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Directed by: George Lucas Starring: Ewan Mcgregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid I also liked Ep2. Not quite as much as Ep1, because this one felt like watching a cartoon in parts. I think Ep1's CGI were fine and well done, whereas in Ep2, I think Lucas overused it. Still, I think the movie was fairly solid, despite issues with the acting. RATING: 4 PROS: Visually stunning, very epic, A+ DVD CONS: Almost too cartoon-y in parts, wooden acting. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
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May 5, 2004 16:12
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I quite enjoyed this movie. Not being the greatest Star Wars fan in the world I wasn't expecting to enjoy it but it surprised me. Its certainly no epic but there are worse ways to spend your time.
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May 5, 2004 19:35
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Actually manages to make Episode 1 look good. BORING BORING BORING plotline, some of the creepiest / worst acting ever coming out of Hayden Christiansen / Natalie Portman, and generally uninteresting in the extreme. Even at the end when the big battle sequence finally starts up, there's very little drama as we know none of the "important" people are going to die, and the backdrop is basically two big blobs of units, one stormtrooper, one robot, shooting at each other for a while. And don't even get me on Yoda's swordfighting skills. Ugh.
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May 5, 2004 20:26
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So much of this movie is just giving the fanboys what they want instead of developing an interesting story. Lucas should have made Episode One as the fan-service film, so audiences could get over the nostalgia factor a little bit more, hopefully in time for the remaining films to get a better reception.
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May 5, 2004 20:34
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Attack of the Clones is retarded. There are very long stretches of pure garbage in this movie, mostly of Anakin whining and trying to get into Padme's panties. Hayden Christensen's acting was just horrid, by the way. I believe the most important event in the entire movie - when Anakin went apeshit/evil and slaughtered all those sandpeople - was only shown for about two seconds, bad move. Also, Yoda in kung-fu stance was just stupid. I give this movie a 1.5.. out of 5.
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May 5, 2004 21:20
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quote:Linguica came out of the closet to say: This is my exact thought on the movie. The movie was also just so full of original trilogy references it actually became annoying. 1.5/5
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May 6, 2004 01:28
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I loving hate Hayden Christensen. I think he's a horrible actor and I think it shows extremely badly in this movie. He's like a huge black hole of horrible acting right in the middle of the movie. That said, I didn't like the movie much for the reasons stated above. Natalie Portman's hotness saved it from being a 1. 1.5.
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May 6, 2004 02:57
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Walking out of the theater I thought to myself, as much as I hated this movie, I would still end up watching Episode 3. A second viewing on DVD eliminated all possibility of that, so I guess I should be thankful. The dialogue was atrocious (SAND! THE SAND IS ROUGH AND YOU'RE SO SOFT! DO I REALLY NEED TO GIVE EXAMPLES FOR THIS?), the romance was fanfiction twaddle, all the actors are completely off their game, which I suspect is the fault of Lucas's directing rather than their skills, and everything else was mediocre, which is inexcusable given the time and budget Lucas was given. There is no point to these prequels' existence, we know everything that happened and there hasn't been a single surprise. Yoda's 10 second fight is all I want to remember of it. 1/5, it was below average and I really disliked it Knight fucked around with this message at 19:09 on May 6, 2004 |
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May 6, 2004 03:17
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I remember seeing this in the theater and thinking that it was medicore. I recently grabbed the DVD to demo some projectors and upon a second viewing the flaws of this movie really stand out. Flat, hammy, occasionally cliche dialog. "I think we're out of danger now... KABOOM!" I honestly felt embarrassed for some of the dialog the characters had to spout. Maybe it was the smaller screen but the sets looked really fake upon a second viewing. It was quite easy to pick out the physical from the CG without much effort. Some of the creature designs look as if they were done by a six year old. In particular, the creatures in the field during the date (small legs in the center, huge head and rear end) should not even be able to stand up given their disproportinate physical attributes. The above comment also applies to many of the vehicles. Who builds a tank with two thin hoops for wheels? This is Star Wars, not the teen drama queen show.
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May 6, 2004 05:51
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Natalie Portman's torn jumpsuit and Yoda kicking rear end saves this boring, overlong, self-indulgent movie from complete wash-out status. But I'm glad I waited for it to appear on satellite rather than getting annoyed over Jar Jar on the big screen again. Also the new Anakin makes you pine from the glory days of Jake Lloyd's convincing performances (though I don't completely fault the actors, must've been tough when all your sets and most of your buddies were CGI). 1.5/5 Sparkylicious fucked around with this message at 15:15 on Jun 21, 2004 |
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Jun 21, 2004 15:12
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You guys are hilarious. "THE ACTING WAS BAD THEIRFORE -10 OUT 5 WURST MOVIE EVER K BYE"
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Jun 21, 2004 15:56
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3.0 -- Whatever enjoyment I got from some of the decent action scenes is heavily outweighed by the painful love story and dialouge. End jedi fight scene was especially good. Seriously, did anyone read the script and say to George: "You know, these lines sound like they're from a bargain bin Harlequin romance novel, perhaps we could rework them?" -- or were they too afraid?
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Jun 21, 2004 16:39
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I found everything I was looking for in this movie. It feels more like the original than TPM did, and despite a few shortcomings in terms of cheesy acting (like the originals didn't have that), it seemed spot-on. I would've appreciated less gaudy romance scenes though. That's the biggest fault I can give AotC. Otherwise, its a 2 and a half hour romp of good ol Star Wars fun. 4.5/5
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Jun 21, 2004 19:15
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2.0 The action sequences were pretty well done, but the script and acting were just awful. It was like watching a bad high school play. Yoda flying everywhere kicking everyone's rear end is truly the only thing that saves this one from the basement.
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Jun 22, 2004 02:13
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Can't stand the star wars nerds saying that this was as good as the original trilogy. The last half hour had good action sequences, the first hour and a half of this film was one of the most boring things I've ever gone through. Anything good that happened in this movie happened in the final half hour, the rest was just a plain snoozefest. George Lucas is an rear end who does not deserve his fortune (he made somewhere between 600 and 800 million so far for episode 1 and episode 2 combined) 2/5
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Jun 22, 2004 02:51
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The only thing i can say about this movie was at least it was better than episode 1 which isn't saying much for this movie. 2/5
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Jun 22, 2004 06:19
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I think the thing you guys are missing about these movies is that you forget that they were inspired by the b-movies and serials that george lucas loved as a kid. All of the hammy diologe and acting is all intentional, he's just emulating the kinds of movies he loved as a kid. And he's succeeding, because most kids love these new star wars movies, just like you and I loved the originals when we were kids. Go back and watch your beloved original trilogy. All of the hammy acting and bad diologe is still there, we just glaze over that part in our memeories with images of red and blue lightsabers clashing in the dark against the sound of muffled breathing and a respirator.
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Jun 23, 2004 04:14
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I think I was one of the few people who saw the movie the way Lucas wanted us to: Around hordes of screaming Star Wars fans who pretty much packed the theater to its brim. They cheered the Lucasfilm logo. They cheered the "A long time ago..." title. They cheered the scrolling text. They cheered every character when they first appeared onscreen (Jar Jar was filled with a mix of cheers and hisses when he appeared). And they went absolutely apeshit during the Dooku/Yoda fight scene. I guess because I saw it in that environment, the good time I had overshadowed the obviously terrible aspects of the movie (acting, dialogue, plot, etc.) 3.5/5
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Jun 23, 2004 20:03
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I fell asleep in this movie, and I couldnt help but roll my eyes when at the end of every scene Anakin would make an effort to make a sinister face right into the camera. I can't explain how much of a let down this was for me. 1.5
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Jun 24, 2004 02:00
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As a fanboy, I could say this was an excellent movie. If you're not a fanboy, or just hate the new trilogy, don't bother with this movie, you'll hate it. Pros -Ewan finally being more like Alec Guiness -Jango Fett -Anakin killing sand people; pushing further to the darkside -Deathstar cameo -Palpatine subtley manipulating events -Clone Wars -Yoda fighting... Cons -Anakin whining -Boba Fett -Romance plotline (I know it's crucial to the story, but it could've been handled better) -Some effects look fake (should've used real clone troopers/costumes for foreground shots) Fanboy Rating (submitted): 4.5/5 Non-Fanboy Rating: 1.5/5
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Jun 24, 2004 21:56
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I'm a big Star Wars fan and enjoyed Episode 2 quite a bit. Bad acting, writing, and etc can all be found in the original trilogy, and for a silly space opera it was good. I was consistently entertained, Ewan McGregor and Samuel L. were awesome, Natalie Portman was hot, and the effects were cool, so it served my needs for a Star Wars movie. 3.5/5
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Jun 24, 2004 22:49
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Episode 2, in my humble opinion, was exactly what the world at the time of release was expecting, albeit en masse. Star Wars fans wanted more Yoda, more Jedi, more action, and more background on Anakin Skywalker, the future Darth Vader - and they got it. The problem, however, lie in the execution. Hayden Christenson played an incredibly awful role as Anakin, however his strengths and weakness shone through. Hayden was obviously chosen to play Anakin mainly on that he plays a *very* good, proud, confused Anakin, prone to anger, exactly what would be expected. Further, his age in the movie is somewhere around 17, though apparent age of Hayden is somewhere around 20. So, you need to rememeber, he's 17. He's still adolescenting, pubertizing, what have you, so his "angry" scenes are rife with emotion (read: after Tusken Slaughter). Ewan McGregor, as usual, played an AMAZING Obi-Wan. That's all you can really say here, he completely captured Alec Guiness's character. Natalie Portman...well, Ms. Portman suffered the same problem that Hayden did - her "serious" dialogue was not very convincing. Plot: Good plot, it gave a lot of background and progressed smoothly. However, compared to the Original Three, it's not very impressive. Or is it that it's not "fresh," but an expansion of the original ideas? One thing did stand out - in the 3 year span between E2 and E1, apparently George Lucas realized that Jar Jar Binks was a HORRIBLE character...and righteously made him the case of the ENTIRE Galactic Civil War and the Emperor's rise to power. Playing on a irritation of the fanbase by forcing responsibility onto the Gungan's head was a great idea - i mean, we hated him already, and now we have a reason (Unless of course you're Pro-Empire, like myself.) In a nutshell, Episode 2 wasn't very well played out, nor was it very well written (dialogue-wise), but it does have it's memorable moments (read: Yoda) and does set up for a hopefully dark Episode 3. Rating: 4 Sidenote: I was expecting Samuel L. Jackson to end ANY of his lines as Mace Windu with "Motherfucker" or "Bitch." As in, when standing on the balcony, he would've said "This loving party is over, you punkass motherfuckers." Tell me that wouldn't have been PERFECT?
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Jun 25, 2004 05:28
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The problem with the Star Wars prequel trilogy, at least from a critical perspective, is that its target audience no longer exists. The original Star Wars trilogy was aimed squarely at kids born in the 1970s, for whom science fiction and the concept of adventure movies was a new, dangerous and exciting thing. A combination of the two was practically unheard of. Whereas you can't visit a multiplex these days without bumping into at least one science fiction movie (there's three at my local cinema right this very moment), during the late 1970s they were like gold dust. This wasn't always the case -- Hollywood churned out a great number of them in the 1950s and at least half-a-dozen of them are respected genre classics. But the genre dwindled away during the 1960s, most likely as a result of the studio system beginning to implode and purse strings being severed, but also because television was becoming a more lucrative medium for the genre (hello Irwin Allen, Rod Sterling, Leslie Stevens and Gene Rodenberry). Let's also not forget that decent kids movies were also pretty rare during the 1970s. Try to think of a decent children's movie, released before Star Wars, that doesn't have the Disney name attached to it. Yes, there are a few out there, but they don't immediately leap to mind. All things considered, the arrival of Star Wars was a pretty momentous event for a kid growing up in the late 70s/early 80s. Not only did it revive a flagging genre and acknowledge a younger audience, it also cemented the concept of the summer blockbuster (arguably invented a few years earlier by Spielberg's Jaws), revived the special effects industry, kickstarted the movie merchandise industry and just happened to also be a kick-rear end movie that revealed a director who knew his film lore. Fast forward to the present day. Was there any hope in hell that the prequel Star Wars trilogy could mirror all the achievements of the original? Of course not. Its only realistic goal was to deliver three kick-rear end movies. So far it's failed to deliver on that solitary promise, but I don't think it's fair to say that the effort has been totally devoid of merit. Unfortunately, George Lucas is still trying to make movies for those kids who grew up in the 1970s, overlooking the slightly obvious fact that they're all now in their late 20s to early 40s. Kids who grew up during the 1990s, on the other hand, expect a slightly different kind of entertainment and the old-fashioned, retro-campery of Phantom and Clones doesn't quite do the trick. But George Lucas is obviously doing something right. After all, The Phantom Menace is the 4th highest grossing movie of all time and Attack of the Clones is clinging onto the number 19 slot for dear life (but will probably be ousted from the top twenty by The Passion of the Christ and Harry Potter 3 before the year's out). The Star Wars movies have a very loyal fan base who will see the movies multiple times. Casual cinema goers will flock to it like they will for any event movie/summer blockbuster. Even the most rabid anti-Lucasites will see the movies at least twice and buy the DVD -- you know, just to make sure it's still crap. The Phantom Menace? With the exception of Liam Neeson and perhaps Natalie Portman it's woefully miscast. The plot's a complete mess, lacks any sort of momentum and the dialogue is atrocious. But despite these failings, there's no denying that it looks and sounds astonishing. The Pod Race, no matter how irrelevant to the overall saga, still remains a tour de force of special effects engineering and the three-way light saber battle is the best of any of the five films to date. I'm painfully aware of the movie's myriad faults, yet there's something about it that compels me to watch it at least once a year. (3/5) The Attack of the Clones? The romantic subplot is embarrassing to watch and painful to endure. Every single character is completely devoid of charisma and there's very little chemistry between any of them. Threepio and Artoo are perhaps the only exception, although this time round their role is reduced to a series of Laurel & Hardy-esque slapstick pratfalls. But, once again, it's the audio-visual glory and set pieces that ensure we stick through it all and are rewarded for our patience. We're left with a deeply flawed movie, but one that nevertheless manages to be marginally more entertaining than the previous episode and also offers a tantalising promise of what could be a kick-rear end third and final episode. (3.5/5)
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Jun 25, 2004 13:13
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I saw this film on DVD. I agree with the points about Acting and scripts etc etc. I thought the Dooku Yoda fight was absurd, I've always thought of Yoda as someone with extremely powerful mind abilities, than as a sabre ninja. Basically he should be so powerful he doesn't need a lightsabre. The special effects were too garish, especially during the final battle. The energy beams and bolts obscured what was happening. An entertaining film though, which gets it the 2 stars.
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Jun 25, 2004 16:17
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Only entertaining if you can fast forward through most of it. Ewan Mcgregor was decent as Obi Wan. A few good fight scenes and the Yoda fight is NOT one of them. It was slightly better than Episode 1. 2 out of 5
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Jun 25, 2004 19:49
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I agree with what alot of people feel about this movie - some good fight scenes, but not enough to save the pretty sub par plot. I'll check out Episode 3 on DVD or at the cheapo dollar movies because I am not expecting much from it. 2.5 out of 5
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Jun 28, 2004 05:42
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It would have been pretty good if not for the romantic subplot. Hayden and Natalie had the least amount of on-screen chemistry I've ever seen. Ugh. Watching them slog through their dialogue is painful and embarassing. Everything else was solid. tl;dr: Love hosed up Star Wars. 3/5
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Jun 28, 2004 11:17
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Although it may have not be what many people wanted from starwars, this film is a very good movie, Comparable to any of the Indiana Jones Trilogy. 4.5/5
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Jun 29, 2004 00:45
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Thank you Lucas for ruining one of my childhood fascinations. Awkward acting, cartoony and fake looking special effects, and an awful script. The only redeeming value this film has is some bits of combat. But not all. I give it a 2/5
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Jun 30, 2004 09:42
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I rather liked this film in many ways. Visually, the 2nd and 3rd prequels need to accomplish the shift between the sleek world of the Republic and early Imperium on one hand, and the war-torn world of the original trilogy in which our main characters' surroundings have already fallen into decay. The first prequel, The Phantom Menace depicted this sanitized universe very well. Lush greens and vibrant blues on Naboo. Slick, stylish, curvo-linear Coruscant. Civilization is at its peaceful peak, and this is represented through the visual depictions of residences, architecture, and countrysides on the civilized planets. Attack of the Clones embarks upon a visual progression. The pristine state of nature on Naboo and the unified efficiency of Coruscant must both fall away, to be replaced gradually with decay. The Republic at its height in Episode 1 begins to falter, rotting from the inside and from without. We know that it must, for it will eventually decline into the world we see in "A New Hope". In Attack of the Clones, we get a brilliant visual depiction of decay. The rust-coloured visuals dominate the planet on which the crucial actions take place in the last part of the film. Rust and decay are practically interchangeable, so I found those visuals both pleasing aesthetically and symbolically. Decay is the theme throughout. Anakin's childish infatuation with Padme degenerates into the awkward and impure desires of a sex-charged young adult. The simplistic purity of Qui-Gon's valiant struggle against Darth Maul splinters into a host of shadowy interests, good possibly doing the work of evil without their knowledge. Visually and thematically, I think this prequel trilogy is moving in a good direction. Now, one may easily gripe about the acting, which is particularly weak from Hayden Christensen. The dialogue was weak in most spots, though the visuals thankfully do most of the storytelling. The plot could have taken, IMHO, a more interesting turn by having Dooku actually between the Light and Dark, rather than merely Darth Sidious' servant. That would have been more interesting, plotwise. And it would have reinforced the theme of decay, of transitional phases between the pristine and the corrupted. Finally, the action sequence near the beginning involving a shape-shifting bounty hunter is simply drawn out too long, and could have benefitted from some editing. For all those flaws, the central vision of Attack of the Clones is solid. Its central visual theme is intriguing, and the film is aesthetically pleasing. While not on a level with the original trilogy, this film does many things right, and was a good enjoyable watch. 4/5
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Jun 30, 2004 11:09
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Here's a review I wrote shortly after it opened... After Phantom Menace, my expectations were understandably low, but I feel like I should have even aimed lower. I guess I just like my movies to have a script and a director that aspires to be something more than a big loving toy commercial. Watching this latest film was akin to standing over a kid's shoulder while he plays a really cool video game. Neat to look at, but I didn't think twice about it afteward. The good stuff? Well, the casting was fantastic. Hayden Christiansen was definitely the right pick to be Anakin. And the returning cast from Phantom Menace is superb as well (Though all the fuss about Jimmy Smits being brought on board to play Bail Organa was silly, as he does little more than stand on a balcony with his mouth hanging open). But it's not the cast that's the problem. I get the feeling that Lucas just surrounds himself with "Yes" men who are too afraid to tell him his ideas need help. Episode 2 is supposed to be a love story, but it stinks of dialogue written by an 8th grader who's only experiences with the subject matter was the hard on he got from Sally when she actually said "Hi" to him in the hallway. The mixed crowd was literally laughing out loud at many of the exchanges between Anakin and Amidala. Here's just a handful of things that really sucked about this film: -The droid factory action scene looked like something straight out of a Donkey Kong game. Again, the problem with prequels featuring established characters is that you KNOW that they're gonna survive any tense situation they're put in. Never once do you doubt that Obi Wan and Anakin will make it out of their peril, since you saw them in Episode IV together already. -Did I mention the whole romance thing is laughable? Amidala (or Padme, or whatever the gently caress her name is, I'm sure some Star Wars geek will correct my proper use), has an extremely hilarious scene telling Anakin that it's wrong to fall in love with her, while she's wearing this sexy as hell dominatrix dress with her tits popping up in front of a fireplace. -If the Jedi's were so "worried" about a Jedi falling in love, why didn't they throw a female Jedi to take care of Amidala? -Obi-Wan's lines are horrible. And poo poo, he keeps calling Anakin, "My young Padwan" as if he's some child molestor proud of his boy-toy, instead of his apprentice. They really should have made Obi-Wan an older person at this point, as he honestly doesn't seem much more than 10 years older than Anakin. -Come on, at least throw a Jabba The Hutt scene in, eh? Would have been cool if he helped broker the deal to get the Clone army done as a middle man. That would have cemented the future Boba Fett/Jabba relationship in some form, at least. -Kind of hard to think of someone nicknamed "Annie" as the future Vader -The scene were Anakin goes nuts and kills off Tusken Raiders is largely done off camera, and it softens to blow too much. He tells Amidala that he killed the women and children, too. Holy poo poo, if you saw that, you'd be scared as hell. Amidala basically shrugs off his vengeful genocide act and is happy to be with him. I'm sure some anti-defamation group will find a bone to pick with this and protest. Ultimately, too much of this movie felt like it was just setting events in motion, with very little intrigue or story to tell in this story. Perhaps if the events of Phantom Menace and Clones were condensed into a single episode it would have been a much cooler movie. At the end of this movie, you STILL have to see Anakin/Amidalapadme have kids, and give them away, Anakin embrace the dark side totally, get injured to the point where he needs the Vader armor, Obi-Wan get a gray beard, Mace Windu die, Yoda go to Dagobah in exile, Boba Fett grow up, C3PO get shiny, Grand Moff Tarkin rise to power, Amidala die, Anakin start using a blue light saber (remember in Star Wars when Obi Wan gave Luke his father's blue saber?) and Han Solo borrow money from Jabba (ha). Looks like a 4 hour epic in the making. Well, this movie felt more like a movie that I had to see, not that I wanted to see. drat you, Lucas! 1 star! liquorhead fucked around with this message at 21:47 on Jun 30, 2004 |
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Jun 30, 2004 21:44
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This might be the only film that I'm embarrassed to say that I like. It's miles better than Episode I, at least. I don't care much for marble-mouth Hayden Christensen (though anything's better than Jake Lloyd) and his romance scenes with Portman were especially bad, but it's still a fun movie with great action sequences, particularly the chase through the skies of Coruscant. Rating: 3.5
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Feb 9, 2005 21:42
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The Star Wars movies... certainly their own kind of animal, and they polarize people like no other. I'll try to be objective: Before even discussing any detail, I'll mention what I think is the biggest mistake- Episode2 should have been Episode1. I understand the need for exposition, to show the senator/emp's rise to power, to show that anakin was a gee whiz sweet slave kid. I understand that episode1 was meant to be all sunny and happy, with each movie after it showing more bleakness and decay. But it leaves one very big problem, and that is that there is TOO MUCH story to be crammed into 2 and 3, and this causes pacing/dialogue problems. So much time was wasted in Ep1- the pod race. the virgin birth. THE ENTIRE GUNGAN RACE. They simply were not necessary and mean nothing in the whole span of movies. What happens because of this, is that we get Ep2 that feels very unguided, and I'm sure Ep3 will be even worse in this regard because there's supposed to be LOTS of fighting in it. But this is an Ep2 review. Visuals are stunning. Realistic? Not entirely, but I don't think they were going for full realism- colors are super vibrant, and some scenes have an almost dreamlike quality. I'd give that a plus. You could pick any scene out of this movie, block out the characters, and you'd still know what movie it was just by the visuals. Acting? A mixed bag. Ewan McGregor is top notch (with the exception of opening scene, see below). Natalie is good, I hated her robotic performance in Ep1, she at least speaks with inflection like a human being here. Hayden... I'm not sure what to think. He is very wooden at times. I've heard it said that George picked him because of his ability to play evil, so maybe his Ep3 performance will redeem any faults here. Chris Lee does alright with what he's given (again, see below). The dialogue.... my biggest problem. There are a few scenes that really stick out like a sore thumb. Why is it that in Eps 4-6, a real stinker of a line can be uttered, but it still seems to be ok and fit? The first scene with anakin and obiwan in the elevator, is ATROCIOUS. Even Ewan flubbed that one, and the fact that it's the first scene with those two makes it so much worse. The scene it leads into is much better, but man. Or another dialogue problem- wasted opportunity. Dooku confronts Yoda- and what do they do? They spout cliche trash. Instead we should have Yoda asking Dooku why he strayed, and he could reply about how his values are no longer the same as the jedi, and how they are a weak and corrupt order. But nope, no actual plot building exposition, just cliche. That's my biggest problem with the movie- the storyline is there, but some good opportunities to explore the characters are wasted, so instead they seem hollow. Ewan still pulls through with his superb mannerisms and body language, but the others suffer. I also love lightsaber fights as much as the next guy, but the ones in this movie are a joke. Fortunately in the few clips I've seen of Ep3 saber fights, we go back to the Maul style, so all for the better. Having a massive jedi fight also felt wasted... too impersonal. Needed more moments of focus like with Mace. But all in all... it is still a star wars movie, and it certainly does feel unique, for better or worse. And still far better than episode1, which lacked so much heart and direction it wasn't even funny.
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Feb 10, 2005 05:47
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A lot of people consider this movie to be better than 'Episode 1: The Phantom Menace'. However, I disagree. I think at the very most, Episode 2 is about equal in quality to Episode 1. See, my biggest beef with Episode 1 is that it shits all over the continuity and characters. Anakin being 10-years old when he meets Obi-Wan, Yoda not actually being Obi-Wan's teacher, midichlorians, Anakin building C-3PO, and so forth. These aren't big deals (except for those last two), but it's still kind of annoying how Episode 1 deviates in some ways from the original trilogy, when it would have been easier for Lucas to just stay true and maintain consistancy. Now, Episode 2 would have been a good opportunity to explain these descrepancies, or at least BEGIN to, and use Episode 3 to bridge the gap. But as it is, Episode 2 just continues to gently caress around with the characters, story, and setting, and worsens the tarnish that began with Ep 1. I mean, seriously, look at this poo poo: Jango Fett, elected queens, C-3PO working on the Lars homestead (I don't give a poo poo about memory wipes so gently caress OFF, defenders), clones being the good guys, Yoda using a lightsabre, more Trade Federation bullshit, and Anakin being a whiny rear end in a top hat. What's this happy horseshit? Oh, and let's not forget the goddamn diner. First off, Jango/Boba Fett should never have been in it. We have the fanboys to thank for that one (and if you think Lucas included the Fetts for any other reason than to cater to them, than I really don't know what to say). Apart from the other crap, the plot itself is a mess. It's not so much that it's horrible, but it's really sloppy. Plus, there are some concepts that are just dumb. Now, this is just my opinion, but I thought the whole jazz about the Kaminoans and the Republic clone army was just stupid. The clones should NOT have been on the Republic's side. A better idea would have been to have Count Dooku and the Seperatists be one's who order the clone army, and they use it to threaten the Republic. The Senate responds by giving Palpatine emergency powers, which he then uses to build up the Republic's military, perhaps drawing from Corellia and Coruscant and other systems. There's already an infrastructure in place (shipyards, fleet, academies, training camps, a standing army of personnel, etc.), and Palpatine just takes control of it, centralizes it, and vamps it up. Anakin starts working close with Palpatine, and leads a large part of the army against the Seperatists, and during this time comes under Palpatine's control. Obi-Wan fights with Bail Organa of Alderaan (although this is reliant on my ideas for a better Episode 1 in the Ep 1 Review thread), and they become comrades. The movie ends with Count Dooku and the Seperatists being defeated (or at least suffering a huge loss), and now Palpatine has this huge military, with several systems completely loyal to him. Anakin starts to show signs of turning to the dark side and thus begins his downward spiral. As it is, 'Attack of the Clones' hovers around mediocre. Like 'The Phantom Menace', it DOES have its good moments. There is some genuinely good action, and Palpatine continues his devious plot. And the end of AOTC has a cool payoff. But these good moments don't do enough to make AOTC a movie of any quality above "eh, it was okay, I guess". I don't think it's horrible, but it's below what is to be expected of a Star Wars movie. The original Star Wars movies were fun, exciting, swashbuckling adventures. Their plots, though simplistic, were tight and coherent from beginning to end. But AOTC is just sloppy, and just not exciting. Like TPM, it just doesn't seem like Star Wars. The Star Wars movies are supposed to be whimiscal adventures that children and adults alike can enjoy. But AOTC is just needlessly complicated and boring. Instead of having the Kaminoan/Jango Fett plot, it would have been easier to go with my above idea. The end result is the same, but it is achieved in a way that is more streamlined and more like the original movies. "But Kung-Fu Yeti, kids these days like the prequels. You just don't like them because you're not a kid anymore. OMG ROSE-TINTED GLASSES ZOMG!!!11" Ugh, I HATE this complete, utter bullshit. First of all, my love of the originals isn't based on nostalgia. I wasn't even alive when the originals came out, I was born in 1983. I didn't even see or care about SW till I was in 5th grade or so, around 1994. And I've watched the originals several times over the years. So, it's not like I'm basing my opinions soley on fond memories of being a 6-year and seeing them in the theatres. Second, I've been watching the originals over the past couple of days and yep, they're still good and well-done movies. No matter how I slice it, the originals are better. So plugging your ears, closing your eyes, and shouting "ROSE-TINTED GLASSES" doesn't really work with me. I can watch any one of the originals back to back with either Ep 1 or Ep 2, and the originals come out on top everytime. I swear, some of you people seem to think that me and others haven't seen the originals since the early 80s or something. I'm telling you, folks, I can watch them RIGHT NOW if I wanted to, and they still win. Nostalgia's got nothing to do with it. At any rate, I give 'Episode 2: Attack of the Clones' a 2.5. Like Episode 1, it can be sometimes fun, but whatever enjoyment you glean won't get much deeper than "well, that one part was kinda cool, didn't you think?". The Kung-fu Yeti fucked around with this message at 10:57 on May 20, 2005 |
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May 15, 2005 08:24
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In my opinion, this was a disaster of a film in one way, and a great film in other ways. Anakin is so badly portrayed by Hayden that it almost ruins the film. The love scenes are the worst love scenes I think I can remember ever seeing, even worse than the romance in The Matrix, and that was the worst one until this came along. Ewan, who I think is great in Episode 1 and Episode 3, is pretty awful in ATOC, and I was really disapointed in his performance. It says alot for Lucas, then, that despite this terrible acting, he still managed to create a film that was fun to watch for the most part. The effects are great (I never understood the one or two guys who didn;t like the effects) and the Clone Troopers are so well rendered it is stunning. While the acting is torrid, I think the effects are possibly the best I have ever seen in a film. Better than EP1 by quite a way. The Fetts are also really well done. The casting is good, and their story involvement is also great. However, this does not make up for the bad acting and awful love story. And Yoda is terribley animated, which is a let down considering all the other great effects. I would give this a 3.5, as it was entertaining, and certainly had that authentic Star Wars feel. It would of scored higher but for the love story and wooden acting.
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May 16, 2005 16:19
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