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

This, for me is the perfect edit for Attack of the Clones.

In my opinion, Attack of the Clones is the worst out of the 3 prequel movies. The romantic bullshit, the love cliché environment just made this movie silly, ridiculous.

Now the movie is compact, the romance is BELIEVABLE, adding the deleted scene was a wise decision, and it sets the relationship more as a normal one... even if it is special.

The scene after the Tusken Raider killing is now in a good level of tension, and removes the silly sentences by Anakin.

Removing R2 and C3PO works perfectly too, you don't even realise many of the cuts. This also happens with all the unnecessary bullshit in this movie... now it is a good movie!! A whole new experience for me...

Also, Yoda is not a flying rat with a lightsaber anymore. Thumbs up!!!

This is my new Attack of the clones version. Thank you!!!!


Just a couple of suggestions:
- I know it is not a big issue but I would have chosen a different moment to cut after Anakin is defeated by Dooku... it seems a bit weird, even if I get the idea.
- I would try to cut out the "Yep" of Boba Fett. He should be, for me, the quiet little guy...

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).

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.

Nice effort by Q2 - Highly recommended!

There isn't much here to say that I didn't say in my review of Fall of the Jedi I. Everything I said there holds true for this movie as well. All the nonsense is gone and what we have now is a reasonably good film. Rated the narrative down just a bit, but that probably just because the theatrical version is even less salvageable than either I or III.