|
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones [2002] | ![Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones [2002]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/416GEJ9AGKL._SL500_.jpg)
| Director: George Lucas
Actor: Ewan Mcgregor|natalie Portman|hayden Christensen|ian Mcdiarmid
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Category: Video
List Price: £16.99
Buy Used: £1.02
You Save: £15.97 (94%)
New (3) Used (13) Collectible (3) from £1.02
Avg. Customer Rating:  129 reviews
Sales Rank: 1862
Format: Closed-captioned, Dolby, Pal, Surround Sound
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Universal, suitable for all
Media: VHS Tape
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 137
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 4.2 x 1.1
EAN: 5039036010603
ASIN: B00005RDPQ
Theatrical Release Date: 2002
Release Date: November 11, 2002
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: no longer required , Great film.
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
The most densely plotted instalment of the saga so far, Attack of the Clones is a tale of both Machiavellian political drama and doomed romance; it's epic war film and silly comic-book fantasy combined, as teenage Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) chafes at the restrictions imposed by his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and falls in love with Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman). Renegade Jedi Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) is leading a breakaway federation of disgruntled systems; while the insidious influence of Darth Sidious is felt rather than seen as his invisible hand guides apparently unrelated events, from Jar Jar's unwitting instigation of a disastrous Senate decision to bounty hunter Jango Fett's revelatory role at the centre of the conspiracy. Along the way the story has fun with the conventions of Chandleresque detective fiction as Obi-Wan explores the seedier side of Coruscant, and incorporates the noble warrior ethos of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in its portrayal of the Jedi order. The portentous tone is lightened by tongue-in-cheek self-referential dialogue and the antics of robotic clowns R2D2 and C3PO. (One niggle for music fans, though, is the cavalier cut-and-paste approach to John Williams's music score.) Like the Empire Strikes Back, Clones is the bridging film of the trilogy and thus ends on an equivocally bittersweet note. On the DVD: Attack of the Clones is an all-digital film, and so looks suitably superb in this anamorphic widescreen transfer, accompanied by a THX encoded Dolby 5.1 soundtrack. Anyone who owns The Phantom Menace two-disc set will know what to expect from the special features: here's another group commentary led by George Lucas, two lengthy documentaries on the digital effects ("From Puppets to Pixels" and "The Previsualisation of Episode II") plus several other featurettes and Web documentaries, notably "Films Are Not Released, They Escape", a look at the sound design. There's also a fun trailer for the R2-D2 mockumentary "Beneath the Dome", trailers, photo galleries and more to satisfy any Star Wars fan. --Mark Walker
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 124 more reviews...
 rubbish June 6, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
after the awful phantom menace this is if anything worse,the acting is awful as is the scripting and the film is also very boring.one of the worst star wars films
 Perhaps George Lucas's Most Advant Garde Stars Wars Movie? June 3, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
*Contains spoilers for anyone that hasn't seen the film*
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones is the Star Wars movie that possibly divide's Star Wars fans the most. With The Phantom Menace, most fans are united in their indifference to down right loathing. With Revenge of the Sith, most fans agreed that it was a huge step up in all departments. But with 2002's Attack of the Clones opinion was varied widely between those that hated it more then Phantom Menace right through to those that thought it was a masterpiece on a par with The Empire Strikes Back. Why such a range of opinion? My feeling is that this is perhaps the movie of the series that is closest to Lucas's personal desire to be a truly experimental film maker. Indeed, there's almost something of the advant garde about the style of Attack of the Clones, but at the same time Lucas has gone out of his way to listen and respond and correct much of the criticism of The Phantom Menace.
In a story sense, Attack of the Clones is closest to The Empires Strikes Back. It's a bridging movie that must act both as pathway from Episode I to Episode III and at the same time it must be an interesting and entertaining movie in its own right. It must deepen and flesh out the characters and take the plot in new and surprising directions - Clones achieves all of these things to varying degrees of success. Clearly Lucas realized this film was in some ways connected in story terms to Empire, because he put in a couple of elements from the 1980 movie. So, we have incredibly cool looking Bounty Hunters, a very youthful Boba Fett and his father Jango Fett and a chase through an asteroid field (though the CGI asteroid chase of Attack of the Clones is not a thrilling or exciting as the asteroid chase in Empire)
Attack of the Clones is basically a love story set against the backdrop of war and this is where a lot of the complaints come from. The love story is played out as a very old fashioned, formal courtship, almost in the spirit of King Arthur or Romeo and Juliet. The dialogue is deliberately flowery and over the top. Unfortunately Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman do not have the range to pull off some of the lines they are given. The actors should have had a sense of humor about the guff they have to say, and that would have helped the audience relax into the scenes. As it is, everything is played out very seriously and on one or two occasions the scenes simply become a bore. Listen out for a stunning, melancholy love theme (Across The Stars) composed as ever by musical legend John Williams. This sad piece hints at the tragedy that will await Anakin and Padme....
Juxtaposed to the love story we get a mystery story, where Obi-Wan Kenobi goes off on his own to investigate who is trying to kill Padme. The mystery deepens when Obi-Wan stumbles across a Clone Army that is being developed for The Republic, supposedly at the behest of the Jedi Council. Soon Obi-Wan finds himself caught up in a war beat that explodes into life on the hot and dusty planet of Geonosis. This story is much more interesting than the love stuff and on a number of occasions when the movie is with Anakin and Padme, you'll find yourself wishing to get back to Obi-Wan. Ewan McGregor has a much expanded role, and he shines. This is McGregor's movie and he completely steps up to the plate. Rumor has it that Ewan wasn't particularly happy with this movie, but in my opinion he delivers his best work of the Prequel Trilogy in Attack of the Clones.
As the movie develops Anakin and Padme leave the safety of Naboo (Lake Como stands in for Naboo in this film and looks absolutely beautiful) and travel to Tatooine. This is the part of the film where Clones truly comes alive. The acting level rise's all round as we return to the Lars Homestead (the places and sets so famous in the original Star Wars movie) We meet up with C3PO and find out that Anakin's mother has been kidnapped by Tusken Raiders. As his beloved mother later dies in arms, Anakin lashes out in an uncontrollable rage (listen out for a ghostly voice crying out at this moment) and his downward spiral to his ultimate fate has begun. These scenes and a confession scene (set in the Lars garage - another famous set from Star Wars) are played out excellently. Christenson and Portman really act well in these scenes. The movie rise's to a whole new level at this moment, and the rest of the film just fly's by.
The final action scenes take place on Geonosis as Obi-Wan, Anakin and Padme join up and take on monsters and Battle Droids. They are then joined by Clones Attacking (fancy that) and 500 Jedi Knights, including much expanded roles for Yoda and Mace Windu. All this is overseen by evil Count Dooku, played with great style by horror legend Christopher Lee. Indeed, the climax of the movie is an iconic face off between Dooku and Yoda. The lightsaber fight itself leaves a lot to be desired, but the build up is masterful. The roof, literally, comes down! As we go from one action scene to another in true cliffhanger/Saturday matinee style, the action becomes breathtaking and you'll be exhausted by the end. Finally people get to see why Star Wars is such a special series of movies.
The acting is generally better in Clones than Menace. I've already picked up on McGregor, but Portman and Christenson also do good work outside of some of the love scenes. Ian McDiarmid is again solid as ever as Palpatine (look out for the now Supreme Chancellor to take a further step towards Galactic Domination in a scene that actually justifies Jar Jar Binks's presense in this series) Samuel L Jackson enjoys his expanded role. Tem Morrison as Jango Fett and Christopher Lee both enjoy their villainous roles.
So, what are those experimental elements? Well, firstly the film was the first ever motion picture to be shot entirely with digital cameras. This is problematical as it adds a shiny, somehow false element to many of the scenes. Almost like everything is a little bit too clear and clear - Only when the action moves on to the grimy location of Tatooine does it finally look like a proper camera has been used.
The editing is also done in a very abstract way. This was Ben Burtts first movie as a solo editor and many of the cuts, whether deliberately or not, do stand out. There's almost something about this film that jerks you around - This is almost entirely deliberate. Right from the pan the camera motion is up rather than down (or is it just that the camera is up side down????) and from that moment on its clear that nothing is what it seems.
There's a water planet (Kamino) where the Clones are being created. Inside the building on Kamino, everything is brilliantly white and sanitized and this environment definitely evokes memories of Lucas's first film, THX-1138. That, set against the hot and mechanical world of Geonosis and the droid factories (where Anakin and Padme have a long action scene) these environments are both much more abstract than any other enviro's in the Star Wars Saga.
Lucas has always said Star Wars is a silent movie, but with Attack of the Clones he pushes that to an absolute limit. The last 40 minutes is essentially a silent movie. Yes, there is still some dialogue, but out of 40 minutes, I would guess the total amount of dialogue would come to less than 5 minutes. Instead, the story is told entirely through movement, sound and music. This is absolutely the heart and soul of George Lucas the film maker. Telling stories visually and through sound and music. NOT dialogue. There's a fabulous moment during the lightsaber duel between Anakin and Dooku, where all you see is a black background and the protagonists faces, lit up by the red and blue of their lightabers. No music, no dialogue, just the iconic sound of their sabers and the striking visuals. Almost like a little tone poem. This is surely the most advant garde scene in the whole of the Star Wars Saga?
As well as pushing the silent movie element to its limit in the last 40 minutes, George Lucas also pushes the cliffhanger style to its limit. The final 40 minutes is basically one cliffhanger ending after another after another after another and its all done in true Saturday Morning Matinee style.
So this is definitely George Lucas's most abstract Star Wars movie. And this weird blend of the abstract and the commercial makes for an odd combination. As I said at the start, some people love Attack of the Clones and it now has a cult following among a small number of fans. At the same time some people loath it. Like all the Star Wars movies it should be seen at least once and watch with an open mind.
The production is as good as ever. The costumes look great; the CGI (whilst not to everyone's tastes) is as expertly done by ILM as ever. The musical score is better than on The Phantom Menace, despite some poor editing from Burtt. The acting is better. The script is generally better (though Star Wars is NOT about dialouge and if more people understood this they would probably appreciate the Sage more)
As far as extra's go, we have the usual deleted scenes, trailers, music video, full commentary, web-docs and featurette's. The main documentary; From Puppets To Pixels is sadly NOT of the standard of The Phantom Menaces: The Beginning. Nevertheless, it's well produced and is worth a look. Look out also for mockumentary R2D2: Beneath The Dome - A very funny look at the life of R2D2.
Attack of the Clones itself is much darker than The Phantom Menace and has a melancholy feel about it. The ending is a true downer. First we have the realization that the Clone Wars have begun and the Sith are in total control of events. Then we get our first true blast the legendary Imperial March, followed by a doomed wedding set against the symbolism of a setting sun. As Anakin and Padme turn their backs to the camera, their fate is sealed. Episode III awaits....
Speaking for myself (and I can only do that) I highly recommend Attack of the Clones. The movie is better than The Phantom Menace at a very good **** whilst the extra's are slightly worse than those included with The Phantom Menace, but still a solid ***. Please note that this movie will most certainly not be to everybody's tastes.
*PS, Attack of the Clones has a multitude of references to other films, so if your a movie buff, its worth watching purely to see how many references you notice*
 Decent in parts, but still a disapointment. January 18, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Well this film is certainly better than 'The Phantom Menace' but it still has plenty of bad points. The acting is still dodgey but the biggest crime is the script. At times the script and acting are cringefully bad. The romantic scenes between Anikin and Padame are very poor and at times embarassingly bad. In this film there are a few contenders for 'worst actor of the decade' award (if there was one). That being said, there are some good points ..... Chrisphor Lee is excellent as a Sith-Lord and Jar Jar Binks is hardly in it (thank the lord). The battle scene at the end is excellent and the appereance of Boba Fet's father is enjoyable. This film has some good points and is worth a viewing but sadly the bad points out weigh the good.
..... Also, Haden as a teenaged Anikin is terrible and needs to go back to acting school, either that or he just seriously struggled with acting in front of a blue screen. Honestly, at times his acting is shocking.
not great, not even good...but still better than the Phantom Menace December 10, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Hype, or hyperbole to give it its full title, is defined as a figure of speech in which statements are exaggerated, and is used to evoke strong feelings and create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally. Lets be honest here, with that definition I could have described any of the Star Wars movies, and if anything has been associated with so much hype it makes your head spin, it has been these movies, in particular the so called prequels. However, other words are also associated with these films, words such as disappointment and anger, especially after the travesty of a movie that was the Phantom Menace, so it was with some trepidation that I came to the second of the movies.
To briefly sum up, Attack of the Clones deals with the ongoing attempts by the dark lord of the Sith to fracture the federation so that he can step in and sieze power, using a rebel jedi Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) as his cats-paw, whilst the true jedi attempt to hold things together and stave of the inevitable war. Along the way we are treated to several bits of Star Wars history, including the precursor to the infamous storm troopers in the shape of the Clones, a huge army that is being secretly built by agents unknown, and the romance between Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman), and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christenson), a romance that we know will only end in tragedy.
Unfortunately, the film is just such an ungodly mess that it is hard to really give a damn about any of it. The plot rattles along at such a pace that it is sometimes dizzying, with revelations coming on top of revelations as deep dark secrets are exposed and plots uncovered with such ease that it makes you wonder how they have remained secret for this long (apparently, no one in the Star Wars universe understands the concept of security). The cast do their best with some hackneyed dialogue (even Ewan McGregor as Obi-wan does not come out of this looking or sounding good). Samuel Jackson as jedi Mace Windu is pretty good, but the real problem with the film is the love story between Anakin and Padme. Instead of a gradual, believable romance, these two spell their feelings out in long winded conversations, laying everything on the table and spouting some of the most cringe worthy platitudes I have ever heard in a movie. Portman looks great but spends an awful lot of the movie staring wistfully of into the distance or at Anakin, and whilst I have seen Hayden Christenson in Shattered Glass, so I know he can act, in this movie he has all the acting ability of a lump of wood.
Even the special effects grate after a while. The battle between the clone army and the droid army of Dooku never looks anything less than impressive, but this is exactly what we have come to expect, and the speeder chase through the towers of the Coruscant cityscape is annoying in its frivolousness. Even watching a small army of jdei's cut loose cannot lift this film above at best the mundane. On the plus side this film is better than the simply awful Phantom Menace, but once again this is a film that does much to damage the reputation of the cherished originals.
Part 2 damages the Star Wars films even further December 9, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
The dependency on computer generated images gives the whole film a slight cartoon film, with few real backdrops actual used. The computer generated imagery already appears dated. The script is really bad, and the love story one of the worst committed to film.
|
|
|
© Shops.UK.net in association with Amazon.co.uk | |
