Review of Star Wars: Episode II Attack Of The Clones (2 Discs)

Introduction

The success of the first three Star Wars movies, parts 4 to 6 in the Star Wars saga, gave George Lucas the money to make parts 1 to 3, but he waited until the late 1990s before making Episode 1, a film that to many was a technological delight, but lacking in substance, and of course, there`s the ever annoying Jar Jar Binks.

Episode 2, a.k.a. The Attack of the Clones, came to cinemas earlier this year, with the tough job of being appealing to die hard Star Wars fans, winning over those who didn`t like Episode 1 and still being popular with today`s audience.

And unlike Episode 1, the second instalment has come to DVD a lot faster - all we can hope for now is an annual helping of Star Wars on DVD, beginning with the original movie next year...

Video

Episode 1 featured some of the best CGI effects ever produced, but as good as the video on the DVD was, it was marred at times by edge enhancement that ruined much of ILM`s sterling work.

Fortunately, Episode 2 doesn`t have this "feature" and instead delivers a knockout picture, wonderfully sharp and crisp, with the direct digital transfer giving a clean image with no dirt or grain whatsoever.

Another complaint about Episode 1 was that it took too long to get going, again, Episode 2 rectifies this problem with a breathtaking night-time chase at the start of the movie, which looks quite remarkable on DVD as is a great way to show off your system.

There is hardly a shot in the film that doesn`t feature CGI of some sort - from the crowded skies literally filled with spacecraft, to the all new CGI Yoda to the huge battles, and all of it looks fantastic.

Audio

Episode 1 set a new standard for Dolby Digital Sound, with a very aggressive Dolby Digital 5.1 EX sound mix providing the big sound to match the visuals. Disappointingly, George Lucas has stuck with Dolby Digital 5.1 EX and not plumped for the superior range and power of a DTS-ES 6.1 soundtrack, however, the EX track is every bit as good as the first film, and provides plenty of action from all directions. The sixth channel is put to good effect and certainly adds extra depth to the soundstage.

Apart from the famous score, there are effects from everywhere, and it is all very well reproduced, but the soundtrack, although bassy, just does not have the power of some other recent releases, for example the DTS-ES 6.1 mix of Blade II, which is considerably more impressive. Had Episode 2 carried a DTS-ES 6.1 track, it would undoubtedly be the new audio reference disc, as it stands, it is merely excellent.

Features

The first movie included some quality extras, and there is more of the same on offer here.

Disc one also includes a commentary track from George Lucas amongst others, and provides the useful technical and anecdotal information about the movie.

The second platter features the majority of the extras including eight deleted scenes created especially for this release (and what on earth is the point of that? - deleted scenes should be those shot during the film and dropped in the cutting room, not some gimmick), an interesting documentary; numerous featurettes dealing with many aspects of the film; a music video; trailers and TV spots and a gallery.

Both discs feature excellent animated menus that are very impressive.

Conclusion

Overall, Episode 2 is a considerable improvement over Episode 1 in terms of entertainment, but still lacks the substance of the first three movies. Much of this problem is down to the script, which at times is dreadful, but luckily for the most part the dialogue is kept to a minimum as Lucas leads us from one sequence to the next. One scene that SHOULD have been ditched in the cutting room floor sees Anakin and Padme rolling around in the grass and Anakin (or rather a poor CGI likeness) riding on the back of a cow-like animal - awful!

The film does however start to fill the gaps from Episode 1 to 4, and we can see Anakin`s power developing, along with some pointers to his future role in the Star Wars saga.

The video is of reference standard, and the sound is also excellent, but not as good as it could have been. The extras are also good, but not as ground breaking as those seen on Episode 1 last year.

Overall, an excellent DVD, but I`d much rather the real thing I`m afraid. Roll on Episode 4.