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"Best. Episode. Ever"

I saw Attack of the Clones, and like everyone I was hoping, really hoping, that it wouldn't be a bit like the Phantom Menace. I was hoping it would be a bit like the original. And it blew my expectations away. By far. In all honesty, I've never seen a better episode of Star Wars. Sod New Hope, Empire, and Jedi. Clones is THE Star Wars episode for me, now.

There's a reason for this. I haven't grown up with all the expectations of the original trilogy, like some of you. It isn't like I'll look at Obi-Wan and say 'That's not Obi-Wan. Ben Kenobi is, like, older.' Ewan McGregor is Obi-Wan Kenobi more than Alec Guiness ever was, for me. It's a new series of films that a new series of Star Wars fans can see. Yeah, even The Phantom Menace is good. Not bloody brilliant, like Clones is, but good, in a way that set up the trilogy the way it needed to. And in some ways I think it ruled over the original trilogy. I could really see Darth Maul slicing Vader to bits. Vader was lumbering. Darth Maul was athletic and had the coolest lightsaber ever and fought two Jedi at once. He used cool things like using a droids head to open a door and Force-pushing Obi-Wan over the edge of that pit. Then there was Qui-Gon Jinn. Excellent. You've got a pretty strong parallel link with A New Hope there - mentor dying in combat with the Dark Jedi. Yeah, I liked Qui-Gon. He had a lightsaber and was the central character and was excellent in the final lightsaber battle. Kids who watch the new trilogy first will see him in the same way the first Star Wars fans saw Obi-Wan on the Death Star. And then there's the lightsaber battles in The Phantom Menace. They completely overawe any battle that the original trilogy can offer. Vader Vs Luke, twice, once in Bespin and once around Endor? Bah, Phantom Menace has a three-way battle that had so many twists and changes. It had Obi-Wan tapping into the Dark Side when his master died. It had sacrifice. It had a doubled bladed Sith lightsaber. It was amazing. Yeah, there's bad areas. Jar Jar springs to mind, along with the Oh Its Such A Shock Padme The Main Naboo Character Is The Queen Im Shocked. That has nothing on the shock of Darth Vader telling Luke - 'No. I am your father'. I watched Star Wars first with a couple of mates when I was 10. My dad had given my the vids and told me to watch them without telling me anything of the plot. And we all gasped when ader said that line. We were all smug with Solo, too young to see how fit Leia was and agreed instantly that Boba Fett was cool and he wasn't actually dead, not a chance.

So thats The Phantom Menace sorted. It doesn't have anything on Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi. I (and this is my personal opinion here) think it is better than A New Hope. But it wasn't the best episode I've ever seen. Then along comes Attack of the Clones. I tried not to get excited about it, but I did and cheered when the Stars Wars music began, along with half the cinema. By the end I was amazed. There's a whole load of new Star Wars memories ready for the making in that film. Battle of Hoth - best land battle ever in film history - beaten easily by Battle of Genosis. Stormtrooper-like Boba Fett helmet-like troops blasting the hell out of those poxy droids from Phantom Menace with massive blaster guns and being led into battle by Jedi. Lots of 'em. Not a small little green thing sitting in a swamp and a hermit on a sandball, but a whole group of them. With tentacles and big heads and a purple lightsaber. Oh yes. Mace Windu is the coolest Star Wars character ever, even cooler than Han Solo was. He has a purple lightsaber and acts hard and does a triple Jedi leapy mijig. He fights big beasties. He leads a massive group of Jedi's against a droid army, with Star Wars music hammering away at the speakers and the Jedi yelling and trashing the droids. Thats a scene that I'm going to remember for a very long time. Because thats what Star Wars is to me, now. It's not the original trilogy on it's own. It's going to be all 6, but I think I'm goin to prefer the first three. It's got Christopher Lee with a red lightsaber and him decking people. He's a superb villian. And the climatic lightsaber battle - beats even the Maul/Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan battle. You've got Obi-Wan trying to be calm, and Anakin being arrogant. There's the bit in the dark, when you just see their eyes when the lightsabers clash. Brilliant. Pure brilliance. Then, you've got Yoda. He's sweet with that lightsaber. Everyone in the cinema laughed when he did that kind of kung fu stance thing. Then he rocked and everyone stopped laughing.

I’m 17, still a kid until the government forces me to be an adult, and I say Attack of the Clones is the best Star Wars episode I’ve ever seen. It beat Empire Strikes Back, my previous favourite episode in the area that makes it brilliant – Hoth. The Battle of Genosis is excellent. No two ways about it. Everything about it is cool, from the moment you see Mace Windu striding towards Count Dooku to the climatic Yoda/Dooku battle, it’s unique and deserves to be seen as one of the greatest moments of film history.

And Natalie Portman is fit. Excellent.

OK then. Monkey bloke did reveal Yoda fighting though, I believe. Anyway, I wrote this thread with you two in mind. Are you going to prove a counter-case for the original trilogy? I was hoping to argue the merits of AOTC, but you obviously haven't seen it yet.

Yeah!

Stryke wrote:
> Then don't read something about Star Wars Ep 2.

--

Sorry but you're wrong.
It is possible to review a film, especially one as big as this, without divulging key moments.
Monkey Man did it.
The common practice when reviewing a new movie is to warn of the fact you will disclose essential plot points.

To just say "Then don't read something about Star Wars Ep 2" is pretty lame.
Review better.

RM18 wrote:
. I mean, he died buy Jar Jar
> Binks lived.

**GENUINE SPOILER**

Yeah, and if you think about it, when JJ proposes that Palpatine takes control of the Senate, it is the Gungan fool that is responsible for bringing the Emperor in to power. KILL HIM NOW.

Damn good film, that was. I've seen it twice already, and i'll be seeing it tomorrow as well. What a shame. I almost cried when *spoiler* Yoda died.

:P

I wish Qui Gon Jinn had stayed alive. I mean, he died buy Jar Jar Binks lived. Where's the justice in that? Go on, tell me.

So, in other words, monkey_man's down 2-1.

Hussah!

I didn't read your post, because I'm not into Star Wars that much. However, if you have revealed something which gives the plot away, then...erm.

Anyway, point is, it's common courtesy to tell people what they are going to read, and the implications of doing so (E.G. *SPOILER*), that would have stopped him reading it, or reading to a point which revealed any plot lines.

Then don't read something about Star Wars Ep 2.

Oh for fu...

When are people going to put
**SPOILER** in the heading?

You utter tool, you've told me about a "climactic showdown between Yoda/Dooku" a Jedi showdown against Droids, Yoda doing kung-fu stuff.

*shakes head*

Nice one mate.