FACTS
| John Jostins, lecturer on MA Design and Digital Media at Coventry University worked on the moulds for R2D2.
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 |  | Reviewed by Richard Smith, Home Affairs Correspondent for 大象传媒 South East.
Since A New Hope back in 1977, we've been waiting to find out how and why Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader.
AOTC reveals the beginning of that process, and does so in a way that can only be described as shocking. Thankfully, it's also a shockingly good film.
This is not the Star Wars universe of goofy gungans, flailing wookies and cuddly ewoks.
This is a universe where terrorists appear to murder a central character only seconds into the film; where the "hero" massacres women and children, where the Lucas repertoire of severed limbs is expanded to include flying heads.
It is a violent, dark place, and the mood throughout unsettling, even depressing. AOTC is not a film for children.
| 听 |  | Ewan McGregor demonstrates his skills with the light sabre
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Of course, this is exactly how the majority of first generation fans want it. 1999's The Phantom Menace disappointed many - too soft, too much computer generated imaging, too much Jar Jar Binks.
This time around, Jar Jar's still here, just, but he has become an elder statesman as opposed to a fool.
It falls to C-3PO to carry most of the humour, and even then, this mainly revolves around the removal of his head.
I doubt Attack Of The Clones will perform as well as The Phantom Menace at the box office.
It certainly won't beat Spiderman, which has already beaten Star Wars to the back of the nation's cereal packets. But word of mouth will promote this film in a way a million Jar Jar cola cans never could.
As with The Empire Strikes Back, the feelgood factor is not strong in this one.
But something much more worthwhile is there in its place - a depth of emotion which would suprise even the most cynical critics, and particularly in the jaw-dropping scenes involving Anakin's mother - images which will remain long after the end credits have rolled.
Follow the link on the left to read about the Coventry University lecturer who worked on the original R2D2s in 1979.
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