2CPU.com » News » May 2002 » Attack of the Amateur Movie Reviewers

So I figure a lot of you are probably going to see (or have already seen) Attack of the Clones this weekend. The reviews seem to be split evenly between yay and nay. I went earlier tonight, and while I thought it was much better than Episode I (which isn't much of a feat), I can't say that I thought it was that good, either. But then, this is Star Wars we're talking about here. One simply tends to expect more than is reasonable, I think.

But what does everyone else think about AoTC? If you're going to post spoilers, please mark them as such. It's easier than setting up mail filters to delete all the hate mail from those who haven't seen the movie yet :-)

(While we're talking Star Wars, how about a plug for the Zahn trilogy. No fan should be without it.)

puppet Got Little Feat Posts: 1100 Joined: 2001-08-15

#15573 Posted on: 05/18/2002 10:26 AM Not really a comment on the movie but I heard an interesting news story today regarding the motion picture industries' use of "fake" reviewers and interviews with movie goers , actually "actors" , upon exiting films..... naturally giving shining reviews of what they had just witnessed on the big screen. I'm glad we at 2cpu have you in the trenches Cory. ...come to think of it .... didn't we see you in "Debbie does Dallas"? Tyan i840|2x1000|1GB PC800 RDRAM|4xQuantum 10kII|VisionTek X-6964|TBSC|Plextor 40max|S&F Mach 12|iiyama VM pro 501 & VM pro 502|mod'ed Toshiba Magnia 3010 chassis|600W PSU

Cory <font color="#E22000">Do you like my hat? It's made of MONEY!</font> Posts: 412 Joined: 2000-05-19

#15574 Posted on: 05/18/2002 11:55 AM Originally posted by puppet ...come to think of it .... didn't we see you in "Debbie does Dallas"? Must have been a clone. *cough* [url="http://www.2cpu.com"]www.2cpu.com[/url] [url="http://www.cory-grimster.org/boxen.html"]Boxen[/url]

The Doctor Jelly baby, anyone? Posts: 659 Joined: 2002-04-20

#15575 Posted on: 05/18/2002 05:12 PM I agree with the distinguished Legal Division representative. The film is worth seeing for Yoda kicking ass alone. All of that Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan/Darth Maul swordplay in Episode I just pales in comparison... Duallies Present Gigabyte GA-8I865G775-G (3.4GHz Pentium-D 950), PowerMac G5 (4x2.5GHz G5), PowerMac G4 (2x1.42GHz G4) Duallies Past Abit BP6 (2x366MHz Celeron @ 550MHz), Intel MS440GX (2x450MHz Pentium III Xeon), Tyan Thunder K7 (2xAthlonMP 1900+), PowerMac G4 (2x533MHz G4) "There are three roads to ruin... the most pleasant is with women, the quickest is with gambling, but the surest is with technicians." --Georges Pompidou

Celtboy SMP Newbie Posts: 11 Joined: 2002-05-02

#15576 Posted on: 05/18/2002 08:23 PM The move lacked substance. Whoever said that Lucas was too busy trying to hit the preset marks to get a story together was right on. This movie was beyond a disappoint to me- yes, I believe it was somewhere in the same bag as Highlander 3 & Attack of the 50ft Centerfold. Of everyone I surveyed (around 20 people)- there came to be 2 favorite parts of the whole movie: Yoda (of course) and the white dress that Natalie Portman sports. (can u guess why?) How incredibly sad is all I can think of. George Lucas is obviously just milking his movies for more money. My heart grieves.... ps. If you don't like whiny babies - don't go see it. 45% of the movie is little Anakin crying, whining and yellin "I don't wanna." Please. if I wanted to see a 1 hour temper tantrum, I'd babysit my 2 1/2 year old cousin. (and I'd make $7.25 instead of spending it on a piece of paper & a seat rental). You want a DECENT movie worth ur dinero? Go see Spiderman.

Shwami SMP Qualified Posts: 166 Joined: 2001-05-03

#15577 Posted on: 05/18/2002 09:56 PM Personally I think that to much time was spent in the first one trying to establish Anakin. So now in the second one they have to rush thru everything so that they can catch up to episode IV with just one movie to go. I have a feeling that even the next movie will be a let down as yet again they try to FORCE everything into one movie. Just my $.25 (Inflation) Shwami Never assume you know more than everyone else Heatware = [URL="http://www.heatware.com/eval.php?id=7201"]Shwami[/URL] Ebay = [URL="http://myworld.ebay.com/shwami/"]Shwami[/URL]

Mitchell SMP Newbie Posts: 6 Joined: 2001-02-16

#15578 Posted on: 05/18/2002 10:33 PM Too much mush.. GET A ROOM and take it off the screen, biatch. At one point I thought he was gonna cry like a woman.. what horrid acting.. Ah yes.. "my little padewan" or "my young (friend)(jedi)(etc)" or "sentate, republic, trade, federation" said too many times.. tOO MANY.. and what's with little boba fetts laugh? how insincere was THAT? ugh. right.. better than 1, but 1/2 as good as it should have been.. hopefully 3 makes up for it all.. but I still claim spider man to be the best movie this year so far. so far.

The Doctor Jelly baby, anyone? Posts: 659 Joined: 2002-04-20

#15579 Posted on: 05/18/2002 10:47 PM Yeah, the constant "my young/old jedi/padawan apprentice" at the end of EVERY SINGLE LINE did get more than a little wearing. Something was also amiss with Ewan McGregor's delivery this time round, especially in the first half of the film. This had to have the worst dialogue of any Star Wars film to date. Besides, how come Anakin (obviously, as it's a different actor) and Chancellor Palpatine were the only ones to age? Everyone looked exactly the same age they were in Episode I, albeit with the occasional addition of a beard or less stupid hats. Duallies Present Gigabyte GA-8I865G775-G (3.4GHz Pentium-D 950), PowerMac G5 (4x2.5GHz G5), PowerMac G4 (2x1.42GHz G4) Duallies Past Abit BP6 (2x366MHz Celeron @ 550MHz), Intel MS440GX (2x450MHz Pentium III Xeon), Tyan Thunder K7 (2xAthlonMP 1900+), PowerMac G4 (2x533MHz G4) "There are three roads to ruin... the most pleasant is with women, the quickest is with gambling, but the surest is with technicians." --Georges Pompidou

mattsteg Senior Member Posts: 990 Joined: 2000-05-07

#15580 Posted on: 05/19/2002 01:56 AM Ok, Yoda had by far the best acting in the movie. However, I still enjoyed it, due largely to the aforementioned high points. Not a cinematic masterpiece by any stretch, but still a fun movie as long as you ignore the bad acting and dialog. Hello.

rchatterjee SMP User Posts: 59 Joined: 2002-02-11

#15581 Posted on: 05/19/2002 02:35 AM Go see this movie and you'll see why Yoda is not just a Jedi master but that Yoda is THE Jedi master. That scene alone was worth the $8 in and of itself. 2 x AMD Athlon MP 2800+, Tyan Thunder K7 S2462UNG, 1024MB Corsair DDR2100 Registered ECC RAM, 36.7GB Seagate X15-36LP, 18.4GB Seagate X15, 2x 36.7 GB IBM 36Z15, ATI AIW Radeon 9600 Pro, Creative Audigy Platinum Ex, Plextor 40/12/40 CD-RW, Lite-On LTD-163 16x DVD.

bdohmen SMP Sailor Posts: 671 Joined: 2001-10-26

#15582 Posted on: 05/19/2002 02:58 AM Originally posted by rchatterjee Go see this movie and you'll see why Yoda is not just a Jedi master but that Yoda is THE Jedi master. That scene alone was worth the $8 in and of itself. I would agree, that scene kinda made the movie. Overall it was a helluva lot better than the first episode. I mean it doesn't matter how crappy it is, Lucas knows everyone is gonna see it at some point just cuz its Star Wars | MSI 875 Neo | P4 2.4C | 1024MB PC3200 | WD Raptor |

Big B Psychic or Psycho? Posts: 3631 Joined: 2001-07-03

#15583 Posted on: 05/19/2002 01:27 PM Originally posted by Upaboveit All that needs to be said is this: Go Yoda! j00 r0x0rz. Yoda 0wn3rz j00! Hardware Forums|2CPU|My DVD's|Heatware=BigB Gigabyte NF650SLI|2GB OCZ PC6400|Pentium E 2160|GF7900GS (SLI)...XP SP2 MSI P965 Neo-F|1GB SuperTalent PC2-5300|PentiumD 920|Radeon X1650...XP SP2

Fr0st Registered User Posts: 493 Joined: 2001-01-05

#15584 Posted on: 05/19/2002 07:23 PM Disappointed. Really, really disappointed. There's just nothing there to make you care about the characters. The acting was just stiff. Even the Anakin/Padme thing, which you would think would have been the one aspect to really draw you into the characters, was just dry. The Han/Leia thing in first trilogy was much more interesting to watch. So was the master-apprentice relationship between Obi-wan and Luke. Or Yoda and Luke. The first three movies worked because they were about people, Luke in particular, who you really cared about what happened to. You got to see the characters grow and evolve. Now it's mired down in this poorly-told story of political intrigue and all other kinds of background noise. Lucas has apparently forgotten how to tell stories about people, and is just telling stories about events. Maybe I'm nuts, but in this regard, I think Ep. 1 was actually better, it had more character development (which isn't saying a lot). It's a bummer, because I really wanted to like it. Even Yoda's lightsaber mojo couldn't save it. Nothing is true, everything is permitted.

traumerei SMP Wannabe Posts: 28 Joined: 2000-07-08

#15585 Posted on: 05/20/2002 06:48 AM *CONTAINS A FEW MINOR BITS IN THE MOVIE* Well, I finally saw Episode II. Impressions? I liked it because there were a few stellar points that balanced out the less than sterling ones. The music was great. Again, the cheesy love scene where they stopped the music when things weren't going well was dumb. The Emperor's chorale definitely had a stronger showing in this than even ROTJ. Now, I have to say, the Emperor's Theme is my favorite, and its liberal inclusion in the movie made me happy. The music from the Phantom Menace was thrown in as well but only as a minor theme; one gets a strong impression of a progression here. It seems as if Lucas was doing penance for Episode I and catering towards the objections placed by die-hard fans. The actors were a mixed lot. I've always been a fan of Palpatine, and the use of the original actor was noteworthy. The voice of the Emperor still remains and the actor hasn't changed significantly enough to lose that connection with the original trilogy. There was such a bridge between Episode I and the Trilogy that the common denominator in the Emperor helped to bridge in Episode II. To me, the Emperor made my day. Count Dooku, Christopher Lee, is one of my favorite actors and his powerful bad-guy stature inherited from Lord of the Rings bears merit. Obviously Yoda was amazing. I didn't like the Jedi in general because of their gross diversity. The charge made up for it. It was amazing to see them go. I'm glad that Lucas did not opt for too many unfamiliar worlds. Seeing the moisture farm on Tatooine and its two moons brought back many memories; especially the little meal served by Owen and Beru lars. By tying in indulgent corrupt Coruscant in Episode II, it seemed as if the smooth ships that I criticized (for I like the industrial look of the Trilogy) make sense. Not, of course, that there would still be no continuity aesthetically. Everyone noticed the Republic troop carriers, pre-Star Destroyers, pre-Stormtroopers, the little triangle lights and meters at the moisture farms; these all retain an industrial look. The pre-Star Destroyers and pre-Stormtroopers were a step in the right direction. Finally, we see a primitive technology being fleshed out in the Trilogy and we don't wonder why advanced silver bubbly super high tech jet fighters get replaced by clumsy and awkward TIE fighters. Here we also see the pre-Stormtroopers and their organized and "Empire" style fighting. The plot was aeons better as well. While it seemed to rip off of Gladiator, Lord of the Rings, 2001: A Space Odyssey, the style remained nevertheless, epic. To me, the movie brought back the grand galactic fate-of-the-world feeling that the original Trilogy brought. Here we see the progression of events as ominous and exciting. To read of thousands of rebelling systems is much more interesting than the fate of Naboo, this is sure. Now, I'm a Star Wars junkie and perhaps I have been too technically inclined in the past. My world was that of ST-321, the Devastator, MC-80 Cruisers. Yet, the pioneering vision of the early days of Star Wars, before it was canonically preserved by people like myself has been brought back; and I do not say in conflict with the Trilogy. I for one, then, enjoyed the movie and it will take a place with my Trilogy. I mean, come on, don't tell me that C-3PO, or the wisecracking by Han Solo, or the cheese between Luke and Leia were far superior. Granted Episode II was more smoldering, more intense, more "sophisticated", these are negative points undoubtedly! I look forward to the next movie and the expanding world of Star Wars. Vis vobiscum!* Latin: Vis=[nominative case] force Vobiscum=vobis ["you" plural] + cum ["with"] *Now "may" is difficult because I could say "ut vis vobiscum" which means "that the force be with you" but to say "may the force be with you" generally requires a verb in the subjunctive. The verb "to be" is esse, so: "Vis vobiscum sitis" would seem to be the answer. However, there is a phrase "Pax vobiscum" meaning "peace be with you"; thus, the phrase above. (I don't really believe in the force of course, I'm not that crazy)

Wowzers Frustrated Guru Posts: 74 Joined: 2001-05-18

#15586 Posted on: 05/20/2002 08:11 AM Spoiler warning!!! enough room already! I had heard a few years ago that Boba Fett's uniform was from the Clone wars, and so I was kind of expecting to see him involved in it. I was NOT, however, expecting the clones to be the pre-Stormtroopers! I always thought that the Jedi were fighting the clones and not fighting alongside them. This is something that really surprised me, but in a plesant way. I was half expecting to be able to predict the whole story after episode I. Did anyone else notice the ceremonial guard's at the senate? They are the exact same ceremonial guards that were in Return of the Jedi on the Deathstar, in the emperor's observation deck. I'm kind of curious about something that has not yet cropped up though: Princess Leia was supposed to be from the planet Alderan. (You remember, the first planet destroyed in the original Starwars movie... arn't you ashamed I had to remind you?) Is that world possibly a renamed Nabu?!? It would be kind of strange for Leia to be raised on another planet to also become a senator on that 2nd world. Is it the Red wire or the Yellow?? Your case-mod will self destruct in 5 seconds!

The Doctor Jelly baby, anyone? Posts: 659 Joined: 2002-04-20

#15587 Posted on: 05/20/2002 08:25 AM I'm afraid not - Naboo and Alderaan are quite definitely not the same planet (they're not even close to each other within the Star Wars galaxy). Alderaan is one of the core worlds and quite close to Coruscant, whereas Naboo is out on the inner rim. Although on a related note, senator Bail Organa - representative of Alderaan, and Leia's future adoptive father - was seen in Episode II, as the one played by Jimmy Smits (the one with oddly-parted hair and dubious taste in chunky knitwear turtleneck sweaters, who was invariably around in a scene involving Palaptine's office, and argued against the idea of an Army of the Republic). Makes you think quite what he's going to be doing in Episode III, doesn't it? Maybe that's why Vader had Alderaan destroyed in Episode IV - not because it was Leia's homeworld, but because he remembered that Bail Organa stole Padme away from him! ...Or something. Duallies Present Gigabyte GA-8I865G775-G (3.4GHz Pentium-D 950), PowerMac G5 (4x2.5GHz G5), PowerMac G4 (2x1.42GHz G4) Duallies Past Abit BP6 (2x366MHz Celeron @ 550MHz), Intel MS440GX (2x450MHz Pentium III Xeon), Tyan Thunder K7 (2xAthlonMP 1900+), PowerMac G4 (2x533MHz G4) "There are three roads to ruin... the most pleasant is with women, the quickest is with gambling, but the surest is with technicians." --Georges Pompidou

travisgrafx Step 1 = Underpants Posts: 166 Joined: 2001-09-14

#15588 Posted on: 05/20/2002 05:29 PM Spoilers Galore: I hate people that feel they are required to clap for a movie, especially the Lucas Art logo at the BEGININNING of the frickin film. I like when they use the detestable Jaja as a scapegoat, hopefully he'll get the death penalty. Apparently how fancy your light saber is has direct correlation to how good a swordsman your are. (except in Yoda case where size doesn't matter) Apparently technology haven "Man who live in glass house should change clothes in basement."

Riddick SMP Newbie Posts: 7 Joined: 2002-05-21

#15589 Posted on: 05/21/2002 11:46 PM In defense of Star Wars Ep II. I have two things. 1) It's just like the rest of the movies. They all had terrible acting - bad dialog and terrible jokes. 2) [url="http://www.eyecravedvd.com/movies/starWarsAOTC.php"]This Review[/url] That's about all I have to say other than YODA RUL3Z Riddick www.eyecravedvd.com

Fr0st Registered User Posts: 493 Joined: 2001-01-05

#15590 Posted on: 05/21/2002 11:57 PM It's just like the rest of the movies. They all had terrible acting - bad dialog and terrible jokes. Maybe, but they weren't nearly as bad as this one. Star Wars has never been high-drama, high-art, or anything approaching Shakespeare. But even for the "standard" set by the first trilogy, this was really bad. I re-watched the originals, to see if I was being too harsh. I wasn't. The originals don't make you cringe like this. C3PO's jokes in particular- he's been reduced to bad puns. But I do agree with you about Yoda Nothing is true, everything is permitted.

Pomp Huffs Thermal Adhesive Posts: 397 Joined: 2000-02-17

#15591 Posted on: 05/22/2002 09:18 AM What a drag! #/> Pomp

Riddick SMP Newbie Posts: 7 Joined: 2002-05-21

#15592 Posted on: 05/22/2002 08:26 PM Originally posted by Fr0st Maybe, but they weren't nearly as bad as this one. Star Wars has never been high-drama, high-art, or anything approaching Shakespeare. But even for the "standard" set by the first trilogy, this was really bad. I re-watched the originals, to see if I was being too harsh. I wasn't. The originals don't make you cringe like this. C3PO's jokes in particular- he's been reduced to bad puns. But I do agree with you about Yoda You have to think of it this way - if hadn't seen the original trilogy until now would you still be as big of a fan? I happen to have a few co-workers who'd never seen the original Trilogy. They thought they were the worst movies they'd ever seen and never even made it Jedi some even Empire. I bet in 20 years people will be thinking these movie rule. - just my opinion Riddick www.eyecravedvd.com

Fr0st Registered User Posts: 493 Joined: 2001-01-05

#15593 Posted on: 05/23/2002 12:55 AM if hadn't seen the original trilogy until now would you still be as big of a fan? That's a fair question, and honestly I don't know. I do know that I still enjoy them now, and how many things that you thought were cool as a kid can you still say that about? One admission I have to make, I was very tired when I saw it, so I'll probably go see it again with a fresh set of eyes. Maybe that will....alter my perspective a little Nothing is true, everything is permitted.

mbetea Leper of 2cpu Posts: 1383 Joined: 2002-02-15

#15594 Posted on: 05/23/2002 08:05 AM i think what might have some people down too is that the original trilogy had a sound story. and also, it revolutionized special fx in films. 2 things that aren't in the newer episodes. a lot of people i'm sure were counting on these movies to set the bar again for special fx. i'm not a big special fx guy myself. but i don't mind it at all if it doesn't take away from the story, like the newer ones. the orignals, it only added to the story, to make it more believable. the newer ones though, seem like they're trying to take every effect they can think of and throw it at you. making it do nothing except blend in with all the other special fx filled movies that have no substance. it's sad that yoda is probably the most believable character in the newer episodes. everyone else does seem stiff. as if their up in front of a packed auditorium giving a speech instead of actually saying/living/feeling what they are doing.

Jim_ Administrator Posts: 3464 Joined: 2000-03-15

#15595 Posted on: 05/24/2002 07:44 PM I saw Episode 2 -and- Spiderman last night for the first time. After EP2, there was only one question on my mind, and it is still bothering me today: Why the hell does Yoda "need" a walking stick when he can kick ass with a light sabre like that? I'm sorry but that seems like a hole to me. Oh, I liked Spiderman too. Except for the little lovey dovey moments like: "I love you Peter Parker!" Please. Like a teenage, geek like Parker who's never gotten any play in his life would so easily turn down an opportunity to spend some quality time with Mary Jane. Rightttttttt. [url="http://www.2cpu.com"][size=1]2CPU.com[/url] - Because two are always better than one! [url="http://www.jimkirk.org"]jimkirk.org[/url] - Not a Myth any Longer. Just a Dad.[/size]

Oneiroxy SMP Curious Posts: 458 Joined: 2002-02-09

#15596 Posted on: 05/24/2002 08:12 PM He is trying to keep a low profile! Because modesty is a virtue on Jedi Knight's code of honor [size=1][color=brown]/\ || Do NOT quote ME on this![/color][/size]

Jim_ Administrator Posts: 3464 Joined: 2000-03-15

#15597 Posted on: 05/24/2002 09:58 PM Originally posted by Oneiroxy He is trying to keep a low profile! Because modesty is a virtue on Jedi Knight's code of honor [url="http://www.2cpu.com"][size=1]2CPU.com[/url] - Because two are always better than one! [url="http://www.jimkirk.org"]jimkirk.org[/url] - Not a Myth any Longer. Just a Dad.[/size]

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