It's 3:30am - I've just got back from the cinema...(Spoilers masked)

[Gav Mortis]

And after seeing the film I can more than happily say that as far as I am concerned, Attack of the Clones is without doubt one of the best films I've ever seen and echoing JMK's worry; it knocks the socks off the original trilogy as far as I am concerned.

This is a much more mature Star Wars and it seems that finally Lucas has found that good old bottle of magic with which he made the original trilogy, followed the same old procedure; open and pour. This is Star Wars at its best. He has taken the much loved magic of the original films and in Attack of the Clones, there is something there that was never present in the original trilogy or The Phantom Menace - a modern day zing, Episode II is one hell of a rollercoaster ride so be sure to keep up when holding onto your theatre seats.

Now for the specifics. What I loved most about this film was the element of suprise, major events seemed to soar past like they were mere plot devices: the first assassination attempt on Padmé...BOOM! (Cue audience gasp follwed by "Woah!'s" and "What the hell just happened!?") Then there's other events like the decapitating of Jango Fett a la Master Windu's rather feminine-coloured (:D) blade, don't blink! ...Ummm....to be perfectly honest, I'm sitting here now just trying to recall the major events in sequence but I'm quite certain I won't be able to do this in a controlled form. It's still a brilliant blur at the moment.

Something I noticed from the very start was the relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan, I was extremely impressed with the acting on both halves. McGregor has really picked up the pieces of where, I believe, he dropped that nice, perfect ornament that was the character of Obi-Wan, it was shattered in Episode I and now he is on top form. They have a most believeable Padawan/Master relationship and that's what I liked about it so much.

Christensen portrays Anakin Skywalker flawlessly as far as I am concerned. His subtle frustration surfaces gradually as the movie progresses until the tragic and moving encounter with Shmi, when it suddenly explodes into this wonderful fit of rage, His confession afterwards is a nice touch too. On a side note, I didn't really feel the relationship between Anakin and Padmé as much as I believe I could have, perhaps Lucas decided to tone down the romantic drama for the sake of the kids, no doubt.

One of the most prominent and pleasing characteristics of this movie is the comedy, for once I found this film genuinly funny. Everyone has there moment with regards to laughs. Personally, C3PO stole the spotlight as far as the laugh-o-meter is concerned; the conveyor-belt scene is absolutely classic! :)

I don't think I need to really say anything about the action really, the shots from the trailer speak for themselves. Believe the hype as far as the action is concerned! That is what I will be telling people in school tomorrow. Lucas really throws his audience around with AOTC, there's never a moment in which you can finally sigh and relax into a scene; the action is the lifeblood of the movie, pumping continuously, as it should be. I was 110% entertained by the movie and that's what it is all about.

An ideal film for me builds it's way intelligently up to a WOWing climax, and I think as those who have also seen the movie will agree; Yoda single-handedly delivers the goods. From the little, hunched-over green Jedi whose motto seems to be "Strong am I with the Force....but not that strong!" He comppletely contradicts himself because suffice to say Yoda KICKS ASS beyond all recognition. The last thing I expected was a lightsaber fight from him, but it's no ordinary lightsaber fight - he makes Darth Maul's performance look petty. I really have been satisfied as to why Yoda has the reputation of....Yoda.

I honestly believe Attack of the Clones is the best of all Star Wars films. It blows everything out of the water, especially it's audience. God himself couldn't have made a better film. It's perfect and I honestly (it might be the hype still in me talking) cannot find anything wrong with it. I am completely satisfied and am estatic Episode II lived up to and beyond my expectations and more. I shall be going to see it again tomorrow as soon as possible. That is all. :)

[JMK]

I didn't read your spoilers, but are you saying that it surpasses the emotional power and the great story of ESB? If so, then that is remarkable.

[Gav Mortis]

Actually, that is my flaw to be honest. I went in to see ESB a few years back for the first time with the common knowledge that Vader was Luke's father. On top of that, I don't find Han Solo as appealling as most, so what happened to him at the end of ESB wasn't as big a deal for me. So looking at the emotional side as a person who didn't experience the full emotional impact of ESB, then in comparison, I'd say the emotional side of AOTC isn't as strong as that in ESB for fans. However, as far as overall entertainment is concerned, I feel AOTC wins hands down, no doubt about that.

I'm quite happy going back through the previous threads I avoided, happily unmasking the spoilers. I feel so liberated. :)

One note about the emotional side of things, is that Hayden Cristensen masterfully allows the audience to literally feel him slipping, the tragic hero. It is very intense and you can't help but feel sympathy for Anakin. So as far as that is concerned, the emotional impact is wonderful there.

[JMK]

I heard some of his acting is atrocious, is this true in the least? I guess I can stop with the questions, as I will know for myself in a little more than 12 hours from now.

[Master Yoghurt]

WOW! That's a great preview. I think we have similar taste Gav, so it is probably going to be great for me as well! :)

Of course, what excites me the most is the part when Yoda fights Dooku. Cant wait to see that!! :D

[Champion of the Force]

Well, I've seen it.

Is it better than ESB? Ummmm, no.

Still good though. 3 years of avoiding nearly every spoiler I could certainly paid off for me. :)

As for the scene with Yoda fighting Dooku, I don't know. I was certainly excited by it (I wasn't expecting it at all) I can't help but feel that it would have been better if Yoda just used the Force to fight Dooku. Then again Dooku had to get away so a lightsaber battle was probably the only logical battle that could be fought that would let him escape.

I hope to post my full thoughts on the film a bit later. :)

[TheHolo.Net]

From my perspective I wouldn’t say it was better than ESB either, but it was better than TPM by a long ways. :D

[Master Yoghurt]

Well, here are my and Gav's thought about that part I am looking forward to:

Master Yoghurt: Hehe.. so you have seen it. What did you think about Yoda? :-)
Gav Mortis: :-D :-D :-D
Gav Mortis: that is my answer
Master Yoghurt: He kicks butt then? ;-)
Master Yoghurt: More precisely, Count Doku's :-)
Gav Mortis: to see it though, is something in itself, go tomorrow. it was just amazing, for want of a much better word
Gav Mortis: yog's perfomance makes darth mauls acrobats and combat skill look pitiful! :-)
Gav Mortis: the movie is so fast paced too, you'll love it
Master Yoghurt: Could you describe the battle between Yoda and Dooku? Wow, tell me more!
Gav Mortis: the audience was roaring with applause and cheers it was that good :-)
Master Yoghurt: :-D
Gav Mortis: yoda is lightning quick, he leaps, flips, bounds and seriously there are times when he is so fast that he leaps into the air in one direction, clashes lightsabers with dooku then without touching anything, sommersaults further upwards in the opposite direction, all whilst in thin air - he actually defies gravity occasionally
Master Yoghurt: LOL! Got to love that! :-)
Gav Mortis: it is the best lightsaber fight ever! :-)
Gav Mortis: he also pulls this kung fu stance with his hands, ready to fight, it is so cool but at the same time absolutely hilarious to see little, old yoda do it :-)
Master Yoghurt: And he picks up Dooku's Force Lightning, and throws it back? :-)
Gav Mortis: it's remarkable! dooku throws things at him at yoda just over powers him and throws them away, passively! the lightning was remarkable, yoda was unscathed by it. he just holds out his hand and it doesn't even affect him, then it gets thrown back to dooku as he's still trying to electricute him. v. cool! :-)
Gav Mortis: did you hear about what obi wan does when dooku tries to get him with force lightning too?
Master Yoghurt: LOL! Awessome
Master Yoghurt: I am not sure, please tell :-)
Gav Mortis: he simply holds up his lightsaber, the lightning just hits it and is absorbed by the blade :-)
Master Yoghurt: Wow
Gav Mortis: that is basically the impression i got too! :-)
Master Yoghurt: So, if Luke had not tossed away his lightsabre at the end of ROTJ...
Gav Mortis: ah of course! :-)
Master Yoghurt: He could have deflected away those lightning bolts, but he might not have known that
Gav Mortis: he probably didn't
Master Yoghurt: And if he did, Anaking might not have turned against the Emperor
Gav Mortis: it would've been a nice thought on obiwan's behalve to say: "oh by the way luke, ol buddy, if the emperor tries to fry your ass off with enormous bolts of lightning generated from his fingertips - just hold up your lightsaber, there's a good chap!" :-)
Master Yoghurt: lol

[Champion of the Force]

I think Gav is a bit misguided on this:


Gav Mortis: he simply holds up his lightsaber, the lightning just hits it and is absorbed by the blade :-)
He doesn't just hold it up. It requires a great amount of concentration to get the lightning attack to hit the saber. Simply holding up your lightsaber as if it were a charging rod won't protect you. I doubt it would have helped Luke much.

[TheHolo.Net]

In my estimation, the way Dooku dismisses Obi and Anikan as if they were playthings is more than enough to make Maul look like a rank amateur. But yes, Yoda stole the show right after that.

[Master Yoghurt]

David is probably right. At least, that is what I would imagine. Using a lightsabre to deflect Force Lightning would probably require much skill. I doubt it would be something Luke learned about under his training. Even if he knew it was possible, it would not be an easy thing to do

[Jedi Master Carr]

Wow, I guess I will have to wait to read all those spoilers, I think I can hold out for ten more hours.

[Jedieb]

As I sit here typing this I'm aware that I'm of a completely different mindset than the night I came home from watching TPM. I am completely and utterly SATISFIED by the SW movie I just saw. I had a great time! I felt like the same kid who saw the OT in theaters years ago. Here are some random thoughts (I should say some random OPINIONS ;) ..

ACTING
The acting in AOTC is second only to ESB. More than once I found myself consciously aware that this film was better acted than TPM and even ROTJ. This was the Anakin I wanted to see! IMO, Hayden was OUTSTANDING. We saw all of Anakin's strengths and weaknesses. It's all been laid out now. You can see why he's going to fall from grace. Ewan's Obi-Wan is much more animated than before. His scenes with Anakin are great and the tension between the two of them is palpable. Samuel Jackson was impressive also. Mace was awesome and the perfect Jedi to take down Jango. (A scene I cheered while others said "Oh, no...") I was glad Jango died. I don't care how cool his costume looks or how much the EU tries to make him out to be some kind of hero. He's a murderous bounty hunter and he got his just rewards! Dooku was played quite well by Lee. Temura was great as Jango as well. It would have been great to see some more scenes of him outside of his costume.

The acting in AOTC was not on par with a Kenneth Branaugh production of Hamlet, but it was well acted nevertheless.

VISUALS
This is by FAR the most visually stunning of all the SW films. I was completely blown away by what I saw. The city scapes, the battles, the asteroid chase, the final battle, Yoda's duel. It was an impressive achievement. They'll be no denying the Oscar to ILM this year.

For me, AOTC ranks just behind ESB and ANH. As I see it a few more times I imagine it may well equal ANH for me. ESB will probably always be my favorite because of Vader's revelation and the introduction of Yoda. These are personal reasons that all of us bring to these movies when we compare them. I was 10 when Vader revealed himself to Luke and the impact of that scene will always shape MY SW experience. What most pleased me about AOTC is that it ALSO made an emotional impact on me. This film hooked me.

Hayden's Performance
I want to get back to the acting, particulary Hayden's performance. I read some of the reviews that said all HC could do was pout and act like a rebellious teenager. I have to completely disagree. I felt he gave a well balanced performance. There was real chemistry between him and Natalie. The interplay between HC and Ewan was great as well. HC more than held his own with Ewan. Simply put, HC was an outstanding Anakin. I saw the Anakin I was expecting to see.

HUMOR
This was the FUNNIEST SW movie I've seen. ANH had a great sense of humor about it. AOTC was even funnier. 3-PO was hilarious. Some people have complained about his character in the past, well I think many of those people will change their minds. 3-PO and R2 got some of the biggest laughs in the entire film. They were great!

[BUFFJEDI]

Better than ESB ? YES!

Bad acting NO! not Oscar but Damn good.

I think what those that say HC had bad acting was just his voice really sux.

This film had ALL the emotion you could want and need for what it is building up to, and does it Very well. I could have done with less LOVE story But other than that PERFECT!


I have strayed away from beating up people,BUT if anyone say's GL can't tell a Story or the plot/story in this film was off, I'l knock them threw a wall for being a liar.


Plus the film was BEUTIFUL!!

[BUFFJEDI]

BTW I heard NOTHING but great thing's from people as they left the building ONLY great thing's. People cheered at the end and stood outside the theater and talked about the film for about an hour.



Yoda is d bomb!!! and had the funniest scene in the film.

C3po had people rolling in the floor.

mace BmF

[Jedieb]

People were very positive at my viewing as well. I looked at the guy next to me right at the end and I said;
"Holy crap, that kicked a@#!"
He just nodded his head and said "Wow!"

[Kar'h'tzen Shaed]

Everyone was awesome in this movie. Yoda, C-3PO (For the love of Lucas stop putting the hyphen in the wrong place, EVERYBODY), Artoo, Dooku, Anakin, Mace, Obi-Wan, Padme, Jango, Boba, and anyone else who was in this. Special double props go to that hot green Jedi with the lekku. And I have to watch that bar scene over again with some sort of stop motion device. And then over again. Rrowr, it almost makes Jabba's palace seem Puritanical for a few all-too-brief seconds.

Awesome movie, and I was surprised how well that last lightsaber duel went. I didn't think it'd be pulled off that well. But it was, and better. So awesome.

[Jedieb]

3-PO, 3-PO, 3-PO
:p :p

[BUFFJEDI]

q

[Jedieb]

Gav Mortis: he simply holds up his lightsaber, the lightning just hits it and is absorbed by the blade :-)



He doesn't just hold it up. It requires a great amount of concentration to get the lightning attack to hit the saber. Simply holding up your lightsaber as if it were a charging rod won't protect you. I doubt it would have helped Luke much.


I have to agree. It seemed to me that Obi-Wan was using both the Force and his lightsaber to counter Dooku's Force lightning attack. Anakin recklessly rushed Dooku and was completely unprepared to defend himself against Dooku's Force lightning. He may not have enough mastery of the Force to do what Obi-Wan did. It seems to me that Dooku, Yoda, and even Sidious owe much of their great power to their age and experience. Anakin may clearly have more POTENTIAL than all of them, but he does not have the EXPERIENCE to battle ANY of those Force users at this point and time.

[Gav Mortis]

Originally posted by Champion of the Force
I think Gav is a bit misguided on this:


He doesn't just hold it up. It requires a great amount of concentration to get the lightning attack to hit the saber. Simply holding up your lightsaber as if it were a charging rod won't protect you. I doubt it would have helped Luke much.

I don't doubt it. Something like that would require some degree of control over the Force although, like a great deal of the film, it was unpredictable, why I liked lots. :)

[Champion of the Force]

Mods/Admins: could you please either insert spoiler tags over Kar'h'tzen Shaed's post, or alter the thread title to simple state 'spoilers' (instead of masked spoilers)?

Kar'h'tzen Shaed covers some spoiler material but hasn't masked them which is at odds with what the title specifies. I'd hate to have someone walk in here who still hasn't seen Ep. 2 yet and doesn't want to be spoiled (yeah yeah I know they should know better but still it would be a nice gesture anyways). :)

[Master Yoghurt]

I took the liberty of fixing it, in order to not spoil anyone.

Btw, what do you guys think of Jango Fett? :)

[Champion of the Force]

Thanks Yog. :)

As for Jango Fett, I found he to pretty good, though I think they may have slightly overdone his 'unmasked' scenes a bit (though there aren't many).

The best scene with Jango has to be the fight with Obi in the rain.

The end fight with Mace was a bit of a letdown. Bang bang fight fight then BAM - Mace cuts his head off. Bit of an anti-climax (for me at least) there. Just a picky point though. :)

[Master Yoghurt]

Figrin mentioned to me that Jango was a bit like Darth Maul, a sideplot character that is there for the show. That does not need to be a bad thing though. I think the battle in the rain is going to be awesome, then the asteroids chase - eyecandy for sure. I imagine, the part when Boba picks up his fathers helmet, will most likely be a powerful moment, giving the character some background. You can unserstand his resentment of the Jedi. An ominous and sad foreshadowing of what to come. Much like what happens to Anakin

[JonathanLB]

My opinion, unedited, is that Natalie Portman was quite good in the film but she is not a major focus, despite the fact she is really important, and didn't steal the show by any means. I felt that Hayden was absolutely awesome. I think his acting was superior to anyone in the film and it was one of the best performances thus far in a SW film. He really had it down, totally convincing, and very disturbing I felt. He just bothered me, hehe, which is a very good thing. I like his character in this film a lot, though, as he hasn't quite gone bad and he's pretty bad@$$ actually, but at the same time you see all of the factors that are sending him down that path.

One particular line by Mace I thought was going to be a bit, well, just decent and it seemed sort of silly, yet in the actual movie, it ROCKED. I mean really really rocked, and I think if you've seen it you know what part I mean. When he says that line, we were all just like, F*** YES!!! :) Talk about a line that could have been just decent and turned out wonderful.

I must disagree with the acting assessments of many of the critics. Definitely better acted than TPM even because, while I felt TPM had wonderful acting, a few of the minor characters bothered me a bit, well you know guys, haha, Ric Olie is a dumb idiot and Panaka is too bland. They are both fine in the films and I have no doubt that is their actual personalities as GL intended, but this film was better without anyone that boring ;)

How could anyone call that bad acting? I thought it was wonderful. I've seen such horrid acting this year too and really, judging it from a critical perspective too, I felt totally the opposite.

I agree that the love between Anakin and Padme IS forced and whatnot, but that was entirely intentional. It is supposed to seem forced at the start especially because it is this kid, basically, who has grown into a man but STILL has his childhood infatuation and obsession, so his version of love, IMO, is not very well developed and I'm not sure he really knows what the word means. I was entirely convinced by his love of her, though, because I believe that she had a significant impact on his life and from the moment he saw her, he was infatuated in this odd child-like way and he never grew out of it.

I was less convinced from the actual film that she loved him back, BUT like all movies I must assume that their interactions and dialogue and chemistry while together, which we as the audience could not see, made her love him. Either that or she is attracted to him for less deep reasons and she also is not correctly using the word love and in fact has no idea what her true emotions are.

My impression, though, was that the two spent a lot of time together that could not possibly have been shown in the film because EVERY MOVIE shows us the events of a long period of time in just a few hours. Even Training Day shows us 24 hours in 2, but Star Wars is more like weeks in two hours, so if they showed us every little stupid little interaction between Anakin and Padme, it would be lame. I say "stupid" because you know how it goes when you are talking to even a friend, let's say, and you two have this funny conversation but to everyone else it is not funny it's just, well, it's not their conversation. It would be lame to them. Same goes for romance a lot of the time. So I simply believe that the two people/characters fell in love off screen and I was convinced that is surely what must have happened.

I need to see it a few more times so I can solidify my opinions on that, but basically that's what I'm thinking now. I felt like the love story was well done and I liked the awkwardness of a few of the moments, where I really felt like awkwardness SHOULD exist because if it didn't, well, it would be really contrived. If they just instantly hit it off and the dialogue went super smoothly, no pauses, almost like Shakespeare, then I'd be like, "Wait, what? This isn't right at all... that's not how it really happens." So I enjoyed the way it was done.

I have to say Yoda moved up my favorite characters list.

So much more to say, but not now. Those were just a few initial comments.

[Garrett Blade]

Just a few observations and praises from myself.


I think Obi-Wan refering to Anakin as his young "apprentice" was a nice touch even if unintentional as it hints at the dark side. Another good hint at things to come was the schematic of the Death Star Dooku took to Palpatine. And did anyone else hear an echo through the Force during Anakin's slaughter of the Tusken Raiders? When Yoda was meditating, he hears a voice shout "Anakin!!!". Could that have been Qui-Gon Jinn? Certainly sounded like him!

As for C-3PO - he was fantastic. A few of my friends complained at his "This is such a drag" line, but I enjoyed it. And his comments to Artoo were highly comical! And I was made up when Artoo's jets kicked in!!!

I'm a hopeless romantic, so I was highly enthralled by the scenes with Anakin and Padme. It was the same thing with Spiderman for me, though I won't have spoilers within spoilers!

Ultimately, Yoda has replaced Han Solo as my favourite character! I can't imagine how Lucasfilm are going to top off that fight between him and Dooku. And I loved Yoda's stance before the fight, and his Clint Eastwood-esque reveal of his lightsaber!

One final point I'd like to raise. Is it just me, or can certain comparisons be made between Star Wars and Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights"? It seems that various themes in both are very similar, despite the settings. Anakin - a dark-skinned slave from Tatooine, and Heathcliff - a dark-skinned homeless gypsy-boy from the dirt-ridden streets of Liverpool (my hometown by the way! :)). Padme, who disguises herself as a servant girl but is really nobility, and Catherine Earnshaw, initially as wild and coarse as Heathcliff, but later refined with manners and ettiquette! Heathcliff goes away for three years, Anakin for 10-ish. Heathcliff's rage and anger stems from love - as does Anakin's. When my English teacher said to our class: "His love leads to his anger, his anger to his hatred" and I replied with "And does that by any chance lead to the Dark Side?". It all seems to fit! What do you think?

[Jedieb]

One final point I'd like to raise. Is it just me, or can certain comparisons be made between Star Wars and Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights"? It seems that various themes in both are very similar, despite the settings. Anakin - a dark-skinned slave from Tatooine, and Heathcliff - a dark-skinned homeless gypsy-boy from the dirt-ridden streets of Liverpool (my hometown by the way! ). Padme, who disguises herself as a servant girl but is really nobility, and Catherine Earnshaw, initially as wild and coarse as Heathcliff, but later refined with manners and ettiquette! Heathcliff goes away for three years, Anakin for 10-ish. Heathcliff's rage and anger stems from love - as does Anakin's. When my English teacher said to our class: "His love leads to his anger, his anger to his hatred" and I replied with "And does that by any chance lead to the Dark Side?". It all seems to fit! What do you think?
Now there's a comparison I never thought I'd see! I think it's an interesting one nevertheless. I actually read WH years ago in HS. That's a pretty slick comparison you've made Garrett. In WH Catherine's death torments and basically ruins Heathcliff's life. While Anakin's relationship with Padme helps lead him into conflict with the Jedi code, I think the death of his mother was just as significant a catylst(sp?) for Anakin's decent to the Dark Side. Just look at what he did for goodness' sake, he slaughtered WOMEN & CHILDREN! And yes, that WAS Qui-Gon's scream we heard when Yoda felt the disturbance in the Force, I'm convinced of it.
There's so much to discuss with AOTC, I can't wait to see it again!

[darth_mcbain]

I'm posting this without having read the previous stuff in this thread - I didn't want other opinions to alter my review (although I think I probably share the opinion of about all of us here).

It ROCKED!!!!!!

I thought this movie was simply incredible. The opening scroll sets it up nicely, and throws the light of mystery on Dooku. Who is this guy?

The opening attempt on Padme's life was great, and for me and most of the theater, totally unexpected. I figured this is exposition, them coming off the ship - and then WHAMO!!! Get's the movie going right off the bat.

I loved the character of Zam. Mysterious, beautiful, deadly. She looked to be a pretty bad-@ss bounty hunter. The chase through Coruscant was very well done. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Did y'all notice when she lost control of her shapeshifting momentarily when Anakin landed on top of her speeder? Not too blatant, but enough to make you say "what the heck wasthat?!"

Equally satisfying was the encounter on Kamino with the Fetts. I was completely surprised that Boba Fett got in on the action against Obi-Wan. I was under the impression that he was too young to be "helping Dad at work", but he proved to be quite an interesting character - ruthless even at his age.

The action sequences were well tempered by the intervening scenes in the library with Yoda, the love story between Padme and Anakin, and the tour of the cloning facility. The love story I thought was pretty well done. It was more subdued than I thought it would be. I had somewhat expected this movie to have some "chick-flick" qualities to it, as it was touted as a love story. If this is George Lucas' idea of a love story - count me in!

I though also that the political intrigue was well done. It was not forced or overbearing, but you can definitely see the evil machinations of Palpatine and how he is subtlely tearing the Republic apart.

I really liked the Tusken scene. I had worried that this would have a forced feel to it - that it would be too obvious. Anakin's mom dies, therefore Anakin gets angry, therefore Tuskens die. But it wasn't just as simple as that. Ok, maybe it was, but I was impressed by Christenson's acting, which showed the torment that was going on underneath the surface, and the rage which will be his undoing.

The arena scene and final battle were in a word - incredible. The Reek, Ackley, and Nexu were all extremely cool. If they only went against one monster, like in the ROTJ Rancor scene, that would have been exciting enough, but to take on three monsters, each with a distinct different "fighting" style - the Reek a brutish Rhino-like attack, the Ackley an insectoid Spider-like attack, and the almost feline tenacity of the Nexu - made for a very exciting battle.

And what can be said about Dooku? I won't say much, other than that I think he is such an incredibly cool villian. Gone in the unbridled, raging fury of Darth Maul - here we have a cold, calculating, evil villain whose skills in the Force and with a blade are incredible. I will be very interested to see how his character pans out in Ep. III - as he held his own against the best of them. Speaking of which - YODA!!! What an amazing display of technical wizardry, bringing Yoda to life in those battle scenes. His saber style was like I've never seen - EXTREMELY FAST, whirling all over the place - it was like he was in two places at once.


Whew! Now, to temper the good, there were a few things I noticed that I think could have stood a little improvement. I found some of the dialogue and exposition seemed a little forced at times. I can't remember specific instances, but some lines just didn't work all that well for me.

I also thought there were a couple scenes with the Reek where the effects were noticable and almost seemed a little fake. However, they didn't persist - it was only one shot here and there, and in the next scene it would look real again. Lastly, while I did get a little chuckle out of 3PO's antics, I thought that they may have pushed it a little too far. It just seemed like his puns and jokes kept going, when maybe just a few of them would have sufficed.

That said, I enjoyed the movie immensely, and look forward to my second and third viewings today. It is tricky to assign this newest member of the SW family a rank amongst the other 4 movies - they are all one large story - so I won't even try to rank it. Suffice to say, though, this is way up there, and I'm sure will probably go up in the rankings as I watch it more.

[ReaperFett]

I don't rank SW films generally. I don't feel you can with a film built for a trilogy. I would say though that this is as good as ESB. It improves TPM, and TPM improves EP2



COMMENTS, no spoilers:

3P0 was hilarious. If you've seen the film, you know what I am talking about :)

If you were one who wanted NSYNC cut, *SMACK!* When you see the relevent scene, you wouldn't want ANYTHING cut.

Acting was generally top notch, McGregor, Lee and McDiarmond especially. Portman was good also. Christiensen though.......he was AWFUL the first half, then suddenly seemed to wake up.

I'm glad I didn't hear the soundtrack first. You don't expect the music twists. Nice to see my favourite track ever make a reappearence too :)

"I Dont think so". WHAT a scene :)

VERY humourfull. McGregor mainly, but even Yoda has a few good lines.

One moment of accidental humour though. Few people laughed at something that happened before one of the greatest cinematic moments ever.

This showed why Jar Jar was built well in TPM.

Javva the Hutt returns :)

[Kar'h'tzen Shaed]

Please excuse me, Champion of the Force. I had no idea how to use spoiler tags. More importantly, I was also unaware that I was revealing spoilers in my post. If I ruined someone's moviegoing experience by mentioning there's a bar in the movie, plus a bunch of names that mean nothing, and perhaps that there is a scene in a spaceship in the movie, then I am very sorry for it.

For your convenience, I have masked all the material in this post, in case there are still spoilers.

;)