Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

Taglines: The Saga Continues.

Ten years after the invasion of Naboo, the Galactic Republic is facing a Separatist movement and the former queen and now Senator Padmé Amidala travels to Coruscant to vote on a project to create an army to help the Jedi to protect the Republic. Upon arrival, she escapes from an attempt to kill her, and Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan Anakin Skywalker are assigned to protect her. They chase the shape-shifter Zam Wessell but she is killed by a poisoned dart before revealing who hired her.

The Jedi Council assigns Obi-Wan Kenobi to discover who has tried to kill Amidala and Anakin to protect her in Naboo. Obi-Wan discovers that the dart is from the planet Kamino, and he heads to the remote planet. He finds an army of clones that has been under production for years for the Republic and that the bounty hunter Jango Fett was the matrix for the clones.

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

Meanwhile Anakin and Amidala fall in love with each other, and he has nightmarish visions of his mother. They travel to his home planet, Tatooine, to see his mother, and he discovers that she has been abducted by Tusken Raiders. Anakin finds his mother dying, and he kills all the Tusken tribe, including the women and children. Obi-Wan follows Jango Fett to the planet Geonosis where he discovers who is behind the Separatist movement. He transmits his discoveries to Anakin since he cannot reach the Jedi Council. Who is the leader of the Separatist movement? Will Anakin receive Obi-Wan’s message? And will the secret love between Anakin and Amidala succeed?

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. It is the second installment of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and stars Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee, Temuera Morrison, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker and Frank Oz.

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

Set ten years after the events in The Phantom Menace, the galaxy is on the brink of civil war. Led by a former Jedi named Count Dooku, thousands of planetary systems threaten to secede from the Galactic Republic. After Senator Padmé Amidala evades assassination, Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker becomes her protector, while his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi investigates the attempt on Padmé’s life. Soon Anakin, Padmé and Obi-Wan witness the onset of a new threat to the galaxy, the Clone Wars.

Development of Attack of the Clones began in March 2000, 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, Australia, with additional footage filmed in Tunisia, Spain and Italy. It was one of the first motion pictures shot completely on a high-definition digital 24-frame system.

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

The film was released in the United States on May 16, 2002. Some critics hailed it as an improvement over The Phantom Menace, while others called it the worst entry of the franchise. The visual effects, costume design, musical score, action scenes and Ewan McGregor’s performance as Obi-Wan Kenobi were all praised, however the romance of Anakin and Padmé, the dialogue and the film’s long runtime were all criticized.

The film was a financial success, making over $649 million worldwide; however, it also became the first Star Wars film to be outgrossed in its year of release, placing third domestically and fourth internationally. The film was released on VHS and DVD on November 12, 2002 and was later released on Blu-ray on September 16, 2011. Following Attack of the Clones, the third and final film of the prequel trilogy, Revenge of the Sith, premiered in 2005.

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones Movie Poster (2002)

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)

Directed by: George Lucas
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jack Thompson, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Pernilla August, Christopher Lambert, Rose Byrne
Screenplay by: George Lucas, Jonathan Hales
Production Design by Gavin Bocquet
Cinematography by: Gavin Bocquet
Film Editing by: Ben Burtt, George Lucas
Costume Design by: Trisha Biggar
Set Decoration by: Joanne Tastula, Peter Walpole
Art Direction by: Phil Harvey
Music by: John Williams
MPAA Rating: PG for sustained sequences of sci-fi action / violence.
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: May 16, 2002

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