Techtite's DVD Reviews!

"It's actually quite surprising how this --the fifth film in a series-- is as entertaining as it is. How many sequels with a "5" in their title can you say that about?"

---from the review

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Also Reviewed: Attack of the Clones, Hardcover book edition

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Also Reviewed: Episode 1: The Phantom Menace

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Sidebar ::

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Deleted Scenes: not worth it, or worth editing back into the picture? Although some may have wanted deleted scenes with less talk and more FX, it is clear that whiners about this film wanted the reverse. I don't know how many times a fan was confronted with nearly-obvious information that a cynic wanted explained to them in a thorough conversation, with every nuance tied in a little bow. Many of these conversations were cut from the film yet were alluded to in both the hardcover novel, and in some cases, even the graphic novel(!). It's nice to see that they were actually filmed, though shouldn't they have been in the picture? "Padme's Parent's House" explains why Padme was very family oriented, so that Anakin's need to go to his mother was apparent to her; meanwhile, the "trial" scene for Padme and Anakin makes the transition of them going from the droid factory to the arena to DIE, make that much more sense. In any case, they're worthwhile deleted scenes to see; that's all that matters.

The Easter Egg that nobody's supposed to see until later, yet don't let that stop you! Word is that if you highlight the THX logo on disc one and type in "1138" on your remote, you see a blooper reel. Personally, I could only get this to work by "cheating" and using my DVD-ROM drive's software to jump to Title track #3, though either way, know two things before you look for it too hard: one, this clearly wasn't an egg to be revealed until later, online, a la the blooper reel of The Phantom Menace (which was "unlocked" for DVD-ROM users around the time promotion for Episode 2 began). If you can't unlock it yet, you will eventually. Second: these bloopers aren't half as funny as the first film's, with the only funny ones being of Jango Fett "Singing in the Rain" and later tripping off the stage! So, if you can't unlock this feature, rest easy; the best extras are the ones on disc two. Trust me.

Jar-Jar Binks ...Oops, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to curse! Never had it be said that George doesn't listen to his fans...when they're loud enough! While Lucas was quite taken to the odd-talking alien --who to me, resembles a drunken human fish-- Lucas is not deaf, and has thusly reduced Jar-Jar's scenes significantly in this second episode. He's there, and yet without giving too much away, his role is truly ominous in the way the evil Emperor- to-be uses Bink's ineptitude to his advantage. In a way, some fans may find this the most brilliant use of Jar-Jar of them all. Others may hate Jar-Jar even more, knowing he's responsible for...well, I'm saying too much. Let's just say he's seen only in brief scenes that together total maybe all of two minutes...five, if you're looking for him in the background. Of course, why would you be doing THAT?

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Feel free to contribute. As always, review submissions are accepted!

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Star Wars, Episode 2: 

Attack of the Clones!

Click picture to order this film on DVD (widescreen)

Also Available in the following formats: VHS , DVD (Full Screen).

 

A Techtite Review

As Always, a review of The Film and The DVD (extras)!

The Film: What is the common response from critics, when given an "untouchable" film to review? Ask any number of otherwise "professional" film critics, who on the majority, were quick to roast Star Wars, Episode 2: Attack of the Clones. However, I'm not about to refrain from reviewing a film just because it's allegedly "bulletproof," nor am I about to erroneously flame it, just out of spite. This is an important perspective, given all the catty reviews which, most often, begin with the cliché, "don't believe the hype." What "hype" should one disbelieve; the cool commercials on TV with a saber-wielding Yoda, or the critics crying to their mommies that nobody's listening to them...?

Agreed, it's easy for critics to say it's "bad," though oddly, such reviews barely mention a single scene from the film, as much as wax philosophical, as if theirs is the most poetic prose that could be. Personally, I don't see how opinions can be based on mere metaphors, so I will mention many of this film's best scenes (mild spoiler warning), and I defy any fair, impartial critic to deny such scenes are, as Vader would put it, "most impressive."

The film begins ten years after The Phantom Menace. Many systems are upset with the lackluster performance of the Galactic Senate, under the rule of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (known in the later trilogy as "Emperor Palpatine," and still played by Ian McDiarmid). Separatists have rallied behind an outcast Jedi named Count Dooku (Christopher Lee), whose motivations are unclear. Politicians demand an army be created to defend the Republic, yet Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman), now a senator, insists on maintaining peace. Some would apparently disagree; Jango Fett (father of Boba Fett from the first film trilogy) has been employed to silence her, permanently. An explosive first scene alerts both Padme and the audience to the opponents at play here. The mystery is afoot, to find who employs this assassin, and stop them.

Two Jedi are assigned to this task: Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his Padawan learner, Anakin Skywalker (now a young adult, played by newcomer Hayden Christensen). Obi-Wan and Anakin are soon split in their need to protect Padme, leading Obi-Wan to trace the trail of the assassin, while Anakin follows Padme as a bodyguard. This leads to mysterious intrigue in the Obi-Wan scenes, and an acceptable romance in the Padme/Anakin scenes. Not unlike The Empire Strikes Back, these split paths eventually cross, though in a much more FX-ridden way, in a battle between battle droids, clones, and Jedi galore. As Yoda muses, "Begun, this clone war has."

However, what is the clone wars? That's one of many mysteries fans will finally have answered. I will not spoil the answers to these mysteries, though I will explain what mysteries we're talking about. We see Obi-Wan's expertise as a Jedi Master, yet faults as a teacher, as Anakin slowly turns to the Dark Side away from his mentor's watchful eye. We see why Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) is to the left side of Yoda himself in the Jedi council, with his expertise as a Jedi quite clear. The faces behind all those Stormtrooper masks are revealed. Meanwhile, Jango Fett, and Boba Fett, are also unmasked. The prototype Star Destroyers are glimpsed. Yes, even Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru are present, as is Jimmy Smits as Bail Organa... who as trivia buffs know, is Senator of Alderaan, the planet that exploded in the 1977 film (trivia buffs also know that Princess Leia's last name was Organa; hint hint!). This is a lot of fun for fans of the series, although admittedly, agnostic viewers may be more than a bit lost.

The action scenes that everyone will discuss are unmistakable. This includes the now-infamous saber duel, between the indomitable symbol of Jedi good, Yoda, and the formidable Dooku. This scene will be remembered with reverence comparable to the climactic superhero smackdown in Superman 2. However, even the most "irrelevant" of scenes will have children imitating them with their action figures for years to come. When investigating a lead at a seedy bar, a drug peddler offers Obi-Wan death sticks. "You don't want to offer me death sticks," says Obi-Wan, with a wave of his hand, "You want to go home and rethink your life" The drug dealer responds to the mind trick quickly, that he'll now "go home and re-think his life." This was a funny scene.

Dialog is as predictable as it is acceptable. I was never a fan of the romantic prattle in epics like Titanic, so I can't say if the romance dialog here is any more acceptable. When Anakin says the harshness of the desert sand is nothing compared to the softness of Padme, is this any more saccharine than the classic Rose/Jack one liners: "You have a gift Jack, you see people"..."I see you."...? As an action movie, I prefer the macho one-liners, like when Anakin tells Padme of how he and Obi-Wan once dealt "aggressive negotiations...that's negotiating, with a light saber!" Later when confronted by battle droids galore, Anakin cynically asks Padme, "So...Is this your idea of a 'diplomatic solution?' " Responds Padme with a smile; "No, I call this 'aggressive negotiations!'" I'll take that tête-à-tête over Titanic's any day of the week.

As for Anakin himself, some may not like the way Hayden Christensen plays him like a spoiled brat, though a spoiled brat Anakin is; a young student who sees fit to counter-judge his mentor's every instruction. However, I really loved the performance of Natalie Portman as Padme in this film. As opposed to the typical damsel in distress --Eek! Giant Monsters! Help!-- she is a key player in the final battle, not a mere party favor. She picks the lock in her cuffs, climbs an arena podium, and when nearly slashed in two by one of the beasts sent to kill her, she responds bravely by swinging in for a well placed counter-kick. You go, girl!

Not that the story is all Padme/Anakin. Obi-Wan is given more screen time than in Phantom Menace, and Ewan McGregor steals practically every scene he's in. Yoda (still voiced by Frank Oz) has had a Computer Graphic Makeover, and is far more expressive than the hunk of latex he was in earlier films. Jar-Jar is on hand, too --unfortunately-- yet only in cameos, thankfully. One might even be quite amused, at how even Binks' ineptitude is exploited in the Emperor's scheme, in truly sinister fashion.

It's actually quite surprising how this --the fifth film in a series-- is as entertaining as it is. How many sequels with a "5" in their title can you say that about? A slew of Peter Pans who have now grown up and forgotten their childhoods, are quick to roast this film. As for me, the scene with Yoda in a light saber duel was enough for a thumbs-up from me. Call that childish if you wish, though I still had a lot of fun seeing it.

The DVD: First, there's the commentary. George Lucas is on hand, as is producer Rick McCallum, picture editor/sound designer  Ben Burtt, ILM animation director Rob Coleman, and ILM visual effects gurus Pablo Helman, John Knoll, and Ben Snow. To be honest --and not to sound like a broken record-- though a separate comment track by the stars of the film would've been nice. However, seven major crew members are bound to lead to an interesting anecdote or two, perhaps even more than the stars would. Furthermore, the stars might not have too many anecdotes, seeing as how they filmed many scenes in front of sparce, blue sceeen stage sets. So, yes, thumbs-up to the crew-only commentary track.

Of course, you want to know most of all about the deleted scenes, right? There are eight in all, each offered with optional commentary. The first involves Padme addressing the Senate, which occurs soon after the opening shot of her ship exploding and her decoy being killed. Many people may have wondered why we never saw her address the Senate if she went to such trouble to go to Coruscant to do just that; this is the scene, as alluded to in the novel, which shows just that. Scene #2 is of the Jedi Temple Analysis Room, which may please some techno nerds who thought Obi-Wan's revelations about the dart's origins were too quickly handled. Then there is deleted scene #3, where Obi-Wan and Mace Windu discuss Anakin's growing arrogance, while Obi-Wan walks to his ship to go to Kamino.

The best deletions (IMO) are the ones that extend the story of Padme and Anakin, delving more into their relationship. There's an extended arrival on Naboo scene, where more about Padme's history between films is explored, with further insight on how she went from "elected Queen" to "Senator." Then there's "Padme's Parent's House," showing why she was so compassionate with Anakin's needs to find and help his own mother; her own family is very closely knit, itself, and welcomes Anakin to family dinner with open arms. This is followed by "Padme's bedroom," which in truth is not as randy as it sounds; the only intrigue here are those cool animated "holo-pictures" of Padme's life, scattered on the bedroom walls. a later deletion involves Dooku interrogating Padme --and a further scene, where Anakin and Padme are "on trial"-- which were, again, gripping scenes from the book that I was personally disappointed never made it into the final cut of the film. Anyone who'd say these deletions are no big deal should see my added two cents on the matter in the sidebar at upper-right; otherwise, let's just move on...

Of course, there's more to this DVD than just the deleted scenes and the comment track. There are a number of featurettes to enjoy, including a documentary about creating the digital character in the film, a separate documentary about the "animatics" team, a sound documentary, and three added featurettes examining the story line, action scenes, and love story, all via behind-the-scenes footage and cast-and-crew interviews. Topping all this is the entire "Web documentary" which starwars.com teased us with for months, now full-screen, and without the need for timely downloads!

You were waiting for me to say the classic "wait! There's more!" didn't you? Well, here it is. There's a music video composition by John Williams made especially for this DVD, titled "Across the Stars." There are slide shows galore of production photos and the posters promoting the film worldwide. Every trailer and TV spot ever used for this film is preserved on this disc...and there's a lot of them! Yes, this even includes the "R2-D2: Beneath the Dome" mockumentary that FOX network showed during fall, 2001 to promote this film. Last, though not least is an ILM effects breakdown montage, showing the step-by-step complexity of the FX at work here. Oh, yeah; there's also that easter egg that only a few DVDs can play (see sidebar at upper-right), though even if your DVD player won't let you see it, there's more than enough here to catch your eye. Rent it if you must; buy it when you can. That's all I can say.

 Click picture to order this film on DVD (widescreen)

Also Available in the following formats: VHS , DVD (Full Screen).

 

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