Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones is a 2002 American epic space opera film directed by George Lucas from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jonathan Hales. The sequel to The Phantom Menace, it is the fifth entry in the Star Wars film series and second chronological chapter of the "Skywalker Saga". The film stars Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, and Frank Oz.
The story is set ten years after The Phantom Menace, as thousands of planetary systems slowly secede from the Galactic Republic and join the newly formed Confederacy of Independent Systems, led by former Jedi Master Count Dooku. With the galaxy on the brink of civil war, Obi-Wan Kenobi investigates a mysterious assassination attempt on Senator Padmé Amidala, which leads him to uncover a clone army in service of the Republic and the truth behind the Separatist movement. Meanwhile, his apprentice Anakin Skywalker is assigned to protect Amidala and develops a secret romance with her. Soon, the trio witness the onset of a new threat to the galaxy: the Clone Wars.
Development of Attack of the Clones began in March 2000, some months after the release of The Phantom Menace. By June 2000, Lucas and Hales completed a draft of the script, and principal photography took place from June to September 2000. The film crew primarily shot at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney, with additional footage filmed in Tunisia, Italy and Spain. It was one of the first motion pictures shot completely on a high-definition digital 24-frame system.
Attack of the Clones was released by 20th Century Fox in the United States on May 16, 2002. It received mixed reviews from critics; the film's increased focus on action was praised, while the characters and dialogue were regarded more critically. It performed well at the box office, making $653.8 million worldwide. Yet, it became the first Star Wars film to get outgrossed in its year of release, becoming the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2002 worldwide. Revenge of the Sith followed Attack of the Clones, concluding the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
Plot
Ten years after the Battle of Naboo, the Galactic Republic is threatened by a Separatist movement organized by Count Dooku, a former Jedi Master who mentored Qui-Gon Jinn. Former Queen turned Senator Padmé Amidala travels to Coruscant to vote against a motion to create an army to assist the Jedi against the growing menace. After narrowly avoiding an assassination attempt from bounty hunter Zam Wessell upon arrival, she is placed under the protection of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan apprentice Anakin Skywalker. Zam attempts to assassinate Padmé again, but is thwarted and subdued by the Jedi pair. Zam's employer, a jetpack-wearing bounty hunter, kills her before she reveals his identity. The Jedi Council instructs Obi-Wan to find the bounty hunter, while Anakin is tasked to protect Padmé and escort her to Naboo. Despite the Jedi Code forbidding attachments, the two fall in love.Obi-Wan's search leads to the ocean planet Kamino, where he discovers a clone army is being produced for the Republic allegedly in the name of Sifo-Dyas, a Jedi Master who died before allegedly ordering the clones, with the bounty hunter Jango Fett serving as the clones' genetic template. Obi-Wan deduces Jango is the bounty hunter he is seeking and places a homing beacon on Jango's ship, before following Jango and his clone son Boba to the planet Geonosis. Meanwhile, Anakin is troubled by visions of his mother Shmi in pain, and returns to his homeworld of Tatooine with Padmé to save her. His former owner Watto reveals that he sold Shmi to a moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars, who then freed and married her. Cliegg says Tusken Raiders abducted Shmi one month earlier, and she is likely dead. Anakin finds her at the Tusken campsite, barely alive. After she dies in his arms, an enraged Anakin massacres the entire tribe. He later confesses his actions to Padmé and vows to prevent the deaths of those he loves.
On Geonosis, Obi-Wan discovers a Separatist gathering led by Count Dooku. He is developing a droid army with Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray, who ordered the assassination attempts on Padmé Amidala. Obi-Wan reports to the Jedi Council but is captured by Separatist droids. Dooku meets Obi-Wan in his cell and reveals that the Republic is under the control of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. He invites Obi-Wan to help him stop Sidious, but Obi-Wan refuses. Senate Representative Jar Jar Binks proposes a successful vote to grant emergency powers to Chancellor Palpatine, allowing the clone army to be officially mobilized as the military of the Republic.
Anakin and Padmé head to Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan, but Jango captures them. Dooku sentences the trio to be killed by alien beasts in their arena. A battalion of clone troopers led by Yoda, Mace Windu, and other Jedi suddenly arrive. Windu confronts Dooku and beheads Jango during the ensuing battle. For their part, Obi-Wan and Anakin intercept a fleeing Dooku and engage in a lightsaber duel. Dooku injures Obi-Wan and severs Anakin's right arm; Yoda intervenes and defends them. Dooku attempts to collapse a structure on Anakin and Obi-wan during the duel, forcing Yoda to save them and allowing Dooku to escape via his Solar Sailer to Coruscant and deliver the schematics for a superweapon to Sidious.
As the Jedi acknowledge the beginning of the Clone Wars, Anakin is fitted with a cybernetic arm and elopes with Padmé on Naboo with R2-D2 and C-3PO as their only witnesses.
Cast
- Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker, a 19-year-old former slave from Tatooine and Obi-Wan's gifted Padawan apprentice who is assigned to protect Padmé with whom he falls in love. He is believed to be the "chosen one" of Jedi prophecy destined "to bring balance to The Force." In the 10 years since The Phantom Menace, he has grown powerful but arrogant, and believes that Obi-Wan is holding him back. A large search for an actor to portray Anakin Skywalker was performed. Lucas auditioned various actors, mostly unknown, before casting Christensen. Among the many established actors who auditioned or considered were Jonathan Brandis, Chris Klein, Devon Sawa, Charlie Hunnam, Topher Grace, Nick Swardson, Rob McElhenney, Eric Christian Olsen, Joshua Jackson, Erik von Detten, James Van Der Beek, Ryan Phillippe, Colin Hanks, and Paul Walker. Leonardo DiCaprio also met with Lucas for the role, but he declined as he felt he "wasn't ready to take that dive". Christensen initially thought the role was to go to another actor as he had heard numerous other actors being considered. Co-star Natalie Portman later told Time magazine that Christensen "gave a great reading. He could simultaneously be scary and really young."
- Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi Knight and mentor to his Padawan learner, Anakin Skywalker, who investigates the assassination attempt upon Padmé, leading him to discover the production of a Clone trooper for the Galactic Republic. In the 10 years since The Phantom Menace, he has grown wiser and more powerful in the use of the Force.
- Natalie Portman as Padmé Amidala, the former Queen of Naboo, who has recently been elected the planet's Senator, and Anakin's love interest.
- Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine / Darth Sidious, a former senator from Naboo, as well as a secret Sith Lord, who amasses vast emergency powers as the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic upon the outbreak of the Clone Wars.
- Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu, a Jedi Master sitting on the Jedi Council who warily watches the Galactic Senate's politics.
- Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, a protocol droid built by Anakin as a child who now serves the Lars family on Tatooine.
- Kenny Baker as R2-D2, Anakin's astromech droid who often accompanies him and Obi-Wan on missions.
- Frank Oz as Yoda, the centuries-old Jedi Grandmaster of an unknown alien species. In addition to leading the Jedi Council, Yoda is the instructor for the young Jedi Padawans/"Younglings".
- Temuera Morrison as Jango Fett, a bounty hunter who gave his DNA for use by the cloning facilities on Kamino for the creation of the clone army.
- Christopher Lee as Count Dooku / Darth Tyranus, a former Jedi Master and the old mentor of Obi-Wan's late master Qui-Gon Jinn, who is now the puppet leader of the Separatist movement as well as Darth Sidious' new Sith apprentice and a suspect in Obi-Wan's investigation.
Jack Thompson, Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse appear as members of the Lars family and homestead; respectively as Cliegg Lars, Shmi's husband, Owen's father and Anakin's stepfather; Owen Lars, Cliegg's son, Shmi's stepson, and Anakin's stepbrother; and Beru Whitesun, Owen's girlfriend. Leeanna Walsman appears as Zam Wesell, a shapeshifting Clawdite bounty hunter and partner of Jango Fett, who was given the task of assassinating Padmé. Jay Laga'aia appears as Gregar Typho, Padmé's newly appointed captain of security. Rose Byrne and Alethea McGrath briefly appear as Dormé, Padmé's handmaiden and as Jocasta Nu, the librarian at the Jedi Temple, respectively. Ronald Falk provides the voice of Dexter Jettster, Obi-Wan's Besalisk friend who runs a diner on Coruscant and informs him about Kamino.
Daniels and Best also make cameo appearances as Dannl Faytonni and Achk Med-Beq, respectively, attendees of the Coruscant Outlander Club who witness Anakin and Obi-Wan capturing Zam Wesell. E! reported that Lucas had asked NSYNC to film a small background cameo appearance, in order to satisfy his daughters. They were subsequently cut out of the film in post-production, although briefly visible during a crowd shot from above. David Duchovny turned down an undisclosed role in Attack of the Clones so that he could star in Evolution. Ray Winstone auditioned for the role of Pádme's father but was dismissed after showing up drunk at the audition and the role eventually went to another actor but it was eventually cut from the film. The end credits erroneously list Alan Ruscoe as playing Neimoidian senator Lott Dod. The character was actually another Neimoidian, played by an uncredited David Healy and voiced by Christopher Truswell. Archival recordings of Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn from The Phantom Menace, appear as a disembodied ghostly voice heard by Anakin through the Force as he was slaughtering the Tusken Raiders; Qui-Gon also appears earlier in the film in the form of a statue in his likeness during a background scene when Obi-Wan visits the Jedi Archives. Fiona Johnson reprised her The Matrix role as the Woman in the Red Dress in an Easter egg cameo appearance, with her character named "Hayde Gofai" in later Star Wars media, briefly offering a seductive look to Anakin Skywalker at the Outlander Club.