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

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

List Price: $19.98
Your Price: $13.99
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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: HARDWARE WARS
Review: If you ever saw HARDWARE WARS then you know what I mean when I say: "You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll kiss eight bucks goodbye!" This had to be a spoof. This movie was like one long Saturday Night Live skit with good special effects...Let me know when the real Episode II comes out.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A legendary actor shows that he, too, has "the FORCE"
Review: The second installment in the Star Wars prequels sports great computer-generated effects, a stunning John Williams' score, a better use of Samuel L. Jackson and Yoda (voiced again by the Frank Oz), and a satisfying development of Anakin Skywalker (later to become the infamous Darth Vader), played by the young Hayden Christensen. Christensen is a vast improvement over the child actor in the previous film. Natalie Portman's Senator Amidala shows the mettle that she would pass on to her progeny, Luke and Leia.

However, this reviewer must tip his hat to the addition of Hammer film veteran Christopher Lee in the pivotal role of Count Dooku. It is not just coincidental that Lee's frequent co-star, the late Peter Cushing, was featured in a prominent role in the first Star Wars' film. The inclusion of both of these fine performers, as well as the late Sir Alec Guiness, adds a note of class to the movie sagas.

Lee, like Cushing, is being discovered by a new generation of filmgoers with his role in this film as well as his part in the recent "Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring." His towering presence and commanding voice are perfect for the part. The well-choreographed fight scene between Dooku, Anaken, Obi-Wan, and a surprisingly amble Yoda are highlights of the film's last thirty minutes.

Forget the "clones." It's the original Lee that makes this one a winner!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The love story of Padme and Amikin
Review: Five stars for the fifth film in the Star Wars series! George Lucas has another winner in this exciting, well-made, sci-fi film which is the continuation of the 1999 release "The Phantom Menace". Star Wars fans will welcome back the two most famous androids C3PO and R2D2 who were sadly omitted from "Phantom". This movie is so full of action scenes and changes of scenery that if you get up to use the bathroom during the picture, you'll miss alot. Although this film is more predictable than its four predecessors, it is nonetheless pure enjoyable entertainment to all Star Wars fans young and old.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Star Wars: The Goofball Years
Review: I can't knock the special effects. Actually, I was really entertained for the first half of the movie. Lucas did a great job with the nighttime Coruscant stuff. Even the Jango Fett clone planet of water was pretty spectacular looking. The material was way darker than Phantom Menace, but the plot was still crud. You know it's not a great movie when the main character's mom dies, and you feel like "so what." The movie really got bad when Anakin and Amidala went into the droid factory and were being passed along on a conveyor belt through all kinds of contraptions. It went from bad to worse when R2-D2 went airborne with his secret jet propulsion system, and Threepio got his head stuck on a battle droid body. That's stupid. No, let me rephrase. That's beyond stupid. Then the bad Jar Jar one-liners began. But I was going to let that part slide and try to enjoy the rest. Unfortunately, we ended up in a gladiator arena with an audience of termites. Man, by the end I just wanted to get out of there. Somebody close to George Lucas should slap the fool out of him every time he tries to take Star Wars in a Howard the Duck direction. If he's just going to destroy the beautiful thing our childhood fantasies were made of, I wish he'd hand the next movie over to someone else to direct. Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, or somebody please call Lucas and see if you can talk him into letting you start over and make the entire prequel trilogy.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Back on track
Review: Don't listen to the few big shot critics who have shot this movie down. See it and decide for yourself. It fits perfectly with the rest of the story that is out there. The colors/landscapes are incredible. Ewan and C3p0 are hilarious-listen closely to what they say. If you are undecided after your first viewing, see it again, I loved it even more the 2nd time. Can't wait for the DVD.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Enjoyable Just As Expected
Review: Those who criticize this film for the dialogue or love story miss the whole point of the Star Wars series I think.

Star Wars is not about love or talk, it's about .... well .... War!

On that level this film more than delivers plenty of action. If you want love scenes there are all kinds of chick flicks to choose from. For great dialogue there are plenty of classic films there too.

Folks forget the original trilogy was not characterized by excellent dialogue or hot love scenes either. People did not go back to see these films repeatedly for the dialogue, it was for the action and special effects. The original trilogy has grown in the minds of some to mythic proportions but it actually was not a lot different than this film.

If great love scenes and sparkling dialogue are your criteria for an excellent film experience, perhaps this film is not for you.

However, if you want action and special effects, this film meets or exceeds all expectations. It certainly ranks with any film in the original trilogy.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Psychoanalyze these characters, we will...
Review: Fabulous installment in the Star Wars saga! I really enjoyed the emotional foreshadowing, and the undercurrents of tension that make even light-hearted moments seethe with unease.

Lucus has done a wonderful job fleshing out the character of Annakin, and kudos go to Hayden C. for taking that vision and running with it. It is clear that this is a young man driven by emotional passion in all its forms, and we see the seeds of desparation that will eventually drive him to become Darth Vader.

In Obi-Wan, we see yet another vision of the Jedi Knight -- like Qui Gon in the last installment, he walks a tightrope of wisdom and impetuosity. These human elements -- even if they be human frailty -- infuse the story with a great deal of warmth.

The interplay between Annakin and Obi Wan is electric, and one is almost breathless with tension: when will things change? when will we see the metamorphosis from a familial bond to a bitter rivalry? Similarly, the scenes with Amidala and Annakin resonate with unease. The battle between desire and duty, between love and honor -- this is the kind of epic conflict that made the Star Wars series legendary. Bravo, Mr. Lucas!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Attack of the Groans
Review: After reading the (genrally) good reviews here and elsewhere, I was optimistic about Attack of the Clones. Unfortunately, I saw the movie. In a nutshell, the technical wizardry of George Lucas continues to advance (within limits), but his imagination and ability to maintain an engaging narrative ran out with the Empire Strikes Back. I will say that the plot had potential. An attempt was made to make this movie more of an actual epic, and they almost (almost) had a very nice Greek tragedy twist. (What if Count Dakoo's rebellion was exactly what he told Obi Wan it was, a noble attempt to thwart the increasingly powerful Seth master? Oh, that would have been imaginative -- making the Jedis complicit in their own demise.) Ultimately, though, there is no depth to the movie. The actors all seem to be doing exactly what they're doing... moving from one set to another. There is no sense that these are glimpses of another universe, where the reality of what we're being shown extends beyond the boundries of the screen. Instead, the script is lame (at times horrible), the acting is wooden, and it's difficult to care about any of the characters. The pace of the movie seems designed for viewers with a 15 second attention span, barreling ahead for no reason other than to keep you from focusing on the acting and the script. Unfortunately, the action is mostly just frenetic movement, the fight scenes fail to create any sense of tension or excitment (I'm being polite, my wife found them exceptionally boring), and the 'love' scenes are painful -- well, except for Natalie Portman's leather bodice which appears to have been obtained at Frederick's of Naboo. Ah well, another waste of some truly fine acting talent. More Mystery Science Theater 3000 material. Rent Galaxy Quest again instead, and wait for this to come out on video.

Pleasent surprises: Jango Fett. He had potential as an extremely capable, but non-Jedi, non-Seth, advisary. Sort of an anti-Han Solo. Unfortunately, he's now dead (yes, I know that his clone 'son' survives, but can we count on Lucas to not screw him up?).

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The force is strong with this one.
Review: Star[]Wars! The series has come back into full swing with 'Attack of the Clones.' Everything that 'Phantom Menace' tried to be and more, we return to the rollicking space adventure that made the first three classics. Don't pay attention to the negitive reviews, aside from a little cheese covered romance the goods are delivered in great fashion. 'Attack..' is packed with extremely well lensed action set pieces that remind the viewer of the summer of 1980. The acting is decent and works for the material provided...I mean, this is Star Wars not Shakespere and lines are delivered with intended monotonality; lightsabers speak louder than words and emotion a Jedi does not crave. I found this film to be better than 'Return of the Jedi' due to its return to the swashbuckling action/adverture of the first two movies sans cute little talking kid friendly creatures that help generate mechandise sales for the toddler marketing target group. The special effects are outstanding of course, and the sound effects were really cool. The story was decent enough to get you to care what happens to the heroes and dislike the villians (finally, villians. That seemed to be missing from episode one save Darth Maul who was way underused). All around an excellent chapter in the saga and a great movie in itself. This film makes you look forward to the next installment and the man himself-Darth Vader. Thanks, George for reigniting the magic that was, and is, Star Wars.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A must for all true blue Star Wars fanatics!
Review: To be fair I only gave this movie 4 stars because, in all honesty, it wasn't perfect. However, having been the Star Wars nut for the last 25 years, I absolutely loved it and it chafes me to see so many people tear into it and into George Lucas! My advice is simple, if you're not a Star Wars fan don't waste your money! Leave the seats open for fanatics like my husband and me who have had to suffer sold-out theaters to see it a second time! For the life of me I can't understand why someone who hated the movie the first time, would go and pay to see it again!

I didn't think the acting was bad. I didn't see any Oscar performances but it wasn't what many people are making it out to be. I think Hayden Christensen does a great job as Anakin. Anakin after all is now a teen.. teens (especially male teens) by nature are naive, emotionally unstable, irrational and terribly cocky. Anakin's arrogance has been fed for the last 10 years by Palpatine and constantly thwarted by Obie-wan. Add to the boiling kettle his guilt over leaving his mother and his confusion/ frustration over Padme's seeming indifference towards him and you have the perfect recipe for a very sullen, very irrational, very childish Anakin. I thought Christensen understood his character well.. and portrayed it very nicely.

Ok there were a couple of scenes that I could've done without.. like the diner scene.. a diner just didn't seem to fit into a Star Wars movie.. even in Coruscant. And when yoda takes out his saber.. I thought that was a little cheesy but I just laughed it off... little Boba and his villainous laugh?.. definitely had to go.

I have to admit that after the first viewing I was left a tiny bit unsatisfied with the romance between Padme and Anakin... so I went home and read the book (I am a fanatic after all). Anyway I was quite happy and satisfied at the end in that regard and enjoyed the second viewing so much more for having done so. There were scenes in the book that were either left out or cut out that I felt were a bit crucial to the development of this relationship. I can't wait until the DVD comes out to see exactly what was cut out! It is understandable though.... Mr. Lucas can only make a movie so long before our Attention Deficit/ TV programmed Society starts squirming in their seats and losing focus.

I thought George Lucas did a wonderful job! He had to tell the story of Anakin Skywalker and somehow tie the other 4 movies in all within the span of two and a half hours; no easy feat I am sure! I am really excited for the next installment and have faith that Mr. Lucas will not let us down!


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