Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
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Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
Attribution information
Director(s)
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Production information
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Chronological information
Preceded by
Followed by
- "The shroud of the dark side has fallen. Begun, the Clone War has."
- ―Yoda[1]
Star Wars: Episode IIAttack of the Clones is a2002 film directed byGeorge Lucas & written by Lucas andJonathan Hales. It is the second part of theStar Warsprequel trilogy.
The film is set ten years after theBattle of Naboo, whenthe galaxy is on the brink of civil war. Under the leadership of renegadeJedi MasterCountDooku, thousands of systems threaten to secede from theRepublic. When an assassination attempt is made on SenatorPadmé Amidala, the formerQueen ofNaboo, Jedi apprenticeAnakin Skywalker is assigned to protect her. In contrast, his mentorObi-Wan Kenobi is assigned to investigate the assassination attempt. Soon, the Jedi are drawn into the heart of theSeparatistmovement, and the beginning of a new threat to the galaxy: theClone Wars.
Attack of the Clones was the firstStar Wars film to use a high-definitiondigital 24-frame system for most of its live-action scenes. The film was a financial success, grossing over $600 million at the worldwide box office. However, for the first time, aStar Wars film did not earn the highest box-office sales for the year;Attack of the Clones ended up fourth behindThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, andSpider-Man.
Opening crawl[]
Episode II ATTACK OF THE CLONES |
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There is unrest in the GalacticSenate. Several thousand solarsystems have declared theirintentions to leave the Republic.This separatist movement,under the leadership of themysterious Count Dooku, hasmade it difficult for the limitednumber of Jedi Knights tomaintain peace and order inthe galaxy.Senator Amidala, the formerQueen of Naboo, is returningto the Galactic Senate to voteon the critical issue of creatingan ARMY OF THE REPUBLICto assist the overwhelmedJedi.... |
Plot summary[]
Ten years after the events of The Phantom Menace, theGalactic Republic is in crisis. ASeparatist movement led by formerJedi MasterCountDooku, alias theSith LordDarth Tyranus, is threatening the peace, causing theGalactic Senate to debate aMilitary Creation Act to form a standing army for the Republic's protection.SenatorPadmé Amidala, formerQueen ofNaboo, intends to return to the Senate and vote against the Act, even though there are no longer enough Jedi to maintain peace and justice inthe galaxy.

Anakin Skywalker andObi-Wan Kenobi chaseZam Wesell throughCoruscant.
Upon her arrival onCoruscant, she narrowly escapes anassassination attempt that claims the life of her decoy,Cordé. As a result,Supreme ChancellorSheev Palpatine requests thatJedi KnightObi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice,Anakin Skywalker, protect her.
That night, the assassinZam Wesell makes another attempt on Amidala's life, though the Jedi are able to foil her plot. They pursue her throughGalactic City, eventually disarming her in theOutlander Club. Upon being questioned by Obi-Wan and Anakin outside the bar, she is killed by asaberdart, fired by amysterious man, before the Jedi can learn the name of her employer. Returning to theJedi Temple, Obi-Wan is assigned bythe council to track down the assassin's killer. Meanwhile, Anakin continues his task of protecting the Senator and is asked to escort her back to her home planet of Naboo. Anakin welcomes the opportunity, as he often becomes angry and frustrated by Obi-Wan's criticism and is glad to have an opportunity to be on his own. Further, he has become infatuated with Padmé and relishes the chance to spend time with her.Junior RepresentativeJar Jar Binks assumes Amidala's duties in her absence, despite the Senator being mad at not being at the Senate when thefate of the Military Creation Act is decided.

Obi-Wan engagesJango Fett onKamino.
During the investigation, Obi-Wan is led to a mysterious planet calledKamino— missing from theJedi Archives— where he discovers a secretclone army being developed for the Republic. He is told byPrime MinisterLama Su that the military was ordered almost tenyears ago by Jedi MasterSifo-Dyas— although Obi-Wan was "under the impression" that Sifo-Dyas was killed before that time. Abounty hunter named Jango Fett was hired as the template for the clones. Obi-Wan meets Jango on Kamino and believes him to be the killer he has been tracking. He tries to capture Jango, which leads to a titanic one-on-one fight between them. Jango makes use of his blasters and missile equipment, managing to defeat Obi-Wan by sending him plummeting into the raging sea below. Thinking he is dead, Jango departs Kamino with his sonBoba. Unable to capture Jango, Obi-Wan places ahoming beacon on his ship,Slave I, and follows him to the planet ofGeonosis.

Meanwhile, Anakin and Padmé have been spending much time together on Naboo, enjoying each other's company and playfully frolicking in the fields. Eventually, Anakin reveals his deep love for her, vowing to do whatever she requests. However, Padmé resists, explaining that it would be impossible for the two of them to be together since she is a Senator and he is a Jedi. Anakin is angered by this and experiences inner conflict between his strong desires for her and his duties as a Jedi.
Anakin is also troubled by a newfound sense thathis mother is in grave danger, and he beckons for Padmé to accompany him to his home planet ofTatooine— in the process, disobeying Obi-Wan's orders to remain on Naboo. Upon arriving, Anakin tracks down his former ownerWatto, from whom he learns that his mother has married amoisture farmer namedCliegg Lars, and travels to theLars moisture farm. There, Anakin and Padmé findC-3PO, and the droid introduces Anakin to his step-brotherOwen. Cliegg tells Anakin the horrible truth that his mother was kidnapped a month ago by a pack ofTusken Raiders. Anakin travels through the night and finds her tied and beaten in aTusken camp. Within moments, she dies in his arms. Enraged and heartbroken, he massacres the Tusken community: men, women, and even children. On Coruscant,Yoda senses a terrible darkness inthe Force as the slaughter continues (Qui-Gon Jinn's voice shouts "Anakin, Anakin, no!" during this scene). Anakin then brings his mother's body back to the homestead, where her funeral is held.
On Geonosis, Obi-Wan overhears a meeting between Count Dooku and the leaders of the commerce guilds and learns that they are behind the separatist movement and have built up anew droid army. He also knows that it wasNute Gunray who ordered the assassination of Amidala as revenge for the defeat of theTrade Federation at theBattle of Naboo. Obi-Wan transmits his findings to the Council, relayed by way of Anakin and Padmé's ship, though he is surrounded bydroidekas and captured before he can finish his report.

Now that the Jedi council knows of Dooku's army, Jedi MasterMace Windu leads abattalion of Jedi to Geonosis. Unbeknownst to them, Anakin and Padmé also make their way there to rescue Obi-Wan. Meanwhile, Representative Binks calls for Chancellor Palpatine to be given emergency powers, with which he can reach the recently discovered clone army into battle.
Back on Geonosis, Count Dooku tries to persuade Obi-Wan to join him, using the fact that he was once Qui-Gon's master, that Qui-Gon, if alive, would have joined Dooku and that the Republic and Jedi have lost their ways and must be fought against. Obi-Wan refuses to join Dooku, saying that Dooku is wrong about the Republic and Jedi losing their ways and that Qui-Gon would have never joined Dooku if Qui-Gon was alive. Anakin and Padmé arrive on the planet but are quickly captured by Jango Fett and sentenced to death, joining Obi-Wan in theGeonosis arena, where they are to be executed. Moments before heading outside, Padame and Anakin confess their love to each other. In the high stands, Count Dooku, Nute Gunray,Rune Haako,Poggle the Lesser, Jango Fett, and Boba Fett watch the start of the planned execution. The trio are forced to battle areek, anexu, and anacklay while in chains. During their struggle, Mace Windu arrives with his Jedi strike team, and theybattle Dooku's droid army in the arena. Upon seeing so many Jedi in one place, Jango Fett jetpacks down to the arena floor and engages Windu. After a short struggle, Windukills Jango due to his jetpack malfunctioning. While the Jedi put up a fight, they are eventually overwhelmed by the Droid Army's numerical advantage and appear to be heading into defeat. Yoda unexpectedly arrives with the Republic's new clone army, but only a handful of Jedi have survived.

An even larger battle erupts outside the arena between the Republic's clone army and the Droid Army of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Nute Gunray and Rune Haako subsequently retreat in Gunray's ship. The Clone Army gains the upper hand, which eventually leads to the Droid Army retreating. Poggle the Lesser entrusts Count Dooku with the early plans for theDeath Star. Dooku attempts to escape, but Obi-Wan and Anakin track him to a secret hangar. Anakin immediately disobeys Obi-Wan's orders to take Dooku together and rushes at Dooku, who firesForce lightning at Anakin, tossing him to the side to some rocks and knocking him unconscious temporarily. Obi-Wan circles Dooku cautiously, the latter saying that his powers are far beyond Obi-Wan's and subsequently firing force lightning at him, Obi-Wan blocking it with his lightsaber and saying that he does not think so as Dooku ignites his curved hilted crimson red lightsaber. Obi-Wan rushes at Dooku, engaging him in a lightsaber duel. Unfortunately, while Obi-Wan is powerful, he is no match for Dooku who taunts him that Master Yoda praises Obi-Wan greatly and that he is disappointed in Obi-Wan's lack of skill. The battle lasts around half a minute as Obi-Wan is defeated. Dooku swings his blade high over his head and brings it down as Anakin, who had just awoken from being tossed to the rocks, leaped foward and blocked Dooku's killing strike on Obi-Wan, engaging Dooku, who toyed with him for several minutes before slicing off Anakin's right hand and force pushing it to the ground next to the defeated Obi-Wan. Dooku puts away his lightsaber. Yoda appears just as Dooku is about to escape, and the two masters of the Force go head-to-head in a fierce battle of the force and then a lightsaber duel with Yoda using his acrobatic style and Dooku using his elegant style. Dooku, realizing he can't defeat Yoda, attempts to topple a large pillar on Obi-Wan and Anakin as a distraction. While Yoda uses the Force to divert the pillar, Dooku flees in hissolar sailer. Flying to the Works in theIndustrial sector of Coruscant, he meets up with his master, Darth Sidious, who is pleased that thewar has begun as planned.
In the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan, Mace and Yoda ponder Dooku's warning that Darth Sidious is controlling the Senate. Yoda is hesitant to believe this, stating that the dark side is capable of creating fear and mistrust. He and Windu agree that they should nevertheless closely monitor the Senate. Meanwhile, Chancellor Palpatine and a number of senators, includingBail Organa, oversee the launching of massive clone trooper forces.
Back at Naboo, Anakin, with a newmechanical arm, and Padmé hold asecret wedding, with C-3PO andR2-D2 as the only witnesses.
Development[]
John Knoll toldStar Wars Insider that adapting to digital cameras was the biggest challenge his team faced as production started onAttack of the Clones. However, the advantage of digital cameras—which could immediately play back footage whenever the team wished—became clear to Knoll, who greatly enjoyed shooting with them.[5] When he was interviewed in2005 byTemuera Morrison during an episode of theThe Tem Show,Rick McCallum stated thatNew Zealand was among one of their chosen filming locations prior to Australia, but due to theThe Lord of the Rings films being filmed in New Zealand around the same time, there were going to be complications. While filming in New Zealand was going to be an issue,Lucasfilm casting directors still traveled around the country, picking up several actors in New Zealand, among these beingBodie Taylor andDaniel Logan.[6]
In December2001, it was rumored that members of*NSYNC were filmed as extras inAttack of the Clones.[7] In the following days, the story gained momentum, and it was reported that three band members—Joey Fatone,JC Chasez, andChris Kirkpatrick[8]—were given parts as Jedi and Naboo citizens[9] by producer Rick McCallum.[10] Lucasfilm then later confirmed the news but denied the rumors that it was done byGeorge Lucas as a favor to his daughtersKatie andAmanda, who were fans of the band. Also,Justin Timberlake acknowledged that he andLance Bass were not involved, but that Joey Fatone's brotherSteven Fatone was.[8] ManyStar Wars fans reacted negatively to the news, seeing this incident as further evidence of Star Wars "selling out," similar to some Star Wars fans' reactions to Jar Jar Binks or theEwoks.[11] On January 12, 2002, aSaturday Night Live sketch showed a satirical "first look" atAttack of the Clones, wherein the movie ground to a halt to allow *NSYNC to perform an impromptu musical number entitled "I'm a Jedi Knight in these Jedi Days."[12] Joey Fatone later announced that the singers' parts had been cut from the film because of the negative fan reaction. However, Lucasfilm'sLynne Hale denied this, saying that it was up to Lucas, and that "the final edit of the film is what he determines it will be."[13]
Release and reception[]
In the lead-up to release, Lucasfilm released another series of web documentaries, and experimented with other promotional tools, includingEpisode II Select andAhmed Best's on-set videos.[14] OnMay 11, 2002,TV Guide releasedthree different covers to promote the film.[2]
Adaptations and tie-in media[]
The film'ssoundtrack was released by Sony on April 23, 2002.
Abook version of the movie was written byR. A. Salvatore. It includes scenes created by Salvatore and unique to the novel. The book's prologue describes Anakin, while flying toAnsion with Obi-Wan, having a nightmare of his mother turning into glass and shattering. The following pages relate the events leading up to Shmi Skywalker's capture by Tusken Raiders and Cliegg Lars's loss of his leg while attempting to rescue her. These scenes give a more detailed insight into Shmi's life on the moisture farm and her relationships with Cliegg, Owen, Beru, and C-3PO than can be provided in the film. Interspersed with these events are scenes of Senator Amidala on Naboo prior to her departure for Coruscant to vote on theMilitary Creation Act. She discusses with her sister the question of retiring from politics to start a family and receives reports about the unrest (briefly mentioned in the film) among spice miners on Naboo's moons. The book also delves more deeply than the film into the father-son relationship of Jango and Boba Fett, making Jango's death more emotionally meaningful. (However, it also has several inaccuracies concerning Jango. For example, the author referred to his Armor as grey, when it is actually white with blue accents.) The first oftheBoba Fett series of young adult novels draws upon this material.
Home video[]
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones wasreleased on VHS and DVD on November 12, 2002. The VHS included six deleted scenes and a segment ofStar Wars: Connections.Attack of the Clones would be the final VHS release of any kind forStar Wars in the United States. As such, it is impossible to acquire a full VHS set for the Prequel Trilogy since there would not be one forRevenge of the Sith (thoughRevenge of the Sith did receive a VHS release in other countries such as the UK and Australia). The DVD containscertain elements edited or added by George Lucas that make the DVD a slightly different version from its theatrical release.
- Disc 1
- DVD Menu themes based on planets from the movie: Coruscant, Kamino, and Geonosis
- Available subtitles: English
- Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1 EX), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
- Commentary by writer-director George Lucas, producer Rick McCallum, animation director Rob Coleman, and ILM visual effects supervisors John Knoll, Roger Guyett, and sound designer Ben Burtt
- DVD Credits with Blooper reels
- DVD-ROM content including website archive ofHoloNet News[15]
- Disc 2
- Main DVD Menu's theme is based on the Jedi Library
- Eight exclusivedeleted scenes with introductions of George Lucas, Rick McCallum, and Ben Burtt
- "From Puppets to Pixels: Digital Characters in Episode II": all-new full-length documentary about the creation of digital characters in Episode II
- "State of the Art: The Previsualization of Episode II": witness the vital role of the animatics team
- "Films Are Not Released: They Escape" sound documentary
- Three featurettes examining the story line, action scenes, and love story through behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast and filmmakers
- 12-part Web documentary
- "Across the Stars" music video: an original composition by John Williams crafted exclusively for this DVD
- Exclusive production photos
- One-sheet posters
- International outdoor campaign
- Trailers and TV spots
- "R2-D2: Beneath the Dome" mockumentary trailer
- ILM visual effects breakdown montage
- Exclusive DVD-ROM content
- Production photo gallery
- College Want Ads Campaign gallery Easter egg (enhanced DVD-ROM multimedia content when you click on the weblinks of any of the posters in the image gallery, featuring downloadable wallpapers and messenger icons)[15]
- DVD-ROM content includes a free trial of Hyperspace
The film was released onBlu-ray inSeptember2011.[16]
OnApril 7,2015, the Walt Disney Studios, 20th Century Fox, and Lucasfilm jointly announced the digital releases of the six releasedStar Wars films. As Lucasfilm had retained digital distribution rights to Episodes I through III and V through VI, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment releasedAttack of the Clones for digital download onApril 10, 2015.[17]
Despite theWalt Disney Company's2012 purchase of Lucasfilm Ltd. and the release rights to all futureStar Wars films, Fox was to retain original distribution rights toStar Wars: Episode IVA New Hope, which they co-produced and co-financed, in perpetuity in all media worldwide. Fox was also to retain theatrical, nontheatrical, and home video rights worldwide for the franchise's five subsequent films, which Lucasfilm produced and financed independently, throughMay2020, at which time ownership was to transfer to Disney. This complex relationship between Fox and Disney, particularly in regards to Fox's perpetual rights to Episode IV, was to create an obstacle for any future boxed set comprising all nine films.[18] OnDecember 14,2017, The Walt Disney Company announced that it was acquiring most of Fox's parent company,21st Century Fox, including the film studio and all distribution rights toA New Hope.[19] OnMarch 20,2019, thedeal was officially completed.[20] OnApril 12, 2019, a Blu-ray box set containing the nine main instalments of theStar Warssaga remastered in 4K was reportedly announced to be in development for a2020 release.[21]
Media[]
Cover gallery[]
Poster gallery[]
Credits[]
Cast | Uncredited cast | Crew | Uncredited crew | Special thanks |
Cast
Uncredited cast
Crew
Special Visual Effects and Animation by —Industrial Light & Magic, A Division ofLucasfilm Digital Ltd. Marin County, California:[1]
Post Production Sound Services Provided by –Skywalker Sound, A Division of Lucas Digital Ltd. Marin County, California[1]
Additional Shooting Crew
Italy Shoot
Tunisia Shoot
Spain Shoot
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Uncredited crew
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Special thanks
and a very special thanks to all the Engineers at Sony, Atsugi, Japan |
Appearances[]
Characters | Organisms | Droid models | Events | Locations |
Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Characters
Canon characters
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Legends characters
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Organisms
Canon organisms
Legends organisms
Droid models
Canon droids
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Legends droids
Events
Canon events
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Legends events
Locations
Canon locations
Legends locations
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Organizations and titles
Canon organizations and titles
Legends organizations and titles
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Sentient species
Canon species
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Legends species
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Vehicles and vessels
Canon vehicles
Legends vehicles
Weapons and technology
Canon technology
Legends technology
Miscellanea
Canon miscellanea
Legends miscellanea
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Sources[]
Notes and references[]
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External links[]
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones onIndustrial Light & Magic'sofficial website(backup link)
Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones onLucasfilm'sofficial website(backup link)
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones | Love Pledge | Disney+ on the officialStar WarsYouTube channel(backup link)
Star Wars: Episode IIAttack of the Clones onWikipedia
Star Wars: Episode IIAttack of the Clones on theAurebesh Wiki
Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones at theInternet Movie Database
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones Official Production Notes onwww.culture.com (backup link archived onJune 18,2018)
American Cinematographer: George Lucas Interview onwww.theasc.com (backup link archived onJanuary 4,2018)
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