Ewan McGregor
Obi-Wan Kenobi
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May 16, 2002 · IMDb page for the second film in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, directed by George Lucas and starring Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregor. Find cast and crew, plot summary, trivia, reviews, ratings, videos and more.
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Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones is a 2002 American epic space opera film directed by George Lucas and written by Lucas and Jonathan Hales. The sequel to The Phantom Menace (1999), it is the fifth film in the Star Wars film series and second chronological chapter of the "Skywalker Saga".
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"The shroud of the dark side has fallen. Begun, the Clone War has."
―Yoda
: Episode II Attack of the Clones is a 2002 film directed by George Lucas & 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, when the galaxy is on the brink of civil war. Under the leadership of renegade Jedi Master Count Dooku, thousands of systems threaten to secede from the Republic. When an assassination attempt is made on Senator Padmé Amidala, the former Queen of Naboo, Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker is assigned to protect her. In contrast, his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi is assigned to investigate the assassination attempt. Soon, the Jedi are drawn into the heart of the Separatist movement, and the beginning of a new threat to the galaxy: the Clone Wars.
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, alias the Sith Lord Darth Tyranus, is threatening the peace, causing the Galactic Senate to debate a Military Creation Act to form a standing army for the Republic's protection. Senator Padmé Amidala, former Queen of Naboo, intends to return to the Senate and vote against the Act, even though there are no longer enough Jedi to maintain peace and justice in the galaxy.
Upon her arrival on Coruscant, she narrowly escapes an assassination attempt that claims the life of her decoy, Cordé. As a result, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine requests that Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, protect her.
That night, the assassin Zam Wesell makes another attempt on Amidala's life, though the Jedi are able to foil her plot. They pursue her through Galactic City, eventually disarming her in the Outlander Club. Upon being questioned by Obi-Wan and Anakin outside the bar, she is killed by a saberdart, fired by a mysterious man, before the Jedi can learn the name of her employer. Returning to the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan is assigned by the 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 Representative Jar Jar Binks assumes Amidala's duties in her absence, despite the Senator being mad at not being at the Senate when the fate of the Military Creation Act is decided.
During the investigation, Obi-Wan is led to a mysterious planet called Kamino— missing from the Jedi Archives— where he discovers a secret clone army being developed for the Republic. He is told by Prime Minister Lama Su that the military was ordered almost ten years ago by Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas— although Obi-Wan was "under the impression" that Sifo-Dyas was killed before that time. A bounty 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 son Boba. Unable to capture Jango, Obi-Wan places a homing beacon on his ship, Slave I, and follows him to the planet of Geonosis.
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 that his mother is in grave danger, and he beckons for Padmé to accompany him to his home planet of Tatooine— in the process, disobeying Obi-Wan's orders to remain on Naboo. Upon arriving, Anakin tracks down his former owner Watto, from whom he learns that his mother has married a moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars, and travels to the Lars moisture farm. There, Anakin and Padmé find C-3PO, and the droid introduces Anakin to his step-brother Owen. Cliegg tells Anakin the horrible truth that his mother was kidnapped a month ago by a pack of Tusken Raiders. Anakin travels through the night and finds her tied and beaten in a Tusken 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 in the 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.
Principal photography lasted from June 26 to September 20, 2000.[source?] Filming primarily occurred at Fox Studios, Sydney, with additional location shooting in Tunisia desert. During the Tunisia shoot, the final scene intended for Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith was shot to avoid returning to the country for a single scene. Other filming locations included the Plaza de España Seville in Spain, and in Italy at the Villa del Balbianello on Lake Como and the Caserta Palace. Pick-up shots took place in Ealing Studios.[source?] John Knoll told Star Wars Insider that adapting to digital cameras was the biggest challenge his team faced as production started on Attack 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. When he was interviewed in 2005 by Temuera Morrison during an episode of the The Tem Show, Rick McCallum stated that New Zealand was among one of their chosen filming locations prior to Australia, but due to the The 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 Ltd. casting directors still traveled around the country, picking up several actors in New Zealand, among these being Bodie Taylor and Daniel Logan.
In December 2001, it was rumored that members of *NSYNC were filmed as extras in Attack of the Clones. In the following days, the story gained momentum, and it was reported that three band members—Joey Fatone, JC Chasez, and Chris Kirkpatrick—were given parts as Jedi and Naboo citizens by producer Rick McCallum. Lucasfilm then later confirmed the news but denied the rumours that it was done by George Lucas as a favour to his daughters Katie and Amanda, who were fans of the band. Also, Justin Timberlake acknowledged that he and Lance Bass were not involved, but that Joey Fatone's brother Steven Fatone was. Many Star 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 the Ewoks. On January 12, 2002, a Saturday Night Live sketch showed a satirical "first look" at Attack 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." Joey Fatone later announced that the singers' parts had been cut from the film because of the negative fan reaction. However, Lucasfilm's Lynne 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."
In the lead-up to release, Lucasfilm released another series of web documentaries, and experimented with other promotional tools, including Episode II Select, Ahmed Best's on-set videos, Star Wars: Connections and R2-D2: Beneath the Dome.[source?] On May 11, 2002, TV Guide released three different covers to promote the film.
The film grossed $310,676,740 in the United States and $338,721,588 overseas, a huge financial success which nevertheless was overshadowed by the even greater box-office success of The Phantom Menace. Also, it was not the top-grossing film of the year, the first time a Star Wars film has not had that distinction. The films that out-earned it were Spider-Man, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, all of which enjoyed a more favorable critical reception as well.
Initial reviews of the film were mixed, with general admiration for the action sequences and special effects, and criticism of the more traditional cinematic elements such as character development and dialogue, particularly with respect to the relationship between Padmé and Anakin. The marketing of the film reacted to this by downplaying the subplot by the time of the DVD release and emphasizing Yoda's popular fight scene. The dialogue was noted to be "leaden" and "flat" by critics. The acting was also disparaged by some critics for these same characteristics.
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Learn about the second episode of the Star Wars saga, set ten years after the invasion of Naboo. Find out the plot, the characters, the videos, and the behind-the-scenes photos of this action-packed adventure.
- 1 min
Details. When Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker is assigned to protect Senator Padmé Amidala, he discovers his love for her...and his own darker side. Obi-Wan Kenobi uncovers a secret clone army as the galaxy marches towards full-scale war.
A faction of political separatists, led by Count Dooku, attempts to assassinate her. There are not enough Jedi to defend the Republic against the threat, so Chancellor Palpatine enlists the aid of Jango Fett, who promises that his army of clones will handle the situation.
