Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3175 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-11-11
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 137 minutes

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

DVD Description
DVD Special Features (To Be Confirmed):
Feature-length Audio Commentary
Exclusive Deleted Scenes with Introductions
"From Puppets to Pixels" An all new Full-Length Documentary
"State of the Art: The Previsualization of Episode II"
"Films Are Not Released; They Escape" Sound Documentary
Featurettes: Three mini-documentaries offering a detailed look at Attack of the Clones Web Documentaries: The award-winning 12-part web series that debuted on starwars.com
"Across the Stars" Music Video: original composition by John Williams
Poster and Print Campaign
Trailers and TV Spots
"R2-D2: Beneath the Dome" Mockumentary trailer
Never-Before-Seen Production Photo Gallery
ILM Visual Effects Breakdown Montage
Exclusive DVD-ROM Content Picture: Widescreen 2.35:1 anamorphic
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 -- THX Surround EX

Synopsis
In the second installment of the Star Wars series, EPISODE II--ATTACK OF THE CLONES, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is now a teenage Jedi apprentice to Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). Together they must protect Senator Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) from a militant group of political activists who are trying to assassinate her. This group is led by the evil Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). But aside from other troubles, Anakin faces some hard choices as he begins to fall in love with Padme, a love that is forbidden by the Jedi knights' creed. In addition, Anakin begins to show his rebellious attraction to the dark side--which will eventually conquer him, when he becomes the future Darth Vader.
The story is set 10 years after STAR WARS EPISODE 1: THE PHANTOM MENACE, and there are appearances by some of PHANTOM's characters, including the much-maligned Jar Jar Binks. But CLONES also contains familiar faces from the original STAR WARS: the lovable droids R2D2 and C3PO appear here, as does Yoda, who plays a key role in this film. Although the acting is for the most part wooden, and the dialogue full of clunkers, Lucas creates an impressive array of beautifully rendered alien planets and beings, sleek spaceships, and dazzling effects; he remains at the head of the class in terms of technical ability and visual imagination. The film's climactic final sequences show the magic with which CLONES' earns its place as part of the beloved STAR WARS series.

Customer Reviews

Star Wars back on track
While Phantom Menace was in many ways doomed from the start in trying to fill in so many gaps from the start, Lucas succeeds here in pushing the plot firmly forward rather than treading water through a host of introductions.
10 years further down the line, Anakin is now approaching full Jedi status but we can see that he and Obi-Wan have a sometimes uncomfortable relationship and one that the older Jedi seems too intent on imposing his authority than letting Anakin use his abilities to the full.
Lucas (and the actors) do a reasonable job at portraying Anakin's growing frustration wit the restrictions of the order - a quietly pivotal aspect of the entire SW universe that escapes many in the thrills and spills of the film's incredible action scenes.
Some of the big set piece scenes are truly jaw-dropping. The arena fight between the Jedi and droid armies is terrific, and the ensuing land battle is something that could only have been dreamt rather than realised at the time of the original trilogy.
The only problem is that it takes a while for things to get exciting - unusual for Star Wars. Infact, it's only really when Anakin gets to Tatooine and Dooku appears on the scene on Geonosis that things really get interesting.
Lee steals the film in his fleeting appearances as renegade Jedi Dooku and although he's not as sprightly as Maul, he makes a brilliant Sith. His lightsaber duel with Anakin may not have been as breathless as the fight in Ep I, but it's filmed beautifully in a more 'old skool' fashion reminiscent of the Vader/Kenobi clash in A New Hope. And as for the Yoda battle scene? I think it's incredible.
The only disappointment is the lack of screen time for Palpatine and his tinkerings with the Senate and maybe more should have been made of Anakin's loss of his mother. It would have been nice to see him say 'I'll never come back to this planet' to explain why he didn't search for the plans in Episode IV, but that's no major beef.
Otherwise it looks great and is generally top notch. The romance scenes are a touch painful and R2 and 3PO are very annoying, but other than that it's a great addition to the universe.
My only worry is that Lucas now has only two-and-a-bit hours to fill in lots of gaps. What he leaves out will be just as important as what he chooses to reveal.

Not a patch on the original trilogy
Ok, I'm sorry, but I had to write this review because I got irritated with all the people who are trying to convince the masses that this is the best Star Wars movie ever... Which it is NOT. It is quite obvious that practically all their budget went into the special effects, which admittedly are breathtaking, but they really should have invested more in writing a half-decent script. The 'romantic scenes' between Anakin and Padme are excruciating, with awful lines such as "I've been dying a little bit each day since you came back." WHO WROTE THIS GARBAGE?? Also, I object to the apparently 'hilarious' fight between Yoda and Count Dooku. In the original trilogy, Yoda had quiet dignity, and humbly concealed his strength as a Jedi, so it is a surprise when we see him raise Luke's X-Wing out of the swamp. I cannot believe that George Lucas used one of his best characters for a cheap laugh at the end of this movie.
If you are the type of person who thinks that amazing special effects and explosions make a good film, then perhaps this will be your favourite Star Wars movie. However, if you value a good script, well-rounded characters and a half-decent storyline, I think you'll prefer the original Star Wars trilogy.

Something old, something new, something bowwored, awful too.
Let me just say that George Lucas doesn't know what the hell he's doing anymore. With all the fancy shmancy special effects, I seem to keep asking myself, "Where's the drama?" I mean this is supposed to be the tragic story of Anakin's downfall, and all we get is a moody, brooding teenager who complains when his master (Obi-Wan) gives him sage advice. The performances in this film (aside from McGreggor and Lee) are just downright wooden, but to some extent, you can't really blame the actors since they have such little to work with (horrid script, lack of directorial motivation, non-interactive/intagible scenery or supporting cast, just to name a few). With all the intertangling plots, subplots, EU cameos, fanboy extras, and special effects, this movie is just a mess. It has no driving force and no true end. The little consolation we do get, however, is a spectacular fight between Yoda and Count Dooku (worst villain name ever), but this cannot atone for the other 141 and 1/2 minutes of this cheeseball and its attempt at reclaiming fans lost after the last episodic debacle. In short, Lucas really needs to just stick with what he's good at (i.e. producing, special effects, and merchandising) and leave directing to those who can. My prayers are with Episode III...