I actually agree AOTC is underrated. It feels strange saying that, because for the longest time it was my least favourite Star Wars movie (only dethroned by TROS). I still find it awkward to watch at times, and think parts are badly done, but there are MANY aspects of the basic story premise I think are fantastic. Mixing a romance plot with a detective plot in Star Wars, culminating in an epic display of visual effects in the climactic Battle of Geonosis, is great and I’ve come to respect the movie a lot more than I used to. It’s a very imaginative way to set in motion the rise of the Empire.
I think a lot of my distaste for it in past years comes from the visuals. I think both Coruscant and the interiors of Kamino looked too futuristic in the movie, but I’ve gotten used to those portrayals.
It was near the bottom for me too. There’s definitely some awkward moments here and there but they don’t bother me really too much. They mainly come I find in the beginning of the film when Anakin and Obi-Wan are talking about Padme when she’s asleep but things smooth out from there on out. I like the mixture of romance and detective story too.
That’s fair. I think one thing I love about the designs of both parts of the film is they’re direct homages to THX 1138 and American Graffiti.
Of course Mel’s Diner and Dex’s Diner too but I couldn’t find pictures of the exact shots I was looking for. There’s a lot of thematic and similarities between the films. In a lot of ways American Graffiti is the last night of innocence before the Vietnam War as Attack of the Clones is the last days of innocence before the Clone War. In THX 1138 they’re manufacturing their own repression. Just as in Attack of the Clones they’re doing the same thing.
The list of mirroring goes on and on and on. There’s a through line between all of his films. George didn’t change as much as I think people believe he did.