First off, I’m not going to reveal any plot points in this movie. See and judge the movie for yourself; don’t rely on the critics to make decisions for you.
I enjoyed the film. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones is a worthy addition to the Star Wars film collection. This photo journal is dedicated not to the film itself but to those who braved the cold and the unending hours in line to be among the first people (aside from the early screeners and the Internet bootleggers) across the country to see ATOC.
I went and saw the movie with Dardy, Dishi, and hundreds of Star Wars fans at the Century Theater on Shoreline Avenue in Mountain View on May 16, 12:01 am. Dardy was kind enough to buy tickets a couple of days prior, though there were still many available throughout the evening. At 3:30 pm, I drove by Shoreline only to find a couple dozen people waiting in line with their lawn chairs and Star Wars Monopoly. I guess this points to the fact that most people either (1) don’t know about the midnight showings or (2) aren’t willing to stay up that night to attend a midnight showing. I went back home to relax for a couple of hours, and shortly after 5:00 pm, I headed over to the theater, armed only with my 1D. Surprisingly, the line hadn’t grown significantly from when I first stopped by. People started filing in later in the evening (presumably after work), but the line didn’t seem as long as I thought it would.
I recognized one of the people in front of me in the line as Tom (and yes, he has a twin brother) from my Stanford days. It turns out that a lot of people from the Farm went to see the film at Shoreline this morning, including a group of sophomores from Toyon who were [taking turns] waiting in line over the past four days! That’s dedication, and that’s the benefit of being young and in college. I met some interesting people while in line, including Milton, Parisa, Carol, Joe, and Mary. Milton had a great costume that he made himself over the past couple of weeks. His X-Wing pilot costume, along with the Tusken Raider, were easily the best outfits among the crowd. There was also a guy dressed up as Darth Maul (including makeup) and a woman as Padme. We didn’t see any Stormtroopers from the famed 501 troupe, nor any Royal Imperial Guards.
Before I left the house, I was originally decked out in my Dark Jedi outfit. But, at the last second, I decided that “I was too old for this sort of thing,” and put the cloak away. Yet, somehow seeing Milton as an Asian X-Wing pilot (how many of those do you see in Star Wars???) gave me the inspirational push to drive home and don the outfit when Dardy arrived. Along the way, I picked up some batteries for my portable stereo at a gas station. In conjunction with my iPod, we passed the time with our favorite musical numbers from the past four Star Wars movies! At last, I found people who can appreciate Imperial March, Into The Trap, Ewok Celebration and Lapti Nek!
… on second thought, better skip Lapti Nek!
Onto fun stuff. A couple people in line tried to imitate the cry of a Tusken Raider, but I’m not sure about their skillfulness in that language. Too bad I couldn’t ask the guy who dressed up as a sandperson; I’m sure he would have performed the cry admirably! I was able to demonstrate my command of Huttese/Rodian to Dardy, Dishi, Milton, and company while in the theater. Greedo never sounded better! That’s the costume I’ve got to get for the final episode of Star Wars, due out in 2005!
Century Theaters showed the film on 5 screens, #6, #8, #9, #10, and #11. Shoreline doesn’t have a THX-capable theater, so we had to “settle” for Dolby Digital Surround Sound EX in theater #8. Since we were near the front of the line, we got great seats. Before the movie started, I turned around at one point and saw Maddie! Astute readers of this site will remember her from my Lost Coast trip.
The new Matrix Reloaded trailer, along with the next James Bond movie, were shown before the screen darkened and the familiar Star Wars refrain began. As for the film, you’ll just have to see it for yourself. As for pictures from the midnight showing of Attack of the Clones, click on the link below!
tow.com 
