Review Detail
9.4 22 10
Overall rating
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
I must precede my review with the admission that I hate Attack of the Clones. It is my least favorite Star Wars movie, drags on and on and on, and on, and Anakin is waaaaaaaay tooo creepy. The movie is almost unsalvageable. It has some GREAT scenes and effects and is clouded by dark judgments. Moving on.
Is it fair to assume most people read the reviews to find their definitive version? Some of us nuts watch all the cuts, but for the casual viewers they want to know which edit to check out. As such, I think it most fair to compare this edit to the only other released HD Attack of the Clones edit, L8wrtr’s The Republic Divided. Well let me tell you… they are near identical. I watched Q2′s Ep II last week. Today I watched The Republic Divided and Fall of the Jedi II, LITERALLY side by side. In sync. Proof: http://imgur.com/FnkKR.jpg
I kid you not; the biggest difference between these edits is the order in which Anakin/Padme love story and Obi’s visit to Kamino are cut. L8wrtr keeps an extra 1.5 love scenes, while Q2 kept the search for Jango and the missing planet hunt. Obi Wan is my favorite prequel character, and all his scenes are needed to keep the viewer awake. I found Q2′s pacing to be a little better and more balanced between film noir mystery and romcom. The inter-cutting feels slightly more starwarish than L8wrtr’s edit, which came off as slightly romance heavy comparatively.
The next biggest change is Q2 cutting ALL of the Yoda/Dooku fight while L8wrtr cuts only the lightsaber parts. I am indifferent about this. I dislike the hippity hoppoty frog Yoda but the movie works with and without Yoda saving Anakin/Obi from a giant silo and gravity. If Yoda catching a ball of lightning is important to you, you might not like this edit. (If you love for that scene, check out the bonus features.) Regardless, Q2 crafts a stronger ending by cutting the Dooku/Sidious meeting at the end. Episode 3 starts off with more of a bang if you did not explicitly know they were in cahoots. This edit also removes Yoda/Mace sensing Anakin’s murder spree. I always wondered why they sensed some events and not others. You would think they could sense Anakin impregnating Padme. I am sure that was rough and full of emotion, just like his mother dying. Also cut is Palpatine telling Anakin he will become the most powerful Jedi ever. This edit does a GREAT job of actually somewhat hiding the fact that Palpatine is a Sith. He makes it so obvious and as a consequence the Jedi look completely incompetent. George went way too far in beaming the audience over the head with the message that Palpatine should not be trusted. Q2 fixed everything.
Oh, and Q2 cut the entire Droid Factory sequence. Thank the Gods. Even Loki. This is a phenomenal choice all edits should make. By replacing the steaming pile of robot parts with Padme trying to negotiate with Dooku, Q2 makes her character much stronger and ballsy It is startling thinking she would walk right up to the face of evil and start making demands. When she says she is not afraid of death, you believe her. She pranced right into death on her own accord, with no regard for her own safety. All she cares about is her people. What a princess.
As usual, I don’t like to end reviews without constructive criticism. The problem is, this edit really doesn’t need any. But for the sake of completeness, here goes nothing…
Q2 cut Anakin’s “I have a bad feeling about this.” HOW COULD YOU? Seriously? This line belongs in every Star Wars movie. Period. I am not sure why, but it is tradition, and thus this cut is blasphemy of the highest degree.
Q2 cut the seismic charges and the Jango/Obi planet ring chase. I love this scene because of the sound effects, music and camera work. I know, I know, it is little more than a tech demo to show off your surround system. It adds little to the movie except making Jango slightly more menacing. Even that interpretation is a stretch. But it does contain the hilarious “This is why I hate flying.” One of the best lines in the movie. Q2′s edit unfortunately does a great job of proving this scene can go. It is still one of the only two scenes I really like in this movie (the other being the execution), so he is losing points. Big time.
There is one edit towards the beginning of the movie which I did not find seamless, and after watching the original, also unnecessary. I talked to Q2 about it and he said it took him hours to accomplish the cut. So out of respect, I am not going to say exactly where it happens, because if you don’t notice it, it won’t bother you. I wouldn’t want my comments to ruin your enjoyment of the cut. Still there isn’t much reason for it. And that is about it.
Soo points and stuff.
Audio 10 +
Video 9.99 (One cut early on seems fast. Too fast.) +
Presentation 10 (Love the covers and menus. Gorgeous is an understatement. Simple yet satisfying. Not slimy in the slightest. Bonus features are lovely and I appreciate their brevity.)
= Technical: 10/10
Editing Choices.
Cut the asteroid battle -.5
Cut “I have a bad feeling about this” and “This is why I hate flying.” Frowny face and a stern look, but no points lost.
Total: 9.5/10
This rounds up to a 10/10. The asteroid deduction is a joke. Q2 proves this scene doesn’t belong, except many on a THX test disc. Fall of the Jedi II: Attack of the Clones is the best Star Wars Attack of the Clones edit I have seen. Bonus points for being crystal clear HD. It is my definitive copy, belongs on your movie shelf, and deserves a place in your heart.
Is it fair to assume most people read the reviews to find their definitive version? Some of us nuts watch all the cuts, but for the casual viewers they want to know which edit to check out. As such, I think it most fair to compare this edit to the only other released HD Attack of the Clones edit, L8wrtr’s The Republic Divided. Well let me tell you… they are near identical. I watched Q2′s Ep II last week. Today I watched The Republic Divided and Fall of the Jedi II, LITERALLY side by side. In sync. Proof: http://imgur.com/FnkKR.jpg
I kid you not; the biggest difference between these edits is the order in which Anakin/Padme love story and Obi’s visit to Kamino are cut. L8wrtr keeps an extra 1.5 love scenes, while Q2 kept the search for Jango and the missing planet hunt. Obi Wan is my favorite prequel character, and all his scenes are needed to keep the viewer awake. I found Q2′s pacing to be a little better and more balanced between film noir mystery and romcom. The inter-cutting feels slightly more starwarish than L8wrtr’s edit, which came off as slightly romance heavy comparatively.
The next biggest change is Q2 cutting ALL of the Yoda/Dooku fight while L8wrtr cuts only the lightsaber parts. I am indifferent about this. I dislike the hippity hoppoty frog Yoda but the movie works with and without Yoda saving Anakin/Obi from a giant silo and gravity. If Yoda catching a ball of lightning is important to you, you might not like this edit. (If you love for that scene, check out the bonus features.) Regardless, Q2 crafts a stronger ending by cutting the Dooku/Sidious meeting at the end. Episode 3 starts off with more of a bang if you did not explicitly know they were in cahoots. This edit also removes Yoda/Mace sensing Anakin’s murder spree. I always wondered why they sensed some events and not others. You would think they could sense Anakin impregnating Padme. I am sure that was rough and full of emotion, just like his mother dying. Also cut is Palpatine telling Anakin he will become the most powerful Jedi ever. This edit does a GREAT job of actually somewhat hiding the fact that Palpatine is a Sith. He makes it so obvious and as a consequence the Jedi look completely incompetent. George went way too far in beaming the audience over the head with the message that Palpatine should not be trusted. Q2 fixed everything.
Oh, and Q2 cut the entire Droid Factory sequence. Thank the Gods. Even Loki. This is a phenomenal choice all edits should make. By replacing the steaming pile of robot parts with Padme trying to negotiate with Dooku, Q2 makes her character much stronger and ballsy It is startling thinking she would walk right up to the face of evil and start making demands. When she says she is not afraid of death, you believe her. She pranced right into death on her own accord, with no regard for her own safety. All she cares about is her people. What a princess.
As usual, I don’t like to end reviews without constructive criticism. The problem is, this edit really doesn’t need any. But for the sake of completeness, here goes nothing…
Q2 cut Anakin’s “I have a bad feeling about this.” HOW COULD YOU? Seriously? This line belongs in every Star Wars movie. Period. I am not sure why, but it is tradition, and thus this cut is blasphemy of the highest degree.
Q2 cut the seismic charges and the Jango/Obi planet ring chase. I love this scene because of the sound effects, music and camera work. I know, I know, it is little more than a tech demo to show off your surround system. It adds little to the movie except making Jango slightly more menacing. Even that interpretation is a stretch. But it does contain the hilarious “This is why I hate flying.” One of the best lines in the movie. Q2′s edit unfortunately does a great job of proving this scene can go. It is still one of the only two scenes I really like in this movie (the other being the execution), so he is losing points. Big time.
There is one edit towards the beginning of the movie which I did not find seamless, and after watching the original, also unnecessary. I talked to Q2 about it and he said it took him hours to accomplish the cut. So out of respect, I am not going to say exactly where it happens, because if you don’t notice it, it won’t bother you. I wouldn’t want my comments to ruin your enjoyment of the cut. Still there isn’t much reason for it. And that is about it.
Soo points and stuff.
Audio 10 +
Video 9.99 (One cut early on seems fast. Too fast.) +
Presentation 10 (Love the covers and menus. Gorgeous is an understatement. Simple yet satisfying. Not slimy in the slightest. Bonus features are lovely and I appreciate their brevity.)
= Technical: 10/10
Editing Choices.
Cut the asteroid battle -.5
Cut “I have a bad feeling about this” and “This is why I hate flying.” Frowny face and a stern look, but no points lost.
Total: 9.5/10
This rounds up to a 10/10. The asteroid deduction is a joke. Q2 proves this scene doesn’t belong, except many on a THX test disc. Fall of the Jedi II: Attack of the Clones is the best Star Wars Attack of the Clones edit I have seen. Bonus points for being crystal clear HD. It is my definitive copy, belongs on your movie shelf, and deserves a place in your heart.
W