Film Plot Summary

The second science-fiction fantasy film opened with the series' trademark scrolling text after the display - "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...":

There is unrest in the Galactic
Senate. Several thousand solar
systems have declared their
intentions to leave the Republic.

This separatist movement,
under the leadership of the
mysterious Count Dooku, has
made it difficult for the limited
number of Jedi Knights to maintain
peace and order in the galaxy.

Senator Amidala, the former
Queen of Naboo, is returning
to the Galactic Senate to vote
on the critical issue of creating
an ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC
to assist the overwhelmed Jedi....

The film was set ten years after the Battle of Naboo, when the galaxy was on the brink of civil war.

Film Notables (Awards, Facts, etc.)

With some of the same characters from the previous films, although in a different time period. It was the fifth film in the entire saga - and the second prequel in the series in terms of chronology.

The title Attack of the Clones was a misnomer - the clones didn't attack, but came to the defense of the Jedi.

Nominated for one Academy Award (with no wins): Best Visual Effects.

It also received seven Razzie nominations, including: Worst Director (George Lucas), Worst Picture, Worst Remake or Sequel, Worst Screen Couple (Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman), and Worst Supporting Actress (Natalie Portman), and won two Razzie Awards for Worst Screenplay (George Lucas and Jonathan Hales) and Worst Supporting Actor (Hayden Christensen). Character development, acting and dialogue, especially between Anakin and Padme, were criticized.

With a production budget of $115 million, and box-office gross receipts of $302.2 million (domestic) and $649.4 million (worldwide), eventually earning $310.7 million (domestic lifetime gross).

For the first time, a Star Wars film did not top the box office for its year. It had stiff competition in 2002 against the # 1 highest-grossing (domestic) film Spider-Man (2002) at $403.7 million, and the # 2 film, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) at $340 million.

Attack of the Clones was the first motion picture to be shot completely on a high-definition (HD) digital 24-frame system.

Set-pieces: the breathtaking aerial chase through the asteroid field, and the light-saber duel between the good Yoda and the evil Count Dooku (Christopher Lee).

Also Worth Your Attention...
AMC Filmcritic's Review of Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones