Release Date: August 15, 2008 Studio: Warner Bros. MPAA Rating: PG Genre: Scifi •
Animated Director: Dave Filoni Writers: Henry Gilroy, George Lucas, Steven Melching, Scott Murphy Cast: Matt Lanter, Ashley Eckstein, James Arnold Taylor, Dee Bradley Baker, Tom Kane, Nika Futterman, Ian Abercrombie, Corey Burton, Matthew Wood, Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Daniels, Christopher Lee Synopsis: As the Clone Wars sweep through the galaxy, the heroic Jedi Knights struggle to maintain order and restore peace. More and more systems are falling prey to the forces of the dark side as the Galactic Republic slips further and further under the sway of the Separatists and their never-ending droid army. Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan learner Ahsoka Tano find themselves on a mission with far-reaching consequences, one that brings them face-to-face with crime lord Jabba the Hutt. But Count Dooku and his sinister agents, including the nefarious Asajj Ventress, will stop at nothing to ensure that Anakin and Ahsoka fail at their quest. Meanwhile, on the front lines of the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda lead the massive clone army in a valiant effort to resist the forces of the dark side The Review: Being a Star Wars fan can be a very challenging prospect at times; and this is one of those times.
I knew going in this was going to be an awkward experience. That this wasn’t going to jive with the rest of the saga too well. It was treading on territory that might be better off left alone.
Sure we all want to see more of the war that drove the Republic into the dark days of the Empire. It’s bloody thirsty fun if done right, but if done wrong it would just leave a bad taste in our collective mouths and further taint the pool.
The clone wars mini toons were pretty damn cool and had that unique avant-gaurd feel to them that up the cool factor. So it’s amazing to me they just didn’t get the entire crew behind those to work on this new series as well. But that’s not what we got and I’m not here to talk about the what if’s.
When I walked into Star Wars: The Clone Wars I had a pretty good idea about what to expect; plenty of action but it would be full of cutesy pie stuff to sell it to the kids in what will eventually be an ongoing CGI series. My only hope was to get enough action that it would still be fun enough to enjoy.
What I got on screen however fell a little below my already low set of expectations. It starts off good, plenty of war time Jedi fun for all. But even as it leapt from battle to battle it never really kept me engaged at all times. As things unfolded it got slower and less interesting.
A bloated Hutt/Separatist plot that really didn’t have much punch to it kept our heroes running around in circles while interest in the proceedings waned more and more. Little of it makes much sense and it’s hard to understand why either side would give a Naboo fig about the Hutts. Sure they tell you they need to use their trade routes but without any example of how it’s so crucial it’s tough to care…tougher still not to see the benefit of simply just blasting the Hutts off the face of the galaxy. Ho hum.
I think one of the biggest surprises to me walking out of this movie was that I was sure that a wave of fanboy hate mail would be on the way to the Bearded One over Anakin’s Padawan Ahsoka Tano (aka Jail Bait Jedi) ….that is until I met Ziro the Hutt. Jar Jar Binks move on over the Fanboys are done hating on you my friend there’s a new blight in the Star Wars universe. Imagine a Hutt with tattoo’s that talks with a combination accent of Col. Saunders, Nathan Lane, and Della Reese….now imagine that sound while a Jim Carry is doing that “most annoying sound in the world” thing right in your ear. Yes it’s really just that bad. All I can say is this time we better get rewarded by watching that thing dropped into a giant spinning blade with a vat of acid underneath.
It’s not to say the film is joyless for long term fans, it’s not horrible it just doesn’t feel anything like a Star Wars film and I kept thinking of Garth saying “We're looking down on Wayne's basement. Only that's not Wayne's basement. Isn't that weird?” Or to really drive the feeling home in a way Star Wars fans can appreciate..it’s a lot like kissing your sister. (ooo…too much?)
Now of course I took my very own Padawan to this one, how could I not? The Boy really enjoyed it. It’s got all the elements of Star Wars a 7 year old needs and wants. They don’t care about complex storylines or continuity; they just want something new to watch. On that level the movie hit all the right notes and nailed their target audience.
If they really want to keep playing in the prequel area of the saga they really need to keep things away from the core of the players. I keep wishing they’d make a Republic Commando type show. Follow a unit of clone troopers as they fight a thankless war and get used like disposable tissue. Otherwise they need to tell stories like Shadow of The Empire or other well loved Star Wars books. Waiting for that to happen is a lot like waiting for an animated Dark Knight Returns, sounds great if the powers that be would just recognize it.
Mikey gives it 2.5 stars for action
Henry gives it a full 5 stars Rating:
