George Lucas transports audiences back to the future with
Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace, the first installment of a prequel trilogy in which the director imagines the foundation for the entire six-part saga. Despite receiving a storm of adverse criticism (notably for Jar Jar Binks), Lucas continually fascinates with his ability to place his characters--some new, some old, some CGI--in the same dramatic situations posed in the original trilogy: whether it be the juxtaposition of primitives with technologically advanced societies or the timeless battle between good and evil, the very familiarity of these recurring scenarios and rhythms galvanizes the viewer. Of course, the state-of-the-art visual effects contribute mightily to the final impact: the kinetic Pod Race sequence, the epic military battles, the Romanesque grandeur of Naboo, the underwater city of Otoh Gunga, the decadent brio of Tatooine, and the dizzying skyscrapers of the city planet Coruscant.
--Kevin Mulhall If The Phantom Menace was the setup, then Attack of the Clones is the plot-progressing payoff, and devoted Star Wars fans are sure to be enthralled. Ten years after Episode I, Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), now a senator, resists the creation of a Republic Army to combat an evil separatist movement. The brooding Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is resentful of his stern Jedi mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), tormented by personal loss, and showing his emerging "dark side" while protecting his new love, Amidala, from would-be assassins. Youthful romance and solemn portent foreshadow the events of the original Star Wars as Count Dooku (a.k.a. Darth Tyranus, played by Christopher Lee) forges an alliance with the Dark Lord of the Sith, while lavish set pieces showcase George Lucas's supreme command of all-digital filmmaking. All of this makes Episode II a technological milestone, savaged by some critics as a bloated, storyless spectacle, but still qualifying as a fan-approved precursor to the pivotal events of Episode III. --Jeff Shannon
1 One okay movie, one better movie.
I was one of the many people who didn't like the Phantom Menace, and considered it a major disappointment from the last three movies. I was not impressed by the acting and script, and found Jar Jar Binks to be annoying. I liked the visual effects and everything else in the movie to consider it an OK film, but could've been alot better.
I was very anxious to see Attack of the Clones when it came out at the movies, because of the good word of mouth on it. When I saw it at the movies, I loved it very much. It had almost everything I was looking for in a Star Wars movie, except for the good acting from the two leads, and better romantic dialogue. But I still loved it as much as the other films. You shouldn't buy both movies together, because you may not like one of them, or both, but what I would suggest is renting The Phantom Menace first, then Attack of the Clones to make a decision if you want to buy both movies.
2 One okay movie, one better movie.
I was one of the many people who didn't like the Phantom Menace, and considered it a major disappointment from the last three movies. I was not impressed by the acting and script, and found Jar Jar Binks to be annoying. I liked the visual effects and everything else in the movie to consider it an OK film, but could've been alot better.
I was very anxious to see Attack of the Clones when it came out at the movies, because of the good word of mouth on it. When I saw it at the movies, I loved it very much. It had almost everything I was looking for in a Star Wars movie, except for the good acting from the two leads, and better romantic dialogue. But I still loved it as much as the other films. You shouldn't buy both movies together, because you may not like one of them, or both, but what I would suggest is renting The Phantom Menace first, then Attack of the Clones to make a decision if you want to buy both movies.
3 Nearly unwatchable....
The Phantom Menace suffers from a horrendous script,but it actually has a couple of scenes that are genuinely entertaining.On the other hand,Attack of the Clones is quite possibly the worst big budget motion picture ever made.The script is even worse than Phantom Menace (and by a long way),and the movie is tedious,almost beyond belief.There is no 'acting',to speak of,rather just lame pronouncements from the various actors.I borrowed a friend's dvd,just to give it a viewing,and I wanted to walk out,even while in my own living room.These movies illustrate,if there was any remaining doubt,that Lucas has lost whatever talent he may have once had.I'm of the opinion that he had very little to begin with.
4 Why exactly do we need these "films"?
There are many words that came to my mind when I first saw these two movies: overblown, pointless, cruel, boring, disappointing, the list goes on and on.
So many things are horribly wrong with this cartoony mess, that it doesn't bear any resemblance to the (brilliant) original trilogy anymore.
In that respect, Episode I isn't nearly as atrocious as Episode II, and that's already saying a lot.
First of all, I don't know how long it took George Lucas to write the scripts for these films, and, actually, it doesn't really matter because IF he put any effort into them, it didn't show on screen, but the dialogues are so wooden that you might as well turn off the sound and read the subtitles only.
Now that we've established that the lines every actor was forced to say are horrendous, it can't look good for the characters either, can it? You can't blame the actors if you consider that they virtually had nothing to work with.
Not a single character in these sorry efforts looks convincing, except for Natalie Portman.
Christiansen's helpless attempts at "doing some acting", Jar Jar Binks' infantile jumping around (in one of the many "all time low" scenes on Tatooine, he steps into some dog poo), Young-Ani's witty "Oops", "Let's get out of here" and "Yeah" lines ... not a single minute passes without a cringe- worthy moment.
After four hours of pure nonsense and some of the worst "going through puberty" moments, a wacky CGI Yoda who bounces off walls doesn't even hurt anymore.
Even some of Christopher Lee's horror flicks are on a higher niveau.
And when I noticed that the chemistry between Portman and the kid who plays young Anakin Skywalker is better than the chemistry between her and Hayden Christiansen, then I finally realised that these films have no saving grace to speak of whatsoever.
And I mean NO saving grace. It's just aching in my stomach when legendary composer John Williams has to step down to this level and underline the worst clichˇs with some stomach- wrenching Hollywood B- movie love and action music.
Now the effects. Hailed by so many people out there who call them fantastic or a work of art.
Now, this may be my personal point of view, but CGI is there to enhance the movie, to put something on screen that you couldn't have done in any other way.
The gigantomany Lucas put on screen is no art.
The art is to make it look real, touchable.
That's what made the original trilogy, or Lord Of The Rings, tick: that the viewer can indulge into this world.
And CGI is not the only tool; miniatures can look great, good make-up and costumes, animatronics, and so on.
CGI is not the solution of everything.
You need some skills to make this world look real, which Lucas seemingly doesn't have.
Everything is so smooth and flawless that it just looks artificial.
Look at the Clone army and compare it to the Uruk- Hai army in The Two Towers.
See now why Lord of the Rings got the Oscar and not Episode II?
And the depressing thing is that after seeing the trailer for Episode III, it seems like we're getting another flick of the same pattern.
With Hayden Christiansen! Hooray!
Get out the earmuffs, here it comes!
I could give it an additional star because there's unintentional amusement value in these flicks.
5 The beginning of the end
In 1977 Star Wars revolutionized science fiction. The new movie ushered in the idea of the "used future," where the movie characters were not only not in awe of their futuristic toys, they criticized them for being pieces of junk.
Skip forward some twenty years to the Phantom Menace and the Attack of the Clones. Apparently, George Lucas didn't like the idea of the "used future." It was a byproduct of special effects that while revolutionary at the time, couldn't produce the sleek, awe-inspiring marvels Lucas had envisioned. With these new Star Wars editions, Lucas could make all the creatures and toys he could dream of with the computer technology he helped invent.
So with this, Lucas was able to put the story on the back-burner, and concentrate his efforts on what he enjoys best, making new toys look cool. Actors could be replaced with computer generated characters like the much despised Jar-Jar Binks, and no one would miss the archetypal story that had made the first trilogy a success. No one but me.
6 Ewwwwwwwww!
I remember watching these two films at the theater. After the movies finished, I had a sudden desire to go take a shower. Basically, when you buy this box set, you are buying a crap burger. Sorry Lucas, this is one movie fan your not going to f*** with!
7 both lack the spirit the originals had
Phantom Penice and Attack of the Boners lack the spirit and greatness that the original Star Wars had. George Lucas has gone completly overboard with the special FX. I think they say that 96% of the movie's have a SFX shot in them somewhere. And watching the behind the scenes as actors are doing nothing but jumping around infront of green screens is a complete and utter bore.
The original Star Wars movies had somthing special about them, but it wasnt just the SFX. I think George has lost it by thinking the FX will carry these movies. In the original it had a new excitment about what was happening? and what was a Jedi? and it was filled with action and adventure... then Umpire Strikes back continued that, with alot of newer great action seaqunces, but also adding that Vader is Lukes father, and in Return of the Jedi, Luke and Leia are brother and sister... and many more things added to the charactors and plot of the films.... which is where these 2 new ones fail. Going monsterous over board with computers and FX and not concintrating hard enough on plot ideas, and originality has brought these 2 to screw up the Star Wars saga. The FX can be ok in some parts of the films, but there is just too much of it, enough to make me sick. Film makers these days should be concintrating on making the best film they can, not worrying about how to do somthing on a computer, putting it on screen, and then at the end of the day just before knock off time, think about a plot to go around the FX for a minute, and go with whatever is off the top of your head?
George needs to rethink his statagy and worry about the FX of these things after making a great movie, not just slapping a few actors together and then seeing what great things the computer can do these days. It seems that Lucas knew he had a billion devoted fans who think apon him as a god, and knew that if he put 2 stick figures on the screen, blasted the intro, and showed an Ewok shave his underarms for over 2 hours, he'd make million sof it. What is sorely missed in these movies is the beleivable models used in the originals. This whole CGI thing has gone WAY overboard, and made things look too unrealistic.... to the person who said they wouldnt be suprised to see Shrek and Donkey waving in the background... good call... I agree with you 100%!
The CGI is too much in these films and rueins them
8 Re: Another dazzling space adventure from George Lucas
I hadnt seen a Star Wars movie in the theatres in almost 20 years before I saw this one....and Ill tell you....I forgot how GOOD it sounded!!! The light sabers sounded incredible to say nothing of the full battle sequences. Ok I had to get that out hehe...on with the review.
Now...call me a purist....call me old fashioned etc....Im still trying to get used to all the computer special effects in Star Wars. Im used to puppets....now we get computerized monsters. Ill have to grow to like them hehe. The movie is very very good....loads more action than in Episode 1.....Its fascinating to me to see these guys Annakin Skywalker and Obi Won Kenobi 'back in the day' when there was a Republic and loads of Jedi Knights.
The storyline is as engaging as ever....in this case Annakin is real stuck on Padame....Count Dooku is building a massive droid army under the noses of the Republic....and the Jedi knights and the Clone Army have to go stop them. Really intense action sequences.....the light saber duels are as great as ever....the full battle sequences are awesome!!! They really put in the time on this one.
So if youre a Star Wars fan....go and get it. Its terrific!!!
9 STAR WARS FILMS ARE NO LONGER RELIVENT FILMMAKING
GEORGE LUCAS IS A LAZY UNINSPIRED DIRECTOR JUST LOOKING TO MILK THIS PATHETIC FRANCHISE FOR ALL IT IS WORTH. STUPID CHARACTERS, STUPID PLOT, AND TAKES OVER 10 YEARS TO COMPLETE THE LAST THREE FILMS??? AND THE BEST CHARACTER HE COULD COME UP WITH IS JAR JAR BINKS??!! WHAT A JOKE. If you want a great adventure Trilogy filmed with top notch actors, supurb plots, production and FX it is by far and away THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY. This even makes the first three Star Wars films look like a joke. And all of this yes all of this was done in less than 4 years!!! Lord of the Rings has made George Lucas look and his films irrelevent. its like who cares any more???? There is nothing out there and probibly nothing will ever come close to capturing the epic sacle, the superb story telling and complete magic of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. You just will not beable to top LOTR in any way. George Lucas sit down before you boar us all to death and take a lesson from a real director--all hail PETER JACKSON. The new standard had been set--can any thing come close-only when Peter Jackson films The Hobbit. End of story.
10 I feel sick!
These movies suffer from: bad acting, bad dialogue, over the top CGI fxs, lack of emotions, and too much overall politics. I love the original trilogy but these prequels are the worst ever.
11 20th Century Fox has in commen with Paramount....
What 20th Century Fox has had in commen with Paramount is that they are the two studios who have had very enduring space sagas that have caught the attention of the mass audience. Paramount having STAR TREK and 20th Century Fox has STAR WARS. They have earned the loyality and praise of their fans and have earned the envy of every other studio in Hollywood. Since then, many others have tried to copy the success of STAR TREK and STAR WARS, but all have been patheic failures. The stories given to us by George Lucas and Gene Roddenberry will still be with us, long after the other movie series have been forgotten. Update; Lucasfilm does plan on releasing Episodes I,II, and III as a four disk DVD set in 2006. Just as the second Star Wars Trilogy and the Indiana Jones films were.
12 Some rousing action amid boring stories.
The Phantom Menace-Hated by Star Wars purists everywhere, TPM fails because it's not consistently entertaining. That's most unfortunate because the movie gets off to a hell of a rousing start, with our two heroic Jedis, Qui-Gonn Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, fending off robotic assailants. And the movie actually gets better, with some visually amazing sights, particularly the underwater cities of Naboo. The point the movie collapses is when the characters land on Tatooine and are introduced to Anakin Skywalker, played atrociously by Jake Lloyd. From the point on, the story just dwindles its potential, dragging endlessly without any relief in sight. Well, relief finally comes, almost 70 minutes later! The movie picks up significantly in the climax, with a two-on-one lightsaber battle that's simply magnificent. Call it a case of too little too late for me, but at least the film ends on a high note. TPM boasts a cast of fine actors: Liam Neeson, Ewan Mcgregor, Natalie Portman, and Samuel L. Jackson. But aside from Neeson, everyone is wooden, an oddity considering that the original Star Wars boasted almost no proven talents (at the time) but were still superior to the cast on hand here.
** 1/2/*****
Attack of the Clones-This sequel to Phantom Menace is, in the end, not really better or worse than its predecessor. The dialogue is just as awful as before and there's an insipid love story that's not the slightest bit romantic or believable. The cast is about on the same level as before, with Ewan Mcgregor impressing me a bit more with his almost dead-on Alec Guinness impression. Unfortunately, the political backdrop is boring and a little confusing, and most of the action sequences are surprisingly dull, the only true exception being the knockout colosseum battle sequence. The climactic lightsaber duel is a huge step backward from Episode I, there's no Ray Park/Darth Maul here to display versatile athleticism. The fact that Anakin Skywalker is a whiny teen doesn't bother me, that's the way he should be, but the fact that it's all noticeably acting on the part of Hayden Christensen is completely damning. Anyone under the age of fifteen will greatly enjoy the picture. Everyone else, well, that's a little tougher to tell.
13 Blasphemy! Blasphemy! Blasphemy!
The original Star Wars films are (I don't even know why I bother typing this) ulticlassics among the motion picture artform. Never before and never since has any film series been so flawlessly entertaining. These "prequals", however, are some of the worst films of all time. Not only do they pay huge disrespect to their predecessors, they also suck as movies on their own.
For starters, the acting is absolutely atrocious in both movies, starting with the bland-beyond-belief dialogue and delivery of THE PHANTOM MENACE (whose only saving grace was the undeniable presence of Liam Neeson). However, it's far better to not act at all than to act horribly, as was proven in ATTACK OF THE CLONES, which actually succeeded in being worse than EPISODE I. Not only does the second prequal manage to sport the worst title ever, it also sports the worst actor in the history of filmmaking: Hayden Christiansen, or however you spell his name. Man, just thinking about his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker makes me mad! Oh, and Natalie Portman sucks, as well. While Ewan McGreggor reigns far above those other "leads", he is still NOT Obi-Wan Kenobi. The best part of the movie was Christopher Lee, who's obviously having a jolly fun outing as the mediocre-yet-still-villainous Count Dooku. I only feel sorry for him for having the all-time worst, yet most hysterical name in history; I mean, they might as well have named him Count Chocula! In both movies, Samuel L. Jackson is totally wasted as Jedi Master Windu, whose only purpose is to provide Yoda with someone to talk to.
Secondly, I absolutely cannot stand the special effects in both prequals. The originals were done entirely with models and hand-crafted tools, which is why they were so realistic and believable. Now, the love put into old-age techniques has been utterly forgotten in favor of modern-day CGI (Computer-Generated Inefficiencies, my friend calls them). Honestly, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Shrek and Donkey walk by in the background and wave to the camera! The not-so-special effects are THAT bad.
Furthermore, these have proven to be John Williams' worst film compositions ever. They embodify the very essence of the word "bland", and have only one strong point: the spectacular "Duel of the Fates". I must say, that lightsaber battle in THE PHANTOM MENACE was awesome, but it was victim to quick-cuts; we would see ten realy cool seconds of the Jedi lightsaber duel, and then see a full five minutes devoted to the other three struggles going on. Then another ten seconds, and then another useless five minutes, et cetera. If all the footage of the actual duel was composited together into an uninterrupted scene (something I plan on doing someday), it would be one of the best action scenes ever. The same situation was found in ATTACK OF THE CLONES: though the lightsaber fights were well-staged and choreographed, they were so freakin' short! ONE-TWO-THREE-POW-ZAP-CLASH, and the fight would be over. This leads to my greatest complaint of all the prequals: Yoda's use of his lightsaber. Now you may gasp at this, and it's true that this scene has been rated the best of 2002; yet my decision stands. The entire concept completely destroyed the beloved mystical persona that Yoda had established in the originals. Now, he's just an excuse to please the audience with yet another thirty-second combat scene. Oh, and Yoda goes digital? Nope, terrible idea; he was born a puppet, and he should die a puppet!
The original Star Wars Trilogy had everything a movie could possibly want: great acting, epic scope, groundbreaking FX work, stunning music, affective drama, witty humor . . . . . EVERYTHING! That is, everything these two prequals lack. I've said it before and I'll say it again: THIS IS NOT TRUE STAR WARS!
14 Four stars "TPM", five stars "AOTC"
Star Wars is great fantasy/sci-fi and could not be so with out being more intelligent than a lot of people might give it credit for. Firstly "TPM" is a good film and very enjoyable but does, for me, have a few things that stop it from being great. Got a good start, but for me loses a bit from the gungan city until they hit tatooine and receive the decoy distress signal. In that time it seems like anything could happen, in a bad way, and as a result there is a lack of tension. But after that it is great, draws you in, and about the only other thing that jars is that frog juggling a blue whatever on a tank turret!! All the acting is great, podrace is great, coruscent etc and why it would of been good to see a bit more lightsaber action, that is just nit picking. "AOTC" is great, the only thing that i can nit-pick is that there is just one quick cut that shows the jedi being forced into the middle of the arena so there is no sense of them slowly getting driven into the middle, just seems to happen very quickly, and the two other jedi who r saberless at the end being put in the middle also. But the whole movie is simply wonderful sci-fi/fantasy and really coherent, and basically long live king George and co!!!
15 Great movies.
Thiese two Star War movies are just excellent for their fun quality and even their content even though they are marred by that brat of a character Jar Jar Binks, who I feel was nothing but failed Comic relief. The rest though is great as well even though the prequels are nowhere near as good as the original three. Buy these today.
16 Great movies.
Thiese two Star War movies are just excellent for their fun quality and even their content even though they are marred by that brat of a character Jar Jar Binks, who I feel was nothing but failed Comic relief. The rest though is great as well even though the prequels are nowhere near as good as the original three. Buy these today.
17 Great films!
I have enjoyed the prequels very much! However, I would rather watch them in widescreen than in full-screen, hence my giving it 4 stars instead of 5. The DVD content is really generous! Now if we could just get the original trilogy on DVD...
18 Excellent compilation
If you are a huge SW fan, this is a must have!
The 4 DVDs are a piece of collection. The art on boxes and covers is well designed and the content of the DVDs is superb.
You have both movies on DVD and the resolution is excellent (you do not need a flat screen TV set to start appreciating it) plus you get 2 DVDs with behind the scenes, deleted parts, featurettes, extra information and many many other useful and nice to have data.
I am totally happy for buying it and the price is reasonable.
19 The Phantom Menace is attacked by the clones!
These two Star Wars movies are not major masterpieces like the original three but at the same time, they also are unfairly bashed by critics.
From my perspective though, these two movies are simply great movies to watch and are worthy prequels to the original three. Yes they're both flawed but still, I don't understand why so many seem to hate these Star Wars movies so much.
EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE- This first episode in the entire franchise begins with increasing rebel activity becoming an increasing threat to the Galactic Republic. The Republic is being lead by a mysterious figure named Queen Padme Amidala. Padme is under threat of being overthrown from power by a rebel force lead by Darth Sideous and his apprentice Darth Maul. A young boy named Anakin Skywalker comes into the picture who is a slave to a creature named Sebulba and has to win a pod race to be freed. Anakin is discovered to have HUGE potential to become a Jedi Knight but is considered a danger to the republic and the galaxy. Meanwhile, Qui-Gon Jinn and his sidekick, a young Obi Wan Kenobi go on a quest to train the young Anakin Skywalker to become a Jedi, against the objections of the Jedi order. Overall though, the movie suffers from occasional bumbling roles especially from the bizarre giraffe-like Jar Jar Binks who is despised by most although not by me personally and also of poor scripting in some areas. I thought that Jar Jar was funny in some areas but annoying at times. The big flaw though in my opinion was that THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH DARTH MAUL!!!! That was the main disappointment. Still though this movie was great. I think of this movie as a large bag of popcorn as opposed to an epic work. Lucas did a pretty good job with PM. This is a very underrated movie. This is the first of the episodes and is the skeleton frame of what's to come on the next two episodes.
EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES- The second episode of the Star Wars franchise takes place ten years after the demise of Darth Maul with Anakin Skywalker as a nearly adult Jedi who by now was inching closer to the evil side. The Republic is under increasing threat from rebel attacks that becomes obvious after a failed assassination attempt on Senator Amidala that kills her decoy Corde. A romance is kindled between Padme and Anakin but is endangered because of Padme's role as a Senator and also conflicts with Skywalker's dream of becoming a powerful Jedi Knight. Meanwhile, a secret army comprised of cloned beings is being built on a planet that has eluded detection of the Republics authorities. Several pivotal events happen that make "Attack Of The Clones". First, Anakin starts going at odds with his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi and Amidala is under new threats from forces hired by Count Dooku aka Darth Tyranus. Overall, I thought that Dooku was classic, bringing out much more personality than Darth Maul. Yoda also surprises us in a duel with Dooku as well. Overall, while "Clones" has it's flaws from bumbling acting in some occasions, it's an improvement over "Phantom Menace". This is the precursor to the possibly riveting events that are to take place on Episode III with Anakin becoming Darth Vader.
These two movies make a nice action movie combo and are both worth owning. While they may not be major masterpieces like the original three were, they are great on their own field. Hands down to George Lucas for bringing out the creativity in his mind and onto the big screen again.
20 An objective view.
First, the movies themselves: Episode I retained the old school mystic feel of the originals, and takes the viewer back to when it all began. It suffers however, from idiotic droids and Jar Jar Binks (who posseses the most annoying voice since C3PO). It's a four star movie at least.
Episode II tells its story well, but the story is unfortunately unconvincing. Anakin is nothing but an obnoxious teenager for some reason...is the viewer expected to believe that the distinguished order of the Jedi would not educate one of its own disciples on the rudiments of life? Then there's the romance between Senator Amidala and Anakin; even given the circumstances, it's hardly believable due to Anakin's generally creepy nature. Great special effects though, a decent villian, and we finally get to see Yoda do some fighting which was simply awesome. Even though it's got some great points, it's at best a three star movie. It does require, however, a substantial amount of 'suspension of disbelief' to view and enjoy.
Now a word about formats: Put simply, if it's not widescreen, it's not worth the money.
21 Ugh!
After "Episode I", one would think that the "Star Wars" movies couldn't get any worse. I did, but sadly I was wrong.
Despite some improvements such as the smaller role for Jar Jar Binks and that Liam Neeson is no longer part of the movie, the feel of the original Trilogy is gone, as is the quality of filmmaking. Take Yoda fighting, for instance: it's just so artificial and "Matrix"-like.
The storyline involving Anakin's romance is boring (as is his mother's death, completely lacking drama), and Obi-Wan investigating a murder is just so non-"Star Wars".
Also, the recycled material is evident (the Coruscant club resembles the cantina in "A New Hope", for example) and the references to the future (the original Trilogy) are lame (such as C-3PO asking who Obi-Wan is after listening to R2-D2's message). And Obi-Wan piloting a starship and being chased thorough an asteroid field? That's right, "The Empire Strikes Back"! The lightning bolts that Christopher Lee shoots at the Jedi? Yep, "Return of the Jedi".
Honestly, I only enjoyed the last 20 minutes or so, when a hundred of Jedi and then the clones take on the other army.
It's sad that Lucas is ruining his once great story with these prequels.
22 A rip if there ever was one!!!!
All those reviewers who feel compeled to attribute five stars to either of these episodes have their collective heads stuck in a vacuum. I would give these zero stars, except Amazon won't allow that. After a few viewings, the story line gets thin, the action stale, and the romance, if there is any, is weak.
On top of the poor dramantics, the image we are expected to watch is cropped to full screen; what happens on the sides? how much of the top and bottom is removed by our over scanning TVs.
I refuse to buy full screen versions of any movie filmed in wide screen, period. Some day, I will have a high definition display and see no reason to waste money for something that will not reap the benifits of that new technology. In the mean time, my 27 inch system with SVHS input displays the picture window image very nicely and I can always zoom, pan and scan if I feel a need to.
I think George and his cronies are ripping off the public by attempting to foist this mediocre product at an exorbitant price.
Rent it, you will save a large chunk of change, and maybe in eight years or so George will release a widescreen version with all the cuts restored.
23 Better than the originals and they where great!!!!!!!!!!!!
These two films the phantom menace and attack of the clones are classics in the making. The effects are ground breaking in both and the acting is believable also. They do a great job building up whats going to happen in episode 3 aswell. Rob Lucas youre a genius im my mind you did it once and youre doing it agian. These are the kinds of sci fi movies you can watch over and over agian and not get tierd off. So people dont miss you chance to get two classics in 1 tremendous collection. Do watch the first three first to get an idea of what each little piece is getting at though.
24 STAR WARS IS AWESOME
Unfortunately, Full Screen is not the best, unless you own a 13"inch TV, which is probly what the guy who wrote the 3 reviews has,
If you want a Widescreen set, buy this one, sell the movies on ebay, stick electrical tape where it says FULL SCREEN, then buy the normal versions of the movies, & PRESTO, Widescreen 2 pack,
May attract bidders on ebay,
I owned EPISODE 1 since it first came out, then I bought ATTACK OF THE CLONES,
& since Im a nurd who likes to collect BOTH versions of movies, I bought this set, It first started when I bought a Spider-man Limited collection, that accidently came with a FULL SCREEN DVD, so I had to buy a WIDESCREEN DVD seperatly, cause I couldnt return to a third party seller,
& Now Im NUTZ about owning movies in BOTH screens,
25 Does lose scope in Fullscreen, but no need to get extreme...
I caught bits and piece of Episode I in Full Screen on television last week, and it was chop and cut job, a [relatively] good one, but still lots of things are lost: character's voices heard without them being on screen (or at least half seen) and noises of objects or characters that are no longer seen.
Plus the scope of the cities and the worlds that were created are reduced considerably. The battles and Pod Races, for which these movies get their most of their thrills from are horribly truncated with much of the surrounding action completley deleted.
On the other hand, why are widescreen faithfuls being so extreme? These films ARE INDEED available in Widescreen for those who choose to get the filmaker's prefered format. And you will be better off when full screen buyers end up with Black Bars on the side of their screens in the end when widescreen televisions become dominant, so what's the fuss on our part? We get the whole movie for our money, not half for the same price.
The "unhelpful button" clicking may commence, I assume...
26 Great
I love star wars.Star wars episode 1 and 2 are great. I am glad that They are full screen. I hope episode 3 - 6 going out fll screen too. I hate wide screen.
27 Full screen is the best
Don't listen to 1 star punks. They are jeolous because full screen rule. Some people don't even like wide screen. I don't like wide screen. wide screen ... I wish evey dvd has full screen so i can get it. I will get this starwars full screen.
28 it is good
This is cool because full screen is #1. Dont listen to those punks that rate only one star. the person that rate one star are jeolous. beside they already have starwars wide screen. Some people like full screen too.
29 NO WIDESCREEN ~ NO PURCHASE!
When will Lucasfilm Learn to Trust the fans and Not some Marketing MBA??!! We are sick of movies being released with NO option of WIDESCREEN. I don't know about other fans, but as for me and my friends , We will NOT be purchasing ANY of the STAR WARS products anymore until all WIDESCREENS are release of every Star Wars movie in BOTH formats (VHS & DVD).
30 Maybe someone at Lucasfilms will read this
*sigh*
I have searched and searched and it seems some marketing *genius* has only choosen to release a Pan and Scan version in the united states. I believe I have found a Region 2 wide-screen version availible on ebay, but it could also be just wishfull thinking.
Gentlemen, when will you start giving the customer what they want?
You have millions of die hard fans wanting widescreen digital format... We want to relive the experience like it was the first time at the movies...
Yes I am one of those *annoying* people who bought the VCD release in Asia of the Special Edition Trillogy (and while I am not too thrilled not to have widescreen, at least I can finally replace my old VHS taps with digital media)
You want to fight piracy? You want to keep people from buying copies not intended for the United States...
The answer is simple...
G i v e U s W h a t W e W a n t.
There... We've spelled it out for you...
DVD
Widescreen
ALL OF THEM... (not just the new ones)
don't bother with partial boxed sets that aren't going to give us all the features. Hell if you really want to cater to the market release it with more DVDs and put widescreen on one side and Pan and Scan on the other...
Until then, I guess I'll NOT be buying your boxed set and I'll either get a European / Asian release or I'll just buy seperate copies in widescreen.
31 This kind of abuse claims for a boicot.
George: Don't play games (with our money): release the ORIGINAL TRILOGY in DVD and WIDESCREEN format and then, you can offer Episode I and II in a decent WIDESCREEN format too.
Star Wars admirers around the world: Don't buy Star Wars product anymore until Lucas had released all the DVDs (in widescreen!)
32 No way
I am a big fan of the old star wars trilogy. Lucas could not handle the new trilogy, it is simply not star wars like.
33 Wow
To everyone who gives these movies a bad review, you people must have no clue what you're talking about. The effects in these movies are far superior to anything that has ever been released. George Lucas did a wonderful job creating the tension and suspense leading up to Episode III. I highly recommend these movies.
34 No Widescreen?! What a joke!
Like many formerly rabid Lucas fans, I really wanted to like Episodes I and II. However, I finally came to the bitter realization that George Lucas was not a god, and that maybe "Howard the Duck" wasn't as much of an aberration as we originally thought.
Now, both episodes are being offered on DVD in pan and scan ONLY?!?! I don't think I'm being cynical to think that this is so that die-hards will buy the pan/scan versions NOW, then spend MORE money buying the widescreen editions later. (then to be followed even later by the ULTIMATE edition - with bonus Jar Jar scenes that originally hit the "cutting room floor") Gheez, doesn't ILM make enough money to support itself without GL having to resort to consumer abuse?
Would it be SO HARD to offer a chopped-up version and a widescreen version at the same time?!?!
35 AWSOME MOVIES FOR AN AWSOME PRICE!
I actualy prefer full screen and both of these moves are state of the art. A great addtition to my collection.
36 Oh...my...God.
After "Episode I", one would think that the "Star Wars" movies couldn't get any worse. I did, but sadly I was wrong.
Despite some improvements such as the smaller role for Jar Jar Binks and that Liam Neeson is no longer part of the movie, the feel of the original Trilogy is gone, as is the quality of filmmaking. Take Yoda fighting, for instance: it's just so artificial and "Matrix"-like.
The storyline involving Anakin's romance is boring (as is his mother's death, completely lacking drama), and Obi-Wan investigating a murder is just so non-"Star Wars".
Also, the recycled material is evident (the Coruscant club resembles the cantina in "A New Hope", for example) and the references to the future (the original Trilogy) are lame (such as C-3PO asking who Obi-Wan is after listening to R2-D2's message). And Obi-Wan piloting a starship and being chased thorough an asteroid field? That's right, "The Empire Strikes Back"! The lightning bolts that Christopher Lee shoots at the Jedi? Yep, "Return of the Jedi".
Honestly, I only enjoyed the last 20 minutes or so, when a hundred of Jedi and then the clones take on the other army.
It's sad that Lucas is ruining his once great story with these prequels. And they are on DVD?! I say release the Trilogy! People is getting tired of waiting. And so am I.
37 No Widescreen
These movies are both great though Attack of the Clones is clearly the best of the two. Still how come only the full screen versions come in a four disc pack. Why is there no Widescreen 4 pack. Widescreen is supieor especially in a Star Wars movie which look especially horrible in Pan Scan. Release a widescreen two pack this is rediculous.
38 Clone With The Wind ?
For a Director who claims not to cater to the whims of his franchise's expectation-heavy fanbase, George Lucas certainly appears to be in "putting wrongs right" mode with "Attack of the Clones". In truth, "The Phantom Menace" could never have lived up to the hype built from 17 years on the back-burner, but few were prepared for what is easily the most disappointing entry into the "Star Wars" saga. For the sequel, to his prequel, Lucas has given the people more of what they wanted (epic galactic upheavals, witty and involving characters) and less of what they didn't like (piddling taxation disputes, Jar Jar Binks), and suddenly all seems back on track again. So, maybe the geeks will inherit the world after all !Packaging both prequels together is a pretty canny move to boot. "Episode I" plays far better as an introductory, scene-setting precursor to the grander action of "Episode II" than it ever did as a stand-alone mini-epic. Admittedly, it takes about three hours of watching these back-to-back before much of any real significance happens, but when "Clones" kicks in, it does so in mega-Saturday-matinee style.
Okay, so the Anakin-Padme love angle doesn't really gel, but "Clones" mostly succeeds in being an interstellar "Gone With The Wind" (or "Titanic" in space for you of the Y Generation). It's all there - the doomed romance set against a backdrop of disaster, the extraordinary visual set-pieces, and even a sweeping new John Williams love theme. "Clones" flat-out demands attention, and although far from perfect, the light-year improvement from "Episode I" can only mean the concluding chapter (due in 2005) will silence even the staunchest nay-sayers once and for all.
