Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones is a 2016 science fiction remake of the 2002 Star Wars prequel of the same name. This reboot was directed by Christopher Nolan and stars James McAvoy, Dane DeHaan and Ben Kingsley amongst others. It is a sequel to Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
Plot[]
10 years after the events of the previous film, Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray (Ian Holm) is released from prison and is approached by former Jedi Knight Count Dooku (Ben Kingsley) to join with his Separatist movement, known as the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The talk of the movement has thrown the Galactic Senate into turmoil. There is fear of a war breaking out, so a vote is to be had as to should the Republica Galactica create an army to defend itself.
Queen Padme Naberrie of Naboo arrives on Coruscant to vote. As she exits her ship, an unseen assassin flies by and fires a rocket launcher at it. Captain Panaka (Idris Elba), who is standing nearby, is hit in the eye by debris and blinded, resulting in him having to wear an eye patch. A number of the Queen's handmaidens are killed, and the Queen herself appears mortally wounded. Suddenly, a surviving handmaiden runs over and reveals herself as the real Queen (Anne Hathaway), with the other one having been her old decoy and friend, Sabe Amidala (Eva Green). Padme watches in horror as her old friend dies in her arms.
Padme approaches another old friend, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Brad Dourif), and tells him that she believes that Count Dooku was behind the attacks. Palpatine assigns two more old friends of Padme, Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi (James McAvoy) and Anakin Skywalker (Dane DeHaan), to protect her.
That night, as Padme sleeps, another attempt on taking her life is made. Anakin and Obi-Wan pursue the assassin across the city, culminating in a scuffle through a bar and into a back alley. Before the prisoner, Zam Wessell (Noomi Rapace), can reveal the name of her employer, she is shot with a poisonous dart which partially mutates her before she dies.
Anakin is next assigned to escort Padme back to Naboo, while Obi-Wan studies the poison dart and learns that it was manufactured on the ocean planet of Kamino. He travels there and learns of a clone army being created by the Republic in secret, using the DNA of a bounty hunter named Jango Fett (Jason Isaacs). While on Kamino, Obi-Wan deduces that it was Jango that tried to kill Padme and also killed Zam. After a lengthy pursuit, Obi-Wan tracks Jango and his clone son Boba to the desert world of Geonosis.
Meanwhile, during their time together on Naboo, Anakin and Padme have fallen one love. At the same night, Anakin has visions of his mother Shmi (Jennifer Connelly)) in pain. One night, after they have sex, he has a nightmare about her and decides to return to Tattooine, with Padme tagging along.
On Tattooine, Anakin learns that his mother married a man named Cliegg Lars (Mark Addy), who has a son named Owen. Anakin meets them and Owen's fiancé Beirut. Cliegg explains to Anakin that their homestead was attacked by a gang of barbaric Tusken Raiders, who cut his leg off and kidnapped Shmi. Anakin sets off to find her and locates the camp where she has been held, tortured and raped. He gets there too late, however, and Shmi dies in his arms. Enraged, Anakin uses his lightsaber to massacre the entire camp before returning home with his mother's body, which is buried at the homestead.
On Geonosis, Obi-Wan uncovers a conspiracy by Count Dooku to create an army of battle droids to attack the Republic. He manages to warn both the Jedi Council and Anakin, who takes Padme and they set off to rescue him when he is captured by Dooku. Chancellor Palpatine is granted emergency powers, allowing him to dispatch a clone army to invade Geonosis.
After arriving on Geonosis, Anakin and Padme are also captured. They are sentenced to death by the Geonosian Duke, Poggle the Lesser, who orders that they be executed by being thrown into a gladiatorial arena before several monstrous beasts are unleashed upon them. Just before they are led out into the arena, Anakin and Padme confess their love each other.
The trio manage to stay alive and fend off the beasts until help arrives in the form of an army of Jedi led by Mace Windu (Michael Jai White). During the ensuing battle, many Jedi are killed. Mace Windu takes on Jango Fett and manages to take his head clean off. Before long, the Jedi find themselves outnumbered. As Dooku orders them to surrender, a massive clone battalion arrives, led by Yoda (Andy Serkis), to save the Jedi.
A massive full scale battle breaks out across the plains of Geonosis. While the battle rages, Obi-Wan and Anakin manage to corner Dooku in an underground cavern, from which he is trying to escape. The trio engage in a duel, during which Dooku knocks Obi-Wan out and then severs Anakin's arm. Instead of killing them, however, he announces that it is not destiny and then flees the scene. As the cavern begins to collapse, Yoda arrives and uses the Force to save the lives of his comrades. Meanwhile, Dooku arrives at an unknown location and speaks with an unseen, hooded figure, revealing themselves to be the mysterious and enigmatic Darth Sidious, also revealing Dooku as a Sith Lord.
Following the victory on Geonosis, an all out war is declared. Palpatine makes a public address, referring to the war as the Clone Wars. On a small island on Naboo, Anakin and Padme marry in secret.
Cast[]
- James McAvoy as Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Dane DeHaan as Anakin Skywalker
- Anne Hathaway as Padme Naberrie
- Idris Elba as Captain Panaka
- Andy Serkis as Yoda
- Michael Jai White as Mace Windu
- Brad Dourif as Chancellor Palpatine
- Ben Kingsley as Count Dooku
- David Tennant as C3PO
- Jason Isaacs as Jango Fett
- Asa Butterfield as Bobba Fett
- Noomi Rapace as Zam Wessell
- Seth MacFarlane as Jar Jar Binks
- Ian Holm as Nute Gunray
- Mark Addy as Cliegg Lars
- Jennifer Connelly as Shmi Skywalker
- Eva Green as Sabe Amidala
Sequels[]
The film was followed by Star Wars: The Clone Wars Volume I and Star Wars: The Clone Wars Volume II and lastly Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
A second trilogy followed, consisting of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi .
Video Games[]
Three games were released around the time of the film, taking place around the chronological events. Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is a prequel which focuses on Jango Fett and how he came to be used in the creation of the clone army, while Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter takes place shortly after the events of the film. Similarly, Star Wars: Jedi Alliance, takes place at the beginning stages of the Clone Wars as depicted in the film.