I'd have to agree that LOTR:FOTR was better than ATOC. I loved the mythic/moral weight that LOTR has.

LOTR is the epic Star Wars aspires to be, its not even close.

I agree that the acting sucked. I saw episode 2, Spiderman, and LOTR in a two day span (vacation - no kids!). I'd love to see episode 2 again though - only because the computer generated graphics were stunning. They did some absolutely amazing things there.

I liked all 3 with LOTR being the best. Spiderman/Ep2 were both really good too.

Ep2's problem is the bad acting/poor directing. But the story, effects, and action more than made up for it for me.

You should check out the graphic novelization of it. It really shows how good it really could have been. The actor who played Anakin really blew it and Lucas's direting really made things bad. But the story is very solid. Possibly the best Star Wars story yet in terms of fitting together.

Consider:
Star Wars:
Why didn't the death star just blow up the planet that the rebel base was orbiting (rebel base was a moon orbiting a planet). Pretty big plot hole.

Empire Strikes Back.
Great movie but not much story.

ROTJ:
ARRGH. Pain. Doesn't make any sense. So many problems. Ewoks, lack of point to Luke facing Vader (death star going up regardless thanks to Lando). Rebel fleet STILL wiped out imperial fleet! There so many problems.

Phantom Menace:
Suspension of disbelief too high at the end of young Anakin luckily getting in there and blowing up the droid ship.

But Episode 2 actually works. No glaring plot holes. Solid story. Only real problem is bad acting (TERRIBLE acting) and poor directing/editing (Lucas must have the attention span of a gnat the way he cuts between different subplots).

Don't get me wrong, the movie could have been great, but what is a movie if the main characters are bland and unsympathetic? All during the movie I was waiting for that moment when I felt for the starcrossed lovers, never happened. In the end I really didn't care what happened to them.

As far as Chritiansen and Portman are concerned, this may be the first time that somebody's career was actually hurt by their performance in a Star Wars movie.

Oh...Star Wars is just like an Arnie movie....you don't go for the characterizations....the direction....the editing....you go for the ACTION...and in Clones the action was CGI with some of the best sequences around....I spent most of my time going 'wow'.
Sad thing is I went 'wow' a lot in 2001...and that was a very long time ago....and there was no CGI in that...

Very good point Jafo! I too still "wow" a lot during 2001: A Space Odyssey and have done so each & every time I've seen it... although back in the sixties (in Cinerama Super 70mm) it was more like, "Hey, wooow... far out, man"!

Although on an entirely different level, Star Wars is, however, still great fun (and great business for the local Aussie film industry). But kids really should see "2001" once they get over the six second attention span stage!

LoidiBoid assumes most of the above catagory would already have become bored with this three paragraph post!!

Sylva thinks that if all movie critics wrote critiques as well (and funny) as jcg, she might actually take time to read them *s*


I think I'll also wait till it comes out on video. I never liked sitting in a dark crowded room with a bunch of strangers. Till then I'll just stay entertained by everyone else's opinions. *s*

I just finished reading an article where Dave Prowse (Darth Vador in the first 3 movies) was criticizing the new Star Wars.
He claims that the new SW movies lost that Star Wars magic that the first 3 had. He says also that the acting in Episode 2 is terrible and that Attack of the Clones depends too much on the special effects and not enough on the scenario. He declared to tha San Francisco Examiner that "part of the interpretation was rather insipid. I think that it's what you get when you rely too much on the blue background." (I'm translating here, I read the article in French). He also added "I think that the original Star Wars was a very basic movie, with victory of Good against Evil, relationship between the protagonists and a bad guy. People remember the caracters such as Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker, and not as Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher or Mark Hamill. Today, people talk more about Ewan McGregor or Liam Neeson for the first one, [...] It lost its magic."

I haven't seen the second one yet. But going by Episode 1, I tend to agree.
Note: I saw the trailer on TV, and if I go just by that, I will never even rent it. I just hope it's better than the trailer made it look. I REALLY HATE puns in movies, such as "I hate when he does that" after Skywalker jumps off a flying car... Actually, if it weren't for that line in the movie trailer, I probably would have gone to see it already.

Patric...it's worth seeing just for the 'blue-screen' bits....you could ignore the dialogue and just enjoy the CGI....just like Final Fantasy...

The characters in FF were more lifelike then the actors in "Attack of the Clones" which BTW is a more appropriate title than Lucas had ever intended.

One of the reasons I'm so down on AOTC is it looked as if George Lucas was far less interested in making this movie than we were in seeing it. It seemed as though he was counting on the FX and fan loyalty to make up for the abysmal acting and directing. The actors were the props and vice versa. Even the story seemed to be playing second fiddle to the CGI.

craeonics will probably not see it till it gets aired on tv (which will be around the time 3 comes out)

But a friend of mine saw it. He said: "They obviosuly spent a lot of time on the FX. Yoda is the man, showing some seirous Wushu with his light sabre. And Queen Amidala is pretty hot too".

To which I replied he is talking about a muppet and he should get over his Nathalie Portman obsession.


Yoda alone is one reason why not to take Star Wars seriously.

Crae...there's nothing wrong with muppets.....but seriously, Animal would kick Yoda's arse...

Even Kermit would kick Yoda's ass. I'd like to see the two old geezers show up in Star Wars. Now that would be something.

Doreen will watch Scooby first before Star wars anyday...
couple more weeks can't wait!