Great movie, leave the kids at home

Rating: 7/10 (23 March 2002)

I saw this film without any knowledge of the background of the movie (i.e., I didn't see the first movie) and that didn't matter. Enough is explained in one way or another that I didn't have to see the first one and get lost in this film.
That being said, the action scenes were phenomenal. Lots of, well, blade action you could tell was choreographed well and executed perfectly. Some of the scenes are a little on the gory side, so I wouldn't bring children to this. The plotline was ok, but nothing special.
I would suggest going out to the theaters and seeing this flick, besides seeing all the action on a large screen, the Episode II trailer is before it. I always see films during the day so it only costs $4.50. Would I see this at "prime time"? Not really, although all the bangs and stereo sound is used superbly (in some scenes, you could hear stuff happening all around you), you can still get a good experience by renting it. So, basically, if you can get to a movie theater to see it, you'll like it. If you have to wait till you can rent it, you'll like it (8/10)