Before the movie

The line started at noon. Or so it did for Stan Dahl, the first one to line up at Cinemark Theaters in Ames on Wednesday. Soon, however, the rest of the fans would arrive for one of the three sold-out midnight premiere showings of “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.”

Regardless of which showing one was going to, the situation was the same. Lines were long – stretching outside all the way to Subway for the 12:01 a.m. alone – and excitement tingled through the crowd. Although no one dressed up or reenacted favorite scenes from previous movies, the focus was on the movie and whether or not it could please fans left critical after “Episode I: The Phantom Menace.”

Before any of the film was shown, however, things were already looking good. Rumors and early reviews were positive and the buzz on the Internet was favorable. Dahl said that from what he knew so far, “Clones” had the potential to be the best of the new trilogy and he was expecting more out of it than Episode I offered.

These types of sentiments were common through most of the crowd. Scott Kovach, senior in political science, stood in line for the premiere showing of Episode I as well. While he was not going all out as he had three years ago, he said he was still looking forward to “Clones” after hearing positive comments on various scenes and characters such as Yoda.

As they stood in the refreshment counter line, Becky Kipper and Aaron Jones were discussing the movie as well, and Jones was more skeptical than some other fans. He said he was just hoping the movie “did not suck as bad as Episode I had.” He felt that the Episode I had talked down to fans and that it was aimed at a younger audience. Kipper however, said she was very excited to see “Clones” and had been since since she saw “Phantom Menace.”

Finally, around 11:30 p.m., the three-year wait was almost over as fans began their trek into the theaters. Talk turned toward the upcoming movie and its potential. Fans joked and laughed and Dahl even got a round of applause for being first in line.

Talk quickly subsided, however, as the theater lights went down and first commercials began to air. After a few previews, including a teaser for the new “Matrix” movies, the familiar green LucasFilm logo came across the screen. Seeing this, the fans clapped and cheered, but the noise quickly subsided when the “Star Wars” logo appeared and the prologue text started to scroll.

After the movie

As the house lights came back on and everyone exited the theater, the extended discussions and analysis of the latest “Star Wars” installment began. But the question still remained: was it better than Episode I?

Judging from the big smiles and excited talk emanating from the crowd, it was. Many groups of fans gathered outside the theater afterward and analyzed the big battles, lightsaber duels and plot twists.

It seemed as though most people generally enjoyed what they had just witnessed. While everyone did have a few negative things to nitpick about, the overall feeling was that “Clones” had met or exceeded expectations, and restored faith in the new trilogy. Not to mention that it whipped up a frenzy among fans awaiting Episode III, due out May 25, 2005.