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Which film was worse...The Phantom Menace or Attack of the Clones?
- Thread starter SpaceWolf
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dragonyeuw
Member
lol exactly, how the hell you gonna have dinner by the fire looking like that, and cocktease a guy?
I recommend you watch it because there are a handful of decent scenes (well maybe a few). And the score is amazing. It's easily the best prequel film and had there been even semi-decent overall writing/direction, it could have been a good movie.
Lots of potentially classic scenes are squandered by bizarrely acted/hammy/campy performances and direction.
Let's agree to disagree on that.
I think the The Revenge of the Sith is probably the worst of the prequels. It has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, other than that it's the last one.
Not a chance. EP1/2 are better films than EP3? At least something decent happens with the story and we get to see Anakin become Vader. Sure it's got all of the same problems the previous two films have but in no way is it any worse than TPM or AToC. That's just silly.
But agree to disagree.
adamantypants
Member
Before I clicked into this thread, I was sure AotC was the better movie. Now I'm not so sure. You fuckers are really going to make me watch the prequels again.
I can't think of a single moment from AoTC that was worth remembering in a positive light. Can anyone even name one? Maybe the scene between Anakin and his mom?
I actually rewatched TPM recently and I gotta say... the movie is fucking dreadful. Almost nothing happens and the acting is godawful. Kid Anakin is by far the best thing about it, his clumsy enthusiasm is a breath of fresh air compared to the zombie-like 'acting' by everyone else. Like, Natalie Portman sounds exactly the same regardless of whether she's talking to the senate, giving orders under fire or having pleasant conversation with an 8-year old. McGregor seems barely alive and I'm convinced Liam Neeson was asleep for at least half of his lines. Even the fight at the end, which I fondly remembered, was boring as fuck. I didn't care for any of the main characters and Maul had barely been on screen before then. Plus, what little excitement there was got sucked out by the 'comedic' shenanigans of Jar Jar vs the droids and little Ani's first dogfight. Watching TPM again was downright painful so of course I'm going to watch ATOC and Revenge too. I don't remember much about 'em but they need to be pretty fucking bad to have any chance of beating TPM. I didn't much care for The Force Awakens but it's fucking Citizen Kane compared to TPM.
May the Force be with you.. you're gunna need it.
Though I disagree with you. I think Jar Jar is tied with Young Anakin for worst components of TPM.
Lionel Richie
Member
How is this even a question? Phantom Menace had dat racing part that led to my favorite Star Wars game ever. It had Darth Maul. It had Liam fucking Neeson. It didn't have Hayden Christensen. Attack of the Clones is just a big fucking joke.
I did kind of enjoy Revenge of the Sith though. It was goofy as fuck but at least it was kind of fun.
I did kind of enjoy Revenge of the Sith though. It was goofy as fuck but at least it was kind of fun.
I agree with this. Once you realize it's goofy as fuck/campy, it does become more fun. But I still can't believe it exists, along with the two before it.
Nah, you misread... Kid Ani is the best part of the movie. That's what really surprised me. I expected to hate him on my rewatch just like most people do but I didn't. Yeah the kid isn't the best actor but at least he's trying. At least he acts and sounds human. All the other actors sound more robotic than the droids. Hell, Jar Jar is nothing compared to how incredibly dull Portman, Neeson and McGregor are. All great actors but they suck so hard in TPM. I'm actually curious about the acting in AOTC and Revenge because TPM was genuinely shocking. I did not remember the acting being this bad. I do know that even as a kid I hated Hayden Christensen so maybe the next two will be even more painful than TPM but I have a hard time imagining worse acting to be honest.
Sure, he's more energetic than others in the movie, I'll give you that but my god it wouldn't break the immersion for me any more if he were literally reading off of cards on screen. A child version of Tommy Wiseau. I cannot fathom how someone could watch TPM and not be immediately ripped out from the established universe with the way he consistently overacts and butchers his lines. Of course, the content he has to work with is often terrible but even when it's decent the kid just sucks. Feels like the director/writer promised their grandson a starring role in a SW movie.
dragonyeuw
Member
The Jedi in general were portrayed as dull and stoic. Anakin may have been a whiny asshole, but he was the only one with a personality( as shitty as it generally was and portrayed).
Darth Pinche
Member
This is fantastic! Extra points for the superior dark theme.
Count Dookkake
Member
I hear you. That's why I included that first sentence.
I used your thoughts on cloning and genetic engineering as an entry point to go off on a somewhat related tangent.
Comparing the Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones is a redundant exercise. ATOTC is in my opinion, the worst film ever. The Phantom Menace is a disaster but it does have memorable moments; Duel of Fates soundtrack, Darth Maul's design, Pod race. The characters are boring, plot none sense and the script is just shocking but it is on another level to that of Clones.
Clones is just awful from the very first shot. Every single shot has some dodgy CGI that is noticable and totally breaks and engagement with the film. Even the way characters move is so rigid and stiff because the actors have no fucking clue what was happening in the environments. Even the framing of real humans like the scene with Obi Wan & Jango is off. The close up's is a good idea highlighting the tensions and distrust they feel, but the cameras are in between shot types (it's just off)it looks amateur.
Also the editing is terribly paced and at times the establishing shots are confusingly similar to the previous shots (again breaking any engagement). The battles are badly dated now, the actors are visably being manipulated around a digital set by an artist during the arena fight.
There are no memorable moments from Attack of the Clones other than painful ones like Yoda, Factory conveyor belt, love story, Dexter, infruiating Cgi.
Clones is just awful from the very first shot. Every single shot has some dodgy CGI that is noticable and totally breaks and engagement with the film. Even the way characters move is so rigid and stiff because the actors have no fucking clue what was happening in the environments. Even the framing of real humans like the scene with Obi Wan & Jango is off. The close up's is a good idea highlighting the tensions and distrust they feel, but the cameras are in between shot types (it's just off)it looks amateur.
Also the editing is terribly paced and at times the establishing shots are confusingly similar to the previous shots (again breaking any engagement). The battles are badly dated now, the actors are visably being manipulated around a digital set by an artist during the arena fight.
There are no memorable moments from Attack of the Clones other than painful ones like Yoda, Factory conveyor belt, love story, Dexter, infruiating Cgi.
Michael F. Assbender
Banned
iunderstoodthatreference.gif
brandonh83
Banned
Even if you were being sarcastic, this entire trilogy isn't by Abrams. He laid the groundwork with Kasdan and worked with the Lucasfilm story group so whatever twists or revelations that are coming are going to be more of a group effort.
I can't wait to see which sci-fi franchise Portman fucks up next.
Michael F. Assbender
Banned
Neff
Member
This is all I need to take from this thread to realise that reason has eagerly succumbed to hyperbole.
Nappuccino
Member
I've fallen asleep during Attack of the Clones both of the times I tried to watch it.
I've probably seen The Phantom Menance four times in my life. If that metric matters, TPM is more watchable.
But I guess you could also argue that Attack of the Clones is the more honorable movie. It prevented me from watching it.
I've probably seen The Phantom Menance four times in my life. If that metric matters, TPM is more watchable.
But I guess you could also argue that Attack of the Clones is the more honorable movie. It prevented me from watching it.
That's pretty unfair. She had poor writing and direction, like everyone else in the prequels.
Michael F. Assbender
Banned
I don't think there's anything wrong with what he said. Compare what each movie was trying to be and how close each came to reaching that goal.
Transformers was meant to be a big, loud spectacle starring giant robots that can turn into other shit. It succeeded at that. Shit blew up real good and the human characters were there to react to those explosions. Story was meant to be secondary (unless you believe Michael Bay was really hoping to win an Oscar for this turd).
TPM was meant to continue the tradition of one of the most beloved movie franchises in history--a franchise known for fast action, memorable main characters, and cool aliens. We got a snoozefest political story starring planks of wood dressed in robes and racial stereotypes posing as aliens. TPM failed miserably in reaching its goal.
I'm not saying Transformers was the better movie. I just can't say it's not.
You're deluding yourself if you think what he said is hyperbole.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_episode_i_the_phantom_menace
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/transformers_the_movie
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120915/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418279/
They're pretty even with T1 having an edge in terms of ratings from both critics and fans.
I still would rather watch TPM because I love SW and I think Transformers is the worst, most shallow type of entertainment, but the two films are arguably in the same league.
I'll also add: TPM is probably one of the worst aged film I've ever seen (Jar Jar literally looks like a fucking cartoon character now considering the archaic/misused CGI). AToC is right there with it.
Neff
Member
Personally, I will never endorse a movie which straight up insults my intelligence, no matter how supposedly modest its artistic aspirations are.
I was actually kinda depressed after watching Transformers, realising as I did that blockbuster filmmaking had established a new fathom of shit, and that people not only thought it was ok, but actually liked it.
TPM doesn't really make any sense but there's a more noticeable arc, and it's at least memorable.
After watching Clones I thought "What happened? Is it over?"
It didn't feel like they finished the movie. The most dramatic scenes with the Jedis fall flat, Jango Fett and his son are un-cool, and the CGI is just weird.
After watching Clones I thought "What happened? Is it over?"
It didn't feel like they finished the movie. The most dramatic scenes with the Jedis fall flat, Jango Fett and his son are un-cool, and the CGI is just weird.
Psamtik. Death's Demise
Banned
The Phantom Menace has a few dynamite scenes, and the film as a whole suggests a conscious desire on Lucas' part to make a clean(ish) break from the original trilogy, both aesthetically and tonally. It doesn't really work, but the effort's admirable.
Attack of the Clones, however, is a miserable slog punctuated by desperate, flailing fanservice that's only grown more embarrassing in retrospect (the Yoda/Dooku fight scene might be the series' nadir) - it suggests nothing save the abandonment of Lucas' hope that the prequels might be able to stand, self-contained, on their own.
Attack of the Clones, however, is a miserable slog punctuated by desperate, flailing fanservice that's only grown more embarrassing in retrospect (the Yoda/Dooku fight scene might be the series' nadir) - it suggests nothing save the abandonment of Lucas' hope that the prequels might be able to stand, self-contained, on their own.
D
Deleted member 59090
Unconfirmed Member
Phantom Menace is bad but it's easily the best one in the prequel trilogy.
Wafflecakes
Member
Clones is worse imo.
Phantom Menace had more charm and a better villain.
...and kid Anakin, while terrible, is still better then teen Anakin.
Phantom Menace had more charm and a better villain.
...and kid Anakin, while terrible, is still better then teen Anakin.
HuckleberryHound said:
The force has a will and it was the forces will for the Jedi to find Anakin, in some way or another. There are no accidents, just the force.
The Sith creation theory also involves the force conceiving Anakin. Darth Plagues, with the help of Sidious, created Anakin in such a perverted and unnatural way. He was intended on becoming a Sith super weapon. However, the force intervened and created the chosen one to destroy the Sith; unbeknownst to them. The Force knows perfectly what is was doing. The reason that Anakin was born in the Outer Rim world is to shape is mind. To make him a good person. To make him form an attachment with his mom, Shmi. To make him too old for the Jedi order to initially accept him. To corrupt his mind, deep down. To make the factor that, in the end, was exploited by Sidious. To make him to work for the Jedi, to eliminate the major amount of darkness. To place him close to the sole survivor of the Sith. To turn him to be a Sith, so he would wipe out the Jedi. And to finally turn him against his master, Sidious, so that the last Sith Lord is eliminated. To finally, truly, bring the balance to the Force.
Michael F. Assbender
Banned
I'm right there with you in not endorsing a movie that actively insults my intelligence, which is why I can't show support for Transformers or TPM.
They're both trash. Just for different reasons.
I just wanted to say I agree wholeheartedly with this post. WHOLE....HEARTEDLY!!!!!!
Nightshade
Member
The force has a will and it was the forces will for the Jedi to find Anakin, in some way or another. There are no accidents, just the force.
The Sith creation theory also involves the force conceiving Anakin. Darth Plagues, with the help of Sidious, created Anakin in such a perverted and unnatural way. He was intended on becoming a Sith super weapon. However, the force intervened and created the chosen one to destroy the Sith; unbeknownst to them. The Force knows perfectly what is was doing. The reason that Anakin was born in the Outer Rim world is to shape is mind. To make him a good person. To make him form an attachment with his mom, Shmi. To make him too old for the Jedi order to initially accept him. To corrupt his mind, deep down. To make the factor that, in the end, was exploited by Sidious. To make him to work for the Jedi, to eliminate the major amount of darkness. To place him close to the sole survivor of the Sith. To turn him to be a Sith, so he would wipe out the Jedi. And to finally turn him against his master, Sidious, so that the last Sith Lord is eliminated. To finally, truly, bring the balance to the Force.
Why did the Force need to kill all the Jedi to bring balance? What did they ever do to the Force?
Hmm, you have me very intrigued about this Cone Wars series. Curious as I've never heard about it. Is it a fairly new series? What channel does it or did it air on? Is it considered a good series by SW fans? I want to watch something good that develops the Anakin character.
Sorcerer
Member
Liam Neeson had said that a big problem with TPM is that everyone in the movie is wooden.
Those George Lucas directing skills.
Clones by a country mile. It is complete trash. There are some cool scenes - Obi-Wan being chased in his ship by Jango was great - but it's an absolutely dreadful film. And let's not start with what they did to Threepio.
Phantom Menace was bad, but nowhere near as bad as it's sequel.
Phantom Menace was bad, but nowhere near as bad as it's sequel.
KeyBladerXIII
Member
It was cancelled and replaced with Star Wars: Rebels which is on Disney XD, but all the seasons are available on Netflix. I say go for it.
Attack of the clones....
The movie that made me loath Star Wars.
I like Star Wars, the original trilogy is all kinds of great and I could see even in the 90's when I saw them that they were beloved for a reason.
I loved the games even when they were subpar, that Empire Strike back on OGB or Shadow of the Empire on the n64.
Heck the Rogue games were fantastic, all of them!
Even though the Phantom Menace was a bit underwhelming it's redeemed by the ship designs that were cool or Darth Maul.
I even wasted my time reading the Star Wars novels (and some of them were baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad).
The thing that all the supplemental media did that the PT utterly missed was making the Universe feel bigger than any piece of media.
The Rogue games were all about the conflict between the Empire and the Rebels which made it look like a very long and gigantic galaxy sized conflict.
It made it seems like the Empire was always there and would always be there in some way.
they sold us the PT as explaining how Dark Vador came to be, so sure the 1rst movie they find the brat or something. Surely the next movie you'll get Anakin turning evil and the last movie will be about the rise of the Empire?
Nope the entire 2nd movie is inconsequential.
Nothing happens, sure Padme now has the hots for creepy guy, there's a clone army for the Republic or some shit.
Oh and btw Yoda is now a somersaulting swordfighter who can't even deal with a middling jedi for some reason (especially considering how quickly he's dispatched in the last movie).
There's still the federation of who gives a shit in a battle with the Republic for some reason.
Every mistakes made in the 1rst movie is magnified by the gigantic turd of AotC.
There's not even an angle I can pick on this movie and somehow not find another part of the movie undermining it.
TPM had the advantage of being the surprise, AotC is when it sank in that Lucas was a hack.
The best thing about the trilogy is still the cartoon that is somehow not canon despite having the cool stuffs you expected from the movies!
The movie that made me loath Star Wars.
I like Star Wars, the original trilogy is all kinds of great and I could see even in the 90's when I saw them that they were beloved for a reason.
I loved the games even when they were subpar, that Empire Strike back on OGB or Shadow of the Empire on the n64.
Heck the Rogue games were fantastic, all of them!
Even though the Phantom Menace was a bit underwhelming it's redeemed by the ship designs that were cool or Darth Maul.
I even wasted my time reading the Star Wars novels (and some of them were baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad).
The thing that all the supplemental media did that the PT utterly missed was making the Universe feel bigger than any piece of media.
The Rogue games were all about the conflict between the Empire and the Rebels which made it look like a very long and gigantic galaxy sized conflict.
It made it seems like the Empire was always there and would always be there in some way.
they sold us the PT as explaining how Dark Vador came to be, so sure the 1rst movie they find the brat or something. Surely the next movie you'll get Anakin turning evil and the last movie will be about the rise of the Empire?
Nope the entire 2nd movie is inconsequential.
Nothing happens, sure Padme now has the hots for creepy guy, there's a clone army for the Republic or some shit.
Oh and btw Yoda is now a somersaulting swordfighter who can't even deal with a middling jedi for some reason (especially considering how quickly he's dispatched in the last movie).
There's still the federation of who gives a shit in a battle with the Republic for some reason.
Every mistakes made in the 1rst movie is magnified by the gigantic turd of AotC.
There's not even an angle I can pick on this movie and somehow not find another part of the movie undermining it.
TPM had the advantage of being the surprise, AotC is when it sank in that Lucas was a hack.
The best thing about the trilogy is still the cartoon that is somehow not canon despite having the cool stuffs you expected from the movies!
maximum360
Member
I recently watched the Phantom Menace again trying to get my kids into Star Wars. It really ranks up there with one of the worst films ever made. I forgot how bad it was. I don't really the Clone Wars ever being that bad.
I didn't like either, the whole prequel trilogy is awful.
I will give the edge to Attack of the Clones though because that movie did give me what would become one of my favourite Star Wars related things:
Fuck yeah.
I will give the edge to Attack of the Clones though because that movie did give me what would become one of my favourite Star Wars related things:
Star Wars: Clone Wars, the good one by Genndy Tartakovsky, look it up.
Fuck yeah.
I didn't like either, the whole prequel trilogy is awful.
I will give the edge to Attack of the Clones though because that movie did give me what would become one of my favourite Star Wars related things:
Star Wars: Clone Wars, the good one by Genndy Tartakovsky, look it up.
Fuck yeah.
Put a Star Wars reel at the beginning and you've got the Attack of the Clones as it should have been.
Darth Pinche
Member
YES!!! That series really showed what Jedi in their prime were capable of, as well as an army made of clones of a super bad ass mercenary.
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