Barnes & Noble

Writer-director George Lucas's fifth entry in the Star Wars saga (actually the second, chronologically speaking) is by far the richest since 1980's The Empire Strikes Back. The overall production value and special effects are spectacular -- that's par for the course -- and the narrative thrust and emotional resonance far surpass that of Episode I: The Phantom Menace. It picks up the story ten years after the action in the previous film, as Annakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), now a Padouin apprentice to Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), is impatient to become a full-fledged Jedi knight and find his long-lost mother. Meanwhile, he is assigned to safeguard Senator Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman), the former queen whom he has loved since he was a young boy. Separatist forces led by the sinister Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) threaten the peace of the galaxy, and a full-fledged war seems imminent. Lee offers strong, charismatic villainy with Dooku. It's a trait sorely missing from the previous film, and film buffs will enjoy it as a reference to the cold presence of the late Peter Cushing, Lee's former Hammer Studios costar, in the original film. For the Star Wars universe, Attack of the Clones is a stirring, powerful movie and an important turning point in the saga. It's also a major crowd-pleaser for fans of Yoda and Boba Fett alike. Among the supplemental features on the double-DVD set is a detailed commentary featuring Lucas, producer Rick McCallum, sound editor Ben Burtt, and effects supervisor Rob Cohen. The disc also affords several informative documentaries: "From Puppets to Pixels," describing the evolution of character animation; "State of the Art: The Previsualization of Episode II," including never-before-seen animation effects; and "Films Are Not Released, They Escape." There are also three behind-the-scenes featurettes, a gallery of poster art, and other incidental materials. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

The second prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy takes place ten years after the events depicted in Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace. Now 20, young Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is an apprentice to respected Jedi knight Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). Unusually powerful in the Force, Anakin is also impatient, arrogant, and headstrong -- causing his mentor a great deal of concern. The pair are ordered to protect Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman), the former queen of the planet Naboo, now representing her world in the Galactic Senate. Someone is trying to assassinate her on the eve of a vote enabling Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) to build a military force that will safeguard against a growing separatist movement led by mysterious former Jedi Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). After another attempt on Padme's life, Obi-Wan and Anakin separate. The young Jedi and Padme fall in love as he escorts her first to the security of Naboo and then to his home world of Tatooine, where the fate of his mother leads him to commit an ominous atrocity. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan travels to the secretive planet Kamino and the asteroid-ringed world of Geonosis, following bounty hunter Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison) and his son, Boba (Daniel Logan), who are involved in an operation to create a massive army of clones. A vicious battle ensues between the clones and Jedi on one side and Dooku's droids on the other, but who is really pulling the strings in this galactic conflict? In late 2002, the movie was released in IMAX theaters as Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones: The IMAX Experience, with a pared-down running time of 120 minutes in order to meet the technical requirements of the large-screen format. Karl Williams

Variety

George Lucas has reached deep into the trove of his self-generated mythological world to produce a grand entertainment that offers a satisfying balance among the series' epic, narrative, technological and emotional qualities. Todd McCarthy

New York Post

1/2
On a purely visceral level, "Clones" is a delightfully rousing, eye-popping, crowd-pleasing homage to Saturday-morning serials of the '30s and '40s. Lou Lumenick

Product Details

• UPC: 024543056157
• Source: 20TH CENTURY FOX
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Pre-1954 Standard (1.33.1)
• Presentation: Pan & Scan
• Sound: THX-Supervised Mastering, Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital Surround EX
• Language: English, Español, Français
• Subtitles: English
• Time: 2:22:00
• Sales Rank: 19,468

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Star Wars Prequel Trilogy

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