Rating: 
Summary: Star Wars: Episode II, Attack of the Clones
Review: Being a gigantic fan of the Star Wars saga, I basically knew (from internet fan sites and forums) the storyline for Episode II for about five mouths before it's release in May. So I went into the theater knowing what to expect. And I got just that: a wonderful new edition to the Star Wars saga, filled with amazing special effects, a great story, and a handful of new planets, a movie that is arguably the best (or close second) of the saga. I left the theater happy that George Lucas had proved all his critics wrong in they're ranting that he had ruined the saga with the prequels, but still thinking it wasn't as good as the originals. As most hardcore Star Wars fans do, I went to see AOTC several times. And each time I grew to like the movie more and more, and by my fourth viewing, my opinion of the movie had drastically changed; it is now my favorite movie of the saga. One of the many things I like about this movie, is the cinematography, (If you've read my review of The Lord of the Rings, you'll notice I really enjoy good cinematography.)
The best example is the opening scene with the Royal Starship flying through the planet Coruscant's foggy skies; the sound effects also add to the amazing scene.
Another example is a quick shot of the Lars homestead on Tatooine. Even though the shot is very short, it's reminiscent of a movie from the 40s or 50s.
Oh, and I can't forget the where most of the best shots come from: Kamino.
This all rain and water planet is one of the most amazing CGI environments I have ever seen in a film. The most noticeable - and the most talked about - flaw of the film, would have to be the somewhat poorly written love story between Anakin and Padme. I didn't have too much of a problem with it, but Lucas should have made this decision; should the love story take up half/most of the film, or should it stay out of the way, much like Han and Leia's affair in The Empire Strikes Back. Lucas does not make this decision, instead letting the love make up about ΒΌ of the movie, enough to definitely be noticed, but not enough to effectively tell the love story the way it should have been told. The other complaint that some critics have is that Episode II suffers some bad acting, mainly by Hyden Christinsen and Natalie Portman. I however do not share they're appraisal, Chritinsen's acting is superb, and though Natalie Portman has not given her best performance in either of the two Episodes she appeared in, she is still quite good in AOTC. The only complain I could possibly have about the acting is a bit of corny dialogue ("this party's over"). And now, to the directing...
I'll be the first to admit George Lucas is not the best director in Hollywood, that he is a much better storyteller. But he's still a very good director.
In an interview Lucas - or, as many fans jokingly call him; ye flannelled one - stated that he made the Star Wars films like silent movies, relying a lot on the visual aspect of the movie, and then having the dialogue act more as a musical score; an accompaniment to the main aspect (the visuals). So some of the dialogue in the saga is a little dry, but other then that, this style of filmmaking has worked wonderfully for Lucas. And it certainly did in Attack of the Clones. Overall, Star Wars: Episode II, Attack of the Clones (long name) is an exquisite edition to the Star Wars saga, and one is left thinking: "If Episode III is better then this, it's going to be the best Star Wars film ever made."
Rating: 
Summary: Attack of the Critics
Review: A comparison is often made between the original trilogy (Star Wars: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi) and the last two prequel movies (The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones). The main difference between these two is that the original trilogy focused on a particular character while the two latest movies lack this focus. Really the first three movies were about Luke Skywalker and his becoming a Jedi. Each movie focused for its climax on a pivotal moment in that development. This ties the whole trilogy together into one magnificent whole that more people can relate to because the whole set of subplots were reflected in the personal development of Luke. The latest two movies lack this central character. I feel this character should be, for the prequels, Obi Wan Kenobi. After all it is his efforts that have been central to the second movie. In the first prequel he faces the tragedy of the death of his mentor. How this affected him--did he succomb to the dark side and use anger to defeat Darth Maul?--was never adequately addressed. In the second movie, his student fails to listen and they both become a burden (two bodies lying on the floor) rather than an asset at a crucial moment. This could have been used to build the theme that his training of Anakin would have been blinded by his own loss and how he has developed as a Jedi. Indeed loss is the theme in the second movie where we see loss of Jedi, Anakin lose his control in a profound way and Obi Wan loose control of Anakin more than once and fail to be aware of the degree of anger and pain in his young student. These developments, while obvious, are not emphasized sufficiently in the story to see how important they are. Why doesn't Obi Wan not see Anakin's pain? If there had been at least a scene where Yoda took Obi Wan aside and said something to him about Anakin and Obi Wan had dismissed it (followed by a warning regarding Obi Wan's own blindness), then that might have laid a better foundation (perhaps, I missed this when I went for popcorn). We know, after all, that in the original Star Wars Obi Wan will knowingly make the ultimate sacrifice to instruct the son of his student on the value of not giving in to the dark side. The great mystery of why he did this is enough to carry three movies if focused on sufficiently and developed as well as George Lucas can develop a story. I think this is really what is lacking in the recent movies. Otherwise I believe Lucas has delivered a consistently compelling movie experience full of science fiction wonder, heart-pounding action and interesting characters.
Rating: 
Summary: What a waste!
Review: A disappointing effort. The acting in this film is pitiful! The effects are OK. Won't be seeing the last sequel.
Rating: 
Summary: Okay I Guess
Review: The end was good with Yoda and and the clone troper battle but that old fart Duku beating Obi-Wan and Anakin was ridiculous!!The rest was pretty boring. To many lovey dove parts. I liked Spider-Man a lot more! Episode III better a heck of a lot better!! If you ask me old Georgey Lucas is losing his touch!!
Rating:
Summary: Good but no Empire
Review: If you want the benchmark of Star Wars films you have to look at Empire Strikes back. The depth of Empire sets it apart from the rest of the Star Wars films. But to the fact. ATOC is a fun adventure which is what I expect from Star Wars nothing more and nothing less. The special effects are par for what i expect from a visual genius of Lucas's calibur. Seeing Yoda fight is worth the price of admission alone. The soundtrack is not up to par with Williams Id say. There is no memorable catch like all the other films. The Duel of Fates and the Imperial March are used in parts of which I love but nothing new of consequence. Lucus is still a master but this time around he has been caught and passed by the Lord of the Rings which used a better story (written by a Professor) and equally as impressive effects to create a world deeper and more rich with history. The film id place ahead of The Phantom Menace and Return of the Jedi but behind A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back.
Rating:
Summary: Star Wars Episode 2
Review: Hmmm, gee, maybe everyone watched a different version. Because all I hear are complaints from people who are expecting too mcuh from the new prequels. This is REALLY how it is. Episode 2 explored greatly Anakin's love and hurt. A great addition to the series. Still not comparable to the originals, but I was never expecting anything better, just a fill in for the gap.
Rating:
Summary: The force is strong in this one
Review: Most of the reviews seem to start 'I am a big Star Wars fan but.....' Well I am a big Star Wars fan...AND this is a great addition to the series. Unlike others who seem to think that this is a documentary, it is actually a fantasy/ adventure film that is still true to all that have gone before. Stop worrying about effects and supposedly wooden dialog and try to come to this as you did when you saw the first three movies (yes I know you're 20 years older and life has been hard)and you won't be dissappointed - Roll on Episode III
Rating:
Summary: The Best Star Wats EVER PERIOD!
Review: I am a Star War fan since birth. I have seen the original films so many times that it would be impossible to count. I continue to watch them every other month or so. I was disappointed with Episode 1. Jar Jar was a little too much to handle. But that is all old news. The most recent installment washed away all of that. From the start it never lets you go. The action scenes keep coming and coming with each one out doing the one before it. Finally, culminating in the ending battle scene that is of a scope never seen before on the Big Screen. It all came together when Yoda unleashed the fury of force proving once again that he is the Master Jedi. Sure the dialogue was a bit sticky in places but that added to the allure. The relationship of Padme and Anakin was well done and set the tone for the next installment. The third movie will be the culmination of the entire Star Wars universe when we see how things came to pass and how those that we love so much came to be and I wait in breatheless anticipation for all of it to happen in galaxy far, far away.
Rating:
Summary: The choice between a Jedi or a Web slinger was obvious.
Review: What I would have to say (much to the chagrin of many fans) is that this movie is the weakest link in the series. It is entertaining but it has lost some of the elements that made the older Star Wars movies great. Number one is originality, which this movie had little of. Pick a scene in the movie and most chances are you've seen it before in another movie. That air taxi chase on Corruscant, thats the Fifth Element right there. Anakin's sneaking into the Tuskin camp to rescue his mom, thats The Searchers. How about Obi Wan's "release spaceship parts" tactic to elude Jango Fett in the asteroid field, The Romulan Villian from the Star Trek episode "Balance of Terror" pulled this off. The collisium scenes were better but most gladiator movies (or better yet the movie Gladiator) have done it times before. No scene (with the tiny exception of Planet Kamino) does this movie even reach the levels of originality such as the Death Star and it's planet destroying laser, the Sarlacc pit monster or even the podrace. Mr. Lucas should pick up a pen and paper instead of sitting in computer labs and making everything try to look pretty. Speaking of the writing, it couldn't be more bland then here. You won't find the equivilant of "I'd rather kiss a Wookie!" or "That's no moon, it's a space station!" We get novice class excerpts from the book of Lucas mostly on the topic of Anakin's lovelorn for Padme which are spoken amidst the backdrops of every cliche of romance you can imagine (romping through grass fields, boat rides, dinner together and the true yawner, the romantic fireplace sequence complete with a sofa.) Remember the plots of the Star Wars movies being simple and straight forward? (Empire finds hidden base, Rebels evacuate, Luke finds Yoda, Han Solo captured, Luke attempts rescue, Vader reveals secret, Rebels get away). That in a nutshell was EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. For me to sum up ATTACK, it would take much longer and I wouldn't be able to do it without making your head turn a few times. Many people now a days complain about a lack of plot (myslef included at times) so Mr. Lucas thought that if he added enough twists to the story nobody will complain about a lack of plot. As far as I've heard, nobody has so I suppose thats a plus. The special effects are a hair less then what they were in PHANTOM MENACE. I remember a critic saying once that PM, "looks real even though most of it isn't" that was true. For the most part ATOC looks fake because most of it is. Chalk this one up to the new all digital format. On the big screen especially on Geonosis the movie at it's worst almost looks like some prolouge to some new PC shooter. Hopefully on the small screen it will look much better. Last but not least is the actors. When you see him, Christopher Lee is fantastic. Kudos to Samuel L Jackson. Ewan McGreggor who gets the most screen time, you can joke has some big hands (he has a LOT to carry here). He does a great job. I remember in Ep 4 Obi Wan talking about Anakin as being "a good friend". I saw NONE of that relationship here with Anakin. Hayden Christensen is a decent actor but the way Anakin is written is as a whiny, ungratful punk crabbing about how Obi Wan is "unfair" and living by a philosophy of I deserve it because I want it. Seeing Darth Vader: Scurge of the galaxy and thinking of what a pain he was as Anakin doesn't make him seem scary at all but more of a spoiled jerk who now has everything he wanted and can do anything. When Anakin says that some day he'll be the greatest Jedi ever I imagine him finishing the speach by saying "I'm drinking milk, and one day I'll be big and strong!" Okay bad joke. Finishing up, I can say that this movie was a big dissapointment when it came to delivering the bang or entertainment that the other movies in the series have done. SPIDERMAN easily wins my choice as best movie of the summer strictly on it's entertainment value and more humorous aspects. Mr. Lucas has got A LOT of ground to make up in order to win some of my appreciation which was lost with this one. If Episode III doesn't deliver, I can almost gaurentee that most fans won't be looking around for an Episode VII. Who wants to bet by that time, Luca's computers will be able to create all digital actors?
Rating:
Summary: SOOOOOO MUCH Better than Episode One.
Review: Yoda rocks! If you were dissapointed with Episode One then relax! Here is a much better film. Yoda kicks ... in this one. I don't really think that there is much more to say than that.
Oh yeah, Christopher Lee is excellent as the Count and Ewan is looking more and more like Alec everyday and proves yet again that his is the only correct choice for the role as Obi. And Yoda KICKS ... IN THIS ONE!
The action is incredible. Mace Windu played by Sammy L. finally gets to swing a blade and the Fett family are finally back in full effect.
Did I mention that Yoda KICKS ... IN THIS ONE!
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