Attack of the Clones: Will You See It?

4/29/2002 | JediGirl

[JediGirl]

Will you go see StarWars Episode II: Attack of Clones when it is released May 16th?

How do you feel it will measure up to the original trilogy? What did you think of the Phantom Menace? Do you think this film will be better/worse than Phantom Menace?

[Spiff]

...Lucas blames the anti-Jar Jar sentiment on "37-year-old guys who spend all their time on the Internet.

I resemble...er...resent that statement.

Jar Jar was obviously over the top, annoying, and there was just too much of him. But, hey, I hated the freakin' Ewoks too.

[Crusher138]

Not a correction, exactly...

Lucas originally wrote Star Wars as one huge story. It was sliced and diced and finally pared down to the first Star Wars movie which was Episode 4. No one knew if it was going to do well or not, so originally they just tried to make a movie out of the most "Gee Whiz" part of the story. When it was a hit, they revisited the original story for the sequel.

The second sequel, or the third in the original trilogy was written quite differently from what eventually made it to the screen. It was supposed to have a "darker" ending and there were no Ewoks. The primitive people on the forest moon of Endor were to be Wookies, but Lucas thought that no one would believe that Chewie came from such a backward place.

The latest buzz that I have heard is that when the prequal triology is complete Lucas is looking into selling the franchise so that someone can finish the final trilogy (Episodes Seven, Eight, and Nine). They supposedly deal with the New Republic facing the Rise of the New Empire. In total speculation-land, it has been put forward that the main characters in the final trilogy will be Han and Leia's children - one on the dark side of the Force, one on the light. It will end with a final showdown between the siblings, yada yada yada...

I kind of have the feeling that we have already seen the best "story elements" and that the rest of the saga, unless substantially changed from Lucas's original vision, will be rather predictable.

Bring on The Twin Towers!

[WI Conservative 4 Bush]

My neighbors took me to see SW IV: A New Hope when I was all of 9 years old. It had a huge impact, as it did with so many other people. My brother and I then saw it numerous times thereafter.

In those days, we used to bring big paper bags full of popcorn with us to the theater (my parents, God love 'em, had very limited means, and scoffed at paying 'theater prices'). Well, one day my brother and I hid one of those old cassette-recorders at the bottom of our popcorn bag, and proceeded to tape the whole Star Wars movie. We had to flip the tape every 20 minutes, and ended up having like 10 tapes for the whole movie, and we listened to those tapes many times.

Well, I forgot about those tapes until we found them a couple years ago. What a treat. We popped one in. Terrible audio quality. You can barely hear the dialogue. But, what was pretty neat was hearing us chomping on popcorn and giggling to ourselves 25 years ago.

Of course I'll go see The Clones.

[kaylar]

Will you go see StarWars Episode II: Attack of Clones when it is released May 16th?

I will see it, but I am going to go to KC on 06/16th to see it.

How do you feel it will measure up to the original trilogy?

Better effects...Characters even more "cardboardy" .

What did you think of the Phantom Menace?

To quote Mr Cranky : "I believe the film school term is "sucks".

Do you think this film will be better/worse than Phantom Menace?

It has to be better. There is no conceivable way it can be worse.

I may be prejudiced against PM since I was literally knocked into a wall by a gigantic fanboy who had to run to try to be first into the theater to see that POS. And my favorite moment during the film was in the middle, when my DH leaned over and hissed in my ear,"Please tell me we didn't pay money to see the sci fi version of a Thin Red Line."

Actually, a comparision between PM and TRL is good : Two eagerly anticipated films that looked great in the previews, but which turned out to be long, slow, beautifully filmed bores. One was a pretentious bore, the other merely silly...Lovely eye candy, and that's about it.

[=Intervention=]

Yes. Read Tolkein's poetry. In it he rather obviously alludes to his faith.

[kaylar]

Oh, and one other thing : I am much more psyched about seeing Two Towers than the new Star Wars film.I was so excited over PM (before I saw it)...I can't believe I am so completely blase about whether I see AotC at all.

[irishjuggler]

The original episode was not more sophisticated than the latest installment, it just seems that way through a two-decade-old memory of a child's perception contrasted with a cynical adult's view of the same thing.

It might not have been more sophisticated, but it was more entertaining. When TPM came on TV last year, I quit watching before it was even over. The plot was really dull. Jar-Jar was annoying. The kid who played Anakin was one of the worst child actors I've ever seen in a major role. Contrast this with Empire Strikes Back. When it was on FOX last Thursday, I couldn't turn it off. It had everything TPM lacked: action, mystery, originality, suspense, and decent acting.

[=Intervention=]

Wrong. The original Star Wars worked because it had all the hallmarks of an Epic -- kid from loser planet meets strange dude in the desert with mystic weapons. Shadowy past. Parents are killed. Bad-thief-guy becomes good guy who saves the day. Plus the dialogue was awesome...I know people who can quote lines from Star Wars years later. Plus, the music...in Star Wars so many elements combined for spectacular effect. Talk about the emotional impact!! Phantom Menace had NONE of that. It was obviously rushed, and we all know that Lucas is not at his best when writing solo. Willow proved that.

[Clemenza]

My neighbors took me to see SW IV: A New Hope when I was all of 9 years old.

Being that I was only a year old at the time, I stayed home with mom, while dad took my sister to see ANH. I remember seeing Empire Strikes Back very well, as I was scared to death of this guy dressed as Darth Vadar in the theatre lobby. I was also freaked when they took Vadar's helmet off in the meditation chamber.

[Spiff]

But when are we going to be able to buy Episodes IV, V, and VI on DVD!!!?

[redhead]

"However, if Jar-Jar is decapitated, spaced, mutilated, tortured to death by black-masked Jedi, electrocuted, drowned, burned alive, or blown to pieces on screen - I'll be there."

Aw, gee, Jen. Didn't you like it when his tongue got numbed? For a "Saturday-matinee serial," I thought PM was just right. It was pretty, it was brainless, it was entertaining. The aliens were neat (except for that stupid blue horsefly), and most of it was neat. I really zipped through the race, though, I have to admit...

[colorado tanker]

Jar Jar and the wood chipper. LOL! Episode I meets Fargo!

[Chad Fairbanks]

I've read many of the post-Star Wars Novels, and you pretty much outlined the plots - Han and Leia's kids, Luke being a weird loner, the rise of the New Empire, etc... many of them are pretty good books...

[redhead]

"Yeah, the Ewoks did make for a bit of nausea in ROJ.."

If I had to choose between JarJar Binks and the Ewoks, it would be JJB HANDS DOWN. Those Ewoks were AWFUL.

[JenB]

Thank you! That helps immensely. I'd like to add that Tolkien did not mean that the Bible was "just" a myth or story, that it was made up, in any way. He meant, well, that it was the Myth, the one true myth that all others are, to some degree, just reflections of... I think that idea shows up in Lewis' work a lot, for some unknown reason ;)

Tolkien and Lewis are my favorite authors and I hope someday I'll get to meet them. That's the best part of liking Christian authors!

[jlogajan]

Spider-Man! Star Wars episode 187 is okay, they'll never have the same novelty and excitement as the first -- nor would story 35 of Spider-Man. But Spider-Man comes to the big screen finally and has two likeable lead characters. I'll see the lastest Star Wars episode, but I am really looking forward to Spider-Man / Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), and Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst.)

[xp38]

You can buy them now on eBay. They have been released in Hong Kong or other asian markets on DVD already just not domestically. Punch in....star wars DVD on eBay search and something should pop up. Not cheap but they are out there.

[Metal4Ever]

Everything I've seen points to a greatly improved film from TPM. I've seen massive spoilers on the web and it all looks very good from here so far. Less Jar Jar = better movie. Christopher Lee should be awesome! The film climax from what I've read is going to rock big time...

[semaj]

Have read quite a few of the post-ROTJ novels which are quite good, in that they provide further history and development of characters. I believe the last book I read indicated that Leia had three children. The first two were twins and the last was named Anakin after there grandfather, and tended to display the same powers (mechanically intuitive) of the Force.