Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones 4K UHD (2002)

[Hardback247]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

I have always thought that The Clone Wars would have been a much simpler and poignant title.

It's not ABOUT the Clone Wars, though.

[Hardback247]

It's amusing how so many people still complain about how much CGI was used in the PT, when most big budget blockbuster movies nowadays use a whole lot more of it, and nobody minds it.

[XavierTheaterPotato]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

I have always thought that The Clone Wars would have been a much simpler and poignant title.

Originally Posted by Hardback247

It's not ABOUT the Clone Wars, though.

Oddly enough, I agree with Jahns with the title. "Shroud of the Dark Side" is more Ominous to me.

Despite the fact that it's uttered in the movie, makes more goddamn sense than "Attack of the Clones"

[nick4Knight]

Shroud looks dumb in text as a title. I like the word spoken, but it has to look ominous visually next to dark side in order to keep that feel. And it... doesn't

[motorheadache95]

Star Wars Episode II: The Creeping Stares

[Bluyoda]

Since many of you have been so kind to share the Red Letter reviews over the years, I'll return the favour:

Why the Star Wars Reviews by RedLetterMedia, Chris Stuckmann etc. are Wrong About Everything - YouTube

[Hardback247]

Originally Posted by avs commenter

Going by the Dis+ stream, the HDR and WCG do improve the image. However, the 4k makes the already aged CGI look even worse

One scene that I definitely noticed a difference with the HDR was when Obi-Wan met Lama Su on Kamino.

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

Agreed, except for the Obi-Wan/Jango fight and subsequent chase. I adore the seismic charges on my sub.

Those do sound pretty damn good.

[karsten]

AOTC -- by far my favorite of the prequel trilogy. Phantom Menace was an all-round disappointment (except for Darth Maul), and while Revenge of the Sith had its moments, I don't think that it lived up to its potential to be the most titanic chapter of all of the Star Wars films. IMO, the turn of Anakin to Vader was done only passably well, compared to the potential for epic greatness that was available here (though the film was circumscribed in some ways by what the other two films set up for it).

OTOH, I've always enjoyed AOTC, right from when it played in the theaters, and to this day it's the only one of the prequels that I'll pull out occasionally and watch. I love the fascinating new locations (the cloners' storm-world, the Lake Cuomo scenes, etc.), the ending-of-the-day lighting, the mind-bending questions and puzzles that it introduces ("Who is Sifo-Dyas?" "Why is Dooku telling Obi-Wan the plain truth about his master?" etc.), even though these weren't paid off very well in future films/shows, and more.

I would even buy this 4k separately and do without 4k for the rest of the PT, if this edition were to return the film to the beautiful, natural colors of its theatrical and 2002 DVD releases. But if this 4k retains the ugly, heavy teal tint that was put on the film from the blu-ray release onwards, as I'm guessing it will (I'll wait for screencaps to confirm), then I'll likely skip this release and content myself with my DVD.

[ahossein79]

Originally Posted by karsten

AOTC -- by far my favorite of the prequel trilogy. Phantom Menace was an all-round disappointment (except for Darth Maul), and while Revenge of the Sith had its moments, I don't think that it lived up to its potential to be the most titanic chapter of all of the Star Wars films. IMO, the turn of Anakin to Vader was done only passably well, compared to the potential for epic greatness that was available here (though the film was circumscribed in some ways by what the other two films set up for it).

OTOH, I've always enjoyed AOTC, right from when it played in the theaters, and to this day it's the only one of the prequels that I'll pull out occasionally and watch. I love the fascinating new locations (the cloners' storm-world, the Lake Cuomo scenes, etc.), the ending-of-the-day lighting, the mind-bending questions and puzzles that it introduces ("Who is Sifo-Dyas?" "Why is Dooku telling Obi-Wan the plain truth about his master?" etc.), even though these weren't paid off very well in future films/shows, and more.

I would even buy this 4k separately and do without 4k for the rest of the PT, if this edition were to return the film to the beautiful, natural colors of its theatrical and 2002 DVD releases. But if this 4k retains the ugly, heavy teal tint that was put on the film from the blu-ray release onwards, as I'm guessing it will (I'll wait for screencaps to confirm), then I'll likely skip this release and content myself with my DVD.

I wholeheartedly agree with your love of Clones, but I disagree with you on Menace and Sith. I'll say it before and I'll say it again the character of Anakin Skywalker is misunderstood. I encourage anyone to please watch the video which summarizes what I have been saying for years:

Why Hayden Christensen Played Anakin PERFECTLY - Star Wars Explained - YouTube

[s2mikey]

Originally Posted by farerb

I tried watching it the other day and it was more boring than I remember it. Then I watched RotS and was amazed at how I could have watched that without seeing AotC and understand it completely.
I saw for the last month or so people claiming that this trilogy at least had some sort of structure and I honestly can't see it. This is the most disjointed trilogy I've seen with three films that barely have a connection to each other.

Huh? Who? The prequels are like one long film. Fine if you think not but wow.

Looking forward to the great prequels in UHD but I fear Disney will butcher them like they do to almost all of their other UHD releases. Cheap bass turds.

[Geoff D]

They're really not like one long film, they're so disjointed.

[imsounoriginal]

Originally Posted by XavierTheaterPotato

Oddly enough, I agree with Jahns with the title. "Shroud of the Dark Side" is more Ominous to me.

Shroud of the Dark Side is basically the same as Phantom Menace.

[tcripe]

Originally Posted by karsten

AOTC -- by far my favorite of the prequel trilogy.

I've seen some wild takes before, and this is defiantly one of them.

[karsten]

Originally Posted by tcripe

I've seen some wild takes before, and this is defiantly one of them.

I gave some of my reasoning above. It's all relative. TPM is simply an altogether bad movie from every perspective (characters, plot, acting, pacing, everything is terrible, and Jar Jar and Jake Lloyd's horrendous sub-Little Rascals line readings finish it off; so much so that not even Darth Maul, who is a genius creation and the film's lone good element, can make up for it). It's far, far worse than AOTC, where at least we're spared Jake and mostly spared Jar Jar.

And ROTS is a colossal disappointment when gauged against what it could and should have been. It fumbles one of the greatest setups ever presented -- the transformation of Anakin to Vader -- and makes of something that should have been unforgettably epic into something that's ultimately quite banal and almost pathetic.

In addition to the favorable aspects of AOTC that I mentioned above, there's also some unexpectedly half-decent humor ("You don't want to sell me death sticks," "You'll be the death of me"). And at least in this film, the Obi-Wan subplot is interesting and feels like a worthwhile discovery expedition, with the cloner world, Dooku, and everything else that he uncovers. I remember being legitimately intrigued by those tantalizing reveals. (Pity that they were all poorly paid off in subsequent SW films or shows -- and that's another thing that I hold against ROTS.)

By contrast, in ROTS, Obi-Wan's excursion feels like a pointless diversion, just an episodic bit to give him something to do. Grievous turns out to be a big nothing and a waste of screen time. Anakin defeating Dooku is perfunctory, whereas it should have itself been a transformative moment. Time and again in ROTS, what could have been great, and had epic potential, becomes meager and small in execution.

Frankly, though, even in the original trilogy, I find ROTJ to be pretty disappointing and felt that way even when I first saw it in the theaters in 1983 when it premiered. Really, there have only been two bona fide Star Wars masterpieces: Eps IV and V.

[Geoff D]

I think the "pathetic" angle to Anakin's fall is partly what Lucas was going for, for better or worse...

[karsten]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I think the "pathetic" angle to Anakin's fall is partly what Lucas was going for, for better or worse...

Indeed, as you say, for better or worse, and I find, for worse -- like so much in the prequels, except that in the third film is where that choice is really diminishing. IMO.

[KRW1]

Originally Posted by karsten

Frankly, though, even in the original trilogy, I find ROTJ to be pretty disappointing and felt that way even when I first saw it in the theaters in 1983 when it premiered. Really, there have only been two bona fide Star Wars masterpieces: Eps IV and V.

You're almost me, except I thought TPM was, although not perfect, a slight return to form after Jedi and still do. My 13 year old self has still not forgiven them for the shameful way they treated Boba Fett after three years of hyping myself up for an epic showdown.

For me, TPM is not about Anakin as much as it is Palpatine, I love him in this movie and still enjoy that it's possible to watch as the first film of 9 or as the 4th in sequence and watch it a completely different way.

I like ATOC just fine too. It has its faults but has some of the best moments in any Star Wars movie.

[Viking61]

Back cover Nordic release.

[gooey]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

Those do sound pretty damn good.

When the DVD first came out, i had the surround turned up and those charges ended up shattering one of the glass doors on my parent's AV cabinets....