in Episode I.

Episode II is set 10 years after the events of The Phantom Menace. With the defeat of the Trade Federation, Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) has served her terms as Queen of Naboo and is now representing her home system in the Galactic Senate. A firm believer in democracy and peaceful negotiations, she is committed to saving the Republic from disintegration. It will not be an easy task, however, since a secessionist movement led by a renegade former Jedi Master has caused several thousand star systems to leave the Republic.

Meanwhile, ex-Senator Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), now Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, is mulling over the creation of an Army of the Republic to confront the growing threat of the separatists. Given the relatively small number of Jedi Knights in the galaxy (less than 10,000, which is tiny indeed given the fact that the Republic spans nearly an entire galaxy), this on the surface seems reasonable, even though viewers who saw the Classic Trilogy know that this is simply one more step to the transformation of the Republic to the evil Empire.

The plot of this movie revolves around a plot to assasinate Senator Amidala to prevent her from voting against the Military Creation Act now before the Senate. It fails (otherwise there would be no Luke or Leia later), and Palpatine suggests that Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his Padawan Anakin Skywalker protect Amidala from further attacks. Of course, we fans know that this is just another clever plot-within-a-plot by Palpatine/Darth Sidious . It puts Anakin in close proximity to Padme again, which causes the young Jedi Padawan's emotional ties to the former Queen of Naboo to resurface with a vengeance. It is a win-win scenario for Palpatine: if Padme dies either at the hands of bounty hunters or the secessionists, he removes the political opposition to the Army of the Republic. If Obi-Wan and Anakin do manage to protect her, they are out of the way and so is Padme, which is, of course, what ensues in Attack of the Clones.

The DVD version of Episode II was made from the purely digital version of the movie, which means that some scenes (particularly the fight on Geonosis and the secret wedding on Naboo) are subtly different from some versions seen in non-digital movie theaters. Unlike the DVD release of Episode I, no deleted scenes were restored (but are included in the Extra Features disc), and there is no complete "Making of" documentary feature such as "The Beginning" in the extra features disc of The Phantom Menace. The audio commentary (by George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Ben Burtt, Rob Coleman, Pablo Helman, John Knoll and Ben Snow) is heavy on the production side but light on the lore side. (The main weak point I see with the Star Wars DVDs as a whole is that unlike the Star Trek Director's and Collector's Edition re-releases, the only way you can get text commentaries is by going online. This is fine for those of us who have Internet Service Providers, but not so great for those that don't...plus you have to remain connected to read it!) The usual assortment of trailers, John Williams music video (why don't they include JW on the text commentary? Or give him a feature documentary?) and behind the scenes material fill out the extra features supplementary disc.

The nicest, if rather unexpected, bonus was how fast Attack of the Clones was released on DVD. Most of the time, early home video release meant (and still means) that the film did poorly at the box office. Attack of the Clones did quite well at the box office last year, outpaced only by the well-made Spider-Man feature (and it did better than Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Star Trek: Nemesis). Some cynics suggested it was exactly for that reason that Attack of the Clones came out in 2002 rather than 2 years later (as The Phantom Menace did): that it had done badly. I think it was the fact that it was shot digitally (no need to transfer from film to digital video) and a further 25th Anniversary gift from Lucasfilm, 20th Century Fox, and George Lucas to us fans.

Attack of the Clones has many of the same problems that plagued The Phantom Menace: the acting is often stilted, the dialogue is cheesy, and the love story is boring. Why then, do I give this film a high recommendation and consider it far superior to Episode I? The answer's simple: the action sequences are elaborate, magnificent and thrilling, and yes, there's more action here than in any of the other installments.

Continuing several years from where Phantom Menace left off, there's trouble brewing in the Republic as many star systems threaten a separatist movement. Senator Amidala's life is placed in danger after an assasination attempt, so Jedi Padewan Anakin Skywalker is assigned as her bodyguard while his master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, investigates who ordered the hit on Amidala. Meanwhile, Anakin and Amidala fall in love, but further trouble brews from a threat from a dark Jedi knight called Count Dooku.

Plot-wise, there's nothing particularly interesting about Episode II. As a matter of fact, I think Lucas' reasoning for coming up with such an awful title as Attack of the Clones would probably make for a slightly more intriguing tale than the love story between Anakin and Amidala. As for the clone army segments, they're certainly more captivating than the romance, but is hindered by contrivances and stupefyingly silly moments (take, for instance, the scene where Obi-Wan questions the clone engineers, who think he's there to inspect the clone army, but don't seem to realize how ignorant he is of the situation).

Somehow, George Lucas as a director manages to bring out the worst in an actor. The cast includes the likes of Ewan Mcgregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, and Samuel L. Jackson. To say that Yoda, now a CGI creation, is a more lively, enthusiastic character than these performers kind of tells you how flat the acting is. Mcgregor is probably the best of the bunch, since the script actually goes to some length to make him into a semi-intelligent character (barring the scene where he can't seem figure out how a planet could have disappeared from the archives). Jackson's intensity works to his advantage during the battle scenes, but Christensen and Portman deliver mostly dreadful performances. While the former gets a few good dramatic moments, Portman can't even claim that much; the only impression she makes is as eye candy.

So no, story and acting don't have anything to do with why I highly enjoyed this film. Such acclaim should be for the action sequences, which are easily the series' most spectacular and technically proficient. Let me run some of the highlights: there's the speeder chase through Coruscant, Obi-Wan's one-on-one fight against Jango Fett, a factory jamboree, gladiator-style combat with three hungry monsters, and massive battle scenes that dwarf any of those in the previous entries. Oh, and let's not forget the lightsaber fights, one of which here will probably go down as one of the series classic moments. The last forty minutes, in particular, almost threaten to exhaust with the almost non-stop fighting. With so much action comes a hefty dose of violence, making the PG-rating a joke. There are 4 (bloodless) decapitations, 2 cut off arms, and a scene where a mother dies in her son's arms. Without a doubt, this is the most explicitly violent PG-rated film since Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Lucas may be a terrible writer and actor's director, but he's definitely adroit when it comes to action/adventure. Plus, the special effects are excellent and the planetscapes are even a little imaginative, if not innovative. Nowhere else are you going to see a film that has created such a galactic scale civilization, not even in the original series. John Williams' score is less memorable than his work in the previous entries; aside from the main theme and a brief use of Emperor's March, I honestly couldn't remember a lick from the score. If I see the film again, I'll have to pay closer attention to it.

How does Attack of the Clones fare when compared to the rest of the series? It's certainly better than Phantom Menace and Return of the Jedi, though certainly weaker than The Empire Strikes Back. Watch it if you're into action and special effects; on that rather basic level, this movie will indeed satisfy.

It's an old axiom in the industry that, when talking about their film, a director or stars will always parrot something like "Yes, it has special effects, but it's really all about the characters." Well, this is one film I don't think even Lucas would say that about. Forget characters -- this is all about the pixels.

Which is probably just as well, as the characters themselves aren't particularly interesting. With the except of Ms. Portman and McGregor, there isn't any acting going on here. In particular the actor who plays the Darth nee Anakin Skywalker Vader, is so bad he actually makes the digital characters seem polished in comparison.

And, yes, we have Jar Jar back, and while he's not quite as annoying as in the first film he certainly doesn't get killed, which is the only thing that might have made this movie watchable. When you're praying for a movie character to be eliminated who isn't a bad guy, you know you're in for a bad time.

There is *one* great scene in this movie, at the very end, which makes renting it worthwhile (just make sure your fast forward is working, as you definiately want to skip the previous two hours). That it also involves a digitized (and puppeted) character says a lot about where this kind of movie is nowadays.

There *is* a certain audience for this film but it's a very peculiar one. If you love playing video games but are too inept or have too short an attention span to play them out to their higher levels, this whole movie acts like a very fancy cut scene. I can see a certain young crowd appreciating the fact they don't have to think but just get to watch the pretty colors and loud noises.

I loved the first Star Wars films when they first came out. Then again, they had (relatively) primative special effects and people like Harrison Ford who could actually act. This franchise has now totally run itself into the ground. Next step up for Lucas: digitizing the audience (otherwise he'll *have* no audience for the third and, mercifully, last, episode in the saga).

Let's face it, Episode I was tolerable, though it clearly showed that Lucas had lost touch with his fans, with science fiction, and even -- sadly -- with his own story. But Episode II is just miserable. A pointless and predictable story, miserable acting, a poorly conceived and executed world -- all despite lavish special effects and some cool action sequences. If it wasn't for the Star Wars legacy, no one would watch this or give it more that two stars. Almost as bad as (the new) Planet of the Apes, and not even as good as Lost in Space (the movie). Rent it if you must see it (as I suppose we all must) but don't buy it.

This Star Wars is definately the best one yet. The special effects are far more superior than anything that has been released ever, and it will take others a long time to match what George Lucas has done. The story is enthralling and gets the viewer even more excited about Episode III. This one is a must see for anyone, regardless if you are a Star Wars fan or not.

Speaking of critics, is anything critically acclaimed ever worth watching? If you're a true fan of Star Wars you'll enjoy Episode 2. The Dvd is by far the best Dvd I own and surpasses the Episode 1 DvD. The second disk features many documentaries, deleted scenes(which are definitle worth viewing), trailers, tv spots, and more. There's also a blooper real you can unlock like the one on Phantom Menace. The picture and sound quality are magnificent. The money and effort put into this dvd are well worth the purchase.
Now about the story. There's many things I love about the story that add to the original trilogy. Of course we get to see the beginning of The Clone Wars which is my favorite action part of this movie besides the many lightsaber duels, even one including Yoda. I beleive the third episode will hold the most action and will be the darkest off all the films. The commentary gives you much insight and hints of things to come.
The origin of Boba Fett.
Anakin's first steps down the dark side and his friendship with Chancelor Palpatine.
There are also many other great tidbits a Star Wars fan will enjoy. If you love Star Wars you'll love Episode 2.

I have read all these narrow minded cynical reviews from people. Who are one not fans and two don't know an excellent film when they see it. Okay TPM was flawed so many flaws I can't list but with this latest installment there is so much improvement and yet people still feel the need to put it down. These are people with nothing better to do.

AOTC is a better than most films that have come out this year and even for a Star Wars film it lives to the name what it doesn't live up to are the unrealistic expectations of people who are too hung up on the original trilogy yes it is not the old triogly but it still holds up why is it Lucas's fault that people have grown more negative and harsh over the years. These people need the wake if this was any other film people would say it was great but no they expect it to live up to this unrealistic stardard to live up to the name well news flash it did and you are just expecting to much out of this film if you can't see this film for what it is then you are just negative and worse you are not a true fan a true fan would see past the whatever flaws this film may have and still enjoy it as a great and nothing else.

Wow, George Lucas has done it again, and this time, you will not be reading a glowing review of yet another great action film. ... Firstly, let me get one thing straight. I am not one of those fanatics who believe that the Star Wars triology were masterpieces with hidden genius and all that good stuff. I'm perfectly aware of the fact that even at their best, Star Wars movies are B-rated actions films, which we all watch in order to see whether or not the Millennium Falcon will yet again make it to hyper-drive just in the nick of time to save the day. However, there are certain requirements which even an action movie should have.

Any movie should have characters that are interesting and multifaceted. Everyone loved Han Solo because he was a rebel, who occasionally surprised even himself by being a hero. In the latest Star Wars installment however, all the characters are one-dimensional and boring. We have Anakin Skywalker, who cannot decided whether or not to become a Jedi, kill everyone who annoys him, or marry his best friend. He's having a bit of an identity crisis and the fact that Christensen was not able to pull off a decent acting job, making the character come across as a spoiled and rebellious teen, doesn't help the situation. And then there is Padma, who doesn't get any good lines in the first place, and Portman is not able to do much with the few ones she's given, making her character come across as sleepwalking through most of her scenes. Needless to say, none of this helps the love story that is suposed to be developing between these two characters.

Not to mention, that Lucas treats all the digtal technology that he gets to use as toys, and he can't get enough of them. It's okay to use digtal effects to improve the story, but it should actually do that, and help to make the story itself more interesting, not to distract from truly terrible acting. While he makes good use of them in creating more interesting landscapes, like the city "sky streets," and the planet Kamino, covered by oceans and rain, he begins to take it a little far by creating a completely digtal diner, and completely fake creatures and robots to go with it. ... Lucas has got one more film to try to redeem some of the charm of the original three, and his best bet is to put the directing in someone else's hands. The third movie will probably be dark and slightly depressing (much like Star Wars, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.) That movie certainly did not end well, what with Luc losing an arm, and Han getting frozen, but it certainly was the best one, what with the conflict building and the romance between Han and Leia. However, for Episode V, Lucas did not choose to direct it...