Attack of the Clones

Attack of the Clones
Name	Attack of the Clones
Caption	Theatrical release poster
Director	George Lucas
Producer	Rick McCallum
Writer	George Lucas
Screenplay	George Lucas and Jonathan Hales
Starring	Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Christopher Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, Frank Oz
Music	John Williams
Cinematography	David Tattersall
Editing	Ben Burtt
Studio	Lucasfilm
Distributor	20th Century Fox
Runtime	142 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$115 million
Gross	$653.4 million

Attack of the Clones is a 2002 epic space opera film directed by George Lucas and the second installment in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Set ten years after the events of The Phantom Menace, the Galactic Republic is threatened by a separatist movement while Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker protect Senator Padmé Amidala. The film explores the origins of the Clone Wars and the Galactic Empire, featuring groundbreaking use of digital cinematography and computer-generated imagery.

Plot

A decade after the Invasion of Naboo, Senator Padmé Amidala survives an assassination attempt upon arriving at the capital planet of Coruscant. The Jedi High Council assigns Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan Anakin Skywalker to protect her, sending them into hiding on the pastoral world of Naboo. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan Kenobi investigates the bounty hunter Jango Fett, tracing him to the remote ocean planet of Kamino, where he discovers a secret army of clone troopers commissioned by the late Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas. Obi-Wan Kenobi pursues Jango Fett to the Geonosis system, where he uncovers a Separatist alliance led by the former Jedi Count Dooku. After Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala are captured on Geonosis, a massive rescue mission led by Mace Windu and Yoda erupts into the first battle of the Clone Wars, culminating in a fateful lightsaber duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Count Dooku.

Cast

Ewan McGregor reprises his role as Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, with Hayden Christensen introduced as the young Anakin Skywalker. Natalie Portman returns as Senator Padmé Amidala, and Christopher Lee portrays the charismatic separatist leader Count Dooku. Samuel L. Jackson appears as senior Jedi Council member Mace Windu, while Frank Oz provides the voice for the wise Yoda. The cast also includes Temuera Morrison as the template for the clone army, Jango Fett, and his "son" Boba Fett, with Jimmy Smits as Senator Bail Organa and Anthony Daniels as the protocol droid C-3PO. Notable supporting performances feature Pernilla August as Shmi Skywalker and Ahmed Best as the Gungan Jar Jar Binks.

Production

Principal photography, utilizing pioneering digital cinematography with Sony HDCAM cameras, began at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney in June 2000. Director George Lucas sought to create a more mature tone than its predecessor, heavily expanding the Star Wars universe with new worlds like Kamino and Geonosis. The production relied extensively on computer-generated imagery from Industrial Light & Magic, creating fully digital environments and characters such as Yoda, who was re-imagined as a digital asset for his first major lightsaber duel. Screenwriter Jonathan Hales was brought in to polish the script, with key sequences filmed at locations in Italy and Tunisia. The iconic John Williams returned to compose the score, introducing new themes like "Across the Stars" for the central romance.

Release

The film premiered at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on May 16, 2002, with a general theatrical release by 20th Century Fox on May 19. Its marketing campaign was a major event, including partnerships with Hasbro and Lego. The film was later released in the IMAX format and became one of the first major films to be released on DVD in a two-disc set featuring extensive bonus materials. Subsequent home media releases included a 2005 DVD box set of the prequel trilogy and a 2011 Blu-ray release with additional changes supervised by George Lucas.

Reception

Critical reception was mixed, with praise directed at its visual effects, action sequences, and the performances of Ewan McGregor and Christopher Lee, but criticism focused on perceived wooden dialogue and pacing. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects but lost to The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Despite divided reviews, it was a significant commercial success, grossing over $650 million worldwide. The film won several Saturn Awards and a Grammy Award for John Williams's score. Public opinion, particularly regarding Hayden Christensen's portrayal and the romantic subplot, has been reassessed in subsequent years amid broader reevaluations of the Star Wars prequel trilogy.

Legacy

The film is pivotal for establishing the foundational conflict of the Clone Wars, a era extensively explored in the animated series *The Clone Wars* and *The Bad Batch*. It marked a major technological shift in filmmaking, championing all-digital production workflows. Characters and concepts introduced, such as the clone troopers, Kamino, and Count Dooku, became central to expanded universe stories in novels, comics, and games. The film's depiction of Anakin Skywalker's turning point and the corruption of the Galactic Republic provides critical backstory for the original Star Wars trilogy. Its stylistic influence and world-building continue to impact subsequent Star Wars films and television projects.

Category:2002 films Category:American films Category:Star Wars films