Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones

Opening crawl

Plot summary

Set a full decade after the events of The Phantom Menace, the Galactic Republic finds itself embroiled in a deep crisis. A Separatist movement, spearheaded by the former Jedi Master Count Dooku, also known as the Sith Lord Darth Tyranus, poses a significant threat to galactic stability. This situation has prompted vigorous debate within the Galactic Senate regarding the Military Creation Act, intended to establish a standing army for the Republic's defense. Senator Padmé Amidala, who formerly reigned as Queen of Naboo, intends to cast her vote against the Act upon her return to the Senate, despite the dwindling number of Jedi available to maintain order and justice throughout the galaxy.

Upon her arrival on Coruscant, Senator Amidala narrowly avoids an assassination attempt that tragically claims the life of her decoy, Cordé. In response, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine calls upon Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, to ensure her safety.

That night, the assassin Zam Wesell launches another assault on Amidala's life, but the Jedi successfully thwart her plans. They pursue her through Galactic City, ultimately subduing her at the Outlander Club. As Obi-Wan and Anakin interrogate her outside the bar, she meets her demise from a saberdart fired by a mysterious man, preventing the Jedi from uncovering her employer's identity. Returning to the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan receives an assignment from the council to locate the assassin's killer. Meanwhile, Anakin is tasked with protecting the Senator and escorting her back to her home planet of Naboo. Anakin embraces this opportunity, as he often feels stifled by Obi-Wan's criticism and welcomes the chance for independence. Furthermore, he has developed strong feelings for Padmé and looks forward to spending time with her. Junior Representative Jar Jar Binks steps in to fulfill Amidala's senatorial duties in her absence, despite the Senator's frustration at not being present in the Senate when the fate of the Military Creation Act is decided.

During his investigation, Obi-Wan's path leads him to a mysterious planet named Kamino—a location conspicuously absent from the Jedi Archives. There, he uncovers a clandestine clone army being cultivated for the Republic. Prime Minister Lama Su informs him that the military was commissioned nearly ten years prior by Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas—although Obi-Wan believed that Sifo-Dyas had perished before that time. A bounty hunter named Jango Fett was enlisted as the genetic template for the clones. Obi-Wan encounters Jango on Kamino and suspects him to be the assassin he seeks. He attempts to apprehend Jango, resulting in a fierce duel between them. Jango utilizes his blasters and missile arsenal, ultimately overpowering Obi-Wan by sending him spiraling into the turbulent sea below. Presuming him dead, Jango departs Kamino with his son Boba. Unable to capture Jango, Obi-Wan strategically places a homing beacon on his ship, Slave I, and tracks him to the planet of Geonosis.

Simultaneously, Anakin and Padmé enjoy a period of companionship on Naboo, reveling in each other's company and engaging in lighthearted activities. Eventually, Anakin confesses his profound love for her, pledging to fulfill her every wish. However, Padmé resists, explaining the impossibility of their union due to her status as a Senator and his commitment as a Jedi. Anakin is frustrated by her response and grapples with the conflict between his intense desires and his Jedi obligations.

Anakin is further disturbed by a premonition that his mother is in imminent danger, prompting him to implore Padmé to accompany him to his home planet of Tatooine—thereby defying Obi-Wan's instructions to remain on Naboo. Upon their arrival, Anakin locates his former owner Watto, who informs him that his mother has married a moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars, leading them to the Lars moisture farm. There, Anakin and Padmé encounter C-3PO, who introduces Anakin to his step-brother Owen. Cliegg reveals the tragic news that his mother was abducted a month prior by a band of Tusken Raiders. Anakin ventures out during the night and discovers her bound and battered within a Tusken camp. She dies in his arms moments later. Consumed by rage and grief, he slaughters the entire Tusken community, sparing neither men, women, nor children. On Coruscant, Yoda senses a growing darkness in the Force as the massacre unfolds (accompanied by Qui-Gon Jinn's voice crying out "Anakin, Anakin, no!" during this sequence). Anakin then carries his mother's body back to the homestead, where her funeral is held.

On Geonosis, Obi-Wan overhears a clandestine meeting between Count Dooku and the leaders of various commerce guilds, learning that they are the masterminds behind the separatist movement and have amassed a new droid army. He also discovers that Nute Gunray orchestrated the assassination attempt on Amidala as retribution for the Trade Federation's defeat at the Battle of Naboo. Obi-Wan relays his findings to the Council via Anakin and Padmé's ship, but he is ambushed by droidekas and captured before completing his report.

Armed with the knowledge of Dooku's army, Jedi Master Mace Windu leads a battalion of Jedi to Geonosis. Unbeknownst to them, Anakin and Padmé also journey there to rescue Obi-Wan. Meanwhile, Representative Binks urges Chancellor Palpatine to assume emergency powers, enabling him to deploy the newly discovered clone army into battle.

On Geonosis, Count Dooku attempts to sway Obi-Wan to his side, invoking his past as Qui-Gon's master, suggesting that Qui-Gon would have joined Dooku if he were alive, and arguing that the Republic and Jedi have strayed from their ideals and must be opposed. Obi-Wan rejects Dooku's proposition, asserting that Dooku is mistaken about the Republic and Jedi's decline and that Qui-Gon would never have aligned himself with Dooku. Anakin and Padmé arrive on the planet but are swiftly captured by Jango Fett and sentenced to death, joining Obi-Wan in the Geonosis arena for their execution. Moments before facing their fate, Padame and Anakin profess their love for each other. From the stands, Count Dooku, Nute Gunray, Rune Haako, Poggle the Lesser, Jango Fett, and Boba Fett observe the commencement of the planned execution. The trio are forced to contend with a reek, a nexu, and an acklay while shackled. Amid their struggle, Mace Windu arrives with his Jedi strike team, engaging Dooku's droid army in the arena. Witnessing the concentration of Jedi, Jango Fett descends to the arena floor using his jetpack and confronts Windu. After a brief skirmish, Windu kills Jango due to a malfunction in his jetpack. Despite the Jedi's valiant efforts, they are eventually overwhelmed by the Droid Army's superior numbers and appear to be on the verge of defeat. Yoda unexpectedly arrives with the Republic's new clone army, but only a handful of Jedi have survived.

A larger conflict erupts outside the arena between the Republic's clone army and the Confederacy of Independent Systems' Droid Army. Nute Gunray and Rune Haako subsequently retreat in Gunray's ship. The Clone Army gains the advantage, leading to the Droid Army's retreat. Poggle the Lesser entrusts Count Dooku with the preliminary plans for the Death Star. Dooku attempts to escape, but Obi-Wan and Anakin pursue him to a hidden hangar. Anakin immediately disregards Obi-Wan's instructions to confront Dooku together and charges at him. Dooku retaliates with Force lightning, sending Anakin crashing into some rocks and rendering him temporarily unconscious. Obi-Wan cautiously circles Dooku, who boasts that his powers surpass Obi-Wan's and unleashes Force lightning upon him. Obi-Wan deflects the attack with his lightsaber, countering that he disagrees as Dooku ignites his curved-hilt crimson lightsaber. Obi-Wan lunges at Dooku, initiating a lightsaber duel. However, Obi-Wan proves to be no match for Dooku, who mocks him, stating that Master Yoda praises Obi-Wan greatly and that he is disappointed in Obi-Wan's lack of skill. The battle lasts for approximately half a minute before Obi-Wan is defeated. Dooku raises his blade high above his head and brings it down as Anakin, who had just regained consciousness, leaps forward and blocks 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 sheathes his lightsaber. Yoda appears just as Dooku is about to escape, and the two masters of the Force engage 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 cannot 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 his solar sailer. Flying to the Works in the Industrial sector of Coruscant, he meets with his master, Darth Sidious, who expresses satisfaction that the war has commenced as planned.

Within the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan, Mace, and Yoda contemplate Dooku's warning that Darth Sidious is manipulating the Senate. Yoda is hesitant to accept this claim, emphasizing the dark side's capacity to sow fear and distrust. Nevertheless, he and Windu concur that they must closely monitor the Senate. Meanwhile, Chancellor Palpatine and a group of senators, including Bail Organa, oversee the deployment of massive clone trooper forces.

Back on Naboo, Anakin, now fitted with a new mechanical arm, and Padmé exchange vows in a secret wedding, with C-3PO and R2-D2 as their sole witnesses.

Development

John Knoll revealed to Star Wars Insider that adapting to digital cameras was the most significant challenge his team encountered at the start of production on Attack of the Clones. However, Knoll recognized the advantage of digital cameras, which allowed for immediate playback of footage, and he thoroughly enjoyed filming with them. In a 2005 interview with Temuera Morrison on The Tem Show, Rick McCallum mentioned that New Zealand was initially considered as a filming location before Australia, but conflicts arose due to the concurrent filming of The Lord of the Rings films in New Zealand. Despite the challenges of filming in New Zealand, Lucasfilm casting directors scouted the country and selected several New Zealand actors, including Bodie Taylor and Daniel Logan.

In December 2001, rumors circulated that members of *NSYNC had filmed scenes as extras in Attack of the Clones. The story gained traction in the following days, with reports indicating that three band members—Joey Fatone, JC Chasez, and Chris Kirkpatrick—were cast as Jedi and Naboo citizens by producer Rick McCallum. Lucasfilm later confirmed the news but refuted claims that George Lucas had done so as a favor to his daughters Katie and Amanda, who were fans of the band. Additionally, Justin Timberlake clarified that he and Lance Bass were not involved, but that Joey Fatone's brother Steven Fatone was. Many Star Wars fans responded negatively to the news, viewing it as further evidence of Star Wars "selling out," similar to their reactions to Jar Jar Binks or the Ewoks. On January 12, 2002, a Saturday Night Live sketch featured a satirical "first look" at Attack of the Clones, in which the movie abruptly paused for *NSYNC to perform an impromptu musical number titled "I'm a Jedi Knight in these Jedi Days." Joey Fatone later announced that the singers' parts had been removed from the film due to the negative fan response. However, Lucasfilm's Lynne Hale denied this, stating that it was Lucas's decision and that "the final edit of the film is what he determines it will be."

Release and reception

Leading up to the release, Lucasfilm launched another series of web documentaries and explored various promotional strategies, including Episode II Select and Ahmed Best's on-set videos. On May 11, 2002, TV Guide released three different covers to promote the film.

Adaptations and tie-in media

The film's soundtrack was released by Sony on April 23, 2002.

A novelization of the film was penned by R. A. Salvatore, featuring scenes created by Salvatore that are exclusive to the novel. The book's prologue depicts Anakin, during a flight to Ansion with Obi-Wan, experiencing a nightmare in which his mother transforms into glass and shatters. The subsequent pages detail the events leading up to Shmi Skywalker's capture by Tusken Raiders and Cliegg Lars's loss of his leg during an attempt to rescue her. These scenes offer a more detailed glimpse into Shmi's life on the moisture farm and her relationships with Cliegg, Owen, Beru, and C-3PO than the film provides. Interspersed with these events are scenes of Senator Amidala on Naboo before her departure for Coruscant to vote on the Military Creation Act. She discusses with her sister the possibility 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 explores the father-son relationship between Jango and Boba Fett in greater depth than the film, adding emotional weight to Jango's death. (However, it also contains some inaccuracies regarding Jango, such as referring to his armor as grey when it is actually white with blue accents.) The first book in the Boba Fett series of young adult novels draws upon this material.

Home video

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones was released on VHS and DVD on November 12, 2002. The VHS edition included six deleted scenes and a segment from Star Wars: Connections. Attack of the Clones marked the final VHS release for any Star Wars film in the United States. Consequently, it is impossible to assemble a complete VHS set for the Prequel Trilogy, as Revenge of the Sith did not receive a VHS release in the US (although it was released on VHS in other countries like the UK and Australia). The DVD version features certain elements that were edited or added by George Lucas, making it a slightly different version from the theatrical release.

• Disc 1 DVD Menu themes that are 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 of HoloNet News[15]

• Disc 2 Main DVD Menu's theme is based on the Jedi Library Eight exclusive deleted 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 on Blu-ray in September 2011.

On April 7, 2015, the Walt Disney Studios, 20th Century Fox, and Lucasfilm jointly announced the digital releases of the six released Star Wars films. As Lucasfilm had retained digital distribution rights to Episodes I through III and V through VI, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released Attack of the Clones for digital download on April 10, 2015.

Despite the Walt Disney Company's 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm Ltd. and the release rights to all future Star Wars films, Fox was to retain original distribution rights to Star Wars: Episode IV A 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, through May 2020, 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. On December 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 to A New Hope. On March 20, 2019, the deal was officially completed. On April 12, 2019, a Blu-ray box set containing the nine main instalments of the Star Wars saga remastered in 4K was reportedly announced to be in development for a 2020 release.

Media

Cover gallery

Poster gallery

Credits