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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: 2 stars
Summary: Declining in quality
Review: The first three Star wars movies where fresh, innovative, and witty. That's what made them a hit. When you saw a creature it was really there, you felt it was solid and that considerable work went into creating it. When we saw a space ship fly we knew it was a special effect but it was beautiful to look at still. Now Mr. Lucas has relied too much on computer generated images that sometimes do not impress us because they look washed out, unrealistic, like they don't have a mass. The acting was terrible in this movie, and the cliches- the old friend at the dinner, the "I hated when he does that" line by Obi Wan-and the total disregard of self preservation like when Obi Wan jumps out the window from Amidala's suite to grab the floating spy robot at a hundred or plus stories...or Anaking diving into traffic to catch the assassin... Just as if they knew they where in a fictional world where no harm could come to them. It doesn't work when the hero has no fears, no worries of geting hurt, because we can't relate to that, and if we can't relate, we don't care. The movie felt like browsing a book, page by page: no heart, no momentum, no surprises like when Han Solo sees Darth Vader in the dinning room at Lando's city. AOTC seems to have been written in a rush, without much regard for content, style or form since not much happens, the action scenes are few and far between, and the story doesn't build up to the final battle. I can imagine Mr. Lucas jumping up and down behind the editor :"ok, ok, so when do cut to the final battle, when do we, when do we?" Wanting to show his main digital work: a choreography of combined digital animation, live characters, and matte images that do not save the movie.
"More is not always better" we learn, because a movie is not as good as the number of digital images it presents. Mr. Spielberg should get a chance to direct the next Star Wars movie in order to save the franchise. The title of this movie is misleading since the clones are used to attack the bad guys, why not use
"Defense of the clones". "The Empire Strikes back" was properly used since it means what says. Here you think the clones will take over and enslave all, but that's not what happens at all.
The scene of babies being harvested in huge fields in "The Matrix" was far more powerfull, well done and effective than the scene where Obi Wan is shown the cloning facilities in Attack of The Clones which looks like a digital artist simply copied and pasted the same baby, and Jango at age 20, over and over...Digital manipulation, to be effective needs character, creative license, to make each images interesting. For example
since the cloning facility is so huge, maybe there are areas where the air temperature and moisture differ from others and little dropplets appear to cling from the glass cointainers holding the babies, and the lighting could vary a bit with darker backgrounds and the like. The movie is nice to look at as long as you don't expect to be awed by what you see. A few good scenes are the fight between Obi Wan and Jango Fett, the chase in the skycrapers and the final battle. Kids will like it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Extremely UNDERRATED motion picture epic!
Review: "Star Wars--Episode II: Attack of the Clones" was unfairly trashed by film critics and even by so-called "Star Wars" fans alike. Respectively and understandably, the new trilogy will never be as clever or as exciting as it's original, but that's only because people expect so much from these films now that they usually end up being disappointed because they weren't "as perfect as fans had imagined them to be". Director and creator of "Star Wars", George Lucas, has at least realized that he can't please all of his fans all of the time.

PLOT SUMMARY: "Attack of the Clones" takes place ten years later after "The Phantom Menace". Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen...who did very well in his role, dispite much critizism), is now a teenage and Master Obi-Wan Kanobi's (Ewan McGregor) Jedi apprentice. Summoned by the Jedi Order, Obi-Wan and Anakin must protect Senator Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) from danger, as the Empire is failing. After Amidala is attacked, Obi-Wan goes off to hunt down Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison), who he believes is responsible for the attacks. This leaves Anakin to protect Amidala, and they must travel to her home planet for safety. While on Naboo, Anakin and Amidala struggle with their personal feelings for each other, as a Jedi cannot fall in love and Amidala wants to concentrate on her duties. But as the film progresses, their love grows stronger, and ultimately, they realize that they cannot hide their feelings for one another. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan hunts down Jango Fett, and they get involved in a lightsaber duel, but Obi-Wan also learns that it isn't Fett who is endangering the Senator and the Empire, but it is the mysterious Count Dooku (Christopher Lee), once a Jedi Knight who went over to the Dark Side and wants power from the Empire. The end of "Attack of the Clones" features a spectacular lightsaber duel between Count Dooku, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and even Yoda (Frank Oz), and the introduction to Episode III.

MY OVERALL THOUGHTS: I personally think "Attack of the Clones" is a fantastic addition to the "Star Wars" series. Lots of great action/lightsaber battle sequences, good acting (for a "Star Wars" film, anyway), and perfectly-casted actors. The sepcial effects are superb, and I can only imagine what the special effects will be like in Episode--III. The original score by John Williams is incredible, I especially like the "Love Theme". The dialouge is a little weak, but c'mon--wasn't ALL "Star Wars" dialouge like that? If you want to see a film with superb dialouge and Oscar worthy performances, then go see a film like "The Hours". But if you want to relive the magic of "Star Wars" and see the continuation of this exciting, thrilling sci-fic masterpiece, then go see "Attack of the Clones".

The DVD is a masterpiece of itself. There are two discs. The second disc features hours and hours of extra bonus footage, basically that saying, there's no way you could watch all of the bonus features in one day. At least two days is needed; perhaps more. The DVD bonus features include eight deleted scenes with introductions, commentary track by the filmmakers, a documentary on the creation of the digital characters, find out more about the animatics team, a documentary on the sound, three featurettes, 12-part web documentary, a music video featuring John Williams, production photos, one-sheet posters, trailers, exclusive DVD-ROM features, and much more. The DVD is available in wide screen and full frame formats.

I highly recommend "Star Wars--Episode II: Attack of the Clones".

Score:
98/100
A+

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Better than the reviews led me to believe, but still...
Review: To begin with Episode II certainly isn't at the same level of quality than the original trilogy, but that may be an unfair standard to live up to. On its own Episode II is not bad SF. The special effects are excellent. The landscapes and backgrounds are great as well.

The film's weakest moments are its concentration on romance. Most of us don't go to a Star Wars movie looking for romantic storylines.

I'd recommend Episode II to anyone who enjoys the Star Wars franchise but I'd warn them that it's not up to the quality of the original trilogy. That and I'd recommend keeping your finger on the fast forward.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: snooze...
Review: When I sat down to watch Attack of the clones,I was hoping it would restored my faith in George Lucas and the Star Wars series. Unfortunately, it was not to be. This is worse then the Phantom Menace. The acting is dreadful. Most of them are spouting off philosophical lines like there got sticks up there butts. Ewan McGregor is so boring as Obi-wan. Hayden Christensen is terrible, he wines so much it's hard to believe this is the future Darth Vader. Natalie Portman is still wooden. The Jedi are idiots and deserve what they get. I was cringing throughout the romantic scenes. This movie is boring and has no soul. George Lucas cannot write or direct, his dialogue is cheesy and the action scenes are a mess, take the lightsaber fight scene between Yoda and Dooku, showing Yoda bouncing around like a soccer ball was so ridiculous I was laughing. Lucas, get someone else to direct the next movie and maybe then will see a good prequel.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Maybe one of the clones directed this movie
Review: Maybe one of the clones featured in this movie directed it...This HAD to be the case, because the latest entry into the Star Wars saga is completely void of any signs of human life or emotion that made the original trilogy so much fun.

I'm not a HUGE Star Wars fan, I've seen the originals once or twice, but they were fun, energetic movies that made you root for the heroes. While watching Attack of the Clones, you simply root for the credits to start rolling. The movie is flat out boring. The acting in The Phantom Menace was bad, but at least it could be blamed on the face that Anakin Skywalker was played by a child actor...What is the excuse for Hayden Christenson's terrible performance? He recited his lines worse than some actors I've seen in high school plays and should be nominated for a Razzie award. Now, bad acting can easily be excused if there is an engaging storyline as in the original trilogy. Mark Hamill's performance was far from Academy Award worthy, yet he delivered his lines with such energy that is sadly missing from Attack of the Clones.

Many people were turned off at the thought of a love story in this movie. I was actually looking forward to it. When pulled off correctly, romances can be the best part of an action movie (Look at Spiderman) Alas, that is not to be in this movie. The romance betweeen Anakin and Padme is convoluted and contrived, not loving and romantic. The lack of expository scenes (which can be found as deleted on the DVD) make the love story very confusing. One minute Padme feels uncomfortable by Anakin's advances, the next scene, she's kissing him?

The Phantom Menace was not a good movie, but it had enough cheesy moments (mostly due to Jar Jar Binks) to put it into the "so bad it's good category". With Bink's diminished screen time in AOTC, at least we now know he is not to be blamed for the demise of the STar Wars series.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: this never gets boring
Review: Ok, as far as the DVD is concerned it is worth the money. Just as thorough as Episode I expect to see almost every nook and cranny of this movie from the costumes to set designs to web interviews. Special feature fanatics will be very, very happy. As far as the movie is concerned it was great to see some of the questions answered from episodes 4,5,& 6. Why Lucas has not received an Oscar for special effects yet (conspiracy?) I don't know but he is still the pioneer of special effects storytelling no matter what the critics say. I think my only gripe is with the Anakin/Padme relationship. I know they are not Han & Leia or anything but it just wasn't as deep as I thought it was going to be. Someone please let Lucas know that not all fanboys are allergic to the mushy stuff. There just some scenes where the couple looked way to stiff, like the cardboard cutouts they sell at Starlog. I hope in the next film they take their sweet time to let things play out more naturally. Through the Harry Potters and Lord of the Rings I think we can handle a little more plot now. Major points for the guy(s) who designed the Yoda battle. It just never gets old. Not much else to say. It's Star Wars, nuff said.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: What a piece of dreck
Review: You know that repulsive feeling you get when you imagine licking the bottom of your shoes? That's the feeling I got when seeing Attack of the Clones. Revealing my age, I stood in line outside the theater for three hours to see the very first Star Wars movie. This prequel does not deserve to be part of the legacy.

The best part of the movie was watching Yoda do some damage with his light saber. The remainder of the very long film was not worth the time to view it. The plot was thin. The opening special effects were comical.

But, oh, there was lots of action. There was the animals in the pit fighting - a masterpiece of animation, pointless but very well done. There was the dodging the asteroids scene - Atari would have been proud. And, there was the saber fight with Jango Fett, who let us see his human side - just another day on the job. These scenes were loosely pasted together with what seemed to be a few sentences of dialog.

This movie serves only as a transparent vehicle to sell Gameboy Advance, Star Wars Episode II (GBA). It is nothing more than a full-length commercial backed by greedy marketers to sell kids video games and action figures. Skip the movie. Play the game. Your own imagination will take you to places well beyond this pointless film.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: This is Science Fiction?
Review: I didn't think this movie was as bad as the other reviews suggest but this movie was not very good and I say this noting that George Lucas is a good director but I think he rushed this work and he could've done better with it.

The dialog was to put it mildly atrocious. I've never seen such horrid acting since Manos the Hands of Fate. It doesn't have to be Shakespere but let's try to put some heart into what we're saying. This movie felt like a two-hour long video game. Is this what Sci/Fi has been relagated to? The DVD has excellent extras though.

If you are truly a Star Wars Fan, nothing George Lucas does with the franchise will disappoint you. It's just gotten too commercial for me to stand. I'd consider renting before buying it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The heck with the negative reviews, I liked it.
Review: It seems a lot of shallow people hated this movie. Why? There is nothing in this movie that warrents the kind of negative reveiws that this movie has gotten. It's the same also with Star Trek; Nemesis. A good movie that was given a lot of unwarrented critisism. Anyway, this movie has a good music score, a good romance, and an epic adventure to tell. Something a lot of other movies made these days do not have.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Lucas does it again, or does he?
Review: The film simply leaves you salivating for more. The CGI was a bit overused in my opinion and you almost can¡¯t tell what is real and what is fake. To compare this film to that LOTR trash, is an exercise in futility. The LOTR is one of the most revered epics of the 20th century. Sadly, no film in the Star Wars mythos can even compare. As far as the plot goes, it is designed to be labyrinth for a point. All of these elements are intertwined in order to make the entire saga come together. Alas, there are still gaps in the story. If Episode I takes place thirty years before A New Hope, then how can there be twenty years between A new Hope and Episode III?

Let¡¯s get to comparisons for a moment. As far as this sequel goes in comparison to Empire Strikes Back, ESB is the better film. Let me tell you why. In ESB, the heroes and the story are constantly on the go, it never slows down except for when Luke goes to train with Yoda. In AOTC, Lucas mixes a lot of familiar elements (detective story, love story, political intrigue and war epic) but though succeed in blending together, the audience is left salivating because the plot does not flow as fast and as beautifully as ESB. The result: you have a convoluted mix of action, romance, and political intrigue that does set up for a sequel (Episode III) but does not succeed in standing on its own.

As far as Hayden Christensen goes, we have to remember that this guy is a rookie actor. He cannot be expected to wow us the way Harrison Ford did. Ford just has this onscreen charisma and sex appeal that you can¡¯t help but admire. Nobody can do it like Ford did it, so we can stop expecting so much from future actors in this franchise. Hayden portrays the character as he is meant to be, brooding, confused, in love. His line delivery needs work, though. When he delivers his lines, we see the emotion, but with his delivery, he fails in actually getting the audience to feel as the character feels. The romance between Amidala and Anakin is very well built in my opinion but the edge, the charisma, and the emotion is not felt in us the way it was in ESB.

Another element is the music. In ESB, John Williams made you feel what those characters were going through with his score. Here we see that the themes are a rehash of previous themes while they elicit emotion, it is nowhere near the caliber of ESB.

This film is not a bad film but it is not a bad film either. Another reason this film failed critically is because of its competition. With so many purists and fanatics out to see something as monumental as Spider-Man or Two Towers or Chicago or whatever, it is hard for a film like this to be successful. Episode II should look at as a continuing setup for the cliffhanger that will be Episode III.


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