Addendum to Review of Star Wars - Episode II: Attack of the Clones
I have now seen the digital projection version of Episode II. Calling it a separate version is misleading. The content of the film is no different whether you view it via a standard film projection system or a digital projection system. However, I can definitely tell you that the quality of the picture is
dramatically better with the digital projection. Everything is just... crisper, and maybe even a little brighter. While the film projection showing seemed a little blurry or washed out (just a very, very little, I must add), everything in the digital projection showing looked sharp and rich in detail. This time Yoda's face was rich in detail and imrpoved the appearnce of his digital self appreciably. If you have the opportunity to see this film projected digitally, do so! If not, rest assured that the digital shooting of the film will render the inevitable DVD (rumored to be coming out in November of 2002) an absolutely gorgeous small-screen translation.
I must also say that some of my criticism of the dialogue and the film in general seems a bit harsh after this second viewing. After seeing the movie a second time, and with a less rambunctious audience, my opinion of most aspects improved. The dialogue is still a bit corny and stilted. But it plays better when the audience is not laughing and you can actually hear what is being said and pay closer attention to the performances. My appreciation for Ewan McGregor's portrayal grew upon a second viewing, as did my opinion of Hayden Christensen. The dialogue is still a bit stilted. But Christensen at least manages to infuse the character of Anakin with plenty of... emotions. Unfortunately, my opinion of Natalie Portman's performance in the role of Padme Amidala lessened a bit. In my earlier review I chalked a lot of the woodeness of her character to Lucas' dialogue. However, in this second viewing, I found that too often her deliver seemed rote and flat. Granted, the dialogue for Padme was filled with too many lines containg such overly formal phrases liek "I will not" and "I cannot," but her delivery adds little emphasis or emotion to the words in many cases. She does better in her physical performance, the expressions on her face, than in her spoken dialogue. And I really wanted to like Natalie! Okay, I still do. I just think she could have done better.
Nevertheless, my opinion of EPisode II has improved. Upon a second viewing, I relaized there was more to see, more going on, than was readily appreciable in a first sitting. That bodes well, in many ways, for the movie and the Star Wars franchise. And the lines for the movie on this, its third weekend, were still pretty good sized.
Well, that's all for now, and hopefully the last I'll say for awhile on this subject.
Seeya,
...and yes, I have to say it,
"May the Force be with you all."
