Star Wars: AotC
Just got back from a midnight showing.
Well, where to start?
*SPOILERS*
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I have one word for AotC: Silly.
Yes, silly. There are so many things about this movie that make it just downright goofy. Some of these are nitpicky, granted, but mostly I think the critisisms are warranted. I'll start off with the bad:
1) The writing was just awful! Bad, bad, bad! Did George Lucas just not read the script? I think Obi Wan had about 5 lines through the whole movie and he just kept repeating them. They overdid the "yoda speak" (e.g. "Begun, this clone war has."). C3PO. Need I say more? "What a drag." "I'm beside myself." There aren't enough
to describe my feelings about the silliness of C3PO.
One bright point though - "I slaughtered them. All of them like the animals they are!"
2) The 'blue screening' was terrible! I don't think any of this movie was shot on a set. GL must have just made a giant dome, painted it blue and said "Ok, start acting. We'll fill it in later." The 'real' people just looked out of place. To be quite honest, I would have preferred to have the puppets back. In a lot of the closeups, Yoda looked entirely too fake. He had no depth.
3) The "sillys".
a) Yoda fighting. I was hysterical. Funniest thing I've ever seen. You just have to see it.
b) Count Dooku on a speeder. My friend said that it reminded him of Ming the Merciless from the Flash Gordon movie.
c) Mom's death scene. You have to be kidding me! I think Paul Rubens did a better job of dying in Buffy the Vampire Slayer than Ani's mom. She actually made cliché croaking sounds and flung her head back when she died. It was really cheesy.
d) C3PO. What were they thinking? Ok, there's comic relief and then there's just stupidity. The "comedy" of C3PO was just too far. He made Jar Jar look like a straight man.
Ok, that was the bad, now for the good:
1) The plot is awesome! Tons of twists. It's actually hard to follow at a lot of points. I will have to see it again just to get a better understanding of what's going on.
2) Obi Wan and Jango's fight scene. Best fight of the movie! Really well done.
3)"I killed them. Not just the men, there were women and children too. I slaughtered them all like the animals they are!" This was great. A glimpse into what Vader will become. A bad ass killing machine!
4) The sonic bombs (or whatever they were called that came out of the back of Jango Fett's spaceship) Damn! That had to be one of the coolest effects I've ever seen (or heard). Whoever decided to go totally silent just before the explosion was a genius!
All in all? 2.5 out of 5 stars. It would've been 3 if not for the writing.
I'll see it again just to get a better understanding of the plot. Taken out of context of the movie, the story is just fantastic. I just wish the movie could've been better.
[ 05-16-2002: Message edited by: kaboom ]</p>
Well, where to start?
*SPOILERS*
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
I have one word for AotC: Silly.
Yes, silly. There are so many things about this movie that make it just downright goofy. Some of these are nitpicky, granted, but mostly I think the critisisms are warranted. I'll start off with the bad:
1) The writing was just awful! Bad, bad, bad! Did George Lucas just not read the script? I think Obi Wan had about 5 lines through the whole movie and he just kept repeating them. They overdid the "yoda speak" (e.g. "Begun, this clone war has."). C3PO. Need I say more? "What a drag." "I'm beside myself." There aren't enough
to describe my feelings about the silliness of C3PO.One bright point though - "I slaughtered them. All of them like the animals they are!"
2) The 'blue screening' was terrible! I don't think any of this movie was shot on a set. GL must have just made a giant dome, painted it blue and said "Ok, start acting. We'll fill it in later." The 'real' people just looked out of place. To be quite honest, I would have preferred to have the puppets back. In a lot of the closeups, Yoda looked entirely too fake. He had no depth.
3) The "sillys".
a) Yoda fighting. I was hysterical. Funniest thing I've ever seen. You just have to see it.
b) Count Dooku on a speeder. My friend said that it reminded him of Ming the Merciless from the Flash Gordon movie.
c) Mom's death scene. You have to be kidding me! I think Paul Rubens did a better job of dying in Buffy the Vampire Slayer than Ani's mom. She actually made cliché croaking sounds and flung her head back when she died. It was really cheesy.
d) C3PO. What were they thinking? Ok, there's comic relief and then there's just stupidity. The "comedy" of C3PO was just too far. He made Jar Jar look like a straight man.
Ok, that was the bad, now for the good:
1) The plot is awesome! Tons of twists. It's actually hard to follow at a lot of points. I will have to see it again just to get a better understanding of what's going on.
2) Obi Wan and Jango's fight scene. Best fight of the movie! Really well done.
3)"I killed them. Not just the men, there were women and children too. I slaughtered them all like the animals they are!" This was great. A glimpse into what Vader will become. A bad ass killing machine!
4) The sonic bombs (or whatever they were called that came out of the back of Jango Fett's spaceship) Damn! That had to be one of the coolest effects I've ever seen (or heard). Whoever decided to go totally silent just before the explosion was a genius!
All in all? 2.5 out of 5 stars. It would've been 3 if not for the writing.
I'll see it again just to get a better understanding of the plot. Taken out of context of the movie, the story is just fantastic. I just wish the movie could've been better.
[ 05-16-2002: Message edited by: kaboom ]</p>
Comments
That was one bad movie. Very slightly less dull than Phantom Menace thanks to the scenes at the clone manufacturing planet.
The middle hour to ninety minutes was so slow. Really tedious. The dialog was awful. Hayden Christiansen's acting completely atrocious.
And there was that horrible crossover between Christopher Lee's character in this and in Lord of the Rings.
I disagree about the plot twists - it was completely predictable, and I challenge anyone to still be mystified as to who the Sith lord is. They made it clear in Phantom Menace, why do they feel the need to pretend it's still a mystery?!
Jar Jar grated in his few scenes, R2-D2 and C3PO's scenes provided the clowning among the cloning.
Did your crowd laugh as much as ours when Natalie Portman fell from the troop ship? When we cut back, she's lying there groaning and writhing, then a trooper comes over to check on her, and she says she's okay, gets up in an instant, then starts running over the dunes?
And the Yoda fight scene was hysterical. Was it supposed to be? I mean did they try for "wit" with the old-man-with-stick thing, and accidently fall into farce?
My words can't do justice to this movie, so I quote the young man that left the theater in front of us:
"That sucked Yoda's shriveled green nutsack".
[Edit: Oh wait, I thought of a redeeming feature: The scene with Obi using his Jedi powers on the dealer in the bar where they end up after chasing the assassin.]
[ 05-16-2002: Message edited by: Belle ]</p>
<strong>Agreed on all points. Except the good ones.
That was one bad movie. Very slightly less dull than Phantom Menace thanks to the scenes at the clone manufacturing planet.
The middle hour to ninety minutes was so slow. Really tedious. The dialog was awful. Hayden Christiansen's acting completely atrocious.
And there was that horrible crossover between Christopher Lee's character in this and in Lord of the Rings.
I disagree about the plot twists - it was completely predictable, and I challenge anyone to still be mystified as to who the Sith lord is. They made it clear in Phantom Menace, why do they feel the need to pretend it's still a mystery?!
Jar Jar grated in his few scenes, R2-D2 and C3PO's scenes provided the clowning among the cloning.
Did your crowd laugh as much as ours when Natalie Portman fell from the troop ship? When we cut back, she's lying there groaning and writhing, then a trooper comes over to check on her, and she says she's okay, gets up in an instant, then starts running over the dunes?
And the Yoda fight scene was hysterical. Was it supposed to be? I mean did they try for "wit" with the old-man-with-stick thing, and accidently fall into farce?
My words can't do justice to this movie, so I quote the young man that left the theater in front of us:
"That sucked Yoda's shriveled green nutsack".
[Edit: Oh wait, I thought of a redeeming feature: The scene with Obi using his Jedi powers on the dealer in the bar where they end up after chasing the assassin.]
[ 05-16-2002: Message edited by: Belle ]</strong><hr></blockquote>
Thanks Belle : your advice and the one from Kaboom will prevent me to go see this moovie, at least prevent me to wait in a long waiting file to watch it.
<strong>Thanks Belle : your advice and the one from Kaboom will prevent me to go see this moovie, at least prevent me to wait in a long waiting file to watch it.</strong><hr></blockquote>
No doubt there'll be a flood of posts throughout the rest of the day and over the weekend telling you otherwise, powerdoc.
I enjoyed the last part when the war began, it almost made up for the atrocity that was episode 1.
I don't know, I love special effects, it's what I did at Turner Effects, but you really need to use them to solve problems rather than create them. The tools do not make the artist, despite what George Lucas may think.
However, the fact that almost every scene is computer generated takes away any reality - I mean it's hard to endow the characters with any humanity (or alienity) when their surroundings are so fake.
You're numbed by the artificiality.
<strong>This thread is hilarious. Probably far more entertaining then the movie itself. I wasn't going to go see it .... but now I JUST HAVE TO!!!</strong><hr></blockquote>
Heh, it's inevitable. No matter how many people say "Don't go and see it!", everyone will still go to judge for themselves. We should have all boycotted this one to make sure Episode III is worth seeing in 2004.
I went along with low expectations and wasn't disappointed.
The tagline on the posters should be "Meh, it's not as bad as Phantom Menace."
You know the type. Ugh.
Anyway, it was okay. I, too, was almost distracted by the amount and scope of CGI. I think you can be overwhelmed by eye candy sometimes.
The absence of Jake Lloyd and the "only there for a few minutes" presence of Jar Jar really helped me this time.
Like kaboom, I kinda dug it when Anakin was talking about how he slaughtered the Sandpeople. Some real heart and emotion, in and otherwise heartless and emotionless movie.
The effects are awesome, but sometimes I honestly wonder if George Lucas simply gets off by putting stuff in, even when it seems to serve no purpose. In almost every scene, there's something going on in the background. Something trying to "be cute" or whatever.
I liked Mace Windu's purple lightsaber, especially when he held it across the neck of Jango Fett. Cool, bad-ass scene. And Jango Fett was one of the cooler things in the movie.
I'd read the screenplay novel (or whatever it's called) last weekend, so I pretty much knew the story, what was going to happen, who it's going to happen to, etc.
So no real surprises.
The nighttime chase through Coruscant (did I spell that anywhere near right?) was thrilling at first, but went a little long.
And the scene in the diner, where Obi-Wan met his four-armed friend. Now THAT was silly. Total Americana retro look (futurized, of course), and even the music playing when Obi-Wan walked in was like a 50's 3-chord walking bass song. I expected Little Richard or someone to come out and start singing. That was just a weird thing to see. Looked like a restaurant at Disney. Future retro? Even the neon sign in the window. I kept looking for poodle skirts and rolled up jeans on some of the patrons.
Yoda fighting. I'm torn on this. In some ways, very cool. But it seemed to have "gratuitous, crowd-pleasing money shot" written all over it. And one thing: does that mean Yoda is a little faker? I mean, he shuffles along, crouched over, acting as though he's barely hanging on. Then when he goes to fight, it's like a chimpanzee on crystal meth. Then when he's done, he grabs and cane and goes back to the doddering old fart routine.
Maybe they were just trying to be cute and funny. That little pose he struck before he and Dooku got into it got a huge laugh.
I saw it with a pretty sedate crowd, despite some of the clowns I was standing near in line outside. I don't recall any cheering or gasping or anything. I remember when I saw "The Phantom Menace" and the green Lucas Film logo came on screen after the 20th Century Fox logo and fanfare, people started standing up and screaming and going nuts.
This time, you could hear crickets chirp.
The scene talked about in another thread (Dooku's secret plan that he took with him to hid from good guys) didn't even elicit a reaction. I expected some of the hardcore geek brigade to at least "ooh and ahh" over that little CGI schematic of a certain round battlestation.
Nothing.
Anakin was a brat. I read a review somewhere that said "he looks and acts like the kind of kid you expect to see getting beat up in the parking lot of an arcade".
I guess it was a solid 6-7 on my 1-10 scale. It didn't suck nearly as much as "Episode I", but it just felt hollow.
And yes, C-3PO absolutely sucks as "comic relief". Like Jar Jar before him, he's simply moronic and annoying. His stuff gets old REALLY fast, especially toward the end ("I'm beside myself" and so forth...please).
I think "Episode III" might be cool, especially if they show more of Anakin being mean and getting more Vader-esque. Then you know there'll be a final battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan, so we've got that to look forward to.
I wonder how many years beyond this one "Episode III" will be set? And I wonder if we'll see, perhaps at the very end, the black armor and familiar Vader voice and breathing? Talk about a cool ending shot for a movie!
I think Lucas should listen to those around him a bit more. And perhaps even turn over the directing duties and just be there as an overall vibe-setter. Something is missing from these most recent two movies, and I can't help but think it's Lucas' fault. Something about his directing and writing (and complete, obvious control) seems to mess it up.
Which is funny. You wouldn't think so, but somehow it does.
Just as long as Joel Schumacher doesn't direct it, I'll be cool.
BTW, didnt see the movie yet (probably not going to now lol).
Went in with the worst fears and came out really excited.
Yes, there were some 'iffy' scenes, but overall I feel Lucas has redeemed himself.
If I have to think of the pretty lame acting in 4-5-6, then this is not any worse in many respects.
The 'seismic mines' in the asteroid field were def awesome. The 'arena' battle was pretty intense...
I just cant figure how everyone is so %@#% dense as to not be able to understand that the 'Emperor' is Palpetine.... duuuh.
I was really worried about the CGI, but left only really hating a few scenes and characters.
In the old Siskle and Ebert rating, I give this overall a thumbs up.
Go in with open mind and low expectations and you'll love it.
Then again I went to a 'midnight madness' premiere and therefore the theater was packed with fans. I couldnt help but laugh and cheer when Yoda kicks ass... that was amazing
Yeah, some of it was entertaining, but gosh, it just wasn't memorable. The space battle pales in comparison to the Battle of Endor and the Battle of Yavin, for example.
I'm not going to say I was disappointed by the wooden portrayals. I've come to expect Natalie Portman's quiet boringness, but Christensen, Jackson, McDiarmid, and even McGregor were also wooden...I blame Lucas. Lee as Dooku was alright...God, the Maori guy with the eye-patch was awful, and it was evident from the very beginning.
I was supremely disappointed in the C-3PO comic relief...the whole thing with the body-switch was so amazingly stupid...though the green vegetable headed Jedi's goofy smile made me laugh.) Everything was dumbed down again. Jeez, Obi-Wan can't figure out that archives can be tampered with, but a little kid can? What about the fact that Jango Fett was playing both sides (his clone army fights the droids belonging to Dooku's alliance while he's standing at his side?)
The love-story scenes sucked. God, if I was in love...less boring chit-chat, more panting.
Most disappointing was the Yoda/Dooku fight at the end...Jesus, it was like an agonizing Dragon Ball Z match-up + Yoda bouncing off the walls.
Now for what I liked. I liked Jango Fett. I liked the battle between him and Kenobi on the platform. I liked the clone troopers. I liked the scenes with the Lars family...it was fun. I liked some of the roller coaster thrills. The Jedi starfighter + hyperdrive thing rules.
Blah...
65/100, and I'm being generous
[ 05-16-2002: Message edited by: Eugene ]</p>
<strong>Most disappointing was the Yoda/Dooku fight at the end...Jesus, it was like an agonizing Dragon Ball Z match-up + Yoda bouncing off the walls.</strong><hr></blockquote> <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" /> Man, that's funny. Now I'm lowering my expectations another ten degrees for when I go see it. I'll probably wait till it's on at the local $3 theater unless some friends drag me out to it.
I liked it! Does he just leave it floating in orbit until he's done on the planet and comes back to get it? Does it have an alarm? At least a Club? "CAUTION: This hyper-drive module is protected by a theft deterrent system!"
Here's what I always wonder: if Obi-Wan (and Anakin too) are so strong with The Force, why couldn't they make the chains tying their hands fall apart or undo?
And Obi-Wan, when visiting Jango Fett in his room, walked right past the closet, with Jango's armor sitting RIGHT THERE, dying to be seen! All Obi-Wan had to do was glance to his left to see that this was indeed the guy they briefly glimpsed on Coruscant, rocketing away into the sky.
And what is it about Skywalkers losing their hands in lightsaber battles? That's become a signature move, hasn't it? Poor Anakin...it's happened to him twice! Pre-Vader AND post-Vader.
And I still expect Sam Jackson to let an "f"-word fly at some point, a la "Pulp Fiction". Sometimes, he just looks like he's dying to say it.
Everyone catch Obi-Wan's comment to Anakin upon entering the bar: "you're going to be the death of me...".
Well, as a matter of fact...
"If you notice a special effect, it failed." - Bill Forsythe.
lots of foreshadowing. I would say that was one of the best points of the movie. The end when the Empire Army was loading up on to star destroyers with the empire theme going all loud was great!
But WHO green lighted C3-PO's puns!!!! "This is a drag" and "Im beside my self" (his head is dragged next to his body) with in a few seconds!! Ouch!!
Some one help me, "Attack of the clones"??? Why not "Defense of the Clones" or "Clones Save the Day" or some other title that was more fitting. Has any name for ep. III been tossed around?
PS. JarJar didn't get killed but at least he doomed the universe
Methinks Mac users might be a picky bunch... another message board I frequent with a much broader base of active posters is giving it glowing reviews, and those people aren't slouches or fanboys.
I saw it, btw. It has a lot more heft than TPM, and there were several moments where I felt that old Star Wars magic again, some of them weren't even in the kick-ass finale.
Yeah, I liked it, dare I say loved it. And I'm not ashamed.
Just kidding...
(guess I should put a spoiler warning)
I loved it. Episode I left a real bad taste in my mouth, and gave me some real worry for the series. But EPII has put my worries to rest. It was a great entertaining film. Sure it had some cheesy scenes but thats the way Starwars is, and always had been. But many of you seems to not realize that that. This is not shakespear, it is not known for its amazing dialogue. Its known as a fun, original (or at least was,) humorous, intriguing, interesting, and a feast for the eyes series of movies. EPII represented all of that. It had a Starwars love scene, a Starwars plot, Starwars battle's, and general Starwars kick ass'ness. You people seem to be expecting Babylon 5 from this. EPII reminded me so much of the originals and kicked EPI's ass so much it really isnt funny.
There where so many scenes from the movie that really amazed me. The wave of Jedi running into battle, the dust cloud that envoloped the Clone army and there rifles blasts reflecting off the particles of dust. The overlooks of the end battle, Yoda's fighting, Boba holding Jango's head. And many others.
The movie theature I saw it in was also great. It was filled with teenage StarWars afficinados. We all groaned at some of the cheesy love scenes, ahh ooed when Anikin was been slammed by Padme at the beginning, and we all cheered for Yoda's enterance. It was great.
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones was a real StarWars movie, it fully captured the magic of the originals. If you liked them, but do not like EPII. You have changed. Not StarWars.
StarWars is back, and i'm loving every minute of it.
[ 05-16-2002: Message edited by: Falcon ]</p>
The dialogue sucked...
The plot sucked...
The comedy sucked...
The CG was fantastic...