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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
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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: a huge let down
Review: crap! thats all there is to say. this movie is uninspired, anikin is way to whiny to be a jedi and yoda is a freakin puppet! not some crappy c.g. animation!nothing is good about this movie. gorge lucas made one of the best film trilogys of all time and then he had to ruin it with this. im sorry this is one of the worst sequel/pregueles ive ever seen. dont waste your time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Yes, it's okay to like this movie!
Review: Whenever a new Star Wars movie comes out, it is a gigantic media event that draws responses and opinions from all over the world, online and off. Any single review is likely to be only a drop in the ocean of thousands of opinions already written; for what it's worth, here's mine.

Episode II had to be one of the most unfairly maligned and brutally trashed movies in recent memory. I won't claim to be a professional movie critic (and I hope I never sink to that level...), but for me, AOTC was one of the most purely, entertainingly FUN movies to come out in the summer of 2002, and I still feel the same way some 18 months later -- even after seeing a certain other high-profile fantasy trilogy that has been dominating the headlines; though I love both movie series, I see no point in comparing them against each other.

A major difference between the Star Wars prequel trilogy and the original trilogy is that in the original series, the good guys and bad guys, and their agendas, were clearly defined; whereas in the new series, things are a lot murkier and uncertain, with less discernable motives and more behind-the-scenes plotting and manipulating, reflecting the chaos rampant in the waning days of the Galactic Republic as it spirals towards the tragic events that lead to the classic trilogy storyline. It is probably inevitable that some will find the films about the lead-up to the Galactic Civil War less interesting and compelling than those about the grand conflict itself.

As for Ep.II itself, it is an enjoyable audio/visual feast for the senses, and a thrill ride that reminded me of why I liked Star Wars to begin with. It is also, after the somewhat disappointing Phantom Menace, a return to form for Lucas & Co. that, if it doesn't quite reach the heights of the original trilogy, at least gets the saga back on track. (One thing I don't understand is why Ep.II is constantly lumped together with Ep.I as "the terrible prequels", when II is actually light-years beyond I.) There will probably never be another "Empire Strikes Back", but so what? AOTC is still an enjoyable picture in its own right -- it's much faster-paced, action-packed, and tighter than its immediate predecessor, and is much closer to the spirit and feel of, and ties in better with, the original series. Ewan McGregor really comes into his own as Obi-Wan Kenobi here, and Christopher Lee's Count Dooku is a stellar addition to SW's pantheon of villains. And the action sequences, from the speeder chase through the Coruscant skyline to the massive Battle of Geonosis, are nothing short of spectacular. The best, though, has to be the stunning arena sequence, featuring an army of battle droids, 3 very large, ugly and nasty monsters, hundreds of light sabre-wielding Jedi Knights, and even a hapless, bumbling C-3PO, all in a giant, rousing battle scene that is one of the best to appear in ANY SW film; if this sequence doesn't get your blood going, you're either dead, or a movie critic.

Speaking of which, the film has taken a lot of heat from critics who apparently consider George Lucas the Antichrist, from so-called "fanboys" who are perpetually angry that Lucas doesn't take their "advice" on how to make his films, and from others in the so-called "hipster" circles. These people are missing the point. No, the movie isn't perfect -- the pace drags a couple of times in the beginning, the acting in some scenes can be stiff and/or corny, and the romance between Anakin and Padme does come off as awkward at times -- as if Lucas wasn't sure how to do it without turning off action fans with all that "mushy stuff". (A couple of the deleted scenes from the DVD, had they been left in the film, would have made this part of the movie more convincing.) However, Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman at least look good in the romantic scenes, and despite what some say, they do NOT sink the entire movie. As for the acting and dialogue, there is very little about it that has not been said before about the entire SW saga. People seem to forget that Star Wars has never been a hipster's movie; despite its cutting edge special effects and production values, it has always been one of the most "unhip" and "uncool" series around. SW has always been more pulp than literate; more about exciting the primal emotions than in engaging the intellect; and more concerned with old-fashioned melodrama and fairy-tale stories than with deep, sophisticated character-driven narratives aimed at a cynical, "hip" audience.

In any case, if some people must trash an entire movie on the basis of a few lines or scenes, or cannot let go of their preconceptions and enjoy a movie as entertaining as this one, well...too bad for them. I enjoyed AOTC, and cannot wait for the next installment, when the entire story arc of Star Wars will be revealed; and hopefully Lucas, and the entire prequel trilogy, will be vindicated.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Better than Episode One,But still just isn't Stars Wars like
Review: Its better than Episode One,but its still boring as the first one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The script and acting are MUCH BETTER than everyone says
Review: I keep hearing a lot of bitching and moaning about how AOTC had the worst lines ever, the acting was horrible, blah blah blah... and in a sense, it is true, but NOT in the sense that you're thinking. It's not Hayden's dialog and acting that suck, it's Anakin's. Confused? Don't worry, I can explain. You see, Jedi apprentices probably don't watch much TV. As such, a guy like Anakin isn't going to be a smooth operator; he's going to come up with lame pick-up lines and fumble them horribly. Of course, Padme will be totally nervous and unsure what to make of this situation, so nothing that she responds with will sound convincing. This is exactly what happens, and the roles were done so convincingly that people thought it was Lucas and Hayden screwing up! I can say this safely, because when Hayden and Natalie aren't making googly eyes at each other, their lines and acting totally kick arse. I was particularly blown away by Anakin's search for his mother, and his subsequent massacre of the sand people and re-telling of the story to Padme. And she just sits there, staring at him and thinking "Holy CRAP does this guy have issues!" While the love story isn't totally perfect and the romp through the flowers was WAY over the top, George strikes a very critical truth that no one else ever does: we sometimes fall in love when we REALLY don't want to, and it flat-out SUCKS to be in love with the wrong person - but when we do, we can't hide and supress our emotions forever, and then things get REALLY messy.

While the rampant abuse of CGI is a negative, it's not exactly restricted to this movie - it's just done better here than in most movies.

Throw in a complicated and intriguing (though totally incomprehensible) plot invloving Boba Fett and an army of clones, and you have a pretty good movie - in my opinion, the best of the bunch.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Whats wrong with Ja Ja Binky Boy.
Review: I liked the bloke. How can you take this movie seriously when its science fiction. To be honest it needed someone like him to lighten up the fairytale.He certainly dont have many fans out there but I'm one. Too many people take this stuff seriously.This is OK but episode 1 is better.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: All is forgiven
Review: Ep.2 is what Ep.1 should have been but we must remember that Lucas had not directed a film in eons and probably the challange of a new star wars movie did create more than just a few problems for him. If we treat Ep.1 as just a setup movie for Ep.2 and Ep.3 then we can forgive him but as a stand alone movie Ep.1 blows. Ep.2 however does everything in aces and George does here what he should have done since the start - LISTEN TO WHAT HIS FANS WANT!

So with Ep.2 George does the impossible, he dashes all our wounds from Ep.1 by giving us a remarkable installment in the series. Seeing Yoda command Storm Troopers into battle just makes your jaw hit the ground and when he does his *thing* fans will wet themselves in total *glee*. The end battle sequence sets new standards in CGI and the story is now MOVING in the direction that we wanted it to go. Yes, this is a great star wars prequel and is only topped by Ep.IV and Ep.V but is leaps and bounds ahead of Ep.VI and Ep.I but we have the feeling that George has left the best till last. No doubt if the curve here is anything to go by we should all feel very happy with Lucas et co in the end.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is what we've dreamed about!
Review: Everyone seemed to like this movie when it first came out, and then the critics started panning it like they did episode I. All of a sudden everyone was dissing episode II. I have a different take altogether.

This is the movie we dreamed about when we heard of the heyday of the Jedi and the clone wars in A New Hope. This movie is awesome.

Yes, Anakin pouts and spouts too much, but go back and watch the original series. Star Wars has always been about B-movie dialogue blended with A-movie action and special effects. No movie in the Star Wars saga should ever be nominated for an Academy Award. The series is not about that. It is about a rag-tag band of B-actors doing something that gives all of us ordinary folks out there hope about the future. People talk about this movie as though it should have been made in the style of The English Patient. C'mon people this is Star Wars! Get real. This movie is as good as it gets. The build up to the clone wars...the mingling of the Imperial March with the music from episode I. The political intrigue...the love affair. This stuff is buliding up to the most anticipated battle between good and evil of all time.

Episode II is an awesome movie. It is a vast improvement over Episode I (which was not as bad as people now say). I'm appalled that so many die-hard Star Wars fans are falling for the bulls*&t put out by the critics.

The Bottom Line: I left the theater after Ep. II seriously questioning whether or not I could make it the three years until Ep. III. Every time I've been to a movie since, I've sat in anticipation of a preview glimpse of Ep. III. Weak movies don't create that type of anticipation. I'm sure if most of you diehard fans are honest with yourselves and listen to your hearts instead of the numbskull critics you know you agree.

Episode II was great Star Wars movie-making and on May 25, 2005 Episode III will end the saga in a way that the critics won't like, but that all of us will understand is 'just right'.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Yoda's the Man
Review: This one's so much better than EP1. Again, the minor irritation is the nincompoop Jar Jar Binks. I don't know why they kept this bad joke. He is an awfully lame comic relief character. I was more enthralled by Master Yoda, as the movie delves more into this interesting character as he teaches the very young Jedi children. He's also in numerous scenes as the sort of main general of the old republic fighting force. Yoda's fight scene with the politician was spectacular. It should have been extended 1 or 2 minutes more. After seeing this movie, you'll have gained a more healthier respect for Yoda.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Take with maximum strength Tylenol
Review: Despite foisting the crime of Episode I on the public a few years ago, I was sure that George Lucas would mend the severed ties and get back into the swing of things with Episode II. After all, the greatest goal-scorers in hockey don't stay in slumps for too long, and great filmakers are allowed a mistake here and there.

I eagerly anticipated this movie and saw it on opening night and again the next day. Since then I have watched it DVD and cable to see if there was anything that I could have possibly missed, just for Mr. Lucas' sake. Sadly, I can now confirm that this movie has little to no redeeming qualities.

As always the movie starts with the outer space crawl, one constant in all five films that still gets my blood pumping. And the movie again opens with teriffic beginning scenes, first on the platform and then through the streets (?) of Coruscant. With such a racing 20 minutes feeding me adrenaline, I was ready for the next two hours. Then I wanted to leave.

As soon as Anakin and the Queen break off on their own, the movie sinks like Iron Man with concrete shoes thrown into the ocean. Obi-Wan's plotline involving Jango Fett is infinitely fascinating, but it's paid little to no regard in the film. Etirely too much time is spent breaking away to Anakin and Amidala, but we already know that they eventually fall in love so why do we need to see the drawn-out corting process? There is no reason why that should consume so much screen time.

We have a character who we know is going to become Darth Vader through his contact with Palpatine, but they are on screen together for only a few seconds. Why not show how his mind has been poisoned by the Senator? That plotline, if it had been developed, might have single-handedly saved the movie.

There are many quarrels and quips that could be tacked on to this movie, but anyone who has seen the movie knows what I'm talking about. All I am trying to do is vent my frustration about the last five years in the Star Wars universe. If you have read this far I congratulate you, and now I will go pop in a copy of Empire to soothe the pain. I suggest you do the same.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: STAR WARS has always been greater than the sum of it's parts
Review: With the possible exception of EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, none of the STAR WARS movies stand on their own. STAR WARS (theatrically released without the EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE subtitle because it was never meant to have a sequel) is Kurosawa-lite and loaded with cheesy dialogue and two-dimensional characters taken straight from the 1950's serial matinees that George Lucas idolized. (The swashbuckling pirate, the feisty princess, the evil ruler) and some Joseph Campbell thrown in (the boy-farmer who becomes a man-hero).
EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is perhaps the best of the original trilogy and has the lionshare of the best dialogue and acting (what did they do to Mark Hamill to make him sound so convincing in that Cloud City scene?) and really, feels like a "serious" movie without all the Ewoks and Gungans. Nobody is surprised that George Lucas, with his fascination for commercialism and short creatures (see Duck, Howard the), had less to do with this film than all the others.
RETURN OF THE JEDI is loaded with Muppet Show rejects and walking teddy bears but it is a satisfying conclusion to what amounts to a great saga. It was a movie that HAD to be done, with or without Ewoks!

I consider THE PHANTOM MENACE to be an abberation and not part of the STAR WARS saga. It neither adds nor detracts anything from the other movies. Darth Vader is a little boy, for goodness sake. He had lots of time to become the Dark Lord of the Sith.

And then we get to ATTACK OF THE CLONES. You've got to give Lucas and co. credit for trying to make a serious film this time around. They almost succeeded in recreating the tragic-love angle from ESB. Almost. Neither Natalie Portman or Hayden Christensen looks particularly interested in the love scenes. Hayden in particular seems to be trying to hard to be "Anakin-Vader".
The battle scenes are quite impressive in ATOC. The three-pronged assault in TPM was bogged down by silliness (boomers??) and an anti-climatic ending (Darth Maul had 15 minutes screen-time at best and his, err, coming apart is supposed to matter?) But there's STILL TOO MANY DAMN DROIDS IN EPISODE II!!! The producers tried feverishly to avoid the dreaded PG-13 rating in both films by cutting down on the number of human casualties. But they did so at the expense of some credibility.

All I can say is, EPISODE III better be worth the wait or EPISODES II won't stand the test of time that distinguishes a great movie from just another blockbuster.


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