Rating: 
Summary: Simply Awsome!!!
Review: A must have for any Star Wars fan! I would have loved it if they added an extra DVD since they will be including a lot more features on StarWars.com which they could not fit into the 2 DVDs.
Rating: 
Summary: Lucas needs a "no-man"
Review: wooden. contrived. shallow. boring. embarassingly unfunny, and completely unmemorable. C-3PO's line "this is such a drag" pretty much sums up my feeling about "Clones". In terms of why I didn't enjoy Lucas' latest effort, there isn't much I can add to previous negative reviews. I only bothered to write so I could pass along that I read an extremely enlightening interview with Gary Kurtz, the producer that worked closely with Lucas on ANH and ESB. Its at www.filmforce.com. The interview is fairly long (5 parts), and it doesn't deal exclusively with Star Wars, but a large part of it does. Kurtz shed considerable light on why Epsiodes I & II - and to a lesser extent ROTJ - had a different tone than the earlier films. He confirms what most of us already knew, that Lucas has only "yes-men" around him, he is not good at directing actors, and he cares very little for a compelling plot or character development - but he illuminates why, at least in part, that's the case. George loves his digital cameras and his CG effects, but he doesn't love Star Wars anymore, and it shows. If he could replace every breathing human in Star Wars with a CG alien he would, just to say that he did it. Here's hoping against hope that he will come to his senses and listen to someone with better instincts than he does for Episode III. Yeah, right. It will make money, just as I & II did, but it won't inspire the imaginations of the next generation for years to come. Other, better films, made by passionate, more interesting people will do that for me, George.
Rating: 
Summary: Would have been better with deleted scenes included.
Review: I love the Star Wars movies. But in comparision between the first trilogy and this one, the first blows this one away( so far). The reason is simple, we already know the end result of the prequal trilogy, Anakin becomes Vader. Now it is interesting to find out how he turned but there is no mystery in it. It is going to happen. In the first trilogy we didn't know where it was going ,so we went along for the ride. And were surprised along the way. Plus the story was on a smaller scale, and yes less special effects and more story development Now in saying all that the only thing I really found wrong with "Clones", was the way Lucus treated the romance, between Padme and Anakin, it seemed rushed and fake. Now I know why, in the DVD the have the deleted scenes that you can view. Over Half the scenes build the relationship and romance between the two. Which I feel is very important in the story. But Lucus decided to streemline for time and action purposes. In doing that he really neglected the heart of the story, Anakin's and Padme's love for each other. Plus I think both The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter series remind us of what the Star Wars series used to be, a place we can get lost in. But I think Eps. III will be the best and darkest of the prequals.
Rating:
Summary: Attack of the Marketing Campaign
Review: I was not particularly eager to see the latest installment in the Star Wars saga and it seems that my lack of enthusiasm was appropriate. Despite the ludicrous speeder chase on Coruscant, the story was rather slow moving at first, much in the same vein as "Pearl Harbor" (excessively sappy romance until the war finally starts). I've not seen actor performances so stilted since my high school musicals - there's better acting in pornos, quite frankly. Hayden Christensen vainly attempts to be the poor man's James Dean and should end up like Mark Hamill - a washed up icon earning rent by doing cartoon voices. The only worthy actor in the whole cast in Christopher Lee, and he's 80. And who wrote those lines? Some of them are just downright bad - cliched and lame. The editing is particularly weird - an unusual juxtaposition of brief scenes that don't always mesh together well. You don't always have time to appreciate the scenery, costumes, and sets because it changes so quickly (and not in the good, fast-paced sort of way). John William's usual musical exuberance is noticeably absent - the soundtrack's best parts are derivative of his scores for the other Star Wars films. As for the plot, it was interesting enough and not as predictable as I was expecting. But without a thorough knowledge of the whole series, the casual moviegoer might be confused and will totally miss a slew of connections and references. Of course, you're not supposed to notice any of these shortcomings because the special effects are incredible. But everyone expects that anyway, so I'd rather see better character development. George Lucas is slowly losing it, but at least he had the good sense to cut N*Sync out of the final product. While this is better than "The Phantom Menace", it's still not as accomplished when compared to the original trilogy. I think it's so easy to be critical because Lucas sets himself up for it. "Clones" is enjoyable when all is said and done, but only because of the visual elements. Having said that, there's still more style than substance. Still, there are worse ways to spend two and a half hours (and several more with all the DVD extras).
Rating: 
Summary: Utter Mess
Review: This movie was a big, thrashing, mess of a thing, and pretty darned boring. No, it isn't that the political intrigue is confusing -- actually that plot arc is pretty simple, with the Emperor-to-be manipulating a military crisis in order to be given emergency powers. (Anyone familiar with Roman history would "get" that, anyway.) The problem is that George Lucas has lost all sense of human scale, so the frenetic action has no tension to it at all. It's a spectacular thing, to make such amazing special effects dull to watch, but Lucas manages it handily. An example: When Obi Wan zooms into an asteroid field, Jango Fett releases "seismic charges" that spread through the field wiping out all the asteroids. Cool visual elements, and a great sound effect. Obi Wan -- zoom -- just barely avoids each detonation. So what? We have no sense of tension, because everything in these last two movies has been like this: chaotic, obviously-impossible-to-evade problem, but the hero just barely gets away. It doesn't matter if it was the fish in Naboo's ocean, or these asteroids, or one of the enormous, impossible-to-understand battle scenes, or the flying car "chase" -- the good guys just escape, and the escape isn't really even understandable. You don't have the sense that Han and Chewbacca are struggling to put together their hyperdrive on the fly, or that they've got to get to a certain point before they can engage it safely, or anything like that; it's just bang, whoosh, another hair-raising getaway. The most important part in a movie like this is the anticipation, the way the audience figures out what the characters are trying to do and roots for them. In these latest Star Wars installments, we don't get any of that. We never see what the characters are trying to do, we just see them bounce around doing physically impossible things until we don't care any more. Add to that the whole "He can't die, Alec Guinness has to play him later" thing, and it's even duller. Also, isn't it too bad the effects have gotten so much more gigantic that we can't even see the characters lots of the time? We end up looking at these gargantuan CGI battles, and not even knowing where the characters are. We see a Republic gunship blow up -- was that theirs? No, of course not. Oh, there they are, waving their light sabers and standing in the midst of things vaguely fighting someone or other. There are so many blaster bolts flying around that nobody can see who's shooting at whom, even. Hoop-de-doo. When there is some personal element, some setup for dramatic tension, it's totally arbitrary. You could build a nice little cat-and-mouse chase around something like Obi Wan trying to get a warning message off to the Republic from enemy territory. Instead he just stands outside his ship, which he's parked out in the open right next to enemy headquarters (!), and he talks clearly into the mike -- oops! he got caught. How dumb is that? C'mon, you could at least try to develop some tension, you know? Toss in maybe 50 completely idiotic actions by the characters. Here comes the climactic duel -- oh, no, Anikin is acting like a bonehead again. The Jedi, deep thinkers that they are, seem not to have figured politics out beyond the "We shouldn't really trust politicians" phase, so "Let's keep a closer eye on the Senate" amounts to a revelation for them. Wow. That's leaving alone the decision to try to rescue Obi Wan and Anikin and Amidala: Okay, so Palpatine has been appointed temporary dictator to combat this enemy army the Republic can't deal with, because the Jedi aren't an army and can't fight... so the Jedi all go off to fight the enemy army? Did that make any sense at all?? Then, during the big battle, they've supposedly cut off communications for the bad guys... only they haven't thought of having any ships above the planet to prevent people escaping, because Dooku just flies right away at the end, no questions asked. So very bad. What a complete, utter mess. I'm giving it two stars because my kids laughed when Yoda started hopping around. Otherwise this is a waste of a lot of talent and special effects, and of two hours of my life. Well, at least I got some ironing done during, and we had some popcorn.
Rating:
Summary: The best
Review: Best Star Wars yet, minus the bad acting by "Anakin" in this movie, plus a lil ierd running by "Mace", but the battle between Yoda and that Sith dude, Count Dookuu, makes it all worth it for sure.
Rating:
Summary: fun movie, good DVD package
Review: I was undecided when I first saw this movie. Could be that it was midnight and I didn't go to bed until four in the morning. But after watching the DVD five times this weekend with my three year old son, I have grown quite fond of it. Like Episode I(which I saw three times within 24 hours of its theatrical release) , it took a while to grow on me. I have to say that this movie is a really fun action-packed ride. Sure, the acting was wooden and the dialog was corney, but I think too many people my age(30-something) look at the original trilogy through rose-colored glasses. When the new movies don't live up to thier unrealistic expectations, they go nuts and trash the movie. Too much vitrol in a lot of these reviews.
The DVD package is really nice. Use the OPTIONS.10+.1.1.3.8 trick to get to the bloopers on disc 1. Since this is the first straight digital DVD, it looks great. The sound is first class as well. Watching it with the sound cranked in DTS was really cool. The CG stuff is eye-poping, though some of it(C3PO in the droid factory)looked less polished. Disc 2 has all kids of documentaries and trailers. This DVD is lots of fun and well worth the price.
After all, IT'S STAR WARS!
Rating:
Summary: Hard to Say REALLY
Review: OKAY....Honestly...All of the Star War's purist (including me) should take a seat for these first 3 episodes. Unfortunately, they are not meant for us. I have watched all of these movies repeatedly, including the "original" trilogy. TPM, AOTC, and up and coming Ep. III are meant for the younger generation of today. I recently took a moment to watch Ep. IV-VI in its entirety, both in widescreen and in regular format. They encompassed the acting and the skill of the time for the format (and I do mean Sci Fi). The FX also encompassed the best of it's time. Today, there is something new. We all have to accept this. GL is on something new. If you ask me?...Which none of you will. I would like to see GL create a new Ep 1-6, including all of the CGI of today. SW is of the past, and SW of the future is built on something entirely different. Those who judge it on past behaviour are wrong and those who judge it on new behaviours are wrong. GL is faced with something that many directors never encounter. The question of how to please the "old" and the "new". It is a tough question. I think he has accepted that none will be please, but all we be glad to see. This movie is not the best. Aside for the FX, it will not win an academy award. GL will not win best director. SW will not win best movie. OKAY...not that it is said lets get to the movie's finer qualities. I love the Yoda scene. SW purist have been waiting for it. Young SW fans will be glad to see it. I like the whole Bounty Hunter plot. SW purist are a little put off by it...(wanting to see more of Boba), but Young SW fans will understand. "I" like the Anakin & Padme marriage at the end. SW purist "should" love it, and SW young fans should love it too. Basically it all boils down to this. If you love SW then there should be something that you like or love about this movie. If you dont' like SW, then you will hate this movie. All reviewers who are looking for greating plots or extreme dialouge should click other buttons. This is a SW Movie. There isn't great acting. The FX is great for the time, and the movie is about the sub culture we exist in. Check yourself or Wreck yourself!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: FX festival with weak story - the same as with Episode 1
Review: Since George Lucas has got the power of CGI, he tends to overuse it everywhere
and seems to forget what really drives a story: the plot and the actors.
Episode 2 suffers from the same weakness as Episode 1 - cheesy dialogs,
pathetic scenes, weak actors and FX at all cost. Warning: Some spoilers may arise, but you can't be surprised by this movie. Watching this movie is like playing a computer game with a fantastic
graphic. I got bored by the love scenes and angry by the silliness of
some acting of the main characters: Why the hell didn't the Jedis use
their force the open the handcuffs in the arena, but Amidala used her hairpin to open it
(what great and new idea) - just wondering why they enemies used force fields
to lock up the Jedis, but enchained them with mechanic handcuffs...
Then the sequence in the factory while they jumped around to escape
the assembly line - it reminded my of SuperMario Bros. and was totally unnecessary!
It seems to be the law of Lucas that Jedi have strong powers but can't use them
when they need them. The biggest laugh was the scene with Anakin's mother: what a terrific
coincidence that she stayed alive for a month after being tortured -
long enough for him to find her - just to die in his arms right away...
Then he kills all the sand people, men, women, children and returns
to his beloved Amidala. He tells her his dirty deed
which makes her to love him even more...
How romantic: He: 'Darling, just found my mother dead
and killed every single person in the sand people's village'.
She: 'Oh, Any, I love you so much... you poor boy had to kill
everything there; let's make a baby for Episode 4.
But first get married at the end of Episode 2,
because this is a G-rated movie'. Ok, there where two scenes I liked:
the waterplanet with the clone factory and the bounty hunter chase
through the asteroid field - they were visually stunning!
Rating:
Summary: Really misunderstood and unfairly reviewed movie!
Review: Luke in ANH "But I was going into town to get some power converters!" Or how about Princess Leia upon getting rescued; "Aren't you a little short for a Storm Trooper?" and another great, masterpiece line when she confronts Darth Vader; "Only YOU would be so bold as to attack a diplomatic star ship!" And of course, I wouldn't really consider it fine acting, or even fine scripting, when Luke (Mark Hamille) finds his aunt and uncle who raised him as charred black skeletons and basically shrugs it off, forgetting all about them in about 5 minutes, but then freaks out when Ben Kenobi dies even though he knew him for about 15 minutes (during which time he learned all about the Force). Let's face it, dialogue and acting are no better in ANH than in Episodes II, in fact I would dare to say that AOTC dialogue and acting is actually an improvement. I take Hayden Christensen's amazing expression of anger and hatred as he carries his dead mother back home over Mark Hamille's whining any day. But nobody here complains about ANH, ranting on and on about some nonsense of the "magic" of the originals, when in truth the 12 year old in you is dead and now looking at the same material as a 30+ year old, you refuse to admit that what you once loved you can't, or don't, anymore. Episode II, in my opinion, was excellent. Star Wars has NEVER been about acting. It has always been about plot, action, and special effects, and it does those superbly. One critic who gave the movie 1 star complained about the clone army that the "writer's" conveniently tossed in to save the good guys in the end. Duh! Did this person not even understand what this movie was about? Did he not understand that both Chancellor Palpatine and Count Dooku purposely set up both the clone army AND the droid army in order to start a war so that Palpatine could gain emergency political powers, which he later manipulates to make him emperor? Jeesh, before you criticize Lucas, first watch the movie carefully and take a few seconds to think about it!
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