Seems To Be With Every Prequel, It's Anakin's Actor That Ruins the Film
Added 10/27/2009
This time its Hayden Christensen who ruins it for me but its not only him. The performances in the "romantic" scenes between him and Natalie Portman are as wooden as the government, which I blame on Lucas. The original Star Wars and episode 1 had no romantic scenes, so I'll give those some slack but when it came to the burgeoning romance between Han Solo and Princess Leia in episodes 5 and 6, someone else wrote the screenplay while Lucas developed the story. Why he felt he needed to write the whole thing for this I'll never know. But alas those are the only negative points of this film. Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan is now a Jedi Knight and teacher to Christensen's Skywalker. Christensen portrays Skywalker as a complaining brat, and it astounds me that THIS is the man who became the most feared warrior in the galaxy. I know its supposed to show that the character is impatient and wants to move ahead in his training but to me that's how this guy's acting comes across to me. McGregor is still good as Obi-Wan, starting to show some of the elements that Alec McGuinness portrayed in the original film. Portman is good as Padmé (its just the romance scenes that I don't like), able to portray a woman torn between her duty and her feelings. Christopher Lee joins the franchise as Jedi turned Sith Count Dooku (a possible reference to his time as Dracula). He pulls off the charisma and charm that he's known for and I admire and he's pretty good with a lightsaber for the scenes in which he fights (I mean the REAL actor, NOT his stand-in). Yoda is now a digital character, which doesn't bother me as much, seeing as how the character finally gets to fight. Samuel L. Jackson, like Yoda, has more to do and is the first Jedi to have different colored lightsaber blade. I like the aspect of someone wanting to kill Senator Amidala in order to provoke a war between the Republic and the Sepratists. And since nobody likes Jar Jar anyway, he gets the blame for giving the Chancellor emergency powers to create the Clone Army, thus being inadvertently responsible for the creation of the Empire and the destruction of the Jedi. The action sequences are excellent, the fight at Geonosis and the fights that follow being the best. John Williams provides another excellent score, providing a haunting, melodic love theme for Anakin and Padmé.
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STAR WARS EPISODE II (FULL SCREEN)
Added 9/26/2009
If your a fan of star wars like me you will want to get this movie. nuff said!
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Excellent Story
Added 9/12/2009
Buying this is worth the investment if you even remotely enjoyed the movies. It's hard to keep track of a story line and characters over 3 decades and my original, lukewarm reviews were unwarranted. But, as you watch seemingly unfinished, abrupt endings; you understand that Lucas had a single, LONG movie in his head and simply broke it up into 6.
Once you experience all 6 in a shorter period of time; the story jumps out with excitement and you realize how good this series turned out. It helps to have your kids present to explain the story behind each character.
It's a wonderful, intriguing and relevant story.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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painful dialogue
Added 8/28/2009
This is an action~packed and extremely visually impressive movie, with great music and sound effects, but the screenplay is just awful. I know I should expect that from a movie entitled "Attack of the Clones", but the whole "I don't like sand because it's not soft and smooth like you" thing is beyond the pale. While you are trying to appreciate the great FX work, you are pulverized by the surreally bad dialogue. Fast~forward whenever a non~British actor starts talking and it's a great movie.
Ivan Rorick
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Necessary? Perhaps. But just barely bearable.
Added 8/20/2009
ATTACK OF THE CLONES is definitely not the 2nd movie that EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is.
The unraveling plot continues to deepen as we slide toward that inevitable outcome we had all been waiting 20 years for. (And the waiting continued until REVENGE OF THE SITH -- a far better film.) The acting is some of the absolute worst I have ever seen. The direction of the dialogue sequences is likewise very poorly executed. (The "forbidden kiss" scene by the fireplace is still painful every time I think of it.) But in all of this, the framework of the story itself does link up the two parts of the prequel trilogy. Is that enough reason to go out and buy it? Probably not unless you can get it at a very, very low price (which I did).
In the area of exciting action sequences AOTC does not disappoint. Seeing legendary British actor Christopher Lee portray the evil Sith lord Count Dooku/Darth Tyrannus and square off against Yoda is a pure delight as was the preceding duel of the aforementioned fighting with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. And Jango Fett provides some incredible excitement as well. But all these things (along with a few other commendable points which I won't go into) still can't convince me to give this film more than two stars.
On a side note, if you wish to see a different side of AOTC - one which might make the movie a little more bearable and even enjoyable - I highly recommend the graphic novel STAR WARS: TAG & BINK WERE HERE.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Seems To Be With Every Prequel, It's Anakin's Actor That Ruins the Film
Added 10/27/2009
This time its Hayden Christensen who ruins it for me but its not only him. The performances in the "romantic" scenes between him and Natalie Portman are as wooden as the government, which I blame on Lucas. The original Star Wars and episode 1 had no romantic scenes, so I'll give those some slack but when it came to the burgeoning romance between Han Solo and Princess Leia in episodes 5 and 6, someone else wrote the screenplay while Lucas developed the story. Why he felt he needed to write the whole thing for this I'll never know. But alas those are the only negative points of this film. Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan is now a Jedi Knight and teacher to Christensen's Skywalker. Christensen portrays Skywalker as a complaining brat, and it astounds me that THIS is the man who became the most feared warrior in the galaxy. I know its supposed to show that the character is impatient and wants to move ahead in his training but to me that's how this guy's acting comes across to me. McGregor is still good as Obi-Wan, starting to show some of the elements that Alec McGuinness portrayed in the original film. Portman is good as Padmé (its just the romance scenes that I don't like), able to portray a woman torn between her duty and her feelings. Christopher Lee joins the franchise as Jedi turned Sith Count Dooku (a possible reference to his time as Dracula). He pulls off the charisma and charm that he's known for and I admire and he's pretty good with a lightsaber for the scenes in which he fights (I mean the REAL actor, NOT his stand-in). Yoda is now a digital character, which doesn't bother me as much, seeing as how the character finally gets to fight. Samuel L. Jackson, like Yoda, has more to do and is the first Jedi to have different colored lightsaber blade. I like the aspect of someone wanting to kill Senator Amidala in order to provoke a war between the Republic and the Sepratists. And since nobody likes Jar Jar anyway, he gets the blame for giving the Chancellor emergency powers to create the Clone Army, thus being inadvertently responsible for the creation of the Empire and the destruction of the Jedi. The action sequences are excellent, the fight at Geonosis and the fights that follow being the best. John Williams provides another excellent score, providing a haunting, melodic love theme for Anakin and Padmé.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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STAR WARS EPISODE II (FULL SCREEN)
Added 9/26/2009
If your a fan of star wars like me you will want to get this movie. nuff said!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Excellent Story
Added 9/12/2009
Buying this is worth the investment if you even remotely enjoyed the movies. It's hard to keep track of a story line and characters over 3 decades and my original, lukewarm reviews were unwarranted. But, as you watch seemingly unfinished, abrupt endings; you understand that Lucas had a single, LONG movie in his head and simply broke it up into 6.
Once you experience all 6 in a shorter period of time; the story jumps out with excitement and you realize how good this series turned out. It helps to have your kids present to explain the story behind each character.
It's a wonderful, intriguing and relevant story.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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