On this day in 2002, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones premiered in theaters.
What were you doing May 16th, 2002? A lot of Star Wars fans were going to see Attack of the Clones, the second installment of George Lucas’s long-awaited prequel trilogy. Since that time, the film has received a lot of vitriol and is often at the bottom of rankings of Star Wars films. However, when if first debuted in theaters, Episode II was a smash hit.
On opening weekend in the U.S., Attack of the Clones made $80,027,814. Critics weren’t shy about giving it praise, and Harry Knowles of Ain’t It Cool even wrote in his review, “The most viscerally exciting and thrilling of the Star Wars films. And frankly the most entertaining of the Star Wars films for me” (via StarWars.com). I would venture to say that many fans loved it, too, as I certainly did when I finally watched it on home video.
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I was six years old when the movie premiered, so I was probably seven when I got to see it. Watching it today bring back nostalgia for me, and a recent rewatch after a long time of not seeing it made me realize how much I love this movie. It’s got everything: amazing CGI, incredible worlds, a mystery plot, a romance, cool lightsaber fights, Samuel L. Jackson kicking butt, and a computer-animated Yoda that was much improved from his version in The Phantom Menace. Sure, some of the dialogue leaves something to be desired, and the difficulty of delivering these lines effectively has led some people to believe the movie had bad acting, as well (an opinion I don’t share). But you know what? This movie is as enjoyable for me as podracing is for Anakin. And I hope, if you disliked, maybe even hated Attack of the Clones before reading this article, that you give it another chance. The story is great, the visuals are great, and it’s just a lot of fun.
Plus, Jango Fett. Enough said.
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Happy anniversary, Attack of the Clones!