Fall of the Jedi: Episode II – Attack of the Clones

This is the first Episode II fanedit I’ve seen, and the first time I’ve seen the movie at all in several years.

My impression before viewing was that I hated this movie, I literally had to convince my self to sit and watch it. I recall it being very slow, and ultimately very pointless. Very little was gained from this movie that couldn’t have been surmised by simply watching the first half of Episode III.

But that was before Q2’s edit. I can honestly say I now prefer Episode II over Episode I. Q2’s cut at least. He’s taken a very flawed movie and distilled it to a much finer flim. As well as tightening up the plot, Q2 has also adjusted the tone to be more adult. That being said, I think kids can still enjoy this movie. Sure the most pointless and over the top battle scenes have been trimmed, but there’s a surprising amount of good in this movie once the cheesy/cliche parts are taken out of the way.

As usual Q2’s edit is technically flawless. Id say it’s even better then FOTJ Episode I. The pacing feels totally right, and there was never a time where you could tell something was cut. A great example is how he removed the droid factory scene. And although R2 and C2PO make brief cameo’s, they’re never on scene for more then 5 seconds at a time. Also, Anakin and Padme’s love finally made sense. When they kiss for the first time, it doesn’t feel forced or rushed. They feel like two kids in a desperate situation, finally giving in.

As I haven’t seen the original in some years, I can’t recall many other specific cuts. I do remember there being a fair amount of cheesy dialog that I didn’t see this go around.

I feel like this review is a little scattered, so I’ll sum it all up here. This edit is a major improvement over what was originally an awful, awful movie. Q2 trims the fat, and once he does it becomes clear the story told here is actually sort of interesting. I can’t compare it to other edits but I can say this is damn well worth your time. I’d watch this again before ever watching Episode I again (that movie is beyond saving).

I’d give George’s original film a 5/10.
I’d give Q2’s version a 7.5/10 (to say nothing of his technical ability, which is always 10/10).

Like Fall of the Jedi I, this is much better than the original.

I liked the intro with ship landing and just blowing up. However the problem it causes is that, as we don't know who is on it, we are uninvested in the craft exploding. A (dialogue-less?) shot of Amidala on the ship before this would have helped.

Great to continue the reduced JarJar and 3PO. Much improved (i.e. removed) dialogue. And liked the addition of the short dart-testing scene. Good work removing the droid factory fight scene.
The love story reduced to a single look/kiss as the couple are about to die, is excellent.

So all good, great to watch... I guess the issue is the Yoda/Dooku fight. This scene cut does give you something wonderful, which is Dooku suddenly gets character complexity (in a prequel trilogy movie!!). He has the option to kill his defeated enemies, but instead is conflicted, and shows mercy. It's an excellent contrast to Anakin in the next movie, when in the reverse situation he executes Dooku. Brilliant.
But the price we have to pay for that upside is the loss of a really wonderful moment for fans who have at this point watched 4.9 movies (given the order we all saw them in) of Yoda being wise and peaceful, and telling other people what to do. And then he walks into a situation where two Jedi have been defeated and violence is required, and he delivers.

I get that people see it as ridiculous that Yoda is "flying around" in this scene. But, well... he's short! That's how a skilled fighter that small would have to fight a large opponent!

But hey. Overall another great piece of work by Q2. Watch it!

(A caveat before I begin: I hate the source material for this edit, so I did not take into account my bias when giving a score for enjoyment.)

This is a huge improvement over the theatrical cut! All of the trilogy-spanning edit decisions made in Q2's Phantom Menace cut carry over here, so that means no R2D2 or C3PO, no knowledge of the Sith puppetmaster's identity (other than a slight mistrust), and very little Jar-Jar. In addition, he's somehow managed to make the romance between Padme and Anakin feel authentic and organic, as opposed to unbelievable and forced, and he's taken out that ridiculous fight between Yoda and Dooku. The pacing is also greatly improved, the story feels more focused, and the trade-outs between theatrical material and deleted scenes worked beautifully. I still don't consider this a very good movie, but at least now it's somewhat exciting and feels more like Star Wars. The best thing I can say to make my point is that, when it ended, I couldn't wait to watch the third one. I've never liked any of these prequels, so for me to feel that way is completely unexpected. Kudos. If you want to watch the prequels again, watch Q2's versions.

The only change I don't agree with is removing "I have a bad feeling about this." Ultimately, it doesn't make much of a difference, but, c'mon, it's Star Wars.

Well, what can I say? Q2 has done it again! just as promised this version of Ep II, as is Q2′s other edits, they cut anything that breaks continuity with the OT, well mostly. Warning: Spoilers ahead.
It is obvious, and you can’t blame no one, except for Lucas himself, it is impossible to cut all of C3PO and R2. But they’re never referenced by name but that is certainly okay, at least for me. These OT focused cuts, are what really drives me to love these edits. On the other hand I’m not so certain on other thematic matters.
While the droid factory is, for the first time I know of entirely cut, and the wonderful execution of the “toxic dart” plot (and this totally adds to Padme’s character. Although the trial deleted scene might have been a nice addition to add some much need clarification of what exactly is going on) there are several times I asked myself, “What?” Several examples come up. One, I always liked the “I hate it when he does that” line, when you properly cut all the sh*t between Anakin and Obi-Wan, that line changes meaning, and in my mind, makes it feel like they’re best friends, in the way that they like to poke at each other from time to time. Another thing was Obi-Wan going to get a drink. For one, it’s humor, but not childish humor. And two, it adds a lighter tone to the mind tricks used in “A New Hope”. Another thing, was the action between Jango and Obi on Kamino. Just gonna say it. It screams PT! I would much rather have cut it down similar to L8’s version and replaced it with the sequence over Geonosis. “This is why I hate flying”. Now what I cannot believe is that, “I have a bad feeling about this…” is cut. It’s legendary Star Wars! No further explanation. Finally, I would have cut the public execution scene down further, it just felt a tad long compared to the rest of the pacing. Otherwise, the edit was perfect.
Anyhow, I highly recommend seeing this edit for anyone here. It might or might not be your go-to version of Ep II.
Great Job, Q2! 9/10

Nice effort by Q2 - Highly recommended!