Went and saw it at McClurg, 7pm showing. Sold out. Long lines. Theatre 1. Digital Projection. Absolutely amazing. I hope they show many many many more films using the digital projector. Really. It's that good. Dinner at Heaven on Seven afterwards. Read on for my thoughts on Episode II, but there will be spoilers, so if you're one of the 6 people who haven't seen the movie, don't read on. So I liked Episode II. It's a good, fun movie. It's a good 2nd film to a 6 film series. It's gotta be hard to go back and start the first half of a story after the second half has been told. But I think Lucas does a good job. Odds and Ends as they come to me:

• I never game much thought to what the Clone Wars would be about or over, or why even call them the Clone Wars, but a republic civil war and using clones against droids? Satisfactory explanation for me.
• I was disappointed that the Jedi didn't kick a whole lot of ass. But that was explained away in the Mace/Yoda conversation to admit to the senate of the jedi's weakening abilities in the force. But that sucks, cause it means we'll never see the jedi at full force, at least the good jedi.
• I feel sorry for yoda, at seeing his padawan learner turn to the dark side. Probably the feeling will come across much worse when it happens to Obi-Wan.
• I thought Hayden did a very good job. It was believable that he was a grown up Jake Lloyd. And a believable teenager with very powerful force abilities.
• Darth Sidius/Palpatine is turning out to be a great character. Very much the puppet master, very much in control of everything that's going on. Everything is going his way.
• I hope Lucas decides to rerelease Episodes IV, V, and VI after III comes out, since the next one is just going to be very very dark at the end, and audiences, well, they don't like seeing the bad guys win. And the bad guys will win in the next one. Hell, they've won the past 2.
• Music they should have had: I will always Love you sung by Whitney Houston, the Hills are alive from the Sound of Music, and possibly the entire soundtrack from Beverly Hills, 90210.
• And, it's true, Yoda does kick ass. Serious ass.
• I was still hoping N'Sync made it into the film. Maybe they're just in costume.
• Good to see how Luke ends up with the Lars on Tatooine.
• Sad they didn't show Anakin's massacre.
• Why are there only 4 colors of light sabers? Green, Blue, Red (if you're evil) and Purple if you're Shaft? I'd love to see someone come with dual light Sai's.
• Hopefully the Mandalorians make a big showing in the next film, or maybe they've just thrown that "canon" out the window.
• I thought Darth Vader is the one who goes out and exterminates the jedi, but if there's only a handful and they're weak, that's not so impressive. I mean if you can take down a jedi with a blaster like Jango did, well, how hard can it be? Balance of the force.