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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
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent Addition to Star Wars Universe
Review: Anyone who is familiar with Star Wars Episode I DVD know that it is the benchmark for DVD excellence (the quality of the movie itself is debatable however.) From reading the description of the disc, I'm sure it will be no different.

Episode II is an improvement over TPM in terms of quality of the film itself.

Highly recommended.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Here we go again...
Review: With the newest prequel in the magical sci-fi saga, George Lucas has created a film that is by turns thrilling, romantic, suspenseful, and powerful. Ignore the complaints the critics, like so many clones, have been throwing out against this film. Like a grand maestro orchestrating the creation of an entire galaxy, Lucas continues to add onto his dense world and powerful story with a focus and style that hasn't been this effective since The Empire Strikes Back.

Set ten years after The Phantom Menace, Episode II: Attack of the Clones follows Anakin Skywalker, future Dark Lord, as mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi is training him in the Force. They are assigned to protect Queen Padme from assassination attempts as the Republic is faced with numerous separatist factions. While this is happening, Anakin begins to fall in love with Padme, going against his strict Jedi codes, while numerous other internal and external struggles take a part in Anakin's growing dark side.

In contrast to so many other one-note plots out there, there are many simultaneous mini-stories going on in the course of this film's action - story threads that converge together wonderfully in the finale, like the assassination attempts on Padme, the romance, the rise to power of Palpatine (who will become the Emperor in the original trilogy), and the Clone Wars. All of these individual plot strands are explored in turn, and it keeps us involved. The cutting back and forth between each one gives it an exciting pace. It's a trademark of all the Star Wars movies that their plots are this rich and dense.

The last 30 to 40 minutes of the film, which show the beginning of the Clone Wars, contain some of the most frenzied, kinetic, awe inspiring battle sequences to ever be put on film, and shows how these prequels are certainly as thrilling as any of the other chapters. Imagine grand, apocalyptic shots of various soldiers, droids, lightsaber-wielding Jedi, battle tanks, attack ships, giant globe-sized transports, lasers and smoke-trailing rockets all mingling together and creating havoc. Like its predecessor, AOTC is certainly a thrilling installment with a finale that few films can best in terms of scale, visuals, and pure epic adrenaline rush.

The romance between Anakin and Padme works because it's complicated. It's passionate yet forbidden; personal yet carrying consequences for the entire galaxy. Anakin is a victim of circumstance as well as his own tragic flaws. He met Padme at an age when he was young and impulsive; the image of her has been with him all the years that he has been training to be a Jedi, the time and distance making his longing for her even stronger. The lack of a strong female figure in his life since he had to leave his mother only reinforces his impulsive and naïve crush on Padme. Add to that his arrogance regarding his skill with the Force and his rebellion against Obi-Wan's "restrictive" teaching style, and you have all the elements for a wonderful characterization.

And make no mistake, his development throughout the movie, like Luke's in The Empire Strikes Back, is brilliant. It's the strength of the drama that it manages to make something as pure and good a feeling as love be one of the causes of his dark transformation. Not so much love as attachment. Going against the Jedi code, he develops attachments to things and people: Padme, his mother, and so on. This in turn causes him to be ruled by his emotions. When he starts to lose these things and people, he becomes afraid. To combat this fear, in order to maintain grip on things in his life, he begins to desire power, and it is this desire for power that becomes his tragic flaw. Loss leads to fear; fear leads to anger; anger leads to a desire for power. "Someday, I'm going to become the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy," he tells Padme in one scene, and the scary thing is, even if we didn't know it already, we can feel the ominous truth in his words.

Hayden Christensen's multifaceted, emotional performance as Anakin might be the single best character portrayal ever seen in a SW movie, thanks to the skillful way he handles the emotionally complex role and the little improvisational details he brings to it.

The Star Wars films are organic films; they seem to live, breath and grow. Episode II has new imaginative settings - the water planet of Kamino, the hive-caves of Geonosis, the industrial wasteland on Coruscant - new appendages added onto the body of Lucas' imagination. One can see the growth of the characters introduced in Episode I as they come closer to what we know them as from the original trilogy. The film evolves visually; the designs of certain ships and soldiers begin to resemble the images in A New Hope. For example, the Clonetroopers bear a creepy resemblance to the Stormtroopers of the original films. It's like watching an entire history play out in front of our eyes.

And it's a joy to watch. At the end of the film you will have a grin on your face as wide and stupid as you will when you see those beloved words appear again for the very first time: "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..."

Like the incredible Episode I DVD, the 2-disk AOTC DVD is fully loaded: audio commentary from Lucas and the other key members of production, deleted scenes (which have their special effects restored just for the DVD), lots of featurettes and documentaries on the making of the movie, and all the trailers and TV spots. And if you weren't able to see the digitally-filmed movie on a digital projector at the theater, you will be able to get the same experience now, since the DVD format itself is digital. So knock yourself out while waiting for the originals to arrive on DVD (which won't happen until after Episode III, by the way).

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: 4 Words and an Incomplete Sentence
Review: Dazzling. Epic. Wooden. Deficient.
Spectacular battle sequences triumph over hopelessly bad dialog and absurdly twisted plot.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Star Wars Rocks!!!
Review: I know I'm a Star Wars fan, so maybe I'm biased, but I still think this is a great movie. I think it's better than Episode I, but not by much--they're both good. I have to say though, in the two trilogies, the second movie is the cliff-hanger, and thatis true with both The Empire Strikes Back and The Attack of the Clones. However, I like Attack of the Clones better because it doesn't leave you hanging wondering what happenedwith one of the characters. It does have a bit of a cliffhanger, but not as much. While this movie isn't perfect, it's still good.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Hopefully in DTS
Review: Well this movie was far superior to the first movie, The Phantom Menace. As a Star Wars fan from old, I can say this movie is my 2nd favorite. Now behind Empire Strikes Back. Although, it would have been killer to show more battle scenes and a space battle. The closeing scene with the Troopers loading up on the cargo ships getting ready to head to battle...was awesome. It is a great setup for the next movie in the series. As far as this movie is concerned, it's good. But not great. However, I will still buy it. I just hope it's in DTS for my Klipsch surround system.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: EXCELLENT!
Review: This is the 2nd Best of all the star wars movies indeed. Some say the plot drags, but it works for me, it is always moving forward and it is fun to watch all the pieces come into place into the Star Wars series. This is my 2nd favorite Star Wars movie, behind only The Empire Strikes Back. The film left me yearning more for the next installment that Episode 1 did, some of the sequences will definitly take their place alongside the other famous star wars scenes in the movie serie's hsitoy, such as the Obi-Wan Jango Fight, the Arena battle and of course, Yoda and Darth Tyranus.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: How hard is it, really?
Review: I think George Lucas can make a Star Wars movie, while intoxicated from the wine, that flows freely, on Skywalker ranch even. I am a very big Star Wars fan, and I felt this episode was alot better than Episode I. There was actually enough action to sustain me, before the big ending. And so to the ending, it was quite refreshing. Yes, some more of the usual laser deflecting jedi skill, but with some nice twists. If this were an original movie, it would have been bigger. As far as George Lucas' intoxication, well maybe with the Star Wars ambiance, although you usually see double (Attack of the clones). HaHa! It's a good film!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: best episode ever!
Review: I've been a fan of star wars series, but this was the best of all. Great visual effects and story that makes you wonder for the next episode.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best Epic Since Return Of The Jedi!
Review: First of all, this is a follow-up to the "infamous" The Phantom Menace(which most critics called it). Not a bad one too. TPM was ok. But this is better. In Episode II, things have become more clearer as Anakin tries to struggles with his inner feelings. And this makes the perfect moment for the Darkside to seduce Anakin, which we'll get to see his full transition to Darth Vader(I hope) in the upcoming Episode III. This is gonna be the first "digital film" due to it's precise digital transfer of the film, touted to be the next best thing in DVD, if I'm not mistaken. On the whole, this sequel to TPM or prequel of the Star Wars Anthology, is the best I've seen. Since you want more lightsaber fighting scenes, you got it! Double the action! Interesting plot makes this movie two thumbs up. Oh yeah, another thing is that this DVD will be anamorphic widescreen! Good for those who have a projector, widescreen plasma TV and a good home theater system to get the movie GOING. Calling all SW fans out there. This is one "bloody-marvelous" movie not to be missed!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: It was "okay.."
Review: Episode 1 and 2 were satisfactory in my opinion, but there was just that "too good to be true" aura around it and Lucas gave in to a pet peeve of mine.. the "heroes" were made untouchable, predictable, and the stereotypical "good guys." The original trilogy revealed flaws in each character, and it delved deeply in to the imperfection of the situation.. but emphasized their earnest will to live to tell the tale.

GL's true colors showed, I think, when he made the Ewoks instead of the initial Wookies. Okay, that was acceptable.. but he underlined his inclinations when he submitted to Jar Jar and that entire species. What I did like was the mystery that shrouded the species on Kamino in EP II, and all that.. true science fiction.

But I'm thinking, perhaps, that this is his plan.. after all, this IS all just one big saga and it's a common strategy for writers to make everything all nice and happy until the climax. We just shouldn't have been forced to wait through two movies and 8 years for that moment. The problem was, nothing monumental happened in Episode 1.. it was like we were just sitting around waiting for something to happen.

I believe Star Wars will truly be saved if GL executes Episode 3 properly.. I want that same atmosphere when Darth Vader enters the room, I want to see an imposing movie that strikes fear and awe, not a stifled laugh as oversized balls chase around an animated cartoon you could care less about.

What more, is how Lucas animated everything. Sure, if he wants to make the movie look "high-tech" - or in other words make it look like every other recent movie released. The trilogy had actual models, physical models of ships and so forth made out.. it looked real, with the classic kicked around and dirty ships, obvious wear showing, the believable effects of a seasoned fighter craft.. the attention to detail they paid.

I call this prequel a lazy attempt. As I said, it's satisfactory, in my opinion.. but it's not up to par with the obvious standards they set two decades ago. I enjoyed these movies and I don't want to be considered just another stalwart critic. I enjoyed them, but no more than I've enjoyed any other movies I've seen lately.


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