Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones is a 2002 American epicspace opera film directed by George Lucas and written by Lucas and Jonathan Hales. It is the fifth film to be released in the Star Wars saga and the second in terms of internal chronology.
After the release of The Phantom Menace, which received mixed reviews from critics, Lucas completed the draft of Attack of the Clones
in March 2000. The script went through further drafts, and Lucas hired
Hales to finish writing the final draft of the script before principal
photography began. Filming took place in Australia with additional locations in Spain, Italy and Tunisia, and lasted from June to September 2000. Released on May 16, 2002, Attack of the Clones was the first motion picture to be shot completely on a high definition digital 24-frame system. Despite mixed to positive reviews from critics, it became the first Star Wars film to be internationally out-grossed during 2002. It received nominations at the 75th Academy Awards and at the 23rd Golden Raspberry Awards, of which it received the awards for Worst Screenplay and Worst Supporting Actor. A sequel, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith was released in 2005.
Ten years have passed since the invasion of Naboo, and the Galactic Republic is in turmoil. Former Jedi MasterCount Dooku
has organized a Separatist movement against the Republic, making it
difficult for the Jedi to maintain the peace. The Republic contemplates
creating an army to assist the Jedi, prompting Senator Padmé Amidala, former Queen of Naboo, to return to Coruscant to vote on the matter. Upon her arrival, she narrowly escapes an assassination attempt. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine assigns Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker
to protect her. That night, another attempt is made on Padmé's life,
although Obi-Wan and Anakin foil the plot and subdue the assassin, who
is murdered by her mysterious employer as she is about to reveal vital
information. The murder weapon is discovered to be a poisonous dart
manufactured on the planet Kamino.
Returning to the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan is assigned to investigate the
identity of the assassin's killer, while Anakin is assigned to escort
and accompany Padmé to her home planet of Naboo.
Anakin, who has fallen in love with Padmé, relishes the opportunity to
spend time with her, although Padmé resists her feelings toward him, as
it goes against the morality of their respective careers as a Jedi and
a senator. In investigating the remote ocean planet of Kamino, Obi-Wan discovers that it has been removed from the navigation maps of the Jedi archives. Yoda reveals that such a thing could only have been done by a Jedi, suggesting that a conspiracy is afoot.
Obi-Wan heads to Kamino, where he discovers that an army of clone troopers is being secretly produced for the Republic, using a bounty hunter named Jango Fett as their genetic
template. Obi-Wan tries to capture Jango after deducing that he is the
killer he has been looking for, and he tracks Jango and his son Boba to the planet Geonosis
after they escape from Kamino. Anakin, meanwhile, suffers from
recurring nightmares in which his mother, Shmi, is in grave danger; he
left her behind on Tatooine
when he set off to become a Jedi. In defiance of Obi-Wan's orders,
Anakin convinces Padmé to accompany him to Tatooine to save his mother.
There he finds her mortally injured by Tusken Raiders,
and she dies in his arms. Succumbing to a murderous rage, Anakin
massacres the entire Tusken tribe. After burying his mother, Anakin
tearfully confesses his crime to Padmé, who comforts him.
On Geonosis, Obi-Wan learns that Count Dooku authorized the
assassination attempt on Padmé, and that the Separatists are developing
a new battle droid army. Obi-Wan relays this information via hologram to Anakin, who transmits it to the Jedi Council;
however, Obi-Wan is captured mid-transmission. While he holds Obi-Wan
hostage, Dooku reveals that the Republic is in fact controlled by a Sith Lord named Darth Sidious. While Anakin and Padmé head to Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan, Chancellor Palpatine is granted emergency powers to organize the clone army and send them into battle. Shortly after arriving on Geonosis, Anakin and Padmé are captured and sentenced to death
along with Obi-Wan. Preparing for what could be their final moments,
Padmé finally confesses her own feelings for Anakin. The three are
pitted against savage beasts, but manage to survive until Jedi Master Mace Windu
arrives with a team of Jedi to assist them, engaging and killing Jango
in a brief battle. After a heated struggle, in which most of the Jedi
are slain, Yoda arrives with the clone army and rescues the survivors
of the battle.
As a large battle erupts between the Republic's clone army and the
Separatist's droid forces, Count Dooku attempts to escape. Obi-Wan and
Anakin corner him in a hangar and engage him in a lightsaber duel, but he outmatches and defeats them with his mastery of the dark side of the Force, severing Anakin's arm in the process. Yoda engages Dooku in a duel until Dooku escapes, taking the plans for a new "ultimate weapon" to his Sith master, Sidious, on Coruscant. The Jedi are now uncertain of what will become of the Republic, now that the Clone Wars have begun. Chancellor Palpatine oversees the launching of massive clone trooper forces. Meanwhile, Anakin (with a new cybernetic arm) and Padmé marry clandestinely on Naboo, with droids C-3PO and R2-D2 as witnesses.
Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi:
A Jedi Knight and mentor to his padawan learner, Anakin Skywalker, who
investigates the assassination attempt of Padmé which led him to
discover the makings of a Clone Army.
Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker: Obi-Wan's gifted padawan apprentice. 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.
Ian McDiarmid as Chancellor Palpatine: A former Galactic Senator from Naboo, who amasses vast emergency powers upon the outbreak of the Clone Wars.
Christopher Lee as Count Dooku: A former Jedi Master who is now leader of the Separatist movement as Darth Tyranus, and a suspect in Obi-Wan's investigation.
Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu: A Jedi Master sitting on the Jedi Council who warily watches the Galactic Senate's politics.
Temuera Morrison as Jango Fett: A former bounty hunter who gave his DNA
for use by the cloning facilities on Kamino for the creation of the
clone army. In addition to his wage, he requested an unaltered clone
for himself to take as his son — Boba Fett.
Frank Oz voices Yoda:
A Jedi Grand Master of an unknown species. In addition to sitting on
the Jedi Council, Yoda is the instructor for the young Jedi padawans.
Kenny Baker as R2-D2: An astro-droid, often seen on missions with Anakin and Obi-Wan.
Daniel Logan as Boba Fett: Jango Fett's clone and adopted son, who is created from his "father"'s DNA.
Leeanna Walsman as Zam Wesell:
A bounty hunter and partner of Jango Fett, who is given the task of
assassinating Padmé. Although her appearance is human, she is actually
a shapeshifter.
Silas Carson as Nute Gunray and Ki-Adi-Mundi:
Gunray is the Viceroy of the Trade Federation. He attempted to
assassinate Padmé as revenge for his loss against her people on Naboo.
Ki-Adi-Mundi is a Jedi Master who is a member of the Jedi Council.
E! Online reported that Lucas had allowed 'N Sync
to film a small background cameo appearance, in order to satisfy his
daughters. They were subsequently cut out of the film in
post-production.[2] The end credits erroneously list Alan Ruscoe as playing Neimoidian senator Lott Dod. The character was actually another Neimodian, played by an uncredited David Healey and voiced by Christopher Truswell.
A large search for the new Anakin Skywalker was performed across the United States.
Lucas auditioned various actors, mostly unknown, before casting
Christensen. Among the many established actors who auditioned were Jonathan Brandis, Ryan Phillippe,[3]Colin Hanks,[4] and Paul Walker.[5]Leonardo DiCaprio also met with Lucas for the role, but was "definitely unavailable" according to DiCaprio publicist Ken Sunshine.[6] Co-star Natalie Portman later told Time magazine that Christensen "gave a great reading. He could simultaneously be scary and really young."[7]
After the mixed critical response to The Phantom Menace,
Lucas was hesitant to return to the writing desk. In March 2000, just
three months before the start of principal photography, Lucas finally
completed his rough draft for Episode II. Lucas continued to
iterate on his rough draft, producing a proper first and second draft.
For help with the third draft, which would later become the shooting
script, Lucas brought on Jonathan Hales, who had written several
episodes of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
for him, but had limited experience writing theatrical films. The final
script was completed just one week before the start of principal
photography.
As an in-joke, the film's "working title" was "Jar Jar's Big Adventure", a sarcastic reference to the negative fan response to the Episode I character.[8]
In writing Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas initially decided that Lando Calrissian was a clone and came from a planet of clones which caused the "Clone Wars" mentioned by Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope;[9][10]
he later came up with an alternate concept of an army of clone
shocktroopers from a remote planet which were used by the Republic as
an army in the war that followed.[11]
Principal photography occurred between June 26, 2000 and September 20, 2000 at 20th Century Fox Studios in Australia. Location shooting took place in the Tunisian desert, at the Plaza de España in Seville, Spain, in Italy at the Villa del Balbianello on Lake Como, and in the former royal Palace of Caserta. At his own personal request, Samuel L. Jackson's character Mace Windu received a lightsaber that emitted an amethyst glow, as opposed to traditional blue and green for "good guys" and red for "bad guys."[12]
Reshoots were performed in March 2001. During this time, a new action
sequence was developed featuring the droid factory after Lucas had
decided that the film lacked a quick enough pace in the corresponding
time-frame. The sequence's previsualization was rushed, and the
live-action footage was shot within four and a half hours.[13]
Because of Lucas' method of creating shots through various departments
and sources that are sometimes miles and years apart from each other, Attack of the Clones became the first film ever to be produced through what Rick McCallum called "virtual filmmaking."[13]
Like The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones furthered technological development, effectively moving Hollywood into the "digital age" with the use of the HDW-F900, developed by Sony and Panavision, a digital camera using an HD digital 24 frame system. This spawned controversy over the benefits and disadvantages of digital cinematography
that continue as more filmmakers "convert" to digital filmmaking while
many filmmakers oppose it. In contrast to previous installments, for
which scenes were shot in the Tunisian desert in temperatures up to
125 °F (51 °C), the camera would still run without complications. Lucas
had stated that he wished to film The Phantom Menace on this format but Sony was unable to build the cameras quickly enough.[14] In 2002, Attack of the Clones became the third film to be released that was shot entirely on a 24p digital camera (preceded by 2001's Jackpot and Vidocq).[15] Despite Lucas' efforts to persuade movie theaters to switch to digital projectors for better viewing of Episode II, few theaters did.[16]
The film relied almost solely on digital animatics as opposed to
storyboards in order to previsualize sequences for editing early on in
the film's production. While Lucas had used other ways of producing
motion-based storyboards in the past, after The Phantom Menace the decision was made to take advantage of the growing digital technology.[13] The process began with Ben Burtt's
creation of what the department dubbed as "videomatics," so called
because they were shot on a household videocamera. In these
videomatics, production assistants and relatives of the department
workers acted out scenes in front of greenscreen. Using computer-generated imagery
(CGI), the previsualization department later filled in the green screen
with rough background footage. Burtt then cut together this footage and
sent it off to Lucas for changes and approval. The result was a rough
example of what the final product was intended to be. The
previsualization department then created a finer version of the
videomatic by creating an animatic,
in which the videomatic actors, props, and sets were replaced by
digital counterparts to give a more precise, but still rough, look at
what would eventually be seen. The animatic was later brought on set
and shown to the actors so that they could understand the concept of
the scene they were filming in the midst of large amount of bluescreen
used. Unlike most of the action sequences, the Battle of Geonosis was
not storyboarded or created through videomatics but was sent straight
to animatics after the department received a small vague page on the
sequence. The intent was to create a number of small events that would
be edited together for pacing inside the finished film. The animatics
department was given a free hand regarding events to be created within
the animatic; Lucas only asked for good action shots that he could
choose from and approve later.[13]
The final computer-generated Yoda as seen in the film.
In addition to introducing the digital camera, Attack of the Clones
emphasized "digital doubles" as computer-generated models that doubled
for actors, in the same way that traditional stunt doubles did. It also
furthered the authenticity of computer-generated characters by
introducing a new, completely CGI-created version of the character Yoda. Rob Coleman and John Knoll prepared two tests featuring a CGI-animated Yoda using audio from The Empire Strikes Back. Yoda's appearance in Empire
also served as the reference point for the creation of the CGI Yoda;
Lucas repeatedly stated to the animation department that "the trick" to
the animation of the CGI Yoda was to make him like the puppet from
which he was based, in order to maintain a flow of continuity. Frank Oz (voice and puppeteer for Yoda in the original trilogy and The Phantom Menace) was consulted; his main piece of advice was that Yoda should look extremely old, sore, and frigid.[17]
Coleman later explained the process of making the digital Yoda like the
puppet version, by saying, "When Frank [Oz] would move the head, the
ears would jiggle. If we hadn't put that in, it wouldn't look like
Yoda."[18] Because of the acrobatics of the lightsaber fight between Count Dooku and Yoda, 80-year-old Christopher Lee
relied on a stunt double to perform the most demanding scenes instead.
Lee's face was superimposed onto the double's body in all shots other
than closeups, which he performed himself. Lucas often called the duel
crucial to the animation department, as it had such potential to be
humorous rather than dramatic.[17]
The soundtrack to the film was released on April 23, 2002 by Sony Classical.[19] The music was composed and conducted by John Williams, and performed by the London Voices and London Symphony Orchestra.[20] The soundtrack recreates the "Imperial March" from the film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back for its first chronological appearance in Attack of the Clones,
even though a hint of it appeared in the previous movie in one of the
final scenes. A music video for the main theme "Across the Stars" was
produced specifically for the DVD.[21]
The CD originally shipped with a bonus PC
screensaver. Four different soundtrack covers, each sold separately,
were distributed at the time: one featuring Yoda, another featuring
Anakin and Padmé, a third featuring Jango Fett, and the fourth
featuring the film's final poster art. A Target-exclusive CD included a 14th track as a bonus track.[22][unreliable source?]
Lucas has noted that Palpatine's rise to power is very similar to that of Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany; as Chancellor of Germany, the latter was granted "emergency powers", as is Palpatine.[23] Comparisons have been made to Octavian — who became Augustus, the first emperor of Rome — and to Napoleon Bonaparte, who rose to power in France
from 1796 to 1799. Octavian was responsible for the deaths of hundreds
of political opponents well before he was granted tribunician powers;
Bonaparte was appointed First Consul for life (and later Emperor) by the French Consulate after a failed attempt on his life and the subsequent coup of 18 Brumaire in 1799.[24] Some have drawn parallels to the American Civil War, likening the Separatists to the Confederate States of America;
the official name of the Separatist group is the "Confederacy of
Independent Systems." The name of the government Army, the "Grand Army
of the Republic," is the same in both Star Wars and the American Civil War, and both Palpatine and President Abraham Lincoln took extensive war powers and suspended many civil rights.[24]
Clone troopers march onto their starships.
War journalism, combat films, and footage of World War II
combat influenced the documentary-style camera work of the Battle of
Geonosis, even to the point that hand-held shakes were digitally added
to computer generated sequences.[24]
In the film, the Geonosians have their own style of capital punishment.
The scene depicting this method takes place in the Geonosian arena with
the condemned chained to a pole, awaiting execution, which is carried
out in bloody fashion by assorted carnivorous beasts. Obi-Wan, Anakin,
and Padmé are sentenced to be executed in this method. This scene was
influenced by an execution method employed by the ancient Romans at the
Colosseum where lions and other dangerous predatory animals were permitted to have their way with condemned prisoners.[25][unreliable source?]
The prequel trilogy films often refer to the original trilogy in order to help connect the films together. Lucas has often referred to the films as a long poem that rhymes.[26]
Such examples include the now-famous line of "I have a bad feeling
about this," a phrase used in each film, and battles, namely lightsaber
duels, that almost always occur over a pit. As with Attack of the Clones, The Empire Strikes Back was the middle film in a trilogy; therefore, of the original trilogy films, Empire is the object of the most references in Attack of the Clones. In both films, an asteroid
field is the backdrop of a major star battle in the middle of the film.
Obi-Wan Kenobi escapes Jango Fett by attaching his spacecraft to an
asteroid in order to disappear from the enemy sensors; Han Solo uses a similar tactic by attaching the Millennium Falcon to a Star Destroyer in Empire. As a retcon, John Knoll confirms on the film's DVD commentary that Boba Fett, who would later catch Solo in the act in Empire, "learned his lesson" from the events of Attack of the Clones.[23] In another scene, Obi-Wan asks Anakin, "Why do I get the feeling you're going to be the death of me?" This is an allusion to Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope where Anakin, as Darth Vader, kills Obi-Wan aboard the Death Star. Also, Count Dooku cuts off Anakin's arm, similar to when Darth Vader cut off Luke Skywalker's hand in Empire.
After a teaser trailer premiered with the film Monsters Inc., a new trailer for the film aired on the Fox Network on March 10, 2002 between Malcolm in the Middle and The X-Files,[27] and was made available on the official Star Wars Web site the same day. The outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas from Chicago
predicted that U.S. companies could lose more than $319 million in
productivity due to employees calling in sick and then heading to
theaters to see the film.[28]
Attack of the Clones was screened out of competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival,[29] before getting a worldwide theatrical release on May 16, 2002. The film was also later released in IMAX theaters; the film had not been filmed for IMAX but was "up converted" with the digital remastering process. Because of the technical limitations of the IMAX projector, an edited, 120-minute version of the film was presented.[30]
Before the film's release, there was a string of controversies regarding piracy. In 2000, an underground organization calling itself the Atlas Group, based in Perth, Western Australia offered a copy of the screenplay, with an asking price of US$100,000, to various fan sites and media organizations, including TheForce.Net. The scheme was subsequently reported to Lucasfilm Ltd. by the fan site.
A pirate copy was allegedly made at a private showing, using a
digital recorder that was pointed at the screen. This copy spread over
the internet, and analysts predicted up to a million fans would have
seen the film before the day of its release.[31] In addition, authorities seized thousands of bootlegs throughout Kuala Lumpur before the film opened.[32]
Attack of the Clones received generally mixed to positive reviews. On the Rotten Tomatoes review site, the film received a 66% favorable rating.[33] There was general admiration for the action sequences and special effects,
but criticism of the more traditional dramatic elements, such as
character development and dialogue, especially with respect to the
relationship between Padmé and Anakin.[34]
Critics called the dialogue "stiff" and "flat."[35] The acting (particularly by Christensen and Portman) was also disparaged by some critics.[34] Conversely, other critics felt fans would be pleased to see that Jar Jar Binks plays only a minor role.[36]
He in fact makes a motion in the Galactic Senate to grant Palpatine
emergency powers — unknowingly assisting Palpatine's rise to power.
Additionally, Jar Jar's attempts at comic relief seen in The Phantom Menace were toned down; instead, C-3PO
reprised some of his bumbling traditions in that role. Despite reports,
McGregor did not refer to the film as "unsatisfactory." He did,
however, use the word in reference to the swordplay when comparing it
to the climactic duel in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith as it neared release.[37]
Roger Ebert, who has praised all of the other Star Wars
films, awarded this edition only two out of four stars, describing the
first half as too dialogue heavy and slow-paced, while deriding the
romantic sentiments of Anakin and Padme as clichéd.
The film grossed $310,676,740 in the United States and $338,721,588
overseas, a huge financial success that nevertheless was overshadowed
by the even greater box-office success of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.[1] It was not the top U.S. grossing film of the year, the first (and only) time that a Star Wars film did not have this distinction. The films that out-grossed 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. Adjusted for inflation, Attack of the Clones is the lowest-performing Star Wars film at the North American box office.[43]
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones was released on DVD and VHS on November 12, 2002. George Lucas edited or added certain elements
that make the DVD slightly different from its theatrical release. The
DVD features an audio commentary from director George Lucas, producer
Rick McCallum, editor and sound designer Ben Burtt, ILM
animation director Rob Coleman, and ILM visual effects supervisors
Pablo Helman, John Knoll, and Ben Snow. Eight deleted scenes are
included along with multiple documentaries, which include a full-length
documentary about the creation of digital characters and two others
that focus on sound design and the animatics team. Three featurettes
examine the storyline, action scenes, and love story, and a set of 12
short web documentaries cover the overall production of the film.[44]
The Attack of the Clones DVD also features a trailer for a mockumentary-style short film known as R2-D2: Beneath the Dome.
Some stores offered the full mockumentary as an exclusive bonus disc
for a small extra charge. The film gives an alternate look at the
"life" of the droid R2-D2. The story, which Lucas approved, was meant to be humorous.[45]
The DVD was re-released in a prequel trilogy box set on November 4, 2008.[46]
The Star Wars films are scheduled to be released on Blu-ray Disc in 2011.[47] On January 6, 2011, the release was announced for September 2011 in three different editions.[48]
On September 28, 2010, it was announced that all six films in the series will be stereo converted to 3D. The films will re-release in chronological order beginning with The Phantom Menace in late 2012. Attack of the Clones is scheduled to re-release in 3D in 2013.[49]
^ abStar Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones DVD commentary featuring George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Rob Coleman, Ben Burtt, Pablo Helman, John Knoll and Ben Snow, [2002]
