Plot Details: This opinion reveals no details about the movie's plot.

It’s generally easy for people to figure out my favorite movie. I have Star Wars on my desktop at work; Darth Maul, Darth Vader, Max Rebo, and other favorite toys scattered about my home office; a framed autograph of Carrie Fisher; and other such clues. What bugs me is when people say, “But which one is your favorite movie?” That’s like asking what your favorite chapter of a book is. Sure, you may have one that you particularly like, but it wouldn’t be what it is without the others.

The only one that’s half-way self-contained is the first one, A New Hope. Therefore, as a stand-alone, if none of the others existed, it would be the only one to hold up. If I HAD to pick a favorite, however (having not seen Ep3, of course) I would choose Attack Of The Clones.

-stunned silence-

You mean I would dare hold this latest attempt at a Star Wars installment above the classic trilogy? How can I call myself a true fan? I’ve been told I’m not a “true fan” because I read Star Wars novels. Apparently some people feel that everything outside the classic trilogy taints the universe (I’m not making any of that up, I swear. I have documented proof). To me the True Fan is one that craves more of the universe, unwilling to let it stop at 3 movies. That’s me.

There are many reasons why I love Attack Of The Clones so much, most of them built directly on my love for its predecessors. I may end up loving Ep3 even more for the exact same reasons.

The story is terrific building on the intrigue introduced in Ep1. Who really ordered the creation of the clone army and why? Who is deceptive enough to erase information from a Jedi archive without being detected? Who is trying to assassinate Padme? As the mystery unfolds these questions and more arise. Padme and Anakin begin building their relationship adding some romance. His character is the one that develops the most, and we first begin to see the dark qualities that will be his downfall.

Some great new characters are introduced like bounty hunter Jango Fett, “father” of Star Wars icon Boba Fett, and Darth Tyrannus, a fallen Jedi master who is even more powerful than Darth Maul. Tyrannus may not look as fearsome as Maul, but he can go head to head with Yoda, a more difficult task than you would imagine if you aren’t familiar with his strength in the Force. Jar Jar has maybe 5 minutes in the whole movie if you’re wondering.

The CG in this movie is incredible. The clone troopers look completely natural, Yoda looks every bit as real as the puppet, and the filming of the battles has the feel of really being there in the middle of it. This is some of, if not THE best graphics I’ve ever seen. There are one or two spots where the CG C-3PO doesn’t look completely real, but that’s only for a few seconds. Nothing but praise for the rest of it.

The music is breathtaking. The Padme/Anakin love theme has become one of my favorite tunes. That’s saying a lot because I usually like the exciting portions of a score and skip the slow sections. There are also some glances at familiar parts of the classic score including some moments with my favorite theme, Darth Vader’s.

To top off all the other great stuff is the best action of any Star Wars movie yet. Obi-Wan and Jango duke it out in the rain which is awesome since we have never gotten to see just how good Boba Fett is in battle. Mace has some great moves making me excited about what he might do in Ep3. I love watching him vault through the air tugging off his burning cloak with one hand and deflecting blaster bolts with the other. But the best part is watching Yoda face off in a lightsaber duel with Tyrannus.

There are also some impressive battle scenes. Tons of Trade Federation droids take on a bunch of Jedi and the clone army takes on a whole planet worth of Tyrannus’ legions. It’s so much to take in it’s almost overwhelming, but it stands up to multiple viewings.

Not everything is perfect, though the complaints are minor, more nit-picky than anything. Some of the romance scenes drag a little, some of the R2-D2/C-3PO comic relief scenes were too over-the-top, the name Dooku sounds almost too funny to take seriously, and it seems like they could have thought of a better title than “Attack of the Clones.”

Content:
This is pretty much standard Star Wars content. There is a decapitation that is as brutal as anything I’ve seen in one of these movies along with lots of aliens getting cut up and troopers shot down. There are also some severed limbs and stabbings. I would say this is probably the most violent movie so far, but, as usual, it’s almost completely bloodless since most of the beings killed are aliens, are clad in armor, or killed with a lightsaber which cauterizes the wound. A few of the ladies, particularly in the bar scene, are dressed revealingly, but it’s not so bad I would call it skimpy. I think there is exactly one questionable word in the entire movie.

DVD:
The DVD package is similar in style and design as Ep1. I like the uniformity while leaving enough room to be unique. I think there are 2 versions of the release: Widescreen and Pan & Scan (I refuse to call it Full Screen since you’re not seeing the full scene). The artwork is very nice. The case is plastic with a small inner tray.

Picture is a beautiful 2.35 ratio, and audio is available in 5.1 EX. You have to sit through a little bit of nonsense before getting to the menu or movie. There are warnings, logos out the ears, and the utterly useless but ever more popular ratings screen. Oops, gotta take the movie back to the store, it’s rated… PG! I can’t believe I spent money on such garbage. If only they had told me that BEFORE I bought it! What’s the freakin’ point?! Can I get a witness?? Oh, sorry about that. Got carried away. You ought to hear me when I have to sit through movie previews on a DVD I’ve bought.

The interfaces are extremely nice. Disc 1 features 3 different themes based on different planets. The animation, main menu, scenes selections menu, and other aspects change to relate to the planet theme. The disc 2 menus do not change but have different themes for different sections. Some used are the Jedi library and Dex’s kitchen. I said that the Ep1 interfaces were among the best I’ve ever seen, well, add Ep2 to that, also.

The extras include some terrific material. I wish they had more interactive features like Men In Black 1 Limited Edition, but what’s here is way more than most releases.

Disc 1 only has a couple of features. One is the commentary by George Lucas, Ben Burtt, Rick McCallum, Rob Coleman, Pablo Helman, John Knoll, and Ben Snow. With that many people you might think they would talk over each other a lot, but they don’t. I have to wonder, though, if there isn’t enough edited information to make another commentary. At least this method allows for very little downtime. At any given moment someone has something to say.

Like Ep1, there is a Gag Reel/DVD Credits Easter Egg. To find it go to the Options Menu and enter the following on your remote: +10, 1, pause, 3, pause, 8. Or you can navigate to title 3.

There are some DVD-ROM links to the web site also on disc 2.

The THX Test you expect is here and on both discs. It just helps you configure your image and audio to be the best it can. I’ve found it useful on a few occasions.

Disc 2 is the treasure trove of extras. Most are similar in format as Ep1.

John Williams gives us another music video Across The Stars. Like Duel of the Fates from Ep1, this is the best music from the score, Padme & Anakin’s love theme, put under scenes from the movie, of behind the scenes clips, and of the orchestra. I don’t think the behind the scenes stuff fits. I would prefer movie clips and the orchestra only. And I would have left out the dialogue; the music is good enough to stand on its own. That stuff makes it feel like half music video/ half TV promo. Maybe that’s exactly what it is, but it would work better as 100% video.

There are 8 deleted scenes with intros for each. You can play them all with or without the intros or watch them 1 by 1. There is nothing as exciting or impressive as the extended podrace scenes in Ep1, but there is a little extra backstory and some politics.

Not surprisingly the bulk of the extras are behind the scenes clips. I count 18 in all including the web documentaries. They were released on the web site but are presented in regular DVD format here. They touch on just about every aspect of the movie including casting, training, locations, wardrobe, models, etc. There is a long, very in-depth look at turning Yoda and a few others into digital creations. There is another long one buried in Dex’s kitchen (an odd place to put it I thought) that covers sound effects, foley, and, my favorite, dialogue replacement. I don’t know why I like seeing the D.R. so much, but it has grabbed my attention on all the DVD’s I’ve seen with it. These clips can get long, and may be too much for the more casual fan especially all at once. I thought they did a great job of not repeating information already presented in Ep1.

A related feature is the Visual Effects montage. It’s a music video style presentation of the stages of creating some of the visual effects. It’s not as neat as having them as individual features, but it’s a decent quick look at them.

R2-D2 Beneath The Dome is said to be on here, but it’s actually highlights of it edited together like a long trailer. It’s better than nothing if you can’t find the full version. The full version is something like 3 times that length. It’s a very amusing special and definitely worth seeing.

There are 4 galleries. Production images can be viewed full screen or with accompanying captions. I like reading the notes. Posters also has captions as well as multiple angles. Outdoor Poster Campaign has multiple views. The College Campaign has multiple views, as well. To find that one go to Dex’s kitchen and highlight the yellow poster. All 4 look good, but my favorite is the Production.

You want trailers? How about 16 of them. That might seem like too much, but they are much more artistic than the average trailer and therefore much more fun to watch.

It doesn’t get much better than this. A great movie, a well done DVD, what more do you want? It’s an absolute must-have for any Star Wars fan. If you didn’t like Ep1 all that much, hopefully this will redeem George Lucas for you. A solid 5 stars for this one.


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12