While I miss a documentary in the style and fashion of The Beginning and would have welcomed even more Deleted & Extended Scenes, I can't really quibble. Another solid effort from Lucasfilm. You'll spend hours with this disc... and it's all quality stuff. You simply will not find a better value on DVD.
No MPEG artefacts were immediately obvious. One of my pet peeves is motion trails or smears, which often appear in low lit human faces, smoke, or smog. I was looking very closely in the underground Geonosis factory and smoky end battle scenes, but in this respect this transfer is the best I have seen yet, with reasonably solid images, and detailed smoke and smog. For those wishing to see exactly what edge enhancement looks like, have a look at the bottom of the Trade Federation Control Ship at the top of the frame at 125:33. Then, to see some examples of the resultant aliasing check out: window sills at 10:43, 25:08, 27:53, the handrail at 11:55, the lights at 28:30 and 67:15, the rooftops at 30:16-30:20, the steps at 34:38, and, perhaps worst of all, the shutters in the Jedi Temple at 77:33 through to 78:15. Being a digital to digital transfer, there is no telecine wobble; there's a 'locked down' feel that adds to the resonant quality of this transfer. When I saw this in the cinema, heavy film grain, or perhaps more accurately CCD (charge-coupled device) noise was clearly noticeable in interior sets, and in backgrounds of live-action shots. Some digital fixes must have been applied to the DVD release, as these are no longer noticeable.
If you only buy this DVD for the transfer then you'll be extremely satisfied, but there's the bonus of an excellent EX soundtrack, a smattering of extras and a decent entry into the Star Wars collection of episodes that leaves the Phantom Menace behind in both visual effects and plot. Vince and I can't recommend this effort highly enough. Gold all the way.
As I pointed out in the opening paragraph, "Star Wars: Episode II" is the new king of DVD. The fact that the video and audio presentation is significantly superior to that of Episode I makes this the better disc, although nothing can really rival Jon Shenk?s "The Beginning" documentary from Episode I. I wouldn?t have thought that it is possible to surpass the quality of the Episode I DVD, but here it is. Without the 15 year wait, the saga finally continues? in your living room? in amazing quality! Hail the king ...
Rebelscum Breast Cancer Awareness Charity Patch Posted By Philip on November 25, 2014: Thanks to everybody that ordered patches. I sent a check for $1,600.00 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation on Monday. While it's not as much as I hoped for, it's still very much appreciated. They will remain for sale in the store for anybody that still wishes to purchase them. Details after the jump.