Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

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Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

PG

Released May 16, 2002

2h 23m

Sci-Fi

Adventure

Action

Fantasy

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Popcornmeter

62%

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322 Reviews

56%

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250,000+ Ratings

Set ten years after the events of "The Phantom Menace," the Republic continues to be mired in strife and chaos. A separatist movement encompassing hundreds of planets and powerful corporate alliances poses new threats to the galaxy that even the Jedi cannot stem. These moves, long planned by an as yet unrevealed and powerful force, lead to the beginning of the Clone Wars -- and the beginning of the end of the Republic.

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Critics Consensus

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones benefits from an increased emphasis on thrilling action, although it's undercut by ponderous plot points and underdeveloped characters.

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Chris Hewitt (UK)

Empire Magazine

Clones is the anti-Phantom Menace — funny, complex and enormous fun.

Rated: 5/5

Apr 23, 2025

Full Review

Alexander Walker

London Evening Standard

The pulp-fiction adrenaline continually pumps.

Apr 23, 2025

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Jane Horwitz

Washington Post

The computer-generated effects dazzle, and the story, while complicated in the manner of a comic-book serial, clips along at a decent pace.

Apr 23, 2025

Full Review

Mike Pearson

Denver Rocky Mountain News

While Lucas has clearly found the pulse of this new trilogy, he's yet to find its heart.

Rated: B-

Aug 21, 2025

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Ed Bradley

Flint Journal

"Attack of the Clones" has a lot of plot to pack into its 145 minutes, and so the film feels flat and perfunctory at times.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 19, 2025

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Linda Cook

Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

It's still "Star Wars," and its Force is still with us.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 19, 2025

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Kyle B.

Better than the Phantom menace. Was still really boring. CGI was terrible and had no effort into it. The ending battle and the introduction to Jango Fett Padmes hot.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/22/25

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WillyB

Easily one of the worst films I've ever seen. As soon as the end credits started I said out loud, "What the f**k was that!?!" Everything wrong with the previous episode was 100 times worse in this movie.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/15/25

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Flynn S

I enjoyed this one! Great buildup.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/04/25

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Haani K.

they are so wrong this movie is amazing the battle sequence was ahead of its time

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/01/25

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Les W

A little bit better than Phantom Menace, but without the same amount of hype, Attack of the Clones was a fun mystery movie while following Obi-Wan,and a weird love story following Anakin and Padme. It got better once the arena action started, and when the rescue shows up, in the form of Yoda and company, things get wild! Full out war is not something we've really seen yet, and all in CGI, which took a lot out of it, like a grand type of animation (which totally served CLONE WARS!), this movie never quite got where we wanted it to, but it did show Yoda fight for the first time, and that was a hoot!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/27/25

Full Review

Darius L

A lot of the negativity is arguably overblown, even if the movie does have its flaws. When analyzed again after the initially harsh critiques it received (which, to some extent, still shape public opinion), Attack of the Clones is still an arguably good movie, with some standout scenes like the battle on Geonosis or the fight between the Jedi and Count Dooku. What should also be kept in mind is that the movie is intended to be watched alongside the other 5 films Lucas made, not on its own. The only Star Wars movie which was conceived to be watched entirely on its own is what we now know as A New Hope. When pondered on with the other movies in mind, most critiques about Attack of the Clones become (arguably) quite extreme.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/27/25

Full Review

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George Lucas

Director

Ewan McGregor

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Natalie Portman

Padmé Amidala

Hayden Christensen

Anakin Skywalker

Christopher Lee

Count Dooku

Samuel L. Jackson

Mace Windu

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Synopsis

Set ten years after the events of "The Phantom Menace," the Republic continues to be mired in strife and chaos. A separatist movement encompassing hundreds of planets and powerful corporate alliances poses new threats to the galaxy that even the Jedi cannot stem. These moves, long planned by an as yet unrevealed and powerful force, lead to the beginning of the Clone Wars -- and the beginning of the end of the Republic.

Director: George Lucas
Producer: Rick McCallum
Screenwriter: George Lucas, Jonathan Hales
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Lucasfilm Ltd., Twentieth Century Fox
Rating: PG (Sci-Fi Action Violence)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure, Action, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 16, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 10, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $310.7M
Runtime: 2h 23m
Sound Mix: Dolby EX, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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