Customer Reviews
Is there anything better than a williams soundtrack?? - By: , 16 Oct 2002 
A brilliantly crafted soundtrack, nicly produced & recorded.I love the feeling of tension the soundtrack creates by itself -it does'nt need visuals! And you get some rather nice packaging to boot!
It Gets Better and Better and Better! - By: cd_netto@hotmail.com, 22 May 2002 Yet again John Williams has shown why George Lucas has entrusted him with the soundtrack to the Star Wars Saga & after the excellent Phantom Menace soundtrack which gave the world the fantastic Duel of The Fates, which makes a welcome returnin Attack of The Clones, yet again another song has been selected & given a music video to accompany itin Beyond The Stars (the lovetheme). In the film, I was pleasantly surprised when The Imperial March, my personal favourite of all Star Wars tracks returned along with certain elements of Episode IV: A New Hope. I really rate this highly along with The Raiders of The Lost Ark & the upcoming sci-fi film The Minority Report soundtracks, the earlier which has become a classicin my eyes as well as the Main Title Track, played at the start of every Star Wars movie while the famous yellow script scrolls up the screen. A soundtrack that I'm sure everyone will get used to over time & grow to like more & more, just like the movie
A Vast Improvement on 'The Phantom Menace' - By: M. D. Smart, 05 May 2002 It could be argued that the quality of the scoresin the Star Wars saga has a direct correlation to the quality of the films themselves. 'The Empire Strikes Back' is the clear champion, bothin terms of the soundtrack & the movie, whereas 'The Phantom Menace', barring the excellent 'Duel Of The Fates', was a disappointment on both fronts. The encouraging news for fans is that this CD, whilst not reaching 'Empire's' dizzy heights, is a vast improvement on Episode I. The obvious standout is the haunting, achingly beautiful 'Across The Stars' which perfectly captures Anakin & Amidala's doomed romance. In fact, this is by far the most melancholy Star Wars score yet (another promising sign for those of us who like our SW movies to temper action & spectacle with human drama). Every theme seems to have an element of tragedy, even the 'Coruscant Chase' & 'Arena' tracks which are obviously set during two of the film's spectacular set-pieces. My favourite moment? Undoubtedly 'Confrontation with Count Dooku' - as another reviewer remarked, the sudden swell of the 'Imperial March' is spine-tingling. This limited edition has one extra track & a series of four collectible covers, just like the US version - good to see that UK fans haven't missed out. Overall, an essential purchase for followers of Star Wars & John Williams, & enough to raise expectations for the film (mine at least) to an even more frenzied level.
The Saga Continues...... - By: , 04 May 2002 I finally got to hear this long awaited soundtrack recently & enjoyed it very much. Initially I felt there was some justificationin some criticisms about the tracks lacking the uniqueness of some of John Williams' other music, but having not seen the film yet & experienced the whole movie experience, I personally cannot say how well this music works with the new movie. Lucas has often commented on how the whole saga should work as a silent movie using sound & visuals alone. John Williams is a very talented composer & having seen the final movie isin a much better position to determine what is appropriate for the movie. Since this album is only 70 minutes long out of 125 minutes for the total score that he wrote for the film, I believe the final soundtrack may hold little gems that have yet to be heard, indeed as with the other Star Wars movies some of the best tracks were left ureleased until the release of the special edition albums. What I can say is that the soundtrack is definitely growing on mein much the same way the other John Williams scores did before them. The highly regarded Across the Stars definitely sets the scene for this & indeed the next movie with its distinctly russian overtones associated with Prokofiev & Tchaikovsky. If that doesnt impress upon us that the story is becoming darker & more depressing then what can? As part of the whole Star Wars story, this album is definitely a worthy addition to the continuing saga.
Disappointing, but... - By: , 01 May 2002 
As both a big fan of John Williams & Star Wars I've been waiting for the AOTC soundtrack with bated breath. The result though is as a bit of a disappointment. There are very few new motifs & much of the score sounds derivative; even the much vaunted 'Love across the Stars' sounds like the 'Journey to Neverneverland' from JW's early score, 'Hook'. That said, track 13 alone is worth the price of the CD: it's absolutely wonderful with a real shiver-down-the-spine moment when the 'Imperial March' comes to the fore.
The limited edition comes with a rather naff cover & an additional - but utterly superfluous - track.
