1 So Much More is Expected of "Star Wars"
The reason "Star Wars" fans reluctantly trudge to the theaters is because they all remember that rush. It was the rush of seeing Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Han Solo and spectacular space battles and a pop culture mythology that they could call their own. The characters were more than endearing, the stories more than just escapist fluff. When people thought of "Star Wars," they thought of cinematic storytelling at it's zenith. Then they all saw "The Phantom Meanace." Many left tht theaters in awe of how far Lucas had fallen, how far his creative instincts had gone astray. But, with dutiful apprehension, the faithful saw "Attack of the Clones" with fingers so tightly crossed they were almost in knots. People still left the theaters in a dissappointed, gloomy mood.
Director George Lucas has one big assumption wrong, He thinks that if he piles on the visual dazzle and F/X fireworks that audiences will overlook shortcomings in the little things like acting, dialouge and storytelling. But Lucas should have realized that the masses adored the original trilogy because of great acting and writing with groundbreaking visual effects a flashy but much welcome bonus. In "Attack of the Clones," Lucas does indeed pile on the visual eye candy, and it is not without merit. Beautifully rendered worlds continue to populate Lucas fabled galaxy with many new and fascinating creatures. But no matter how awesome the visuals may be, they cannot overcome Lucas' shortcomings as a writer and as a director. The film opens as Padme (Natalie Portman) arrives on Courescant to voice her opposition to the creation of a Galatic Army to counter the gathering threat of a separatist movement, led by the nefarious Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) and the sleazy trade federation still in business after the events of Episode I. Throughout the film, it becomes clear that the real puppet master is Darth Sidious/Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), slowly positioning himself to take his place as a Sith Emperor. After a failed assaination attempt of Padme, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is enlisted to protect her while Ob1-Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) goes hopping around the galaxy to find the killer.
Even with the enticing set-up of galatic conspiracy and budding romance, Lucas fails to generate any tension in the plot of any fire in the love story. Lucas is an inferior director of actors and it shows. The romanic interplay between Portman and Christensen is almost laughable and cloying. It is almost impossible to be taken by their plight when they feel so pastic and distant. Lucas also fails to show the raging anger and despair within Anakin, especially when he realizes he is powerless to stop the fate that awaits his mother. And despite all the talent Lucas has around him elsewhere with Ewan McGregor, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee and Ian McDiarmid, none give truly memorable turns as what should have been truly remarakable characters.
And Lucas even fails to generate any genuine excitement during the signature "Star Wars" action sequences. His flat-footed direction seems to translate just as easily to action set-pieces as it does to character development. The galatic dogfights, lightsabre duels and great clashes of armies may be visually impressive, packing on digital detail (see the final battle scene) but no real tension comes of it. Part of the problem is also that audiences don't care for or root for the characters with they take to swashbuckling derring-doo because Lucas did not develop any characters worth caring about. One important lesson Lucas needs to learn is that strong characters are the backbone to any good story and that if you have good characters, battle scenes will be so much more impressive because audiences have characters to root for and they will allow themselves to give in to the operatic grandeur. But none of this really matters to Lucas. He make films the way he wants to, no matter how flawed they are.
2 Very poor acting!
I watched this film with high expectations, you would expect a star wars film to be nothing less than extravagant, but this time round it was not the case. First of all my interest started to drift from this film, when I spotted acting flaws in both hayden and Ewans performance. However after talking to many people who have watched the film and reading other reviews, it seems i'm not the only one who spotted bad acting. The worst performance came from Hayden Christensen, especially on the emotional scenes. I have read that George Lucas was initially going to take on Leornardo DiCaprio to play Anakin, which in my opinion was a much better choice. Not only DiCaprio looks like the boy in Phantom Menace, but he is a better actor and would've held a stronger screen presence. Surprisingly, Ewan's performance wasn't as strong in this one, as it was in the Phantom Menace, I think maybe he was too relaxed in his role. I think Lucas focused so much on special effects and the digital yoda, that he forgot what makes a good film in the first place, and thats 'performance.' After watching the documentaries on the dvd, Christopher Lee said that despite the fact that the effects have taken over a fair bit, there is still a strong need for performance, however since Lee's character was played by a body-double in most of his scenes, I find this ironic.
Now the positive aspects of the film. Well done ILM, for bringing digital Yoda to life. Superb scene, with Yoda fighting with his light saber, but I dont think this was enough to save the film from its demise. The soundtrack was the strong hold of the picture, I think John Williams scored superbly, bringing the feel of love into the story.
The film wasn't all bad, but you would expect better from a Star Wars film, and the bad acting did let the film down dramatically. I hope Lucas can pick up on his mistakes from this one, and improve on his next film.
3 This is an essential piece to the Star Wars Saga
I do not know how people can give this movie anything less than five stars. Okey, there is this one scene with Padme when she says she has "been dying a little bit everyday", but other than that the film has real emotions and it chronicals how a good person can go bad. I really enjoyed the scene when Obi-Wan finds out about the Republic's Clone Army. Also it explains how Ankin starts falling to the darkside. Even if you did't throughly enjoy Episode I, you should definetly check this out.
4 Chain Link
It just makes me laugh most of the negative reviews for this movie. Well, this Star Wars movie is as good as the others & a personal favorite. Maybe people expect way too much when they hear or read the title "star wars" but George Lucas doesn't give a s**t and he's not gonna change the script just because some people were dissapointed, all of his movies were filmed the way he wanted 'em to be. In the end, doesn't AOTC fulfill its goal? Doesn't it show Anakin violating every single Jedi rule: No Love (married Padme) , No Anger (slaughtered the entire encampment of Tusken Raiders). As a result, Anakin just keeps getting closer and closer to the dark side. Mmmm, with the upcoming Episode III we get to see how Anakin turns to the cool and super-evil Darth Vader. Now, if for some reason one person never saw a Star Wars movie and decides to go and watch Episode III or rents the old trilogy s/he's going to wonder: "Mmm, where did this Vader dude come from?? Whoa whoa, so he IS Luke's father?? Wait, wait, he used to be a good guy??", so there's when Episode II comes to action, to explain everything related to Anakin turning into Darth Vader. Another thing, many people here think that the scene where Count Dooku and Yoda fight was disgusting, well, in the movies A New Hope & The Empire Strikes Back they basically make Yoda look like a god, and when you see this green little dude, all sick & in his deathbed, you kinda wonder if he was the great Jedi warrior all talk about. Well, this scene was so necessary, as vital as Anakin's evolution to Darth Vader (George Lucas is not stupid). I think Episode III it's gonna be a heck of a movie, although most of us know who the Sith Master is and details like that, it's interesting to see how Anakin is gonna kick Obi Wan's butt, maybe kill Mace Windu, i dunno. Well, AOTC is a great movie, a link in the Star Wars' chain. Interesting...
5 Excellent
I can't wait to see how Anakin's character evolve to the evil mofo that is Darth Vader...
6 Here to make one broad statement...
The romance in Episode II was not a failure at all. It did its job perfectly.
Anakin Skywalker is a Jedi Knight, whose eventual change to the light side happens because of his emotions - not because of his skills with the ladies. Once again, he's a Jedi. In other words, the Star Wars equivalent of mix between a Cardinal and a member of the National Guard (or the like). His "wooden" performance was due to that fact, and other tragic factors shown clearly throughout the movie. Is Skywalker a role model for college daters? No. But he's not (supposed to be) a role model for anything, imbeciles. He's a living Faustian tragedy, if y'all haven't noticed. He's the main character in a personal tale and a religious tale - not a romantic or political tale. What happened with him made perfect sense.
Even in real life, you won't find ultra-religious people being light, funny, and cocky (in any sense of the word) around women, unless it's in an innocent, altruism-based way. Duh. And do you think ultra-religious people care? No. Not too much. Why should they place priority on diddling a few worthless whores over being a great, pure human and having eternal bliss?
He's the Christlike figure of the Star Wars universe too. That's not a sacreligious comment on my part; it's an obvious occurrence that everyone should have noticed. Christ going bad and having a woman, any woman, would make him a bad boy and a hardcore romantic by his Heavenly standards. Again: I'm only pointing out the obvious.
It's sad to know I'm the only one who can understand that, though.
One last thing on the side: the two negative viewers who posted right before me are clearly imbeciles with opinions that prove that very fact. Disregard anything and everything they just said, for the sake of your own mental health.
7 The title throws you off, Not a film made in 1950
In anticipation of the last episode of the financially bloated 'Star Wars saga', I expect viewers to watch all 5 out, and then I think to myself, 'what would be the most important episode to watch before the premiere of the much anticipated ROTS? At first I would say episode 2, the timeline is after all, moving forward from the first and second, but then it is a prequel, Episode four should be firmly in short term memory then. But I hardly expect any fan to be rusty on his trivia from the "original".
So, in dubbing this film as 'forgettable", I name the second as the most important to watch(because I'm sure you don't remember any of it and you will need to catch up on some of it.). I would rake up the patience, the yoga like preparation it will take to get through the second episode. Or, the kiddie film. Rest assured, I've read from screeners that the third is much more adult (finally for the fans who have grown up!)
This review is to help you get through the agony of it, facing the truth of how bad this film is, helpful. Come on people, the yoda fighting was incredibly bad. Just admit it. When the toughest scenes come, When Anakin is confessing to his brutal sin, Just imagine all of those hard working fans standing in line as you watch the film. Who have and will be standing for weeks. That's real sacrifice, your measily two hours are nothing, suck it up, take one for the team! It will give you a low expectation for the third and in the end, you will leave the theatre (when you DO see it) and cry, not with jaded tears of misery, but gaiety! So fans, feel the madness, and get pumped up, The only pre-movie that should have been made is finally comming! See you at the premiere.
8 Genius. Watch it at work...
George Lucas is not an American. If he is, he isn't typical, and this is not an example of American culture at work, peremeating the globe. Far from it. This is an an unabridged vision of something whose far off circumference has up, until now, never touched Hollywood, or influenced the world normally in thrall to whatever comes from the brazen doors of the studio doors in dusty California.
This movie is part of a set of a carefully worded and staged microcosm; it is a WARNING. To do what Lucas has done is not remarkable - it is impossible. The fact that it has occurred at all is something like a miracle.
Lucas, bless him, is now far more loquacious than he had been before, and is now opening the official releases of the book with statements such as "this is happening now", and when I saw that, I literally jumped out of my seat, banging my leg prett badly. I shouted to my wife. Thats it. He's finally said it. Come here and see this.
There is nothing more terrifying than the drama of choice - the bifircation of potential into the inevitable - one way or another. [Aldous Huxley, Ape and Essence... So here you are my friends, here you are...]
I don't know what production values have really been attributed to this film, I suspect they are very very high. Lucas has made a point of sitting with the very best and some of the most informed people in the art world, and to a certain extent has even DEFINED what we mean when we mean things like that.
Just as a sideblast, what started in Attack of the Clones has progressed beyond the boundaries of Hollywood and landed in New Zealand, but you knew that anyway, didn't you!
I would look at this carefully, and receive the wisdom that George is handing out. This generation needs what this man has to say, among other things. This message is very urgent, and the messenger knows it well.
Enjoy...
9 Wow this movie is horrible.
I really wanted to like it but after the 4th time I could no longer stomach it. The story telling is terrible, the effects are so overwhelming(I'm beginning to get a migrain) and the acting...........come on... it is so bad I wonder what went wrong. Hopefully,,hope,,hope the final installment will rectify this horrible new franchise that started in '99
10 Come on
When the Empire Strikes Back hit theaters in 1980 it was a disappointment to a majority who watched it. People believed that it did not have the spirit or originality of the first one. Like fine wine the more it aged the more enjoyable it became. Now the general public agrees that ESB is the definitive Star Wars movie. What is my point? Attack of the Clones is the ESB of the prequel trilogy. Is AOTC as good as ESB? Time will tell I believe. Every movie since ANH has been a disappointment to "real" fans and this one was no different. Only until all six are out and people have watched each film numerous times should people really judge. It is ridiculous that people compare the new star wars movies to movies they have seen over thirty times. Of course you are going to like a film you grew up with more than one you saw once when you were thirty.
One thing I think all Star Wars fans should remember is that AOTC is a very flawed movie, but then again so are the rest of them. Instead of judging the movie by all its cinematic imperfections you should look at them for what they are, big budget cereals. While the movies mean more to me and to most of you, on their on the surface they all have bad scripts and bad acting and they are supposed to be presented that way. They don't use real acting like in other movies, they use cereal acting which is completely different. For instance Marl Hammil's performance after he hears about Darth Vaders true relation to him is no worse than Hayden's performance when he is confessing his love of Padme or his slaughter of tusken raiders. My point being that the AOTC bashers bring up good points but they are points that can be raised about all the Star Wars Films. Another point I would like to make is Attack of the clones is no worse a title than The Empire Strikes Back. Both B-movie title rip offs, the only difference between the two is that one you grew up with and one you heard when you were an adult. Titles like that seem to sound different the older you are.
George Lucas's goal has always been about evolving his movies technology. Every movie has progressed technologically from the last, which is sort of the point of the films. He is revolutionized the industry today just as he did thirty years ago. Without AOTC there would be no Sin City, Matrix sequels or Lord of the Rings movies. AOTC looks no more fake than ESB and in my opinion AOTC is much more beautiful. It is ridiculous to say that CGI looks worse than puppets.
Just like the Phantom Menace paralleled a New Hope so does AOTC to ESB. I don't need to point out the obvious ones I hope (both Luke and Anakin's hands get cut off/two stories simultaneously going on in each film/land battle/asteroid chase/bounty hunters).
One that I think a lot of people missed was that Anakin is faced with the same moral quandary as Luke in the middle of each of their own trilogies. Should they obey their master or help those they love and can't stop seeing visions about. Anakin choose to save his mother and disobey obi Wan and Luke choose to disobey Yoda and try and save his friends. As a result both of them took their first steps into the dark side. Before that they were annoying arrogant brats, afterward they both were not the same people they once were. Anakin now had lost his mother and slaughter a whole camp of tuskens and Luke had found his fathers true identify and began using the dark side of the force in ROTJ (when he was chocking the Gamorians). Anakin stayed on the path to the dark side while Luke eventually found his way to the light in the last battle in ROTJ.
As far as the Anakin Padme love story not being convincing well...was the Han and Leia one convincing? How in the world is the "I hate sand...soft and smooth" speech worse than the "...my hands are dirty..." "...what are you afraid of," exchange between Han and Leia. The fact of the matter is that Star Wars love stories are not supposed to be convincing, they are just sort of there and they happen like in the old cereals that George grew up on.
Do yourself a favor and watch each prequel a few more times before Revenge of the Sith comes out. Trust me you will enjoy the third movie more and have a new appreciation of the PT. Maybe you won't enjoy them as much as the OT, but hey we aren't ten years old anymore are we?
11 the best of all time
Wow i dont know how to say how good this movie was , and its another movie that didnt get the credit it deserves what the hell is wrong with you people that didnt like it ? its the best star wars of all and its my favorite movie of all time besides lord of the rings and the godfather.This movie lives up to all the rest and is alot beter than episode one which was real good except for jar jar binks ruinin some parts of the movie. this movie is alot darker and more action filled than episode one and passes it up by far , with the best story and fights and battles iv ever seen on the screen i still want to know what people see is wrong with it to make it less than the best movie of all time. ill admit episode 3 looks beter than this one but theres no reason to not give this its respect its an amazing movie and it continues the greatest story ever told. give this movie its respect and tell how good it is.
12 Thanks Big Bro!
One day my brother and I were talking about movies and Star Wars came up, I told my brother that Star Wars is for nerds. My brother asked me why, eventually he made me watch them. I didn't like Episode 1, but the rest was AWESOME! I guess I was listening to many stereotypes, since kids these days say that comics and Star Wars are for geeks, but they're to busy listening to rap music and going to juvenile court.
All 'n' All: If you like Star Wars, I recommend this one for you.
13 Good
Not as good as the original ORIGINAL trilogy, of corse, but almost. At least they kinda cut back with Jar Jar. In this movie, you cna see that Anikan is edging torward the dark side. Obi Wan goes on a Dick Tracey type hunt for a bounty hunter trying to attack Senitor Amidala. She, of corse falls in love with Anikan (Age difference??). Now we see where the storm troopers originate. Not bad. Get it and see what you think.
14 Still better then Episode I
Since there was less Jar Jar binks in the movie, only just about 5 minutes if that, but i really hate Jar Jar, it made for a much better Star Wars. Hayden Christenson was a little wooden as Aniken but from the trailers from Episode III looks like he grew into the role. But the best part in the movie is when Yoda and Count Dukoo through down, when Yoda walked in and gets his light saber out i had goosebumbs on my arms, another good addition to the Star Wars franchise.
15 Interesting
The thing that i don't really understand is why some star wars fans hated this movie so much. It is FAR better than Ep I and on par with eps 4 and 6. That's just my personal opinion. The fight scenes are beatiful. The special effects were enough to make me cry with tears of joy. The story is... odd. Everyone knew that Padme and Anakin had to fall in love so why do they criticize it so much? But anyways it was a great movie. I recommend waiting until the sextillogy comes out on dvd to get it.
16 Blind we are if creation of this clone army we could not see
Attack of the Clones is set 10 years after the events in "The Phantom Menace". Following an assassination attempt on the life of Senator Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman), Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his padawan learner Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) are sent to investigate. After tracking down the assassin, she is killed before any information can be obtained. The two Jedi are then sent on two separate missions. Anakin is sent on his first ever mission which Obi-Wan does not feel he is ready for. His mission: to accompany Senator Padme to Naboo and protect her from would be assassination attempts. Obi-Wan's mission is to head to the planet of Kamino where he will investigate the assassination attempts. During his investigating he makes gigantic discoveries that lead to some of the biggest events of the Star Wars saga. Obi-Wan uncovers there is a connection between the assassination attempts on Padme and an allegiance of separatists led by a former Jedi Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) against the Republic. The Galactic Republic finds itself at the brink of a civil war, and the Jedi's have already expressed they are not an army to defend the republic.
"It is obvious this can not be resolved by knowledge of the force but by the skills with a light saber."
George Lucas is world famous for his role in writing and directing the Star Wars epic. The man stood on a double edge sword, with his fans on one side screaming to continue the saga, and on the other side knowing he has so much technology and special effects to work with. Now he can make a visually superior product which will not appease the fans asking for the saga to continue. Lucas decided to fall off both sides of the sword. He went forward with the saga and utilized far superior technology and visual effects. The outcome: a far better product on the screen without the feel of the original films. Episode 1 & 2 are still entertaining films, if any other name then Star Wars was attached to them the same viewers who bashed the films would love them. Nevertheless, it does say Star Wars; they are good films, just not as great as the originals because they are different types of films.
"For a mechanic, you seem to do an awful lot of thinking."
Episode 2, Attack of the Clones, is a far superior film to the first, I definitely enjoyed the film more. I did not enjoy the child version of Anakin as a main character. A casual fan may not see Anakin in Episode 1 as the main character. Let us say Episode 1, as a film, is not necessary for any other purpose then the development of Anakin Skywalker. Enough Semantics. The Anakin Skywalker presented in Episode 2, though pompous and arrogant, is a far enhanced character to follow. I would not say you root for him, rather you enjoy watching him develop and seeing the melees he encounters.
"I want to go home and rethink my life."
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones belongs in your DVD collection. The film is action packed, interesting, fun, adventurous, and has depth. If individuals stopped comparing it to the originals, came to the realization this film was made almost 20 years later, and is visually far superior, they may enjoy the film on those premises alone. If you expect to recapture the magic of a film you watched at 8 when your 28 then maybe you need to grow-up. I personally watch Tarantino for that.
Grade: A-
17 Yoda! Yoda! Yoda! Yoda! Yoda! Yoda! Yoda! Yoda! Yoda!
Truly, this film is very action-packed! But you see the gates of Episode 3 in this movie. True, some people don't like it, but what about Yoda? He fights Dooku in this film (wait until he fights Palpetine in Ep:3!) This movie is about the life of Anakin becoming a jedi. He was a padawan at first, he had a hard time obeying things (kinda like me!) His trainer Obi-Wan, tries his best to watch over this tough padawan of his.
Soon Obi-Wan goes to a rainy planet called Kamino. Where some dinno-like-guys introduce to him a new army, the Clone Army! (They become storm troopers later on.) Soon as part of training the army, Jango Fett the bounty hunter (Boba Fett's daddy) was introduced to Obi, then tried to kill him! Soon Obi-Wan follows Jango Fett to a planet called Geonosis. He was soon captured by the Separatists (Trade Federation,) the Geonosisians, and Count Dooku. Count Dooku trained Qui-Gon-Jinn (Jedi Knight in Ep:1) when he was good and a real jedi. Now he's just an old Sith Lord!
Anakin Skywalker soon protects Padme and escorts her to Naboo (The Separatists once invaded that planet in ep:1.) Soon they fell in love with each other (Padme will be Elevader soon.) Old joke, the Elevader thing. All along, he had nightmares about his mom. Soon he goes to Tatoonine (his orignal home and Luke Skywalker's.) He looks for his mom by visiting the Laws family. He finds her after finding out that Shmi Skywalker was taking by a band of Tusken Raiders! He finds her but she died after she was rescued! He killed all the Tusken Raiders painfully (That is one of Darth Vaders' horrible start!)
Soon they try to free Obi-Wan in Geonosis, but was captured and was sentenced to be in some wierd animals' tummys! Soon at the arena they fought against some monsters and droids! The jedi did help, but they were outnumbered (way to go Dooku!) "Imagine Superman theme." The Clones were to the rescue! And fought a battle against the Separatists. Obi-Wan and Anakin fought Dooku, but it failed (Anakin lost his hand! Poor Shmi Skywalker if she heard about it.) Soon Yoda fought Dooku, but he had to save the two jedi.
Soon in episode 3, we will have several lightsaber fights. Including Anakin Skywalker V.S Obi-Wan Kenobi!
Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith. Rated PG-13 for intense scenes, and sci-fi violence. This is just a warning for parents with kids if they haven't heard. I must warn you, Episode 3 will be very dark, even for 3-8 year olds.
18 Great except for cheesy love stroy
Much better than Episode 1! Hayden is brilliant as Anakin and proves himself to be a very talented actor. The story is much more exciting and interesting than Episode 1. Jengo Fett is a stand out character. Seeing Yoda fight is a fan's dream come true.
There are only 3 things that irritate me about this film: #1. Jar Jar sholud not have been in it at all no matter how small his part was.. #2. Dooku is so lame and fights as if he has arthritis. How come Kenobi couldn't take this old guy down? He cut Darth Maul in half for crying out loud! #3 Is the love story. What love story? I sense no spark between Padme' and Anakin. I find it a bit creepy he has been dreaming about her since the day they said goodbye 10 years ago. He was like 8 years old! And I cannot figure out why Padme' falls in love with him. Because he's cute? Because he's always falling all over her? Lucas stinks at writing love stories. Han and Leia they are not.
All in all I enjoyed this film. Can't wait for Episode 3.
19 Ick.
George Lucas had three good movies in him.
Unfortunately, he has made five, with more to go.
As others have pointed out, there are enough plot holes to swallow up a galaxy.
(It is, however, interesting to learn that Jar-Jar Binks is responsible for the collapse of the Republic: he is the one "brave enough" to propose the motion that will allow the Chancellor to rule by decree. This seems appropriate.)
20 Brilliant Masterpiece. The Star Wars Galaxy is falling.
This movie is as perfect as Episode I. George Lucas is brilliantly making these prequels, so that Episode III will be an extremely sad Tragedy.
Everything in this movie is done perfectly. The Galaxy is falling in to darkness, and it can be seen in this movie. Buy this movie. You won't regret it. It fits with the rest of the Star Wars Saga perfectly.
21 George Lucas: Big money, no talent
The venerable Star Wars legacy is soiled yet again by its profane producer, George Lucas. Note that I avoided using the word, "creator," because judging by the stupidity of his last three stink bombs, I doubt seriously George Lucas contributed *any* intellectual capital to the first three gems. I remember with fondness the inimitable "Star Wars", "The Empire Strikes Back", and "Return of the Jedi". It is obvious the story will never, in my lifetime, be continued in a competent manner. As long as a pulse quickens Lucas' reptilian brain, he jealously guards the copyrights with an eye trained upon merchandizing, capitalizing: the only things he ever knew or loved.
If you are searching for a worthy film for children, please do not belittle their intelligence by selecting any of Lucas' lemons. Children either immediately pick up on the falseness or else come to recognize it in time and learn contempt. Lucas has long since ceased to be a name worthy of respect in film-making. I would recommend instead choosing any other film, totally at random. You would stand better odds of picking a good movie.
22 Better than Episode I
Of the two "Star Wars" prequels, this one is the better. The critisism of Hayden Christensen's portrayal of Annakin is unfounded: he plays the part as a deeply troubled young man. Not brought up as most young Jedi, he has ties to his mother that he can not shake. Hayden does a brilliant job of bringing out Annakin's dark tendencies. It is especially evident after his mother's death when he slaughters the Tuskens. He also does a good job in his relationship to his mentor, Obi-Wan, he looks up to him as a father figure, and yet he feels like he is being held back. He fits the part well, I think.
Ewan McGregor has grown well in his part as Obi-Wan, I loved him in Episode I and he is even better here. He has managed to capture the character that Alec Guiness created almost 30 years ago.
While the duel with Dooku was not nearly as good as the Obi-Wan/Darth Maul duel Episode I, it was fun to see the legendary Yoda in action and Christopher Lee played his part to a "T".
Those who disliked the love story angle, must understand that Annakin's love for Padme is what contributed to his downfall. It was a necessary part of the story.
The mystery part of the plot was great. I loved seeing Obi-Wan in action.
I have been a Star Wars fan since the very beginning. I was 18 when the first one came out, and I have been waiting for the prequel trilogy for a long time. So far I have not been disappointed.
23 "...there is no try" Well yeah, that's obvious
All I can say about this movie is WOW, what a waste of film. It was even worse than Episode 1, and that's saying something. These are the things that screwed it up.
1) The love story. I didn't pay 7 bucks for a movie ticket to watch a pacifst senator and the future Darth Vader make out on an island in a wetland for an hour. I hope that George Lucus goes bankrupt for that. He'd deserve it.
2) The acting. It was the worst acting that i've EVER seen. It was so bad, i can't even explain it. See for yourself.
3) The corny lines. "The sand is corse, but you're smooth all over." Huh?
4) Jar Jar Blinks. Even after the Phantom Menace failure, Lucus STILL put him in, and even made him a Naboo senator! If I were Lucus, I would have had that speech challenged slug killed by some droid in Naboo during Episode 1.
All in all, this movie is terrible. Instead of buying this, go out and get a good movie, namely, the original Star Wars movies.
24 Attack of the Cornballs
This movie is all about effects. Great ones at that. The story is not up to par against any of the original Star Wars movies. THe acting was horrible to say the least. Hayden Christiansen was the worst actor of the bunch. The very unbelieveable"love" story was so painful to watch it made me almost embarrassed for the poor kid. With 2 misses in the Star Wars prequil, I dont expect much of the 3rd installment. I'll stick to watching the much better original Star Wars series on DVD.
25 Wonderful
HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOT AND WILL BE EVEN HOTTER IN EPISODE 3 REVENGE OF THE SITH. IT WAS A BREATH TAKING. EPISDODE 3 IS HAS THE ULTIMATE LIGHTSABER BATTLE OF ALL TIME.
P.S.= HAYDEN IS MINE
26 One Big Cartoon of a Movie
The main problem with Star Wars - Episode II, Attack of the Clones is the special effects. The actors look lost and confused most of the time because they are constantly behind blue screens. The end battle looks like a cartoon, it looked like the actors were trapped in Toy Story world. Another problem is the script, it is really lame, with lines like " Sand is corse, but not like you, you are everything soft." its corny lines like this that make some scences laughable. George lucas is probly the laziest dirctor of all time. This film was not directed by George lucas it was directed by the good guys ofI.L.M Cause this movie is one big special effect. Its sad to hear John Williams legendary score over this waste of a Star Wars film. I hope Lucas trys a little harder with episode 3. Actually i pray.
27 Under-Rated and Overlooked this Movie Has Become!!!
It's one thing if you don't feel the prequels are good enough but how can you be against them being made? I don't get these conservative republican fans! What SW fan compains about NEW Star Wars films??? People don't appreciate Ep 2. However, I can sympathize with haters of Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. I do believe that it should and could have been much much better. The infantile Jar Jar pratically single handedly ruins the film for me and there was room for more action and less sitting around talking. But you can understand why Lucas wanted a more lighter intro to the series to contrast the dark events of Episode 3. Because if you think about it the whole premise of the prequels is dark: A good man turning into one of the most evil villians ever. One thing I missed in Episode One was the presence of a respectable Yoda. He was very misrepresented in that movie, he didn't even look like himself. But here, in Episode II, we get to see what Yoda was like as a master Jedi, rather than just the grasshopper-like mentor he was in the orignal trilogy. In here Yoda is just a tad too CG and lacks much of the charm and character he had in the originals but when we finally see him use his lightsaber, which was for a lot of SW fans the most anticipated thing of the prequels, it makes the whole movie. I believe that Yoda should have been a more central character in these prequels, rather than just sit around chillin' with Samuel L. Of course judging from the trailer, we will get our share of classic Yoda scenes in Episode 3. Moving on to other central characters... Samuel L. Jackson as jedi legend "Mace Windu", it is great to see Samuel in this trilogy but his charcter gets little screen time and even less action scenes. It is also good to see C3PO and R2D2 in these prequels, not only does it give the trilogy a much needed sense of familiarity, but it provides a few more likeable characters. My question though is why R2 couldn't fly in the other films??? Padme is very likeable being that she is played by the beautiful Natalie Portman. Anakin Skywalker is the hardest for people to accept, the trick is not to look at Darth Vader and picture Anakin, but to watch these movies as the begining and THEN look at Vader. Yeah, Hadem might not be the best actor, but he does bring a sense of arrogance and anger that Anakin needed to be believeable. Obi Wan is the hardest character for me to grasp. I just pictured him to be completely different, not this humble guy who's afraid of action. Anyways lets get into the storyline... The best thing about the prequels is that it enhances the original trilogy by setting it up, so to speak. It explains how the stormtroopers came about (which is the main focusof this film) It shows the transformation of Luke's father to Darth Vader, and most importantly, it shows how a peaceful world of Jedi Knights was turned into an evil dictatorship that is the Empire. You also get the backstory of the Emperor Palpatine who is the one who orcastrated the entire corruption. My biggest complaint with this film, is that it should have been Episode 1 and Episode 2 should have been about The Clone Wars. Think about it, The Clone Wars is the most important part of the Trilogy and it is not really shown, this movie ends with the beganing of the war and the third installment begans with the war almost over. Basically we don't get to see the classic battles that should have been in this film. But there is plenty to see in here, we get the first battle of the Stormtroopers, before they turn into the bad guys. We get the origin of Bobba Fett. We get a few tight chase scenes and many lightsaber duels, yet not nearly enough lightsaber action as was expected. We also get to see new planets like the world of raging storms and vast oceans and the red desert planet Geonosis with it's inhabitants of cricket like species.
Basically Episode II, while not ideal, is a very nice addition to the Star Wars Saga. Those who complain it is not as good as the original are right but who was expecting it to be??? Those who say it is weak and storyless are very wrong and not very perceptive. Episode III: Revenge of the Sith looks to be the best out of the prequels by far and is already being called the greatest sci fi movie ever by critics!!! but Episode II: Attack of the Clones, should be honored as a great film as well. Star Wars movies are some of the greatest films ever, no movie experience is like these films! So enjoy this one and just chill to the next episode......... 3 that is!!! Revenge of the Sith, May ?? 2005!!! Peace!!!
28 Good God, this movie is not bad its excellent.
I can't help but puke over most of the people who whine and cry about the movie having important elements for Anakins fall to the darkside, such as the love story. Anakin in episode III falls to the darkside to save his loved ones (and because of some lies of sidious) alot of people say the plot is bad. Well you can go screw yourself, because after reading the Revenge of the Sith book, its quite possibly the most genius thing I've ever read. By the way, you shouldn't fully judge the prequel series untill you've finished watching all three of them, and all you Original Trilogy whores who can't stand the new changes , which uhh, are hardly anything but better FX and a more dramatic score at the end, and you will also come to realize why you see Haydens spirit instead of Sabastian Shaw (you would also know if you watched the commentary on the OT)overall , all 6 of the films are the greatest films together I have ever seen in my life, and if you think AOTC sucks , you need to be put in a rocket and launched towards the sun.
29 Can't believe it has the "Star Wars" name attached to it....
Come on George Lucas, I'm sure you can do much better than feed us with this bloated, over-acted pathetic excuse of a film. I mean, anyone else helming this movie, and you might think..."hmm..good attempt" but this is Lucas we're talking about, the man who gave us such classics as Star Wars 4,5,6 and Indiana Jones movies. I am very disappointed with the outcome of this saga, honestly. What makes it more painful is the fact that I loved Star Wars 4,5 and 6. I grew up on those movies... it was the "Lord Of The Rings" of my generation.
Years later, we get this...totally unnecessary prequels. The script is weak, there were many plot holes...the acting was bad, especially the romantic parts of the movie...that was laughable...me and my friends had a nice laugh at those parts, totally unrealistic and no chemistry at all. And what is up with Anakin aging like 10 years and Amidala looking like she hasn't aged a day? But that's a hiccup compared to the rest of the problems plaguing this movie. The effects were good though (hence the 2-star rating) but then again, we're in the 21st century and those effects were not groundbreaking, basically we've already seen it. George really has his work cut out for Revenge Of The Sith, I hope he doesn't blow that to dust too.
Sorry if I offended anyone, it is not my intention to belittle Star Wars, and I am definitely not a Star Wars hater...I'm just giving my honest views. Anyway, Star Wars Episode III will be released soon, and I sincerely hope it is more to the standard of 4,5,6 than 1 and 2.
30 ''Sand is Coarse''
Attack of the Clones was a decent film I thought. A few flaws to say the least. Alot of plot holes and so-so acting. Hayden Christensen was somewhat annoying as Anakin (or as the other characters call him 'Annie'). I guess that was the point, our hero needed to be self-centered & arrogant .....which leads to wanting power, which leads to the dark side of the Force.Ewan Mcgregor was decent as Obi Wan I suppose, I think he nailed the Alec Guiness persona to a 't'. Natalie Portman on the other.....delivered the same monotone dialogue as she did in Phantom Menace...........''Anakin, I wont let you give up your career for me'' blah blah, obviously the Anakin/Padme romance was pure cheese...........
Frank Oz, Ian Mcdiarmid & Temeurea Morrison were a bit underused in their supporting roles.........and as for the villain of the film, we have the legend Christopher Lee as Count Dooku (who's also the sith lord Darth Tyranus). Mind you, during viewing the film Lucas tries to trick the audience into thinking Dooku/Tyranus are 2 separate people (much like Palpatine/Darth Sidious).....................I thought the film was solid over all (the Jango Fett vs Obi Wan rain duel ruled) unlike the lighsaber duels involing Anakin, Obi Wan, Yoda & Count Dooku. Also, viewers must refrain from the Jar Jar Binks bashing (he's barely in AOTC)..........the film would've been better if there was more insight into the Anakin/Obi Wan friendship.........most of the time Anakin is 'dissing' him behind his back ''He's holding me back'' etc.......R2D2 & C3PO were likeable as always.........and Boba Fett (as a kid) was annoying.....I hope my review helps
31 Much better than The Phantom Menace.
I didn't really like the Phantom Menace when I saw it on video. The acting and script were terrible, Jar Jar Binks was very annoying, and the story made little sense to me. I wasn't really interested in Attack of the Clones when it came out at the movies, but better reviews encouraged me to see it with my brother at the cinema. I was very pleased with this movie, as it is much better than the last one. Better story, better special effects, better humor, less Jar Jar Binks, better character development, better villian, and seeing Yoda kicking ass. The only thing that I wasn't pleased with was the acting by the two leads during the love scenes, because it was very bad. They are not to blame, but George Lucas is. I think the one good thing that he did was taking the advice of fans, and hiring a screenwriter named Jonathan Hales to do a final draft. While Hales is not a great writer by any means,(see Scorpion King) he does make the screenplay, and dialogue slightly better than what was heard in the first movie. Lucas, please don't let us down with Revenge of the Sith, because you almost hit the mark here.
32 Much better than The Phantom Menace.
I didn't really like the Phantom Menace when I saw it on video. The acting and script were terrible, Jar Jar Binks was very annoying, and the story made little sense to me. I wasn't really interested in Attack of the Clones when it came out at the movies, but better reviews encouraged me to see it with my brother at the cinema. I was very pleased with this movie, as it is much better than the last one. Better story, better special effects, better humor, less Jar Jar Binks, better character development, better villian, and seeing Yoda kicking ass. The only thing that I wasn't pleased with was the acting by the two leads during the love scenes, because it was very bad. They are not to blame, but George Lucas is. I think the one good thing that he did was taking the advice of fans, and hiring a screenwriter named Jonathan Hales to do a final draft. While Hales is not a great writer by any means,(see Scorpion King) he does make the screenplay, and dialogue slightly better than what was heard in the first movie. Lucas, please don't let us down with Revenge of the Sith, because you almost hit the mark here.
33 just want to mention one thing, or two, no one thing
ok, LUCAS, U R AN ICON TO ME, AND ALWAYS WILL BE AND I HAVE BEEN A FAN OF YOURS SINCE JONES AND LOOM. KNOW THIS CUZ I STILL WATCH ATTACK OF THE CLONES WHENEVER I WANT TO BE A WARSIE. ok...
this is what i want to say.....
what the heck were those monsters in the arena all about? this movie is supposed to be star wars, not the muppets. truly, those monsters were like freakin cartoons Mr Lucas.
(no part of my heart dedicated to Jim Henson was harmed during this review)
34 a little better
a step in the right direction, much better than the truly awful episode 1, but still some very cheesy dialogue, and lots of actors that weren't up to par with the great samuel l jackson. the young boba fett was annoying, the romance while necessary was too schmaltzy, but the clone wars were cool and they are the only reason it gets a 2 besides seeing samuel l remove a head, jar jar still stinks.
35 Great film
Okay, I didn't love Episode 1, but I don't think there was a solid plot to it and Lucas was just trying to introduce the characters. However, Episode II is great. Everything a Star Wars movie should be. We get to see Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala fall in love, the Clone Wars begin, Anakin become darker after the death of his mother (which I think was the best acted and most powerful part of the film), and Chancellor Palpatine slide closer and closer to ultimate power over the Republic.
Most of the complaints you'll hear are from people that grew up watching the original trilogy, not people below 18. Lucas wrote this the same way that he wrote the first three, with cheesy dialogue and "simplistic" characters. With Star Wars, it is a fun time with underlying deep tones, but it is NOT the Godfather, Star Trek or other movie series made especially for adults. Almost all the complaints of bad acting, cheesy dialogue and simplistic characters could be applied to the original trilogy as well.
Ultimately a very good film. It's not the best movie in the series, so it should get a 4.5, but I couldn't dare give it a 4.
36 Beautiful effects, sadly simplistic characters, lousy acting
The CGI effects, the creatures and the droids, the battle scenes as well as the planetary landscapes, are incredible, and that alone earns 2 stars from me. But the characters are painfully 1-dimensional, and the acting is unbelievably bad for such a big-name project. Some of the supporting characters are better - the most realistic performance, ironically, coming from the CGI-generated critter in the diner who pointed Obi-Wan to the missing planet - but the 3 "stars" of the story are just beyond artificial. I never once believe them in their roles, as they recite their lines and go through their motions without the slightest conviction. Which leads me to wonder, for the thousandth time, what it is about the Star Wars universe that inspires such fandom, because these characters have all the depth and complexity of wet tissue paper. This movie is no exception - all atmosphere and eye-candy, scant plot, and virtually zero characterization. It's rather a shame, because the potential for greater things is certainly there.
37 A second helping of crap.
This film was more exciteing to some degree than the first, but again we get a cast of actors that has no chemestry and further more they look out of place in all the CGI meshing. This film was just another second helping of crap. Thank god Star Wars: The Clone Wars is out there to give Star Wars a good name, because these first 2 movies just make it all look like utter crap.
38 outstanding sci-fi, a great new chapter in SW
I must say I am mystified with the criticism of the newest chapters in this amazing series. My kids, who did not see the first trilogy (4-6) when it came out, are simply nuts about this film. They pull me into the living room, sit in my lap, and there is laughter, suspense, and questions begin. I have watched it 15 times, and still have never felt bored by it.
Now we see the flaws of Anakin becoming evident, yea dominant as he slaughters for the sake of revenge. But as a sci-fi world, this immensely adds to the picture of some alternate universe and time from our own. Everything with the earlier films is densely consistent and adding to a whole that is slowly yet relentlessly revealed. This is, in my humble opinion, some of the finest sci-fi that has ever been done, on film or in print. If you can "suspend your disbelief", this is the greatest treat that modern media can offer. The depth truly rivals that of Dune.
In this film, Anakin has matured and is chaffing under the yoke of his master, Obi-wan. There is a question of talent - Anakin is a budding genius - but also of character and discipline in a newly dangerous political situation. The republic is under attack by adversaries who are revealed as a shocking lack of vision by those representing the good side of the force. Only Yoda understands the true import of what is happening, and as in the first trilogy, every single one of his utterances is pregnant with significance.
I don't mean to sound hokey - and my wife would laugh at my writing of this - but there is wisdom in all of this for those who desire to plumb its depths. Only a young mind, perhaps, can truly understand its import: the influence of talent and the fight to preserve the good, which is always threatened by uncontrolled anger and implacable hatred. This is beautiful stuff, and my children understand it better than us adults.
Then, there are the themes in this, which are unique in the series. Anakin and Padme are falling in love, perhaps predestined in an intensity they cannot control. The Jedi, too, appear not as brilliant (and perpetually lucky) improvisational fighters, but as an organised force in what may be their final battle. The scale is wonderfully vaste, even breathtaking. This battle is one of the best of the entire series.
Then there are the enemies of the good side of the Force, with mysterious facets of their plans uncovered but not yet fully comprehended. It keeps the pulse of tension going in a truly remarkable way. I do not think there is a better series of films anywhere, in terms of execution, technique, and devloping themes.
This is some of the best sci-fi I have ever seen, particularly in an era where special effects trump depth of theme. I admit that it takes an unusual and child-like mind to enjoy it, but if you "get it", there is no better entertainment experience available anywhere. It is first rate. Absolutely.
Highest recommendation.
39 A short time ago, in galaxy not far away.
A very short time ago, I saw this movie. It's great. It's even better than Return of the jedi. I'm a HUGE star wars fan. Why do you guys hate this movie. It may not be the original, but it's still amazing. I'm about to tell you and people who have never seen this movie or even people who never heard of star wars why you should watch this movie.
The story:
Jedi kngiht Obi-Wan Kenobi and his padawan learner, Anakin Skywalker are sent on a mission to protect senator Padme Amidala. Someone has been trying to assassinate her.
Some things that happen in this movie:
1: Anakin and Padme fall in love.
2: Obi-Wan fights a bounty hunter.
3: The Clone War starts.
4: Anakin and Obi-Wan are in a speed chase on the planet courasant
5: You get to see all the jedi in action.
There is a lot more to tell but I don't want to spoil all the good stuff. This movie is much better than return of the jedi. All of you so called star wars fans should agree with me after seeing it. And to the people who didn't see it, see it. Leave your computer right now and see it. Trust me. You won't regret it.
40 This Movie Isnt bad!
Episode II is not a bad movie, I see nothing wrong with it. Possibly some of you do not like it because of the love story they add, or the CG effects. It's not dredful, as some of you put it. The CG effects are fantastic! I love the graphics, it adds more action to the film, makes it seem more advanced. This movie takes place WAY in the future. If the graphics are "adavanced" looking, then they don't support the time in the film. Attack of the clones uses alot of computer graphics, i admit that. However, it's not obvious.
As for You diehard star wars fans, ones who like episodes 4, 5, and 6, the originals, it's understandable you wouldnt like the newer ones. Who would be happy with new people playing your favorite movie? Personally, I didnt grow up with star wars therefore it doesnt appeal to me that much. I only know of the Phantom Menace and Attack of the clones. I enjoyed both movies very much. Therefore--this movie is good to me.
41 Watch it before you review it
This is for Imakikuass review, don't down the movie because you have never seen it. You are stupid to review it before you watch it.
42 Slight improvement, but still bad...
Wow, where do I start? From the title on, this movie sucks. Attack of the clones? I could think of a better title for this movie in the next five seconds. It sounds like the title of a B-list horror film, like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes or something cheesy like that. Sadly, this movie wasn't meant to be a farce. George Lucas was being serious when he made this garbage. The story is slow. The plot is unengaging. Lucas seems more concerned with his so-called "plot" than in actual entertaining and storytelling. This is why the first two (and possibly the third) prequels suck. There is too much senate crap in this episode, and too many new characters for those who aren't familiar with Star Wars. I've been a Star Wars fan for most of my life, and even I had trouble following along. All the evil characters have two or three different names (Count Dooku, Darth Tyrannus, etc.), and there are too many characters to care about all of them. The acting is terrible, almost laughably bad. Samuel L. Jackson is among the worst. It's almost like he's playing the role of the Black Jedi, strictly for racial diversity. And speaking of diversity, what's the deal with Jango Fett and Boba Fett being Polynesian? That's unacceptable. Does Lucas feel like he has to include every race in his movies? Will the next Jedi be Hispanic? They should never have showed either of the Fett's faces in the movie. You just don't picture a Poly under that mask and armor. That really annoyed me, because it's such a blatant attempt to diversify the cast. I'm glad they both die. Hayden Christiansen is a very bad actor. Lucas likes to cast newcomers for some reason, probably so he can take credit for discovering the next big thing. Sorry George, you failed with Jake Lloyd and again with Hayden. Natalie Portman, who is usually a good actress, was really bad in AOTC. There were a few entertaining parts in the movie (Yoda's fight with Dooku, the arena scene, the chase in the city) but I wouldn't watch the whole thing again for a long time. I have the DVD (I got it as a gift) and have yet to watch the whole thing straight through. That's a bad commentary. I'm not a Star Wars hater. I'm just being honest. Attack of the Clones was better than the Phantom Menace, but still very bad. Trust me.
43 Prophecy.
I was going to see this movie but then I remembered that Lucas will probably realize in 15 years from now that he needs to add more special affects, alter vital scenes, add digital characters, ad nauseum.
I will wait for the final, super special, deluxe edition to hit theaters, in 15 years, and then I will see it.
Yipee!
44 5-2=3
5 stars - 1 for crappy diolog - 1 for at least a whole hour of boring footage.
lets face it. the diolog in this movie was corny and predictable. The whole Anikan love thing is just messed up and is extreamly boring to watch. this movie would be an easy 5 out of 5 if the script was better (george lucas, u cant write. face it. let someone with talent write the script) and the love thing was cut a lot shorter (it covers a whole f***ing hour of the movie! what a waste).
besides those two problems this was a good movie, and the yoda battle was awsome. but this still has to be the weakest of all the star wars films, next to the phantom menace.
peace out.
45 Judging about the prequels is going way over the top
How can people judge a film series so poorly when it hasn't even been finished yet? I believe everyone has a right to an opinion, but come on! The films are not finished yet. But anywho, everything I've read and seen about episode III , I think even most people who rated the recent prequels "bad" are going to crap their pants this coming May 19. The movie will be incredibly dark and will be giving a higher rating than PG.(pg-13 most likely). I've read reviews from some of the people that watched the presentation by Lucas said it was the best science fiction film of all time, "it was better than The Matrix and Terminator 2 combined."
46 Better than Episode I....
This film is definitely a little better than Episode I, but not by much. The special effects once again take precedence over acting, much as it does in many films these days. The storyline ends with the marriage of Anakin and Padme Amidala, much as I expected it to. But the originals are still much better than the prequels, simply because they had less special effects and better quality actors. Even the painted scenes in the originals looked more realistic than the effects in these prequels and later added to the first trilogy. The characters were more tolerable, more memorable. But I guess I expected something darker than these prequels....something darker than The Empire Strikes Back, which was the best of any of the series. We'll see what Episode III: Revenge of the Sith brings us.
47 Come On!
I a huge Star Wars fan thanks to Hayden the guy that played Anakin. I don't know maybe I love him or something. I think that this movie could have been done so much better, with the characters saying more moving things. Instead they said words like "This party is over!" or "I wish that I could wish away my feelings" this is not what you say in a movie that take place out in space. There could have been more parts where Anakin actually took a stand toward his master. It just seen like Anakin was nothing but a mopping kid that wanted his way. there could have been stronger action and the scene where Anakin killed the Tuskein radiers could have been longer, we need to be able to sense that Anakin is going to become evil. There was so much wrong with this movie that I feel that Lucas is going to have to make up for it in the last and final movie.
48 Another Awesome Sequel!
First of all, if you read my review for Star Wars Ep. 1 the Phantom Menace, then you know where i stand on the "sequel" thing. I think this is an awesome movie. The emotions are definately there, and they are acted strongly. THe action is great, and the story is a brilliant continuation of George Lucas' visionary story.
See this!
49 The second chapter in the greatest film saga ever conceived!
:-)
I have read the reviews on line here at Amazon.com about "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones," some I agree with, others I don't. I remember when this movie was in the theaters, in fact at the theater I was at, I was the very first person in line to purchase my tickets and I purchased two tickets each for the first three showings of this movie for myself and my date. Both she and I agree that this was worthy of the title of "Star Wars" and we also both agree had Mr. Lucas stayed as writer & executive producer that the movie would have been even better.
George Lucas is a great storyteller, creating great characters and a great adventure to watch those characters grow within the film, but he is no director. As I have viewed many of the movies Lucas has directed, from "THX 1138," "American Graffiti," "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope," and "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace," and it became apparent to me that Lucas is no director as his camera angles are trivial and not very imaginative - much different from the collaboration between he and Steven Spielberg in the "Indiana Jones" movies. That collaboration really works and I bet had Lucas asked Spielberg to direct his saga he would have agreed - after all Spielberg is directing "Indiana Jones 4" as he did all the pervious "Indiana Jones" movies. Still this was a magnificent movie.
Like the film that precedes this one, "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace," this story opens with a focus on PadmŽ Amidala - though this time it is not her planet Naboo that is threatened, but she herself and Obi-Wan & Anakin are assigned by Palpatine to keep her safe. The investigation leads Obi-Wan & Anakin on a futuristic police chase through metropoliptic planet of Coruscant where the whole planet is a city, which leads the duo to separate. Obi-Wan is sent to investigate the assassination attempts on PadmŽ, while Anakin acts as PadmŽ's bodyguard. While investigating the assassination attempts, Obi-Wan is led to another Dark Jedi where he is captured. Anakin & PadmŽ go off to find Anakin's mother as the two grow closer and develop a romance. During the search for his mother we see Anakin drift toward the Dark Side and we see his connection to the Lars family seen in "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope." Anakin & PadmŽ discover Obi-Wan is in trouble and decide to notify the Jedi Council and go off to rescue him but they too are captured, and what results is a massive battle that puts the Battle of Hoth and the Battle of Endor to shame as we see a team of Jedi take on a "Remember the Alamo" battle that climaxes in seeing why Yoda is "THE" Jedi Master of all the Jedi.
This movie was great and much darker than "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace," as well as "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" & "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi," and rivals "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back" in its dark storyline. The acting, writing, musical score, special effects, costumes, cinematography, etc were all great and only the directing was sub-par (but than Lucas is not a director). This movie is worth paying thousands of dollars for, just to see Yoda fight alone. But like all the "Star Wars" movies this should be watched in widescreen mode to get the full picture and in a home theater atmosphere to take full advantage of the sound - a must for all movie fans.
50 Better than The Phantom Menace,
This movie was a large improvement over Episode 1 which was considered to be the biggest disappointment in movie history. But the main question that is mostly asked is how much of an improvement is it.
1. Terrific special effects.
2. Yoda kicking ass.
3. Good acting from Ewan Mcgregor, Christopher Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, and Ian Mcdermand.
4. John Williams beautiful music.
5. Better story.
Along with everything listed above that makes it a more enjoyable experience, there are also things that brings down the movie like George Lucas's romantic dialogue, and wooden performances by Hayden Christensen, and Natalie Portman. This man has proven to us that he can't write any kind of dialogue, or direct actors to get the kind of emotional drama that is needed to make Anakins transformation to the dark side more believable, and realistic. Hopefully he will learn from his mistakes and hire an acting coach for episode 3, because he needs it.
51 3 ? out of 5 with commentary, 3 ? without
First off, only buy the DVD, because the VHS does not have commentary. This sucks without commentary due to the awful screenplay George Lucas and Jonathan Hales concocted and Hayden Christensen's acting. I did however think the visual effects were good. With the commentary you have no horrible acting by Christensen and avoid Lucas and Hales' screenplay. But, I must say I hated Christensen's acting, Lucas and Hales' screenplay more than I liked more then I liked Rob Coleman, Pablo Helman, John Knoll and Ben Snow's visual effects. By the way, I normally do not go for commentaries. The commentary includes interviews with Lucas [Writer/Executive Producer/Director/Editor (no credit)], Rick McCallum [Producer], Ben Burtt [Sound Designer/Supervising Sound Editor/Editor], Rob Coleman [Animation Director: ILM], Pablo Helman [Visual Effects Supervisor], John Knoll [Visual Effects Supervisor] and Ben Snow [Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM]. The commentary is the only way to watch Star Wars II. Trust me, as Indiana Jones would say.
52 best movie
this movie is great, it has millons of cool fighting and I like it, my brother likes it,and let me think everybody likes it. you will like this movie too. I like when they fight in the clone wars and when obi-wan faces jango fett.so if you like guns fireing and bounty hunters this is the movie for you.
andrew age 10
53 Clones
The biggest problem with the Star Wars series is the way in which Lucas abandons his characters; not to mention his fans! Take for instance the characters Darth Maul and Boba Fett. Two characters that were not very established but still added a sence of mystery and enjoyment to his movies. What does lucas do? He destroys them in the cheepest worst possible way and leaves you flat with nothing but Jar Jar to fill your senses. Directior/writers should know that if you are luckey enough to establish a cool character in a movie his death should also be great. The writing was so poor in the Phantom Menance and Attack of the Clones it was hard to fathom? Lucas's only response to the fans complaint's was "The movies are about heroes not anti-hero's". Well thats fine, write a better movie then! The Empire Strikes Back is by far the best of the Star Wars series and it is the only film Lucas didn't direct! A new Hope is good. Return of the Jedi and the first two arn't worth mentioning in my opinion. How did something so good go so bad? The battle droids arn't very cool looking/interesting "Revenge of the Mighty Ducks"! The arena creatures don't add anything interesting to the movie. The love scenes are too long and in my opinion is what made the movie fail. Jango's death was scripted/directed poorley! Darth Maul was more interesting then Count Doukoo. The fight with Yoda after he draws his lightsaber was silly to say the least. I really hope RotS brings back the Star Wars I became a fan of!
54 Great movie.
This movie is for anyone who likes the star wars series. It is a must-see movie/DVD.
55 Ouch.
Episode I was entertaining enough, but you started to get the feeling that George Lucas was selling out. And after watching Episode II, all suspicions have been eradicated. If only Lucas didn't spend so much money selling out to special effects, then maybe he could have hired some decent actors. The only good actor in this movie is Ewan McGregor. Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen (or however the hell you spell this acting school dropout's name) couldn't act to save their lives, which is unfortunate since they happen to be the main characters. I give this movie credit for the lightsaber action scenes (Yoda, I'm looking at you), but even they are too few and far between. Again, maybe Lucas would have had some time to include more of what was good about the movie if he didn't waste the entire movie with scenes showing Anakin and Padme running around in a field playing grabass the whole time. In short, this movie would be good if they spent their resources in the right places (better acting and more action scenes that made the Star Wars franchise famous.) The new movies are very disappointing, to me anyway. I did actually like Episode I. Hopefully Episode III can restore the series to its former glory.
Three stars (and I'm being generous here).
56 Not Bad, Better Than Episode I
Overall Grade, a 3.75.
I was one of the many Star Wars fans disapointed with Episode I and it's inconsistancies/poor acting/over-emphasis on special effects. I went in the theatre long ago, with significantly less expectations than I went in with Episode I, and I came out quite satisfied with Episode II.
First off, and I think most fans will agree, less Jar Jar made the movie significantly more bearable. I just wanted anyone to take a lightsabre to Jar Jar and end us of all our misery, I really hope Chewbacca eats him in Episode III. However, Hayden Christensen's acting and cheesy lines didn't help any. The whole Skywalker/Padme love thingy just made me sick and wished for the action scenes to quickly make their entrance... who ever thought Darth Vader was the submissive type?
It was nice to see Ewan McGregor again to return as Kenobi. He was probably the only cool thing in Episode I. He did fairly well in Episode II and hope he continues his faily good acting in Episode III when it comes out. Christopher Lee was an excellent choice for Darth Tryannus, although I still think his better acting was in Lord of the Rings.
I'd have to say the plot wasn't too bad, it made things clearer, however, we still know that Chancellor Palpatine is... uh... Emperor Palpatine. I thought the Boba Fett clone connection was somewhat cool since we all love Boba Fett. Other than that, the action sequences were more feasible and entertaining to watch, it's not very exciting to see a battle droid fall, so it was nice to see some human bad guys for a change.
And yes, I thought the Yoda lightsabre thing was cool... I laughed the whole time... who ever thought Yoda had it in him?
All in all, not bad at all. But Lucas better get his crap together since the original three are still 10x better than his newest editions to the SW saga.
57 Geez.......George Lucas has lost his touch!
I was raised on the the Original Star wars trilogy and have watched them over and over! But the new star wars prequels are pure junk, when compared to the original three. The original 3 are easy to digest and seem to whisk you away to this fantasy world and the story just flows freely throughout the movies. The new and improved
cg crapfest movies are force fed(go on eat up, it's star wars of course you'll love it) and trudge along with jagged edges. The new movies also lack patience in its story develop, almost as if Lucas is trying to cram in to much crap. Mark my words, the new star wars trilogy will never become classics. However, the original trilogy is classic cinema. at least will always have those to enjoy.
58 Had a Few Flaws But i Like It
I must say that the whole Clone Battle was Awesome. When i saw that i was absolutely in heaven. I loved the CLone Troopers and i loved Kamino. that planet reminded me so much of CLoud City and i do not know why. The Big Flaw in the Movie is the Chase Scene. i thought the Chase Scene with the bounty hunter was going too far. i think some of it should had been edited out and kept for deleted Scenes. I loved all the planets, i loved the battles, and i loved Count Dooku. He truly was a great enemy and truly a wise apprentice of Sidious. He is more powerful than Maul and makes Maul look like Mary Poppins. I would say the Besides the Flaw of the Chase Scene, i did not like how Hayden protrayed Anakin Skywalker. I think he cried too much and he should had been protrayed more innocent as he was when he was a boy. I think he looked too young in this with that hair cut. I liked the fact that lucas shows the love between Padme and Anakin but i think he went overboard with the whole love aspect. I think some of the love scenes should had been written by a female writer. Nothing against Lucas, but i think women write better passionate scenes then men do. Im sorry but thats what i think. Besides those three flaws, i think the film was well receieved but i still like Episode 1 much more. I am glad that Jar Jar started the war, he deserved to be ridiculed...just kiddening.
59 Had a Few Flaws But i Like It
I must say that the whole Clone Battle was Awesome. When i saw that i was absolutely in heaven. I loved the CLone Troopers and i loved Kamino. that planet reminded me so much of CLoud City and i do not know why. The Big Flaw in the Movie is the Chase Scene. i thought the Chase Scene with the bounty hunter was going too far. i think some of it should had been edited out and kept for deleted Scenes. I loved all the planets, i loved the battles, and i loved Count Dooku. He truly was a great enemy and truly a wise apprentice of Sidious. He is more powerful than Maul and makes Maul look like Mary Poppins. I would say the Besides the Flaw of the Chase Scene, i did not like how Hayden protrayed Anakin Skywalker. I think he cried too much and he should had been protrayed more innocent as he was when he was a boy. I think he looked too young in this with that hair cut. I liked the fact that lucas shows the love between Padme and Anakin but i think he went overboard with the whole love aspect. I think some of the love scenes should had been written by a female writer. Nothing against Lucas, but i think women write better passionate scenes then men do. Im sorry but thats what i think. Besides those three flaws, i think the film was well receieved but i still like Episode 1 much more. I am glad that Jar Jar started the war, he deserved to be ridiculed...just kiddening.
60 Not bad, considering
the stilted dialogue. But then, Lucas says that some of it is indeed corny and over-the-top. Let's all remember that GL made these movies with the old-time serials in mind. What is good about this movie is the development of the characters. You see both the good and bad in Anakin; you see Obi-Wan mature. These prequels weren't meant to be like the original trilogy; they are meant to lead up to episodes IV-VI and as such do a good job.
61 the greatest saga of all time
The movie is really great! It combines Ep.I with the (I hope so ;-)) stunning "Revenge of the Sith".
The problem most viewers have is, that they don`t see AotC as part of a bigger movie, but only for it alone...
Btw: @ B.J. Simpson: Of course, COUNT Dooku cannot name himself "Darth" Dooku - every Jedi would have known, what he actually is. But in fact he has a Sith name:
Darth Tyrannus. But that`s one of the many things people didn`d recognise, due to to much criticsm...
STAR WARS is the best and greatest movie saga ever!
Forget Lord of the rings!
the CGI Yoda is very much better done than the CGI Gollum!
62 The Least
This is the very least of all five Star Wars films. I thought Ep. I was actually pretty good, despite it's lack of energy. (Personally, I think Darth Maul made that film. Without him, I'd call it an average film at best.)
Ep. II was mediocore at best and highly disappointing. I won't go into too much, because I don't need to rehash all the cons that have already been mentioned. I agree with most of them.
What Attack of the Clones felt like to me was another director, writer, studio trying to rip off the Star Wars franchise. It didn't really feel like a Star Wars movie. It looked and felt more like Judge Dredd or that futuristic film with Bruce Willis. Did we really need to see Jango and Boba Fett out of "costume?" It took a lot of mystery away from the best bounty hunter in film history. That manufactured army of clones also had a Star Wars rip-off feel to it.
I've only seen this film once. Tell me it gets better the second time, because I'll have to watch it again before Ep. III comes out in May.
63 Any trace of dignity in George Lucas is gone.
Apparently there is yet another movie in this long-winded series forthcoming. On the very, very remote chance that George Lucas will ever come across this review, I must offer him a piece of advice: don't make it. You have already inflicted enough pain on us and enough humiliation on yourself. There was a revival of Star Wars nerds in 1997 when Lucas greedily rereleased his dumb trilogy with 'updated effects,' and again in 2001 when Lucas started (gasp) making more Star Wars movies, on the basis that what we already had was an 'incomplete story.' It was a painful time, especially when that idiot with his face painted red and black started showing up on our magazine covers.
The second film of the post-millenial revival is nothing less than a nightmare. The computer generated effects are completely uninteresting, the actors are bored, embarassed and poorly rehearsed (never have I seen such woodenness in a major hollywood film), the direction is sloppy and incompetent, the script is a mishmash of soap opera and half-baked pretension, and there is a distinct monotony and repetativeness to everything that takes place. The utter lack of imagination in a science fiction film is always the kiss of death, and in this case it should be a fairly obvious signal to George Lucas: this premise has already been stretched much farther than it was ever meant to.
I will try to give you an idea of how bad this movie is. You know that pathetic Star Wars rip-off called 'Space Mutiny' that got ruthlessly torn apart on MST3K, and is known as one of the absolute worst excuses for Science Fiction ever committed to celluloid? The one with the spaceship that is obviously a factory, and futuristic costumes that are obviously from the 80s? Well, I would rather watch that than 'Attack of the Clones.' The actors were more enthusiastic about their characters and the action was more exciting. Now, Mr. Lucas, if you have read this far, take a look at 'Space Mutiny,' consider what I've written here, and weep at the monstrosity you have created. After that, retire from the film business.
64 Disappointing in Many Ways
The sequel trilogy to the original Star Wars was eagerly anticipated around the entire universe.
Most people were sure they were about to experience another thrilling and electrifying trilogy which would be remebered for years to come.
However, that nervous awaiting turned to disappoint when the first of the new trilogy, The Phantom Menace were in theaters in 1999. And although the movie went on to gross more than $431M in the US, it never quite possessed the "magic" the original films had back in the 70's and 80's.
Time passed by and it was 2002. The second chapter in the new trilogy was to be released on May 16th, and moviegoers hoped that maybe, just maybe George Lucas would get it right.
WRONG. Once again, the movie turned to Computer Graphics over dialogue and emotion. Huge battle scenes involving the clone army versus the droids instead of Anakin Skywalker's journey to the Dark Side. It missed the huge plot-twist that was in the Empire Strikes Back when Darth Vader reveals to Luke that he is his father. All in all, the movie just wasn't the one the fans expected.
Now, I'm not saying the movie was horrible. Maybe our expectations were too high. Maybe George Lucas tried to hard to exceed the movies he made 30 years ago.
The movie leaves some promising stories and things to look forward to. For example, the duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan and the rise of the empire are some to name. Also, it will be interesting to see the instinct of Anakin and his deep emotions. Does he love Padme or his mother more?
Many hope the third time is the charm. And I certainly hope the last movie of the trilogy, The Revenge of the Sith can fulfill the dreams of die-hard Star Wars fans as well as the common moviegoers.
65 I have a not too bad feeling about this....
I was about five or six years old when "Star Wars" (the movie nobody but George Lucas calls "A New Hope") came out. I saw it at the Uptown Theater in Washington, D.C., which was then (and may still be) the biggest movie house anywhere in the Metro Area, which is probably the equivalent of watching the Cubs win the World Series at Wrigley, if you're a Cubs fan. I mention this because unless you are old enough to remember seeing the original Trilogy in the theater, popcorn and all, you simply have no idea how much awe and wonder they inspired. Jackson's very well received "Lord of the Rings" doesn't even come close. I remember vividly how the audience hissed...yes, actually hissed, when Darth Vader strode onto the screen, and how they cheered when the Death Star blew up. You would have thought they collectively won the lottery. Hell, they applauded the "best boy" when the credits rolled. Simply put, "Star Wars" was THE movie of my generation. Which was why "Episode I" struck me as such a horrendous, cruel disappointment. Gut-wrenching. Mind-numbing. Skull-cracking. Or, to quote my friend Matt, "We waited 16 years for THIS?"
Needless to say, I showed up to "Episode II" with considerably lowered expectations. I am relieved to say that these expectations were met, and exceeded, by "Attack of the Clones", which in many ways is the movie Ep I should have been.
"Clones" has many of the faults of "Phantom Menace." The pacing is off, the first hour tends to drag, some of the dialogue comes out like chewed marbles, and Lucas once again bludgeons the viewer with too many special effects backdrops and overlong chase sequences, which do nothing for the plot and are simply an excuse to show off.
Still, the movie succeeds. Namely because:
1) Ewan McGregor finally gets something to do besdies look intrepid and say "Yes, master."
2) Natalie Portman, who got saddled with the very worst of Ep I's bad dialogue, gets better treatment here. Plus, you know, that hot outfit. Ahem.
3) We all wanted to see Boba Fett again, and we got him, times two.
4) We all wanted to see the stormtroopers again and not those silly metal duckling droids. We got millions of 'em.
5) We all wanted to see a big battle with lots of Jedi. Check.
6) We all wanted to see Yoda kick some space butt. Ditto Samuel L. Double check.
7) I really wanted to see somebody, anybody, slaughter a bunch of those raggedy-ass sandpeople. Kudos to you, young Skywalker.
In short, this movie, despite all of its flaws, delivers the goods. I would have liked to see more of Chancellor Palpatine and Lord Tyranus, and more on the burgeoning relationship between the future emperor and his future right hand man, Anakin, but you can't win 'em all.
Let's face it. This series is superficial, almost a cartoon, that puts SPFX first and everything else third, with nothing in second. But it was a great improvement over Part I. If Part III continues this curve upwards, who knows? The nerd in me is already trembling at the thought of seeing good ol' Darth Vader again. I'm ready to hiss.
66 "If for no other reason...."
If for no other reason, one must own this DVD for it's visual reference quality, particulary those with higher-end set-ups. No other DVD comes close in showcasing what DVDs can do! For example, check out the sequence early on in the film where Obi-Wan and Anakin are chasing the bounty hunter Zam Wesell on Coruscant. WOW! The level of detail given to the urban landscape is just incredible. You can even make out all of the tiny lighted windows on all of the buildings! And the chase sequence by Jango Fett in pursuit of Obi-Wan's Jedi Starfighter amidst the asteroid field above Geonosis. Outstanding! Just thought I had put this out there.
67 Attack of the Moans
This movie, I'm sorry to say, is nothing more than one of the most grueling 2 hours and 22 minutes you'll spend in a lifetime. George Lucas has completely and utterly destroyed whatever good that might just have been able to come out of the prequels with this addition. If you've seen Episode I and you thought that was bad, you haven't seen anything yet. George Lucas's antics to try to get this movie to be worth watching can't even be laughed at; their hideousness makes you want to cry. Okay, maybe the ships and vehicles (for the most part) are pretty cool looking, but things like that can't save a film this bad.
For one thing, the script in certain places sounds like a kiddie in diapers wrote it: "This is such a drag" is said by C-3PO during a battle when his temporarily-severed head is dragged along the ground by one of the only sensible characters in the movie, R2-D2. "I'm quite beside myself" is another retarded line by the same droid when his head is pulled alongside his body.
Another thing (and this one really stands out) is the movie's disgustingly awful acting. Hayden Christensen was chosen to play the young version of good old Darth Vader... but WHY?!?! He is the worst actor I have ever seen in my entire lifetime (besides Jake Lloyd).
The storyline is pretty bad too, and the only part I half-like during the movie is the climactic battle that starts the Clone Wars.
Bottom line: If you're even considering buying this load smelly sewage material, take some good advice and stay away from it. If you don't, you'll just get an attack of the moans.
68 This movie inspires puking
Three reasons I hate this movie are:
1. The acting. Hayden Christensen who plays Anakin is the worst actor to possibly pick. His only experience was in soap operas!! Every line he says are so full of cheese it could top a 50-foot taco! Natalie Portman is pretty bad too. She is better than Hayden but just a little bit.
2. The story. Padme` is being hunted by a bounty hunter, the seperatists are preparing to go to war, and Anakin falls in love with Padme`. The first two are okay, but the last one is awful. The love lines are so putrid I can barely hold myself back from destroying the TV. Then there's more of the stupid "chosen one" trash about Anakin.
3. The script. The lines said by C-3P0 such as "This is such a drag." and "I'm quite beside myself." While R2-D2 is dragging his head with a rope and then pulling alongside C-3P0's headless body, are without question, the STUPIDEST lines EVER written in Hollywood!!
I hope I have changed your mind about buying this filth. Spend your money on the originals and forget this movie.
69 Not the best, definitely not the worst. Good sets and action
A bit of a mixed bag here. I quite liked this movie. Much better than " The Phantom Menace"
The sets and costumes were awesome, as of course the special effects. Yes some of the dialogue leaves a lot to be desired, but in my humble opinion can be overlooked. Lets face it, there's a lot of rubbish on nowadays, so this isn't too bad for my liking!
Ewen MacGregor is great as usual.
Worth at least one look guys and gals!
70 A big mixed bag.
Back in 1996, I was the geek in school. I was the kid that lived Star Wars. I watched the movies on a regular basis, collected and memorized ALL of the CCG info, and read book after book. Of course, that all died for the most part after watching Episode I, but with Attack of the Clones, as silly as it's named, there's a bit of hope for this new trilogy. It's a good movie. Not great, not bad, not average, but good. It still doesn't answer a lot of questions that people are wondering about, and contradicts quite a few things I learned from the CCG (which were supposed to be official. Like C-3PO being 112 years old at the time of A New Hope), but they did a good job with everything for the most part. If I have any one complaint, it's the overdose of CG. My god, this thing looks like something a computer crapped out and then laminated. Seriously, the only things non-CG here are the human actors, a few life-size ship models, and a very select few droids. Even R2 and 3PO themselves are CG at one point, and it looks silly. Was it really worth the millions it cost to make everything look so fake? I'll admit, a lot of the CG aliens do look fantastic, but it just doesn't compare to those we saw for the first time in the Cantina back in Episode IV. But that's just me, and shouldn't hinder the movie itself and what it stands for.
We begin with Princess Padme Amidala arriving on a planet from her ship, which is blown up within the first few steps of exiting it. Of course, she's still using body doubles, and she wasn't harmed. No one knows who blew up the ship, but this assassination attempt will be the core of the movie. Obi-Wan and Anakin arrive to assist her, though Anakin himself is nervous about seeing Padme. After all, it's been 10 years since they saw eachother. In that time, Anakin has become a strong Jedi under the leadership of Obi-Wan, though still wreckless. We can really see the similarities between him and Luke in a few scenes, which I didn't notice when I saw it in theaters at first. Obi-Wan tracks down someone involved with the assassination attempt, and follows after who she was working for: Jango Fett. He's all the way out in an uncharted system, but is tracked down (the fight here was amazing. Pure physical attacks from both Obi and Jango in a few parts). Meanwhile, Anakin is taking care of Padme, and moving around to other planets to keep her safe. They begin to bond and reveal their pasts a little bit, and we see some of Anakin's inner-hate coming out. At the same time, Obi-Wan finds out that a clone army is being built based off Jango's DNA. He kept an unaltered one for himself so he could have a son, of course this being Boba. It's funny to see the almighty Boba Fett as a little whiney kid. After Jango escapes, you get to hear some of the sweetest sound effects ever created in a ship chase scene. Soon though, Anakin learns that his mother has been taken hostage by the Sand People from his step-father Owen Lars (sound familiar?). This, is what drives him to the dark side...of all things. It's an emotional scene, but it's cut. I strictly remember the scene being much longer in the theatrical version, but here, it's done in a couple of seconds. After this slaughter, he and Padme go through a few trials, and along with Obi-Wan, are taken hostage. I won't ruin what happens next, as it's one of the best peaks of the series. Any Star Wars fan will enjoy it.
Of course, there are a few problems with the movie that keep it from being great. The dialogue is revolting in many scenes. Anakin and Padme's romantic scene made me cringe, and hearing everyone call her "milady" about 9834 times in the first 5 minutes almost had me cover my ears. And like I mentioned above, there's just too much CG going on. Even Yoda switched over to CG from his former puppet, but it's for good reason, as we get to see why he's the highest ranking and most respected Jedi out there (though again, this scene was cut a little bit too). And I have the same problem here that I did with Episode I: the names of some of the characters are too goofy. Heck, even the title of this Episode is. Attack of the Clones? C'mon. They attack for maybe 10 minutes and that's near the very end. At least it makes more sense than "Phantom Menace". That title was just embarassing. Fortunately, the good outweighs the bad, if only for Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan. I had my doubts in the first episode, but here, he is pure Kenobi. When he made his first appearence, my jaw dropped. If I didn't know any better, I'd think it was Sir Alec himself. I can't wait for Episode III to see if he can outdo his performance here. Oh, and you want lightsaber fights? You get pleanty here, and one is more brutal than previous installments. I'm still a little confused about why Count Dooku (there's one goofy name) has slanted lightsaber handles. I've yet to find any official info on them.
This is why dvds were made. Episode II looks and sounds beautiful. I don't have a single complaint with the visuals. If you have a big screen or HDTV at all, this would be a key movie to show off your system with. And the audio? Flawless. I watched this on my computer first when I got it home, and Christ, with only two speakers, sound was all over the place. From blasters going off too the sound of hyper space, it's all good. And even if you don't like the movie and are tempted to turn it off, DO NOT turn it off until you hear Jango Fett's seismic charges during the chase scene. That is the single most awesome sound effect I've ever heard. It's the new lightsaber hum. Grenades that cause black holes...once one goes off, there's silence from all sound being pulled in, and then it just errupts in a sound that's indescribable. If a box set of this new trilogy is in the works, and they somehow up the audio, it should be illegal to sound that good.
On the first disc, there's just a commentary track by George Lucas and a few technical guys. It's not very interesting if you're interested in learning more about the Star Wars universe, or even stories about how filming went, but it's worth at least one listen. Most of them talk about how things were made, and they must think we're stupid or something because every other sentence starts out with "this was done on computer". *Home Alone face* YOU MEAN JAR JAR ISN'T REAL!? And George Lucas doesn't say very much. He says a few things about the story, and mostly tells us to wait until the third episode. Great, thanks a lot there George. On the second disc though, there's tons to go over. First up are the deleted scenes. You can watch them all with introductions explaining them and why they were cut. One had Obi-Wan getting a dart inspected, but getting no information. They mention "if we show this scene of him not knowing anything before, and not knowing anything here, what's the point?". I'll approve of that one, because it would've made the pacing feel weird. There's a big scene involving Padme going home to her family and seeing how they are, and she introduces them to Anakin. This one should've been kept in over their uncomfortable relationship scene, as it has more feeling than that ever could. There are also lengthy (and that's a good thing) featurettes about how they changed Yoda from a puppet to a CG character, one on George and the guys planning everything by using rougher animation. It was alright, but nothing compared to the "From Puppets to Pixels" or the next one: Films Are Not Made, They Escape. I enjoyed this one the most for some reason. Mostly because it was interesting to see how a lot of the sound effects were done. Get this- they baked, as in put in an oven, an old reel of sound effect tape, and used that to make new ones. It sounds rediculous, and it is, but they actually do it. And of course, they give a quick glimpse on how the seismic charges were done. Man those were cool. I'm still not over it.
We can only wait and see if Episode III does the series justice and makes everything better by using less CG and answering more questions. But Episode II is no Phantom Menace, and if you were worried about that, then you have my word that this is a real Star Wars movie. You actually care about what happens to the characters (even if we know what does after watching the original trilogy) when they're in trouble, and it doesn't jump around too much. Most people say to watch this only because you get to see Yoda fight, but there's much more going on for it than just that quick segment. I really reccomend this dvd, but you might just want to hold off until a box set of this new trilogy is released. Though with our luck, another one with all 6 movies will come out shortly after. Either way, it's worth it.
71 Letdown
1. The title: Whom do the clones "attack"? Better alternatives would have been "Rise of the Clones" or "The Clones Conspiracy".
2. The casting: Someone considerably older than Natalie Portman should have played the part of Amidala (like Sela Ward).
3. The characters: It is unclear why either Watto (former junkyard dealer) or Jar-Jar Binks (ex-general of the Gungan Grand Army) made return appearances in this installment.
4. This movie makes "Return of the Jedi" seem like a cinematic masterpiece!
5. The overall anemic quality of this episode does not in any way diminish the majesty and the caliber of the preceding episodes, most notably "The Empire Strikes Back"; to a considerable degree, these movies pretty much stand on their own anyway.
6. This reviewer recommends, without any hesitation or mental reservation, that if the you have not yet seen this episode, and are even a casual fan of the Star Wars saga, then view this before viewing Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith (at least the title seems more promising, if nothing else) just so you are able to follow the progression of the storyline, and afterwards simply forget about this particular episode, and move on.
72 The worst film in the history of film making
Title says it all. I wish I could give this film no stars, it was 2 hours of my life I'll never get back. Maybe I could sue George Lucas, lets face it he's got enough money for it.
Anyway, the film.
Acting - wooden and stilted (see Natalie Portman, and Haydn Christizzzzzzz, sorry drifted off there thinking about them)
Love interest - ridiculous, Skywalker tells Amidala he's just massacred an entire village and she just pats him on the back and goes "there, there dear, never mind"
The payoff - an overblown battle between 2 CGI armies you really don't care about. Buy the Clone wars game.Same thing but you get to control the armies
Oh god no!!! - The deathstar plans are there.Why am I not surprised. For a secret battlestation, the plans certainly travelled round the galaxy a lot
Plot holes - Take your pick. My favourite is the clones were ordered 10 years ago by Coutn Dooku, Jango Fett is the source of all the clones and is working for the bad guys and no-one says, "hang on a minute, shouldn't we do a bit of checking around before we use them" Nope, they just use this conveniently placed army with no thought to how it got there. So much for the wisdom of Yoda
Battle Logic - None, why would you send 200 jedi to their death to save 2 and a senator.Nope, you'ld start with the orbital bombardment and glass the planet and then leave sipping tea and congratulating yourself on killing the leadership of the seperatists in one fell swoop, by the cost of only 3 lives.
Which leads me to the next point of mashed logic.Why are all the jedis made into Generals? Sure there is no standing army/navy in the Republic but there must be someone, somewhere in the galaxy, more qualified by having actually led men into battle, at least once.
Lightsabres - Yoda vs Dooku fighting in the dark. Glowsticks in the basement of a nightclub have given me more thrills
and why not Darth Dooku, just Count....hmmm.and don't get me started on Matrix-move Yoda (available in toystores near you soon)
and speaking of sabre fighting. The difference between the original starwars and the new starwars sabre fights.In the original they were trying to kill each other, in the new ones, they're just bashing sticks.
It has no redeeming features apart from freeing me of my love of starwars and making me sell all my old starwars toys in disgust.
And it's not because it's a starwars film, As a starwars film it's awful, as a film on it's own, it's awful. It's just plain rubbish.
Long may it burn in celluloid hell.
and lets hope Lucas gets lost on skywalker ranch and gets someone else to make number 3
73 Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (Widescreen)
This is the best darn DVD in the whole wide world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
74 HAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ate Macaroni & Cheese! Why did they put BOZO the CLOWN in the MOVIE??? I mean, they could hjave just used REAL lasers in the movie! INSTEAD, they used those [...] ping-pong balls from the BOZO SHOW, and painted them BROWN! And guess what else? Jingo-Jelly-Jar-Binks was actually an AUTOMATED disected FROG! AND IT WAS KERMIT! SAVE OUR FROGS! SAVE BOZO! And BARBIE played Padimee! WHY DID THEY HAVE TO USE A [...] DOLL!!! SAVE OUR DOLLS!!!!!!!!!!!! And Anakin... He was A FISH! And after the credits... IT SHOWED BOZO MAKING HIM INTO A SANDWHICH!!!!!!!!!! DON'T BUY THIS MOVIE IF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE WELFARE OF FROGS, DOLLS, FISH, AND CLOWNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
75 painfully bad
yes, this movie is so terrible you may experience physical pain while watching it. this very well could be the worst movie i've ever seen. very slow paced, and with some of the most boring characters ever created. i dont care about anakin's stupid love story, which i thought was horribly cheesy. i dont care about the galactic council or whatever having meetings even if they have them on floating platform things. if you actually liked this movie, either A: you're a huge star wars fan in denial of how bad george lucas screwed you with this one, or B: you were wowed by the special effects. well special effects dont make a movie. they can make a film nice and shiny but they can't make up for lack of an interesting story. now i'm not even a big star wars fan but even i say this one was an insult to the first three movies. the first movies were fast paced, they had action, interesting characters and han solo cracking sarcastic comments the whole time. it almost had a comic book feel to it. hell, there wasn't even any action in this movie. the only person who kicked any a$$ the whole time was yoda, and yoda's a 3 foot tall green dwarf whose about 800 years old. if you haven't seen this yet, do yourself a favor and pretend george lucas stopped making movies back in 1983.
76 DEATH TO NATALIE PORTMAN!!!!!!!!
I hate her!!! She sucks!!!! She got payed billions of dollars to make out with Hayden Christianson!!!! WHO SUCKS EVEN MORE!!!
Ewan McGregor was the only good thing about this movie!!!!!!!!
DEATH TO STUPID TEENY BOPPERS!!!!!!
77 Having your cake and not eating it...
Lucas is on record as saying that he always envisioned Star Wars as a kid's adventure. Fair enough. But the audience base of Star Wars grew up, and they require more substance. I, for one, never had any great sense of what is at stake here, either from the characters or the plot. The effects serve to almost completely overwhelm what little plot exists, and as another reviewer noted Lucas manages to coax even the most accomplished actors into having all the depth of wooden planks from the lumber store.
Just think about it for a moment. If you grew up with Star Wars like I did, we knew long before even "Return of the Jedi" about all the major back-story events that Lucas told us at the time and through the movies. Anakin Skywalker fell to the dark side and became Darth Vader (and fell into a lava pit in a battle with Obi-Wan hence the life-support black armor and helmet). The Old Republic fell during the Clone Wars and the Jedi were all but wiped out as Vader helped hunt down and destroy them. The backstory we dreamed about was a shell waiting to be filled with more details and certainly sounded much more dramatic.
And now, what precisely has the first two films given us in terms us fleshing out the skeletal figure of what we already knew? Jar-Jar Binks soaking up screen time solely for the sake of keeping younger kids entertained? Anakin pilots racing pods as a child? Chase scenes galore? Anakin falls because his mother was killed by Tusken Raiders? Jango Fett was the template for Imperial Stormtroopers (who have the worst aim in cinematic history)? Count Dooku is a bad man who was once Yoda's student?
It's like we still have the open-ended backstory, and we're watching all the points being connected with seriously underdeveloped filler that slathers on special effects. Where is the cake under all this frosting? Sorry, Mr. Lucas, when I grew up my taste buds learned that eating just the frosting was missing most of the dessert.
78 the best star wars
i dont see were people reviewing here dont like this movie look at the pro reviews many say this is better than the old 80s starwars for one the effects are some of the best youve ever seen better than any of the matrix films and annikan skywalker is much cooler than that dork mark hamil who played luke and throughout the movie he struggles with the emotions of youth even getting mad and slaughtering a whole village of creatures and this starwars makes u fall in love with the chracters again natalie portmen makes the perfect princess and anikan is always trying to prove himself to her the best part was when christopher lee cameout as the evil bad guy i couldnt see a better villian then the old hammer films master lee this movies great i havent liked starwars since i was a kid in the 80s and i like the pros thought episode one sucked it had too much jar jar binks and no character development but then i saw this on hbo and i was surprised how well the acting was and amazing effects and once i really got into it it ended i cant wait to see the next one and that says alot cause im a casual fan
79 Better than The Phantom Menace
George has really done good this time, this story is getting better and better by the movies. It's no wonder how the original trilogy is so epic. I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is so exciting on so many different levels.
80 I don't like but other people might.
Anakin do not know how to act first of all. I like the old ones better then this one, even thought it was not computer anamated. He too winey. it is too much of a love story. George loucs could of picked someone better. It is too mush. i like the battle at the end of the movie.
We have the movie and i don't know why mom and dad go it. I have watch it too many times. He not even good at acting. it is too computer anamaited. There isn't evil in him. he is suppoe to be evil rhe only thing he is winey. I Don't Like It But Some People Will.
81 A great movie!!!!!!!
I don't know what is wrong with all you people who don't like this movie but I loved it. It's the best star wars movie since the original 1977 movie. Anyways who cares what you think. Because some people like oranges and some some people like nuts.
82 Darth was a crybaby?
I don't know where to begin, but this movie sucked! Lucas should be ashmed of himself. Some of the story is good, but whenever young Darth was in a scene it made me want to wretch. No way Darth was this much of a bizatch.
It's bad enough that 3PO and R2 are in these's movies, but do we need all the stupidly obvoius one liners from 3PO? Damn that was retarded.
I could go on and on, but I'll spare you all. This is a classic example of a perfectly good story being f'ed up to make 8 year olds laugh.
I will say the special effects were great and the story does leave it open for a great III. I hope Lucas won't crap the bed, cause I love the Star Wars..maybe too much..
83 This movie is better on DVD but still fair at best
This movie is ultimately better on DVD because you can skip to the parts that are good, and ignore the 1 hour and 20 minutes of drab acting and poor dialogue that this film is laced with.
This movie resembles a cartoon in many ways with real live actors often seeming out of place in the back drop of what looks like an animated frame.
The premise is simple, and I've been reading many reviews which say they're confused as to the plot. It's easy. Palpatine (Sideous) has taken over the clone army (soon to be main forces of the Empire).
The Chancellor also has special emergency powers, so his word is final and the Senate is now totally powerless. The Jedi fight the Trade Federation (and other members of the Separatists Group), making their numbers more and more depleted.
Eventually, the Separatists will be destroyed, the Jedi's numbers will be minimal, and the clone army will be at it's strongest, leaving the environment perfect for Palpatine to reveal himself as Sideous, make himself the Emperor, and have Anakin at his side to polish off the Jedi, the last remaining threat to him. Make sense?
I'm taking May 19, 2005 off to see episode III, but my hopes are not very high. Episode I, II, and VI have been sub-par. TESB and ANH are the best movies in this series.
84 Worse than the first
Attack of the Clones,or maybe it should be re-named Attack of the Clowns?You would think George would learn from his prior mistakes.This film had horribly written dialog yet again.Hayden Christensian(or however you spell it)while ok for the most part...had some scenes where he whined like a little kid and threw a tantrum...that made me cringe.
The film had a pathetic subplot(the LOVE story between himself and the princess).If I remember correctly,he was a good 10-12yrs. younger than her in the first film,how is a romance possible?Well,certain celebraties have had flings with others 20 years younger,so I suppose at least this much of the film is believable.
Despite everything though,it was terribly written.George,if yur gonna write soap opera mush,leave it to the pro's.The other half of the plot was ok,but the overall film would have been better without the trashy romance plot intertwined in it.What killed this film was the "ALL DIGITAL" effects.Everything was digitial,or digitally composited.There was so much of it,my eyes started bugging out on me.
The ending sucked beyond what words can define.Yoda hopped around like "leap frog",remember that Atari game?I can't even say watch this film for the special effects,because basically,that's all it was.Despite some bursts of interest durring the film,it is NOT worth buying,not even to complete your Star Wars collection.I hope the third time is the charm,and the last installment of the series ends on a high note,but I'm not counting on it.
85 Worst Star Wars Ever
There are a few reasons why this Star Wars is only my 81st favorite movie ever. 1. Ewen Megregor is no James Earl Jones. Hell, he's no Chewbacca. For christ sakes they turn our lord and master, Darth Vader, into a pubestent pussy. My blog was a flurry with anger when I first saw this movie. I only saw it 3 times. Openning day. 2; The CGI on Portmans breast were subpar at best. How can I appease my Death Star with a b-cup. The women of the infirior Star Trek shows are more decent!!!! 3: Not enough Jar Jar Binks. Nuff said LOL OMG!!!!! 3===> 4. As I've told George Lucas 54 times, pink lightsaber would be the weakest so why would Yoda have one?!?!?! Yoda should atleast have blue or green!!! 5. I was told by my internet friends that... Oh, my moms calling me so I have to go but I shall return, I have to start pre-ordering copies (even though I have 5 bootlegged copies already).
Later super friends,
KEEP WATCHING THE SKYS!!!!
86 A good film, but not as fun as the others in the series
Even though Attack of the Clones is probably a "better" film than The Phantom Menace, I actually enjoyed that film more -- I felt that The Phantom Menace was more fun. I also felt that the romance in Attack of the Clones was a little unbelievable (she falls in love with him and decides to marry him in, what, two days?), and that the dialog between Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen was very awkward. My sincerest apologies to George Lucas, whose creativity has given me endless hours of entertainment, but even though I consider this a good film, I don't find it to be a great one. Aside from the romance, I also found it to be a bit slow. On a positive note, I enjoyed the Obi-Wan subplot, and the scenes between him and Anakin at the beginning of the film, including the chase scene.
87 a good prequel
A 4 star prequel.....a must see for star wars fans all around the world. But is a bit iffy for people who are not star wars fans
88 Ah, Get a Life Ya Prequel Haters!
First off, I'm one huge Star Wars fanatic, and as of today I own each of the five films on DVD. Now, while I agree this wasn't as good as the original "Star Wars" or "The Empire Strikes Back" (both masterpieces) this is still a great movie, particularly for fans of the saga. I like it significantly more than "Return of the Jedi" which is good, but slightly disappointing after the first two. The weakest of the five is certainly "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" which is still enjoyable for great fans, but pretty disappointing. Now, although I admit that the love story between Han and Leia was much more well done than that of Anakin and Padme, the romance wasn't as bad as it's made out to be (although Anakin's line "You're everything soft and smooth" makes my skin crawl). The action was the best we've seen yet in all five movies (Yoda Vs. Dooku has to be my favorite scene so far in the prequels) and I actually liked the digital Yoda just as much as the puppet in the original trilogy and infinitely more than that weird-looking Yoda in "Phantom Menace." Christopher Lee was wondeful as the evil Count Dooku (although he was slightly better as Saruman in The Lord of the Rings) and Ewan McGregor was WAAAAAAY better here than in Episode I. Hayden Christansen and Natalie Portman were... pretty good as well. Frank Oz and Anthony Daniels were perfect as always and John Williams, Ben Burtt, and George Lucas (Stop kicking George you haters!) continue to add their genius to the saga. Overall, this was a great movie that, although by design it offered no real surprises, is perfect to prepare me for "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" to which I will be one of the first in line.
89 Better Than Episode I. Leaves You Waiting For Episode III.
"STAR WARS Episode II: Attack Of The Clones" continues the saga of how Anakin Skywalker (played here by an excellent Hayden Christensen) became Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones in the upcoming and final installment "STAR WARS Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith" and the original trilogy and played by David Prowse, but James Earl Jones is probably the only well-known actor who plays Darth Vader). Ten years have passed since Anakin (Jake Lloyd in "STAR WARS Episode I: The Phantom Menace") was rescued from slavery on Tatooine by Qui Gon-Jinn (Liam Neeson, "Schindler's List", etc.), Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan MacGregor in Episodes I, II and III, Sir Alec Guiness in Episodes IV, V and VI) and Padme Amidala (a lovely and excellent Natalie Portman). Padme (aka Amidala) is threatened by a mysterious assassin, prompting Anakin and Obi-Wan to protect her. Anakin, however, is bent on protecting her himself, while Obi-Wan tries to find the would-be assassin. At a secluded spot, Anakin confesses his love for Amidala, who gently rebuffs him because she knows that they can never be together. There are other concerns for them, though: the mysterious Count Dooku (a perfectly villainous Christopher Lee, looking better than ever) is plotting with the mysterious Sith lord Darth Sidious (actor unknown to me...yet, as you don't see his face, but it could be Ian McDiarmid, who played the evil Emperor Palpatine in Episode VI and resurfaces as a Supreme Chancellor in Episodes I and II) to...I won't spoil it. Those of you who've seen it, keep it to yourself. The action scenes are well-executed, particularly the climactic fight between Dooku and Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz, who also did it in Episodes I, IV, V and V, as well as the upcoming Episode III). The scene where Anakin breaks down completely should've been extended, but it's all right as it is. The romance scenes should have also been extended, but George knows why he didn't. Here, Anakin is starting to turn to the Dark Side, but he still has a sense of humanity. The end leaves you screaming for Episode III to be out in theaters already, but George is a master at making great movies (also see the Indiana Jones trilogy, fourth one in the works, which he wrote and produced in collaboration with Steven Spielberg, another master at making great films). Rated PG for sci-fi action violence.
90 The first all digital film
This film was a great technical achievement, and a great movie to boot. The first time I saw it on the normal theatre. The second time in one of the few theatres that have a digital projector and wow quite a difference.
A lot of people don't like the new Star Wars. Although they don't have the same drama as the originals, the light saber battles are incredible and make the old ones like silly. Star Wars has always been about sound. I NEVER HEARD A SOUND QUITE LIKE THE ONE IN THE ASTROID SCENE. If you have a good system with a subwoofer you know what I am talking about.
91 Why are people giving this good reviews???
The ORIGINAL films are by far the ones that stand the test of time. Episode I and II are so cheesy I need to find me some crackers!! Episode II has a pathetic love story that is just too gross to actually take seriously. I expected episode II to be the "evil/ dark" one where things start to really happen. Um....wrong. Besides the soon to be Darth Vader's whining I didn't find most of the "story" to be of interest. And don't even get me started on Yoda and his little fight scene.........HORRIBLE!!!!!
To even suggest that episode I and II are better or even equal to the original trilogy is an insult!!
92 Better than "Star Wars I", Not as Good as Original Trilogy
In 2002, George Lucas released his fifth installment of the "Star Wars" saga that began 25 years earlier. Entitled "Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones", this second prequel takes up the story ten years following the events that occurred in the previous film, "Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace". Having spent the past ten years as an apprentice jedi, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and his teacher Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) are assigned to provide protection to the former queen, now senator from Naboo, PadmŽ Amidala (Natalie Portman), following an attempted assassination immediately after her ship lands on the planet of Coruscant, the capitol of the Republic. Senator Amidala has gone to Coruscant to express her opposition to the creation of an army for the Republic, which has come under threat from several break-away worlds & organizations that have organized themselves into the rival Federation. After another attempted assassination on Senator Amidala that includes a daring chase through the densely populated Coruscant, Yoda (voice of Frank Oz) orders Obi-Wan to investigate the source of the assassination attempts and orders Anakin to escort Senator Amidala back to Naboo for her own protection. However, her assistant, the ever-annoying Jar Jar Binks (voice of Ahmed Brett), remains behind to represent Naboo on Senator Amidala's behalf in the Republic's Senate. There, after being easily swayed by Supreme Chancellor Cos Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), Jar Jar asks the Senate to grant Chancellor Palpatine increased powers. In the meantime, Obi-Wan makes some starting discoveries regarding the missing planet of Kamino, where he meets Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison) and his son Boba (Daniel Logan), and also on the planet of Geonosis, where he meets Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). Also in the meantime, Anankin and PadmŽ get to spend some private time on Naboo, but dark dreams about his mother, Shmi Skywalker (Pernilla August), drive Anakin (with PadmŽ at his side) to return to Tattooine where they meet her husband Cliegg Lars (Jack Thompson). However, events and fighting on Geonosis become the crux and most exciting parts of the film.
Visually entertaining thanks to great cinematography and special effects, "Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones" was an improvement over its most immediate predecessor, "Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace", but still demonstrated the same types of problems as its predecessor with script, acting and direction. Having become distrustful of letting anyone other than himself write and direct his films, George Lucas maintained absolute control over the writing, production and direction of "Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones", with the small exception of obtaining screenplay writing assistance from Jonathan Hales. Though Hayden Christensen's portrayal of Anakin Skywalker was a vast improvement over that of Jake Lloyd in "Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace", Christensen's portrayal was rather wo
