Official STAR WARS Saga Discussion Thread: Part 5 (2 Viewers)

[Chuck Mayer]

 

[Chuck Mayer]

Just kidding (mostly).

I do want to highlight that while today is the 20th anniversary of AOTC, I believe it is also the 20th anniversary of digital projection, as a few theaters were equipped to digitally project AOTC on 16 May 2002. I had tickets to one of them (in northern VA) but did not make it on 16 May...I saw it a week or two later in digital. At the time, I (we?) were excited about what a crisp and consistent projection it would be and how everything would pop on screen. More importantly, digital projection has enabled regular movies theaters to show old classics or themed sets a LOT more often, and changed how movies have a cinematic life. I think that is a very big deal to have digital projection, so major credit is due on that regard.

I did see AOTC at a midnight showing on 16 May 2002. I was an early non-fan

 

[SamT]

The first digital projection I saw was Revenge of the Sith. I remember thinking how good it looked compared to celluloid projection.

 

[TravisR]

Some interviews about AOTC's 20th anniversary from starwars.com:

Clones at 20 | Concept Artist Roel Robles on the Design Origins of Count Dooku’s Unique Lightsaber Hilt | StarWars.com

The inspiring story of a dream achieved -- and a significant contribution to Episode II's memorable villain.

www.starwars.com

Clones at 20 | Rob Coleman on Bringing Yoda, Dexter Jettster, and More to Digital Life

The animation director talks to Star Wars.com about the memorable characters, creatures, and sequences of Episode II.

www.starwars.com

Clones at 20 | Costume Designer Trisha Biggar Reflects on Her Most Challenging Film | StarWars.com

From evolving technologies and characters to a schedule that shifted like the sands of Tatooine, the legendary costumer tells StarWars.com about her unforgettable experience on Episode II.

www.starwars.com

Clones at 20 | Hayden Christensen Looks Back at His First Steps as Anakin Skywalker | StarWars.com

The actor, set to return in Obi-Wan Kenobi, speaks with StarWars.com to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.

www.starwars.com

 

[Chris Will]

Attack of the Clones

The absolute worst Star Wars movie ever made. Yes, even after The Rise of Skywalker, which I find much more entertaining than AOTC. I don't know why but most of Clones is a dreadful snooze fest for me and it has got some of the worse dialogue in the whole series. The last hour is fun but, getting there is a chore. I don't think it has aged well but that is just my opinion.

 

[TravisR]

Attack of the Clones

The absolute worst Star Wars movie ever made. Yes, even after The Rise of Skywalker, which I find much more entertaining than AOTC. I don't know why but most of Clones is a dreadful snooze fest for me and it has got some of the worse dialogue in the whole series. The last hour is fun but, getting there is a chore. I don't think it has aged well but that is just my opinion.

I find AOTC to be similar to Return Of The Jedi- The opening is good and I LOVE the last chunk of the movie but the mid-section is rough.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Everything with Ewan in this film is gold.

 

[Sam Favate]

Lengthy Vanity Fair article about the future of the Disney+ shows and what films to expect next. No real spoilers. A bit troubling that Lando isn't mentioned at all. And it doesn't sound like they will recast (like they did in Solo) again, instead going the route they used with Luke in the Mandalorian/Book of Boba Fett.

‘Star Wars’: The Rebellion Will Be Televised

An exclusive look at the master plan for ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ with Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, ‘Andor’ with Diego Luna, ‘Ahsoka’ with Rosario Dawson—and a fleet of new shows.

www.vanityfair.com

 

[TravisR]

Everything with Ewan in this film is gold.

Skipping the obvious highlights, some of my favorite moments in AOTC involve Obi-Wan like McGregor's delivery of "Hello, Dex." which is possibly the realest reading of a line in any Star Wars movie. And me and a buddy both love "Traitor" when Obi-Wan is captured and he first sees Dooku.

Also, credit to Ben Burtt for the sound effect that comes from the Slave I's seismic charge.

 

[Sam Favate]

FWIW, I like Attack of the Clones. The biggest problem with it is that the Anakin-Padme scenes don't work, and that's a huge problem for the series. But that aside, the rest of the movie works well. Rewrite and reshoot the Anakin-Padme parts and the movie would be well loved.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

The biggest problem with Attack of the Clones is that the fish rots from the head.

If you took out Across the Stars, the seismic charge, and Ewan...I'd rather just watch an elephant get a colonoscopy. If you leave those scenes in, I'd still flip a coin.

 

[Tommy R]

Though I’ve generally become okay with the prequels and can find them fun, AOTC is still a firm dead last for me out of all of the live action films.

 

[Joe Wong]

I enjoyed AOTC back in the day for the action scenes. The opening aerial chase, Obi-Wan vs Grievous, the arena battle, and of course, seeing Yoda fight Dooku and a mass of Jedi joining the war (before team-ups like the Avengers became commonplace in cinemas) was a lot of fun.

It also had pacing issues, especially between the opening aerial chase and the arena battle. It didn't help that Anakin and Padme's romance was as stiff as concrete, and resorted at one point to using bloated cows as props.

I still wonder how powerful Yoda is when the 2 major duels he has in the prequels, with Dooku and Palpatine, resulted in non-triumph.

 

[Sam Favate]

I’ve been genuinely surprised at how many people put this one last among the prequels. For me, it’s no contest that Phantom Menace is last. That movie’s tone makes it seem like it’s from a different series. Only that film’s design and cinematography save it, IMO.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

I’ve put it last until Rise. I’d have to watch both again to decide which of the two I like less, but I’m pretty sure it would be Rise. At least Clones has the aforementioned seismic charge and a reasonable amount of Ewan.

I’ll take TPM over both by a country mile. Liam Neeson and the final Maul fight are way better than anything in E2, in my worthless opinion.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I still remember the excitement of seeing the midnight opening for Episode II. And then seeing it the next three nights in a row as different friend groups all had different plans for seeing it.

I know that the prequels aren’t objectively perfect films (very few films are) but I had perfect experiences seeing them all on the big screen. They were moments in time when everything seemed to stop for a second, and where for a brief period, the entire world seemed just as into this far away universe as I was. The span of time these prequels were made in covered a huge period in my life - the ‘97 special edition releases were middle school, Phantom was high school, Clones college, and Sith me out in the “real world”.

Each time I revisit Star Wars films, I always look most forward to seeing the prequels again. The original trilogy is my parent’s generation and the sequel trilogy is for those younger than me, but the prequels were the ones for my time and I can’t help but cherish them as such.

We take all of this CGI and virtual world building for granted today but when these movies came out, they each showed me something I had never seen before.

There’s not much of my childhood I’d want to do again but I’d happily go back to opening night for each of these three films.

 

[TravisR]

I still wonder how powerful Yoda is when the 2 major duels he has in the prequels, with Dooku and Palpatine, resulted in non-triumph.

I think Yoda would have beat Dooku relatively easily but Dooku was gonna squash the wounded Obi-Wan and Anakin with a giant pipe and was able to escape.

I still remember the excitement of seeing the midnight opening for Episode II. And then seeing it the next three nights in a row as different friend groups all had different plans for seeing it.

I'm so nuts that I saw it four times in the first 24 hours. 1. Me and a friend saw it at midnight, 2. then while high on just having seen it, we decided to see it again in the morning, 3. I went with my sisters in the afternoon when they got out of school, and 4. I was talking to the same friend that night and we went back at like 10 PM.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I'm so nuts that I saw it four times in the first 24 hours. 1. Me and a friend saw it at midnight, 2. then while high on just having seen it, we decided to see it again in the morning, 3. I went with my sisters in the afternoon when they got out of school, and 4. I was talking to the same friend that night and we went back at like 10 PM.

Duuude… 2002 me would have loved that so much. And 2022 me… yeah, I’d do it.

 

[SamT]

Kathleen Kennedy Says It’s “Vital” Lucasfilm Move Away From Skywalker Saga, Will Stop Recasting Legacy Characters

"Just staying within the construct of George’s storytelling, to keep chipping away at that, I think would be wrong," the Lucasfilm president said in a recent interview about the studio's narrative direction.

Kathleen Kennedy says that following the negative reception to Solo: A Star Wars Story, Lucasfilm is primarily focused on expanding George Lucas’ universe beyond the Skywalker saga — and not looking to tell new stories with the iconic characters played by new actors.

Kathleen Kennedy Says It’s “Vital” Lucasfilm Move Away From Skywalker Saga, Will Stop Recasting Legacy Characters

"Just staying within the construct of George’s storytelling, to keep chipping away at that, I think would be wrong," the Lucasfilm president said in a recent interview about the studio's narrative direction.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

 

[SamT]

Kennedy went on to say that the studio has now taken this approach with all of its classic Skywalker saga characters. “We also can’t go do something with Luke Skywalker that isn’t Mark Hamill,” she noted at another point in the interview. “We’re not going to suddenly go try to do that.”

There are so many things I don't agree with. I feel like Kennedy thinks the success of something is based solely on if the original actor plays it. Not on good story, good script, good actors, good direction and good special effects. By that reasoning they shouldn't make the Obi-Wan series because Alec Guinness is not playing the lead role.