Attack of the Clones: Special Edition(spoilers)

Well, I saw AOTC digitally projected.

  1. It is quite better. You can really see the improvements in SFX from Phantom Menace when you screen it digitally. CGI looks way less animated and more real.

  2. No fuzzy images at all. Better than 70mm film.

  3. There is a different scene…a bit. At the end of the “film” version, you see Anakin’s robotic arm at his side. He jiggles the fingers slightly so you can see it’s functional. In the “digital” version, Padme picks up his hand in her two hands and looks at it for about 3 seconds or so and smiles.

It was obviously a different take entirely. I’ve heard that this was done as a minor congratulations to everyone who went to see it digitally, since that is how he wanted it presented everywhere. That is the version that will be on the DVD, so technically only those who saw it digitally can say they saw the “entire original” on the big screen. Not a big deal, but nice.

I think it works better as well, since we don’t get this confusing shot of his hand jiggling. I know people who haven’t seen the old ones and they didn’t quite get that it was a robotic hand. It was to brief to recognize. Padme picking it up clarrifies this slightly.

Again, we are talking about 5 seconds here, but it’s interesting anyway.

I just saw it digital in Memphis this weekend myself and noticed no difference, other than the dramatic clarity. His hand wiggles, they grasp hands, and kiss. Maybe I blinked but I sure don’t remember any thing different.

In the film version, you don’t see them clasping hands. Only kissing. This makes the hand look very weird (not the kissing but the quick side shot of the hand) instead of only slightly weird. (such as them clasping hands)