When it comes to the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Attack of the Clones tends to generate the least conversation of the three. Many fans still haven’t reconciled with how disappointing The Phantom Menace was even over 20 years later, while Revenge of the Sith is easily the best of the trio and offers the action-packed conclusion that everyone was hoping for and expecting.
As for Episode II, it’s a solid enough entry in the series that doubles down on both the action and wooden dialogue, offering a frequently jarring tonal imbalance between awesome lightsaber action and sweeping battle scenes to the almost painful interactions between Hayden Christensen’s flat Anakin Skywalker and Natalie Portman’s Padmé Amidala.
As befitting its reputation as a perfectly acceptable and frequently entertaining sci-fi blockbuster with plenty of notable flaws, Attack of the Clones‘ $653 million box office haul and 65% score on Rotten Tomatoes places it firmly on the middle ground when it comes to the commercial and critical performance of the entire Star Wars franchise.
Yesterday marked exactly nineteen years since Episode II hit theaters and it seems that was more than enough to have it trending worldwide, as fans threw on the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia to praise the movie, and you can see what they had to say below.
What we don't like:
❌ sand (coarse, rough, irritating, gets everywhere)
What we do like:
✅ celebrating the anniversary of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (cool, fun, entertaining, full of iconic quotes) pic.twitter.com/eE4URuC2ur— Disney D23 (@DisneyD23) May 16, 2021
https://twitter.com/WINTERJEDII/status/1393981438085804046?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1393981438085804046%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fstarwars%2Fnews%2Fstar-wars-attack-of-the-clones-19th-anniversary%2F
May 16, 2000: Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: Doug Chiang’s concept art for the Republic attack gunship. The clone troopers show the scale and hence capacity of the gunships. pic.twitter.com/S65DtMFHx9
— Paul Duncan STAR WARS / JAMES BOND / NOIR / KERSH (@kershed) May 16, 2021
https://twitter.com/anakinsdream/status/1393976138368753664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1393976138368753664%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fstarwars%2Fnews%2Fstar-wars-attack-of-the-clones-19th-anniversary%2F
https://twitter.com/anakinsdream/status/1394008729562062849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1394008729562062849%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fstarwars%2Fnews%2Fstar-wars-attack-of-the-clones-19th-anniversary%2F
The never-ending saga of Hayden Christensen face planting on the set of Attack of the Clones pic.twitter.com/x4sB9LsSOA
— Noah (@keldorjedii) May 16, 2021
i watch attack of the clones for the plot pic.twitter.com/iPwQlq01yj
— a. (@jaecarys) May 16, 2021
Some Attack of the Clones costume detail appreciation from my trip to the Star Wars and the Power of Costume exhibit years ago 💕 pic.twitter.com/7FYlgSiMHW
— Tori Fox (@theMandaTorian) May 16, 2021
We don’t love sand, but we do love Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.
Happy 19th anniversary!!! 🥳🎂 pic.twitter.com/mKx604ywma
— Friends of the Force Pod (@FriendsOfForce) May 16, 2021
https://twitter.com/TheFirstOkiro/status/1393974365767684100
Surely nobody would try and argue that Attack of the Clones is top tier Star Wars content, but it does the job that was asked of it by upping the ante in terms of action and intrigue while continuing to further Anakin’s slow-burning manipulation at the hands of Palpatine and journey to the Dark Side, even if George Lucas’ shortcomings as a writer were more apparent than ever.