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[soundscream]

*floating apple gif*

 

[WadiumArcadium]

Both are fantastic.



Yeah, I'll go with this.

Welcome to the asylum.

 

[Adam_Vania]

This is my opinion as well. They're both middling, but at least Attack of the Clones has meaning. Things happen. TPM is complete mediocre fluff. You're watching a bad film and end none the wiser.

TPM ruins the Jedi from the very first scene. they aren't mystical guardians of peace, they are just some diplomats. they don't have amazing powers of observation because they have no idea this is a trap. the bad guys they have to defeat are faceless cgi robots cut down by the dozens with easy, effectively demonstrating, right at the start of the film, that the main villains will be no threat to our heroes whatsoever.

this is all called bad storytelling. and we haven't even gotten to midichlorians and stepping in shit yet.

 

[Beren the Empty-Handed]

Both are fant4stic.

Ftfy

 

[hydruxo]

Attack of the Clones. I can't remember a thing about it tbh.

Phantom Menace at least had pod racing and the Darth Maul lightsaber fight.

 

[lightskintwin]

phantom menace is prolly the only prequel film i can tolerate now.

This. I rewatched the prequels recently and thought the Phantom Menace was the best one. Attack of the Clones is trash and Revenge of The Sith is horrible and vastly overrated for supposedly being the best one out of the trilogy (It's not).

 

[NealMcCauley]

Attack of the Clones killed my interest in SW, so that.

I will admit I'd like to see the imax version of the movie. It cut out 20 minutes and is all the better because of it apparently.

 

[shaneskim]

 

[TDLink]

This isn't even a conversation. Attack of the Clones.

TPM had least had some decent action scenes, a coherent plot, a decent antagonistic presence, and Qui-Gon (who was well played by Liam Neeson).

Attack of the Clones has several things happen, but none of them come together to serve a central plot. The opening failed assassination and car chase goes on far too long in order to pad out a thin plot in the rest of the film. The Padme/Anakin love story is one of the worst romances I've ever seen on film. Count Dooku is established very late and isn't a particularly great antagonist. Jango Fett, the antagonist the film was actually building, is offed unceremoniously. The ending act is a flurry of lightsabers and CG with little clear focus.

 

[Cormano]

That's because Padme was a freak.

Lol.

Now that I think about it, TPM because of Darth Maul.

 

[JimJamJones]

With TPM, you can at least see that Lucas was trying (with everything but the script).

AOTC was just pathetic. It completely ruined the mystique of the OT Anakin Skywalker.

 

[Spiritwalker]

There's zero doubt in my mind - Clones is the worst SW by a country mile. And that says a lot considering how bad TPM is.

 

[Spieler Eins]

Both are fantastic.



Yeah, I'll go with this.

 

[guek]

Clones is easily worse, there's no contest.

 

[LeadenStride]

The Phantom Menace is kind of okayish with bits or portions of scenes constantly keeping it down. Attack of the Clones has barely any tolerable sequences in it. There's only one thing I like about it, and that's C-3PO saying "shut me down" when being in disbelief. That's maybe one second. Even the Camino part sucks because these dudes that were able to produce a massive army of perfect clones can't even tell that the hobo who just walked in from the rain has no idea about what is going on.
And Revenge of the Sith is the second worse. Just about anything in it is just way over the top.

 

[Brian_FETO]

As someone who was a kid when the prequels came out and enjoyed them because lightsabers were cool, Clones has always been boring trash. The only thing I remember liking was like the Yoda fight scene

Even if they are poor movies in hindsight there's fun to be had in Phantom and Revenge (especially for kids)

 

[TheDinoman]

Absoutely Attack of the Clones, good lord.

Phantom Menace is bad and all, but to give it some credit it at least felt like a real movie with actual sets and practical stuff. AOTC on the other hand is just a PS2 looking video game. I know there were supposedly some practical shit in there but it's all buried under mountains of poorly rendered and directed CGI. With a god awful love story.

 

[Firebrand]

Phantom Menace >>> Revenge of the Sith >>>>>>>> Attack of the Clones

AotC looked like the evolution of 90s CD-ROM FMV games.

 

[Tuck]

Phantom menace is a movie about nothing. At least the other two had some semblance of a plot.

 

[Neff]

Someone is in denial if they think the prequels aren't the poster boy for commerce over art.

The PT feels like a story Lucas wanted to tell. I heard he was doing ok for money back then, and still is.

TFA feels like a story Disney were terribly, deathly afraid of not upsetting anyone with, to the point where it was straightjacketed by its utter dedication to avoiding every idea, concept, and direction entertained in the prequels by a galactic mile. Having OT imagery and references rammed down my throat every 5 seconds wasn't necessary. I don't need to be reminded of how much I like the classic Star Wars films, even less so while I'm watching a Star Wars film.

TFA isn't a bad film, but it's easily the least best Star Wars film.

 

[Surfinn]

Both are fantastic.



Yeah, I'll go with this.

Lol insanity. SW comes down to characters and who cares about any them the prequels? Who are you invested in?

 

[Soapbox Killer]

While I don't hate the prequels, at all, I can safely say that Attack of the Clones is the worst movie in the franchise. The Phantom Menace is a dope Star Wars movie , regardless of Jar Jar.

 

[RPGCrazied]

The Phantom Menace by a country mile. Jar Jar, the little kid playing Anakin. The only redeemable thing it had was the darth maul fight.

 

[Neff]

Lol insanity. SW comes down to characters and who cares about any them the prequels? Who are you invested in?

Uh, all of them?

 

[Hyun Sai]

Attack of the clones was actually fun in the "so bad it's good" area (and no kid Anakin, no Jar Jar, more Obi), whereas I was bored to death in Phantom Menace.

So PM was worse.

 

[Dash_Riprock]

This. I rewatched the prequels recently and thought the Phantom Menace was the best one. Attack of the Clones is trash and Revenge of The Sith is horrible and vastly overrated for supposedly being the best one out of the trilogy (It's not).

This is my exact opinion well. I still cannot fathom why some people say RotS is the best of the prequels. Well, I can, but nonstop fan service and grimdark tone has never been enticing to me. Not by themselves, at least.

 

[Schlorgan]

The PT feels like a story Lucas wanted to tell. I heard he was doing ok for money back then, and still is.

TFA feels like a story Disney were terribly, deathly afraid of not upsetting anyone with, to the point where it was straightjacketed by its utter dedication to avoiding every idea, concept, and direction entertained in the prequels by a galactic mile. Having OT imagery and references rammed down my throat every 5 seconds wasn't necessary. I don't need to be reminded of how much I like the classic Star Wars films, even less so while I'm watching a Star Wars film.

TFA isn't a bad film, but it's easily the least best Star Wars film.

Whatever floats your boat.

Spoiler

But like the man himself said: "It's like poetry. It rhymes." ;p

 

[supermarioworldE]

Attack of the Clones completely bored me the first time I saw it. It felt like absolutely nothing significant happened outside of the forced Anakin/Padme relationship, and the Emperor acquiring his army.

 

[sirap]

Attack of the Clones loses because of the premature move to digital. Blown out highlights makes my eyes bleed.

 

[Surfinn]

The PT feels like a story Lucas wanted to tell. I heard he was doing ok for money back then, and still is.

TFA feels like a story Disney were terribly, deathly afraid of not upsetting anyone with, to the point where it was straightjacketed by its utter dedication to avoiding every idea, concept, and direction entertained in the prequels by a galactic mile. Having OT imagery and references rammed down my throat every 5 seconds wasn't necessary. I don't need to be reminded of how much I like the classic Star Wars films, even less so while I'm watching a Star Wars film.

TFA isn't a bad film, but it's easily the least best Star Wars film.

And what story is that? A lazy, incoherent mess no one can fully decipher or care about?

The funny thing is if these films were exactly the same but created by someone else, they'd be thoroughly panned by HC Lucas fans.

This is not a story that should have been told when the level of quality is so obviously poor.

 

[Sesuadra]

There are two narratives on this. One is that George is a lone genius, and one is that George is a moron and was constantly saved by others (Huyck and Katz, Kurtz, Marcia).

I don't think either of those is true.

Have you read Rinzler's book on the making of A New Hope? I think it provides the best account of the process the film went through, and I came out of it with both more appreciation for George than ever before, AND a lot of appreciation for his gifted collaborators.

I think the prequels are the way they are because George Lucas became a mogul. He struggled to see his own films as an organic piece of storytelling, aware as he was of the degree to which Star Wars was a larger media "brand" that the film was only a part of. I also think that after spending 30 years innovating in effects with all of his companies it became difficult for him to separate that from what the film actually needed. I think James Cameron and Peter Jackson have had some similar difficulties with recent films.

Exactly.

And the "the making of ..." books about the original trilogy are amazing. Honestly everyone who wants to shit on George Lucas should read them first.

For me he lost his way. From someone who wanted to preserve movies in their original form to someone in love with special effects and maybe a little lost in the production of the new movies. I don't know...i mean i don't like the prequels but to say George Lucas is an idiot like so many do is wrong.

 

[obin_gam]

Isn't Clones even filmed in sub-HD? I remember reading that the digital cameras they used were only SD which effectively makes the movie un-restorable to higher quality.

 

[Surfinn]

Uh, all of them?

You can honestly say you're invested in Padme or Anakin as characters? They're cardboard cutouts and hallow shells of who they should be.

 

[Neff]

And what story is that? A lazy, incoherent mess no one can fully decipher or care about?

Lucas definitely wants you to piece things together for yourself, and you do have to sit up and pay attention, but generally I think the story of the PT is quite straightforward.

As a lifelong, passionate Star Wars fan, I cared about Anakin's story very much.

You can honestly say you're invested in Padme or Anakin as characters? They're cardboard cutouts and hallow shells of who they should be.

Well then there's your problem. Lucas didn't make the movie you wanted.

There are two narratives on this. One is that George is a lone genius, and one is that George is a moron and was constantly saved by others (Huyck and Katz, Kurtz, Marcia).

I don't think either of those is true.

Have you read Rinzler's book on the making of A New Hope? I think it provides the best account of the process the film went through, and I came out of it with both more appreciation for George than ever before, AND a lot of appreciation for his gifted collaborators.

I think the prequels are the way they are because George Lucas became a mogul. He struggled to see his own films as an organic piece of storytelling, aware as he was of the degree to which Star Wars was a larger media "brand" that the film was only a part of.

Lucas was rusty when he stepped back into the director's chair, no doubt about it, but overall he did a good job. He obviously had a clear vision of what he wanted to put onscreen, and he did that. I think Ben Burtt should take some of the blame for the PT's more awkward moments, though. His only commercial editing experience until that point was working on the Young Indy series and a couple of docs, and there are lots of moments where Burtt edits the PT like a TV show, causing a lot of scenes to fall flat. While it's trendy to hail Marcia as one of the unsung heroes of Star Wars, she really did an amazing job.

 

[MrBadger]

Phantom Menace had Duel of Fates. Attack of the Clones had depressing monologues about sand.

 

[Wollan]

Attack of the Clones at least provided a great cinema experience for me. I remember walking out feeling it was a five out of five. Partly because I didn't follow it's development at all having been let down by Phantom Menace so I went in as a casual with not much expectations. On second viewing though Attack of the Clones nose-dived and I prefer parts of Phantom better.

 

[JordanN]

The Phantom Menace by a country mile. Jar Jar, the little kid playing Anakin. The only redeemable thing it had was the darth maul fight.

I wonder why people hate Jar Jar.

His shtick is obviously to make you laugh. He's no different to C-3PO or R2-D2.

 

[Sojgat]

Attack of the Clones.

Phantom Menace is the best prequel.

 

[Sesuadra]

Isn't Clones even filmed in sub-HD? I remember reading that the digital cameras they used were only SD which effectively makes the movie un-restorable to higher quality.

The cameras record in the 16:9 HDCAM format (1080p), although the image was cropped to a 2.40:1 widescreen ratio. The area above and below the 2.40 extraction area was available for Lucas to reframe the picture as necessary in post-production. Despite Lucas' efforts to persuade movie theaters to switch to digital projectors for viewing of Episode II, few theaters did.

from Wikipedia

 

[Meowster]

Lol insanity. SW comes down to characters and who cares about any them the prequels? Who are you invested in?

I cared/liked Padmé and Obi-Wan. Even though Natalie was a little wooden after Menace, I still liked the character until her weak broken heart death. Anakin was done okay throughout Revenge of the Sith but most of the time during the Prequels, I was rooting for Obi-Wan. Bless the Clone Wars for giving us the Anakin we needed but not necessarily deserved.

 

[NealMcCauley]

Isn't Clones even filmed in sub-HD? I remember reading that the digital cameras they used were only SD which effectively makes the movie un-restorable to higher quality.

The cameras were early 1080p models iirc, which is why the movie looks so soft. Because the movie's in scope the total pixel count is 1920x800 or so.

 

[gutter_trash]

Attack of the Clones was worse, it managed to lower the bar previously set by the Phantom Menace

*I am not a Jar Jar hater because the rest of supporting cast were so stiff and boring to the point that it made Jar Jar's antics actually welcomed to help pass the time due to the boring ass supporting cast putting everyone to sleep

 

[Dash_Riprock]

Lucas definitely wants you to piece things together for yourself, and you do have to sit up and pay attention, but generally I think the story of the PT is quite straightforward.

Ah yes, the DCEU defense.

Its not straightforward, and lmfao Lucas is not Stanley Kubrick and he SURE AS SHIT is not Cormac McCarthy or the Coen brothers. Lucas wrote these movies for kids, remember? That people have such trouble following the narrative of the PT speaks about Lucas' failures as writer, not the tired BS argument that audiences are too dumb to follow the movie.

I swear the way defenders bend over backwards to excuse any of Lucas' faults as being intentional is more entertaining than the PT itself.

 

[Surfinn]

Lucas definitely wants you to piece things together for yourself, and you do have to sit up and pay attention, but generally I think the story of the PT is quite straightforward.

As a lifelong, passionate Star Wars fan, I cared about Anakin's story very much.



Well then there's your problem. Lucas didn't make the movie you wanted.

The problem is not that you cannot piece things together for yourself if you pay attention but that you aren't invested enough to care to actually do that.

You're right, he didn't make the movies I wanted. You know there's a huge problem when you walk out of a theater after a premiere as an eleven year old thinking "my god that was a bad movie". I honestly felt like crying, lol. And that's with no preconceptions about what the movie was other than genuinely believing I was about to watch a great SW film.

 

[hiro_x]

PM - I hate Mr. Binks but I can watch the entire movie

Clones - I always skip to Kamino scene and then to Geonosis

 

[PlatypusDude]

Attack of the Clones, The Phantom Menace at least has a couple of cool set pieces like the Darth Maul dual and the Pod Racing scene and its issues can be entertaining in the so bad it's good type of way. Attack of the Clones on the other hand is just flat out boring for 80% of the movie.

 

[cyberheater]

That's how bad those films where. Lucas thought it was credible to put this utter moron in charge for fuck sake. Jesus H Christ.

 

[Surfinn]

I cared/liked Padmé and Obi-Wan. Even though Natalie was a little wooden after Menace, I still liked the character until her weak broken heart death. Anakin was done okay throughout Revenge of the Sith but most of the time during the Prequels, I was rooting for Obi-Wan. Bless the Clone Wars for giving us the Anakin we needed but not necessarily deserved.

The thing that's crazy to me about the PT is just how much potential was squandered. You read the general story beats on paper and it sounds like a fucking goldmine within the SW universe.

I've never seen such a great idea so poorly executed.

 

[matrix-cat]

TPM is always going to have the distinction of establishing that infinitely depressing era of the Star Wars universe. The Jedi being weird, sexless space monks, who aren't allowed to get married because reasons, all chasing their tales over a prophecy that was never established (every hack writer's favourite crutch). The introduction of Coruscant, where the government is, because what else would we want in our sci-fi adventure series but a look into the space Senate, where space laws are passed by space Senators? Basically Lucas' compulsion to flesh out, explain everything, backstory backstory backstory, and all in the most miserable fashion. Look no further than the Force being explained as a bunch of bugs that live in your blood and the more blood bugs you have the better you are at doing Force things.

But at least we liked Liam Neeson, and the Podrace was neat, and the Darth Maul fight was cool. Attack of the Clones is just a garbage movie that couldn't even get shameless fanservice right. Boba Fett, Clonetroopers, Yoda using a lightsabre, Anakin using two lightsabres; easy slamdunks, yet somehow they botched it all. And those romance scenes, where nobody told Lucas his dialogue sounded like two unsuspecting chatbots trying to woo eachother.

Revenge of the Sith is just as bad as the other two. It's the only one where anything of consequence to the big picture happens, so I get why people think it's 'the good one', but the execution of all those things is just so poor. Pivotal scenes, thirty years in the making, that are just flat out badly done. Ian McDiarmid chewing the scenery is the one bright spark in that whole shitshow.

Long story short: TPM had some OK bits, I guess.

 

[JTripper]

Phantom Menace had Duel of Fates.

Only good point in this thread.