Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
File:Star Wars Attack of the Clones poster.jpg
Directed by	George Lucas
Written by	George Lucas
Produced by	Rick McCallum George Lucas
Starring	Ewan McGregor Natalie Portman Hayden Christensen Christopher Lee
Cinematography	David Tattersall
Edited by	Ben Burtt
Music by	John Williams
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release dates	May 16, 2002 (USA)
Running time	142 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$120,000,000

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones is a 2002 science fantasy film directed and co-written by George Lucas. It was the fifth film to be released in the Star Wars saga, and the second in terms of chronology. Among fans, the title is commonly abbreviated as "AOTC".

Ten years after the Battle of Naboo, the galaxy is on the brink of civil war. Under the leadership of a renegade Jedi named Count Dooku, thousands of solar systems threaten to secede from the Galactic Republic. When an assassination attempt is made on Senator Padmé Amidala, the former Queen of Naboo, nineteen-year-old Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker is assigned to protect her, while his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi is assigned to investigate the assassination attempt. Soon, Anakin, Padmé, and Obi-Wan Kenobi are drawn into the heart of the Separatist movement, and the beginning of a new threat to the galaxy, the Clone Wars.

Released on May 16, 2002, Attack of the Clones was the first film to be shot completely on a high definition digital 24 frame system. This is the only Star Wars film which was not the highest grossing film for the year in which it was originally released. It was out-grossed by Spider-Man and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

The film will be the 2nd released in 3-D sometime in 2008.

Production

The Star Wars saga was written by George Lucas in the early 1970s as one giant outline for six films. In years between 1999 and 2000, Lucas transformed his original treatment for Episode II into a screenplay along with Jonathan Hales as co-writer. The film's subtitle was met with a ho-hum attitude when it was first released; it was long thought that the title The Rise of the Empire would be the true title of the film (the subtitle later became a rumored subtitle for Episode III). As a disguise during filming, the film's "working title", intended sarcastically in light of the fan response to Episode I, was Jar Jar's Big Adventure.

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 the Lake of Como, and in the former royal Palace of Caserta. During filming, a well-publicized story of actor Samuel L. Jackson became wide-spread among the fan community, saying that he had personally requested his lightsaber to emit a purple glow, as opposed to traditional blue and green for "good guys" and red for "bad guys". In addition to his request of a purple glow, he was rumored have "B.M.F." inscribed on the bottom of the lightsaber hilt, a reference to his role in Pulp Fiction. Reshoots were performed in March of 2001. In this time, Ewan McGregor had shaved off his beard and was required to wear a fake one during the shooting of the first scene in which Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker appear.

Like the saga's previous film 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. Unlike working with film on previous installments, while shooting in the Tunisian desert in temperatures up to 125°F (51°C), the camera would still run without complications. In 2002, Attack of the Clones became the very first film to be shot entirely on a digital camera. Despite Lucas' efforts to get movie theaters to switch to digital projectors for better viewing of Episode II, few theaters did.As well as introducing the digital camera, Attack of the Clones introduced a new completely CGI created Yoda. Rob Coleman and John Knoll quickly 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.

Synopsis

File:Attack of the clones 1.jpg

Obi-Wan and Anakin chase a bounty hunter through Coruscant.

The opening crawl reveals that the Galactic Republic is in crisis. A separatist movement, led by former Jedi Master Count Dooku, has threatened the peace. Senator Padmé Amidala, former Queen of Naboo, returns to the Galactic Senate to offer a vote against the creation of an Army of the Republic. Upon her arrival at Coruscant, she narrowly escapes an assassination attempt -- a bomb placed on her ship. As a result, Chancellor Palpatine requests that she be put under the protection of Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker. That night, Zam Wesell, a bounty hunter makes another attempt on Padmé's life, but Wesell is herself killed (to silence her) just after Obi-Wan and Anakin capture her. The Jedi Council assigns Obi-Wan to investigate the murder while, Anakin is to protect Padmé by escorting her 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, with Padmé, no less. Representative Jar Jar Binks assumes the Senator's duties in her absence.

During the investigation, Obi-Wan is led to the planet of Kamino where he discovers that a secret clone army is being developed for the Republic. He is told by the natives that the army was ordered some ten years ago by a Jedi named Sifo-Dyas, who is believed by the Jedi Council to have died around the same time. A bounty hunter named Jango Fett was hired to be the template for the clones. Obi-Wan meets Jango on Kamino, and believes him to be the killer he has been tracking. After unsuccessfully trying to capture Jango Fett, Obi-Wan places a tracking device on his ship and follows him to the planet of Geonosis. Meanwhile, Anakin and Padmé spend an unorthodox amount of time together on Naboo, and Anakin reveals his love for her. However, Padmé resists, explaining that it would be impossible for the two of them to be together; She is a respected Senator, and the Jedi Code forbids marriage and any other form of attachment. Anakin is soon troubled by dreams of his mother in danger and dying. He beckons for Padmé to accompany him to Tatooine. Upon arriving, he tracks down his mother and learns that she was kidnapped one month earlier by local Tusken Raiders. Anakin tracks her to a Tusken camp, where he finds her in poor condition, and within moments she dies in his arms. In a fit of rage, he slaughters the entire Tusken community. Anakin brings his mother's body back to her home, where her funeral is held.

On Geonosis, Obi-Wan learns that Count Dooku and Nute Gunray have built a new droid army, and that Gunray ordered the assassination of Padmé. Just before being captured, Obi-Wan relays this information to Anakin so that he can pass it on to the Jedi Council on Coruscant. Now that the Jedi know of Dooku's army, Jedi Master Mace Windu leads a team to Geonosis. Meanwhile, Representative Jar Jar Binks calls for Chancellor Palpatine to be given emergency powers, with which he can call the recently discovered clone army into battle. Back on Geonosis, Count Dooku tries to persuade Obi-Wan to join him, warning him that Darth Sidious is now in control of the Senate. Obi-Wan refuses to believe him, saying that the Jedi would have known if that was the case. Upon learning that Obi-Wan is in trouble, Anakin and Padmé go to Geonosis, but they are captured during their infiltration of a droid factory, despite Anakin's valiant efforts. They join Obi-Wan in an arena-like complex where three huge creatures are unleashed on them for their execution. During their struggle, Mace Windu arrives with the Jedi, and they battle the droid army. Just as defeat for the Jedi seems imminent, Yoda arrives with the Republic's new clone army.

File:Attack of the clones 4.jpg

The Battle of Geonosis.

A large battle erupts between the Republic's clone forces and the Separatists' droid army. Count Dooku attempts to escape, but Obi-Wan and Anakin track him to a secret hangar, where they engage him in combat. Dooku quickly injures Obi-Wan and cuts off Anakin's right arm. Yoda then arrives and engages Dooku in lightsaber combat. Dooku, realizing he may be outmatched, causes a support pylon to nearly fall on Anakin and Obi-Wan; Yoda uses the Force to stop this, allowing Dooku to escape with the plans for a new weapon. In a desolate industrial district of Coruscant, he meets up with his master, Darth Sidious, who is pleased that the war has begun "as planned." Dooku is revealed to be the apprentice Sith Lord, Darth Tyranus. On Coruscant, Obi-Wan informs the Jedi Council of Dooku's warning that Darth Sidious is controlling the Senate. But all of them, including Yoda, are surprisingly hesitant to believe this, stating that the dark side is capable of creating fear and mistrust. But Yoda and Windu also agree that the dark side is now clouding everything, and that they should closely monitor the Senate. Meanwhile, Palpatine oversees the launching of a massive clone trooper force. On Naboo, Anakin (with a new mechanical hand) and Padmé, hold a secret wedding, with only C-3PO and R2-D2 as witnesses.

Release

Two American fans allegedly pitched a tent outside a Seattle theatre four and a half months before the film was released. A new trailer for the film aired on the Fox network on Sunday, March 10 at 9:00 p.m., between Malcolm in the Middle and The X-Files, and was made available on the official Star Wars website the same day.

The film was released worldwide on May 16, 2002. Prior to the films release, there were a string of controversies regarding piracy. In 2000 a subversive artists' organisation based in Australia and known as the "Atlas Group" claimed to be in possession of a copy of the script. They offered to sell it to various fan sites, including TheForce. Net, asking US$100,000 for it. Their scheme was subsequently uncovered by the Australian Federal Police.

A pirate copy was allegedly made at a private showing, using a digital recorder that was pointed at the screen, the copy spread over the internet, and analysts predicted up to a million fans would have seen the film before the day of its release. In addition, authorities seized thousands of bootlegs throughout Kuala Lumpur before the film opened. It was later revealed that an estimated four million copies were downloaded on the internet during opening weekend. On May 23, Singapore customs agents arrested a couple that received 9,000 pirated DVDs and VCDs of Attack of the Clones and Spider Man that had been smuggled into the country from Malaysia.

Reaction

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Promotional poster for IMAX release of Attack of the Clones emphasizing Yoda.

While many saw the film as a marked improvement over The Phantom Menace, initial reviews were mixed. There was general admiration for the action sequences and special effects, and criticism of the more traditional dramatic elements such as character development and dialogue, especially 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 on Yoda's popular fight scene.

The dialogue was noted to be "leaden" and "flat" by critics. The acting (particularly by Christensen and Portman) was also disparaged by some critics for these same characteristics. Some fans consider the visual effects superior to The Phantom Menace, and many were pleased to see that Jar Jar Binks plays only a minor role. He, in fact, makes an emotional appeal to the Galactic Senate (during Senator Amidala's absence) in support of granting Palpatine emergency powers, quietly laying some of the guilt on his shoulders. Also, Jar Jar's attempts at comic relief seen earlier were toned down, with C-3PO reprising some of his bumbling traditions in that role. Reacion from Ewan McGregor was also negative, calling the movie "unsatisfactory". Rob Coleman, Pablo Helman, John Knoll, and Ben Snow were nominated for Best Visual Effects Best Visual effects at the 2004 Academy Awards.

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 (and only) time a Star Wars film has not had that distinction. The films that outearned it were Spider-Man and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, which also enjoyed a more favourable critical reception.

Cast

• Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master and mentor to his padawan learner, Anakin Skywalker.

• Natalie Portman as Senator Padmé Amidala. Padmé has recently been elected Senator of Naboo after serving two terms as Queen.

• Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker. Anakin Skywalker is padawan learner under Obi-Wan Kenobi and known as "the Chosen One" and is believed to be the Jedi "to bring balance to the force".

• Ian McDiarmid as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Former Galactic Senator from Naboo, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine is optimistic about the future of the Republic and believes in negotiating with the Separatists, despite the risk of war.

• Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu. Windu is a Jedi Master, sitting on the Jedi Council who wearily watches the Republic Senate's politics.

• Christopher Lee as Count Dooku. Dooku, a former Jedi Master, and suspect in Obi-Wan's investigation.

• Frank Oz as voice of Yoda. Yoda is a Jedi Master of an unknown species. In addition to sitting on the Jedi Council, Yoda is the instructor for the young Jedi Initiates.

• Temuera Morrison as Jango Fett and the various clone troopers. 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.

• Anthony Daniels as C-3PO. C-3PO is a protocol droid for the Lars homestead.

• Kenny Baker as R2-D2. R2-D2 is an astro-droid, often seen on missions with Anakin and Obi-Wan.

• Daniel Logan as Boba Fett. Boba was created as an unaltered clone of Jango Fett.

• Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks. Jar Jar was recently appointed Representative of Naboo by Senator Amidala.

Deleted roles

NSYNC reportedly filmed a cameo appearance which was cut from the movie.This was reportedly put in by Lucas to "please his daughter." It is rumoured that an international internet petition by thousands of fans forced Lucas to cut them out. As confirmed in a video on the StarWars.com Hyperspace section, a deleted scene involved the Jedi battling the droid army on Geonosis, with the droids all powered down (just as they did in The Phantom Menace after the Trade Federation ship was destroyed). This was part of an unused subplot involving Jedi master Plo Koon infiltrating the Trade Federation ship and destroying it. Dooku had planned for this and found an alternate way to power up the droid army.

The end credits erroneously list Alan Ruscoe as playing Neimoidian senator Lott Dod. In fact, not only is there serious doubt as to whether the Neimoidian abetting Nute Gunray is actually Dod (as some sources identify the character as Gilramos Libkath), the character was actually played by an uncredited David Healey and voiced by Christopher Truswell. In the DVD commentary, George Lucas promises to explain the person behind the erasure of the planet Kamino from the Jedi Archives in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. However, his/her identity was never revealed in Revenge of the Sith. This may be viewed as a plot hole, however, Lucas instead chose to include it in the novel Labyrinth of Evil, which took place immediately before Revenge of the Sith. Lucas did this in order to focus more on Anakin's story in the film.

Historical allusions

Observers believe that Palpatine's power grab is very similar to Hitler's climb to power in Nazi Germany, since he, as Chancellor of Germany, was granted "emergency powers" like Chancellor Palpatine. Lucas himself points this fact out in the DVD commentary of the film. Parallels also exist to Octavian, who became Augustus, the first emperor of Rome, as was well as Napoleon Bonaparte's rise to power in France from 1796-9. Octavian was responsible for the deaths of several hundred political opponents well before he was granted tribunician powers, while 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. Some have drawn parallels to the American Civil War, likening the Separatists to the Confederate States of America- note that the official name of the Separatist group is the "Confederacy of Independent Systems". It is also worth noting that 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 Lincoln took extensive warmaking powers and suspended many civil rights. Ian McDiarmid, who played Palpatine, said in interviews that he based his performance in part off of modern-day tyrants Slobodan Milosevic and Saddam Hussein, among others.

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 Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Padmé Amidala were sentenced to be executed in this method. However, the executions were nullified by the timely arrival of Jedi reinforcements, led by Jedi Master Mace Windu. This scene appears to be 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. The scene also seems to reference some of Ray Harryhausen's special effects scenes of the 1950s, particularly the fight with a giant crab in Mysterious Island (1961).

References to the original trilogy

Main article: Star Wars prequel trilogy references to the original trilogy

The prequel trilogy films often make references 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. Such examples include the now famous line of "I have a bad feeling about this" that is used in each film, as well as battles (namely lightsaber duels) almost always taking place over a pit of some kind.

Attack of Clones references The Empire Strikes Back most often as a nod toward them both being the middle film in their respective trilogies. 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 the exact same tactic by attaching the Millennium Falcon to a Star Destroyer. Lucas later confirmed that Boba Fett (who would later catch Solo in the act), "learned his lesson" from the events of Attack of the Clones.

Soundtrack

Main article: Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (soundtrack)

The soundtrack to the film was released on April 23, 2002 by Sony Classical. The music was composed and conducted by John Williams, and performed by the London Voices and London Symphony Orchestra. The soundtrack recreates the "Imperial March" from the film The Empire Strikes Back for it's first chronological appearance in Attack of the Clones. A music video for the main theme "Across the Stars" specfically for the DVD.

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 Padme, a third featuring Jango Fett. The fourth featured the film's final poster art. A Target-exclusive CD included a 14th track as a bonus track.

Novelization

Main article: Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (novel)

A book version of the movie was written by R. A. Salvatore. It includes scenes created by Salvatore and unique to the novel. The book's Prologue describes Anakin, while flying to Ansion with Obi-Wan, having a nightmare of his mother turning into glass and shattering. The following pages relate the events leading up to Shmi Skywalker's capture by Tusken Raiders and Cliegg Lars' loss of his leg while attempting to rescue her. These scenes give a more detailed insight into Shmi's life on the moisture farm and her relationships with Cliegg, Owen, Beru and C-3PO than can be provided in the film. Interspersed with these events are scenes of Senator Amidala on Naboo prior to her departure for Coruscant to vote on the Military Creation Act. She discusses with her sister the question of retiring from politics to start a family and receives reports about the unrest (briefly mentioned in the film) among spice miners on Naboo's moons.

The book also delves more deeply than the film into the father-son relationship of Jango and Boba Fett, making Jango's death more emotionally meaningful. This material was drawn upon in the first of the Boba Fett series of young adult novels.

DVD release

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones was released on DVD in 2002, with certain elements edited or added in by George Lucas that make the DVD a slightly different version 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; This icludes a full-length documentary about the creation of digital characters. Two others focus on sound design and the vital role of the animatics team. Three featurettes examinine the storyline, action scenes, and love story. A customary 12-part web documentary covers the overall production of the film.

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 was Lucas-approved, is meant for laughs.

External links

• Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones at StarWars.com
• Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones at IMDb
• Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones at Rotten Tomatoes
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• Holonet News — A "news" website based on the Star Wars prequels. It brings readers "current" events from the Expanded Universe of Star Wars. The site was created in the hype leading up to the release of Episode II, and is no longer updated.