--- title: "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/star-wars-episode-ii-attack-of-the-clones/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/star-wars-episode-ii-attack-of-the-clones" critics_score: 55 critics_reviews: 15 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002): what the critics said Critics' score 55 from 15 reviews: 4 positive, 8 mixed, 3 negative. Most critics agree that Attack of the Clones is an improvement on The Phantom Menace, though fewer are willing to call it good. Praise clusters almost entirely on the final act: the Geonosis battle, Yoda’s lightsaber duel and Christopher Lee’s Count Dooku are named again and again as the moments the film comes alive. The digital effects and spacecraft design are admired even by reviewers who dislike everything else. Variety is the warmest, finding clearer storytelling and a real step forward in acting and score. The reservations are just as consistent. Stiff performances, flat dialogue and a romance without chemistry appear in nearly every notice, with Roger Ebert dismissing the film as a technological exercise short on delight. The spread is wide, from Variety’s near-rave to Sight and Sound and Screen Daily, who find it exhausting and forgettable. A later piece in /Film argues the film was ahead of its time on politics and noir, a minority view. ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 8 May 2002. Lucas has produced a grand entertainment with clearer storytelling, exciting action set-pieces, a dramatic love story through-line and improved acting and score. McCarthy calls it a big leap beyond the prior installment and a satisfying balance of the series' qualities. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2002/film/reviews/star-wars-episode-ii-attack-of-the-clones-1200549814/) ## The Telegraph — Tim Robey Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 16 May 2002. The critic calls the film a pleasant surprise and an improvement on Episode I, noting it meets expectations without overhyping and darkens effectively in later acts. They single out the improved Yoda action sequence and Christopher Lee's Count Dooku for praise. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/star-wars-episode-ii-attack-clones-review-pleasant-surprise/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Rating ***. 10 May 2002. The critic finds the script clunky and many performances poor, singling out Jar Jar Binks and Natalie Portman's acting for complaint, but praises the remarkable effects and the rousing final act with Christopher Lee as Count Dooku. Overall, it is called an improvement on The Phantom Menace and a watchable, entertaining spectacle. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2002/may/10/artsfeatures) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 13 May 2002. The film improves on its predecessor with considerable visual style, beautiful spacecraft and grand digital invention, despite an incomprehensible plot and stiff acting. Lane highlights the delirious fun of the action sequences and the potential of liberated digital technology. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2002/05/20/star-struck) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 8 May 2002. The critic calls it a modest step up from The Phantom Menace thanks to trimmed fat, visceral action, and better pacing in places, but faults the soulless factory-like production, rudimentary character links, hokey romance, and uneven storytelling. The Geonosis battle sequences earn particular praise for being riveting. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/star-wars-episode-ii-attack-of-the-clones/) ## Time Out — DW Rating 3/5. 20 February 2014. After a slow start in the prior film, this entry delivers thrilling early action and strong turns from Christensen and McGregor, though it suffers from heavy exposition as a bridge in the saga; the final act with lightsaber battles and Yoda provides exciting payoff. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/star-wars-episode-ii-attack-of-the-clones) ## Empire — Colin Kennedy Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). The review finds the film patchy with flat dialogue and an awkward romance but praises the restored spectacle and action in the final act, especially Yoda's lightsaber fight, positioning it as a functional if unvital bridge in the saga. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/star-wars-episode-ii-attack-clones-review/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 2/4. 10 May 2002. The film disappoints as a technological exercise lacking juice, delight, memorable dialogue or emotional depth. Ebert praises the computer imagery but criticizes the stiff, formal performances and clichéd romance. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/star-wars-episode-ii-attack-of-the-clones-2002) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Kirk Honeycutt Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 5 May 2002. The critic notes improvements over The Phantom Menace, including reduced Jar Jar Binks, stronger action sequences, and a more adult tone, but finds it fails to recapture the spirit and fun of the original trilogy due to slow exposition, stilted dialogue, wooden performances, and overreliance on CGI. The standout praise goes to the rousing rescue and climactic battle in the final quarter. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/star-wars-attack-clones-review-752674/) ## Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 16 May 2002. Better than The Phantom Menace thanks to more rounded characters and sharper dialogue in places, but still inferior to the originals because action and effects take precedence over script and characters. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/star-wars-episode-ii-attack-of-the-clones-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 13 May 2002. The prequel is a bit better than the last but still lacks heart, with off-putting characters, stiff line readings and a romance burdened by lack of chemistry. Turan praises some action sequences and the climactic Yoda appearance but finds the film emotionally empty overall. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-attack-of-the-clones-review-20151202-story.html) ## The New York Times — A. O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 10 May 2002. Festival review. The prequel is more a demo reel for digital effects and an action-figure commercial than a compelling movie with interesting characters or storytelling. Scott notes some strong battle scenes but finds the saga lacking in human psychology and genuine pleasure. [Read the review](http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?_r=1&res=9B01EFDA1030F933A25756C0A9649C8B63) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 13 May 2002. An improvement on Episode I with astonishing visuals and some strong acting, but the film is pretentious and exhausting, lacking humour or suspense; sloppy storytelling and colourless characters drain the adventure despite impressive design and spectacle. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/star-wars-episode-ii-attack-of-the-clones/409175.article) ## Sight and Sound — Andrew O'Hehir Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 1 June 2002. The critic finds the film enjoyable enough as derivative space opera with strong action sequences and digital settings, but ultimately forgettable and discontented, criticizing the sulky teen romance, abysmal dialogue and Lucas's inflated mythopoetics that fail to recapture the original's spirit. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/star-wars-episode-ii-attack-clones-archive-review-its-hard-be-jedi-love) ## /Film — Rafael Motamayor Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 16 May 2022. The critic views the film as a flawed but ambitious mess that was ahead of its time in tackling political themes and noir elements within a blockbuster. They single out the detective subplot following Obi-Wan and the introduction of Count Dooku for praise while noting it does not fully succeed. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/864137/revisiting-attack-of-the-clones-20-years-later-a-mess-but-one-ahead-of-its-time/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/star-wars-episode-ii-attack-of-the-clones.md