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Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

6.6

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

PG·2002·142m

Summary

Following an assassination attempt on Senator Padmé Amidala, Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi investigate a mysterious plot that could change the galaxy forever.

Cast

Hayden Christensen

Hayden Christensen

Anakin Skywalker

Ewan McGregor

Ewan McGregor

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman

Padmé Amidala

Christopher Lee

Christopher Lee

Count Dooku

Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson

Mace Windu

Frank Oz

Frank Oz

Yoda (voice)

Ian McDiarmid

Ian McDiarmid

Chancellor Palpatine

Pernilla August

Pernilla August

Shmi Skywalker

Temuera Morrison

Temuera Morrison

Jango Fett / Clone Troopers

Jimmy Smits

Jimmy Smits

Senator Bail Organa

Jack Thompson

Jack Thompson

Cliegg Lars

Leeanna Walsman

Leeanna Walsman

Zam Wesell

Ahmed Best

Ahmed Best

Jar Jar Binks / Achk Med-Beq (voice)

Rose Byrne

Rose Byrne

Dormé

Oliver Ford Davies

Oliver Ford Davies

Governor Sio Bibble

Ron Falk

Ron Falk

Dexter Jettster (voice)

Jay Laga'aia

Jay Laga'aia

Captain Typho

Andy Secombe

Andy Secombe

Watto (voice)

Anthony Daniels

Anthony Daniels

C-3PO / Dannl Faytonni

Silas Carson

Silas Carson

Viceroy Nute Gunray / Ki-Adi Mundi

Ayesha Dharker

Ayesha Dharker

Queen Jamillia

Daniel Logan

Daniel Logan

Boba Fett

Joel Edgerton

Joel Edgerton

Owen Lars

Bonnie Piesse

Bonnie Piesse

Beru

Anthony Phelan

Anthony Phelan

Lama Su (voice)

Rena Owen

Rena Owen

Taun We (voice)

Alethea McGrath

Alethea McGrath

Madame Jocasta Nu

Susie Porter

Susie Porter

Hermione Bagwa / WA-7

Matt Doran

Matt Doran

Elan Sleazebaggano

Alan Ruscoe

Alan Ruscoe

Gilramos Libkath

Veronica Segura

Veronica Segura

Cordé

David Bowers

David Bowers

Mas Amedda

Steve John Shepherd

Steve John Shepherd

Naboo lieutenant

Bodie Taylor

Bodie Taylor

Clone Trooper

Matt Rowan

Senator Orn Free Taa

Steven Boyle

Steven Boyle

Senator Ask Aak / Passel Argente

Zachariah Jensen

Zachariah Jensen

Kit Fisto

Alex Knoll

J.K. Burtola

Phoebe Yiamkiati

Mari Amithest

Kenny Baker

Kenny Baker

R2-D2

Jerome St. John Blake

Jerome St. John Blake

Oppo Rancisis

Hassani Shapi

Hassani Shapi

Eeth Koth

Gin Clarke

Gin Clarke

Adi Gallia

Khan Bonfils

Khan Bonfils

Saesee Tiin

Michaela Cottrell

Even Piell

Dipika O'Neill Joti

Dipika O'Neill Joti

Depa Billaba

Marton Csokas

Marton Csokas

Poggle the Lesser (voice) (uncredited)

Tux Akindoyeni

Agen Kolar (uncredited)

Sacha Alexander

Graf Zapalo - Advisor to Queen Jamillia (uncredited)

Giulio Alimenti

Naboo Holy Man (uncredited)

Amy Allen

Amy Allen

Aayla Secura / Mya Nalle / Yma Nalle / Lela Mayn (uncredited)

Nicolas Anastassiou

Nicanas Tassu (uncredited)

Jason Baird

Jason Baird

Bairdon Jace (uncredited)

Don Bies

Artuo Pratuhr (uncredited)

Jamel Boukabou

Tusken Raider (uncredited)

Kristen Bronson

Waitress (uncredited)

Douglas Bunn

Naboo Guard (uncredited)

Caine

Caine

The Courier (uncredited)

David John Clark

David John Clark

Starfreighter Security Officer (uncredited)

Natalie Danks-Smith

Hand Maiden (uncredited)

Russell Darling

Coruscant Starfreighter Passenger (uncredited)

Justin Dix

Justin Dix

Dixon Just (uncredited)

Eliana Dona

Kell Borean (uncredited)

C. Michael Easton

Bus Driver (uncredited)

Nicole Fantl

Nicole Fantl

Senator Lexi Dio (uncredited)

Sandi Finlay

Sly Moore (uncredited)

Stephen George

Senator Ronet Coorr (uncredited)

Zuraya Hamilton

Jedi Khatt Qiyn (uncredited)

Hilton Howson

Toonbuck Toora (uncredited)

Fiona Johnson

Fiona Johnson

Hayde Gofai (uncredited)

Sara Elizabeth Joyce

Sara Elizabeth Joyce

Dex's Diner Bounty Hunter (uncredited)

Luke Kearney

Luke Kearney

Jedi (uncredited)

Nalini Krishan

Nalini Krishan

Barriss Offee (uncredited)

Gillian Libbert

Lillea Bringbit (uncredited)

Amanda Lucas

Amanda Lucas

Adnama (uncredited)

Jett Lucas

Jett Lucas

Zett Jukassa (uncredited)

Katie Lucas

Katie Lucas

Lunae Minx (uncredited)

Daniel Perrott

Coruscant Club Patron & Rodian Refugee (uncredited)

Kyle Rowling

Kyle Rowling

Joclad Danva (uncredited)

Joseph Jett Sally

Sephjet Josall (uncredited)

Juan Luis Sanchez

Temple Jedi (uncredited)

Mike Savva

Naboo Cruiser Officer (uncredited)

Kevin Scott

Kevin Scott

Tatooine Resident (uncredited)

Zeynep Selcuk

Zey Nep (uncredited)

Orli Shoshan

Orli Shoshan

Shaak Ti (uncredited)

Richard Stride

Clone Trooper (uncredited)

Leonard L. Thomas

Leonard L. Thomas

Roth-Del Masona - Arena Jedi (uncredited)

Trevor Tighe

Civ Sila (uncredited)

Christopher Truswell

Christopher Truswell

Rune Haako / Shu Mai / San Hill / Wat Tambor / Sun Fac (voice) (uncredited)

Ian Watkin

Ian Watkin

COO-2180 (uncredited)

R. Christopher White

Clone War Jedi (uncredited)

Matthew Wood

Matthew Wood

Geonosis Battle Droid / Magaloof / Seboca (voice) (uncredited)

Matt Sloan

Plo Koon

Emma Howard

Sar Labooda (uncredited)

Jesse Jensen

Saesee Tiin - Arena Sequences (uncredited)

Ian Roberts

Ian Roberts

Ganwick Trag (uncredited)

Crew

Director, Characters, Screenplay, Story

George Lucas

Characters

Leigh Brackett

Characters

Lawrence Kasdan

Screenplay

Jonathan Hales

Reviews

N

NeoBrowser

July 20, 2013

10

The collective fever that characterized the countdown to The Phantom Menace had long since dissipated by the time the first sequel prequel rolled off the ILM production line. Casual spectators, once stung, had decamped en masse to the newly discovered Middle-Earth, leaving George Lucas with just the few million hardcore fans - true believers who, with all the apprehension of parents at a nativity play, willed their defrocked hero back towards respectability.

There are certainly stretches in the patchy Attack Of The Clones when Lucas’ flat-packed dialogue struggles to keep the hecklers quiet – Anakin’s seduction of the former Queen has all the charm of a teenage lunge behind the bike-sheds and none of the feeling – but by the time climactic ‘reel six’ cranks into high gear the saga’s reputation as the godfather of modern sci-fi spectacle is more or less restored. Indeed, when Yoda finally unsheathes his mini-saber and kicks Sith ass the faithful can reliably be found standing on seats hollering as if the outcome was never in doubt. But, as the little Jedi might say, in doubt it was.

Where Episode V fairly zipped around the galaxy with all the breezy confidence of youth, unafraid to travel anywhere, even dark places, the second middle child of the saga is saddled with an altogether heavier burden from which it struggles to escape. Empire hits the ground running on ice planet Hoth, Clones however, has a truly cold start to contend with, aware perhaps that the movie’s most pressing task is to simply atone for the more egregious sins of Episode I. Thus, Jar Jar is quickly sidelined, the upgraded CGI Yoda gets a showcase and those damn Amidala-clones are killed off on page one. On Coruscant we also meet the grown-up ‘Ani’ - okay so he’s a whiny teenager but that’s still a vast improvement on the bowl-haired moppet the world was asked to root for in 1999.

Also more powerful than when last we met is Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan, the Jedi who was simply wan in Menace is a much more forceful presence as a full-bearded Master, struggling manfully with the endless exposition and even landing the odd punchline.

As with Empire, the protagonists are separated for the second act: while Obi-Wan is busy uncovering the conspiracy of the Clones, Anakin and Padme turn into colourless clones of Han and Leia in the romance stakes. There are pleasures (Obi-Wan squares off against Jango Fett) and pitfalls (Anakin and Padme have a picnic) in roughly equal measure throughout this flabby middle act but as with Episode I mostly you get a sense of drama that is willed into being, a necessary bridge to Episode III that requires Lucas to traverse territory – romance, politics – he is simply not comfortable in.

Matters improve greatly in the final forty minutes: Christopher Lee’s Count Dooku arrives to provide some much needed gravitas, C-3PO turns up to do his C-3PO thing and Padme puts on a skin-tight white leotard. Best of all, Lucas finally cuts loose. The classic trilogy bristled with seat-of-your-pants filmmaking, our heroes bouncing from cliffhanger to cliffhanger, and in the final section of Episode II – almost four hours into this prequel enterprise - Lucas at last cranks up to this Saturday morning serial pace: from the Tex Avery goofiness of the droid factory, to the Cecil B. De Mille grandeur of the gladiator arena, the action never lets up.

Also in the last reel we finally get to divine something of Lucas’ grand design, with ironic pay-offs for the fans still paying close attention - it is the witless Jar Jar who makes the creation of a clone army possible and Yoda who first leads what will become Stormtroopers into battle. In its own way, the end of Episode II is every bit as dark as the famous end of Episode V.

Unsurprisingly, the least anticipated movie of the saga suffered at the box office – Episode IV raked in more money at the US box office back in 1977 – and remains largely unloved by the fanbase for its emphasis on the central love story but despite no real improvement in dialogue or acting it functions perfectly well as an old fashioned romantic epic, complete with standalone set-pieces, rich political intrigue and a painters’ pallette. Indeed, so indebted is Lucas to David O. Selznick here, ultimately he may have been better served abandoning his own trilogy structure and boiling both Episodes I and II down to a 3-hour Gone With The Wind style classic – an approach that would have at least halved all that damn anticipation.

Verdict - The middle episode that can make a virtue of its bridging role is rare indeed. And where The Empire Strikes Back dazzled with vertiginous cliffhangers, Clones is more typical of the breed, necessary but not vital. However, as we make the awkward journey through Anakin’s teenage trials a sparkling digital print ensures there is still much to marvel at, not least a little green fella who is surprisingly quick on the draw.

3/5

- Colin Kennedy, Empire Magazine

Media

Status:

Released

Original Language:

English

Budget:

$120,000,000.00

Revenue:

$649,398,328.00

Keywords

army
laser gun
senate
investigation
cult figure
wedding
kendo
cynical
space opera
spaceport
teenage rebellion
good becoming evil
alien race
mechanical hand
powerful