Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones

Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones is a 2002 film directed by George Lucas and written by Lucas and Jonathan Hales. It is the second...

Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones

Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones is a 2002 film directed by George Lucas and written by Lucas and Jonathan Hales. It is the second part of the Star Wars prequel trilogy.

The film is set ten years after the Battle of Naboo, with the galaxy on the brink of civil war. Renegade Jedi Master Count Dooku leads thousands of systems in a threat to secede from the Republic. Amidst this turmoil, an assassination attempt is made on Senator Padmé Amidala, and Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker is assigned to protect her while his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi investigates the assassination. The Jedi soon find themselves drawn into the heart of the Separatist movement and the beginning of the Clone Wars.

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Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi chase Zam Wesell through Coruscant.

Attack of the Clones was the first Star Wars film to use a high-definition digital 24-frame system for most of its live-action scenes. While the film was a financial success, grossing over $600 million worldwide, it did not earn the highest box-office sales for the year, coming in fourth behind The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Spider-Man.

Opening Crawl

Episode II
ATTACK OF THE CLONES

There is unrest in the Galactic Senate. Several thousand solar systems have declared their intentions to leave the Republic. This separatist movement, led by the mysterious Count Dooku, has made it difficult for the limited number of Jedi Knights to maintain peace and order in the galaxy. Senator Amidala, the former Queen of Naboo, is returning to the Galactic Senate to vote on the critical issue of creating an ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC to assist the overwhelmed Jedi...

Plot Summary

Ten years after the events of The Phantom Menace, the Galactic Republic is in crisis. A Separatist movement led by former Jedi Master Count Dooku, also known as the Sith Lord Darth Tyranus, threatens the peace and pushes the Galactic Senate to debate a Military Creation Act. Senator Padmé Amidala, former Queen of Naboo, plans to vote against the Act, even though there aren't enough Jedi to maintain justice in the galaxy.

Upon her arrival on Coruscant, Padmé narrowly escapes an assassination attempt and the Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are assigned to protect her. The Jedi manage to foil further assassination attempts, but are unable to learn the name of the person who hired the assassin. The investigation leads Obi-Wan to the mysterious planet Kamino, where a secret clone army is being developed. Meanwhile, Anakin and Padmé spend time together on Naboo, revealing their growing affection for each other.

Obi-Wan engages Jango Fett on Kamino.

As Obi-Wan tracks down the mysterious assassin's killer, Anakin returns to his home planet of Tatooine and discovers that his mother has been kidnapped by Tusken Raiders. In his rage, he massacres the Tusken community. Yoda senses this darkness in the Force and the Jedi Council becomes concerned about the growing power of the dark side.

Obi-Wan overhears a meeting between Count Dooku and the leaders of the commerce guilds on Geonosis, where he learns about the separatist movement and their new droid army. He transmits this information to the Council, but is captured before he can finish his report. Anakin and Padmé, on a mission to rescue Obi-Wan, are also captured and sentenced to death in the Geonosis arena. The Jedi are eventually saved by a clone army and a battle erupts between the Republic and the Separatists.

Dooku and Yoda battle each other.

As the film concludes, Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Mace Windu discover that Darth Sidious, the Sith Lord controlling the separatist movement, is also controlling the Senate. They vow to closely monitor the Senate while the clone troopers are deployed, and Anakin and Padmé secretly marry on Naboo.

Development

Principal photography for Episode II lasted from June 26 to September 20, 2000. Filming took place at Fox Studios in Sydney, Tunisia, Spain, Italy, and Ealing Studios. Attack of the Clones was the first Star Wars film to extensively use digital cameras, allowing for immediate playback. Despite early rumors, the members of *NSYNC were cut from the film due to negative fan reaction.

Release

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones was released on DVD and VHS on November 12, 2002. The film's soundtrack and a book adaptation by R.A. Salvatore were also released. The movie was later released on Blu-ray in September 2011.

Reception

The film was a financial success, grossing over $600 million worldwide. However, it did not earn the highest box-office sales for the year or receive the same critical acclaim as other top films. Initial reviews were mixed, praising the action sequences and special effects but criticizing elements such as character development and dialogue.

As a part of the Star Wars saga, Attack of the Clones remains a key installment, further expanding the story and setting the stage for the events that follow.

Note: The original article has been condensed and rewritten for clarity and readability.

Sources: StarWars.com, Lucasfilm.com, Wikipedia