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A lot of people will instantly discard my review of this film, knowing that I have what some might call a blinding love for all things Star Wars. That’s not exactly the case. I can nitpick Star Wars, there’s a few things I’d have done differently, there’s some “corrections” to the Special Editions that piss me the fuck off. But overall, I love it all. Is that a reason to discount my opinion about anything Star Wars? Only if you’re a particularly stupid person.
Anyhow, on to my thoughts:
I’ve been on and off about this cartoon for a while. I’ve been excited for it for a long time, but the reviews have been pouring in and people have been taking big, smelly shits on this movie. It had my expectations down a little bit. I went into this film wondering what it might be like to not enjoy a Star Wars theatrical experience.
Thankfully, that didn’t happen.
This film sets a tone right at the beginning that let’s you know that it’s a kids movie. The opening crawl is replaced with a war-film-like narrator, bringing the not-yet-able-to-read-that-quickly-audience like my son up to speed on where this occurs in the timeline and doesn’t really let up from there. It seems as though a lot of reviewers of this movie were expecting an animated Empire Strikes Back and wrote reviews based more on their dissapointment of what the film wasn’t instead of their joy at what it was. This is a kids movie, through and through. And it’s done in some very smart ways.
I thought that I would be annoyed by the idea of giving Anakin a sassy young padawan (who will by the end of the TV series no doubt meet a sad and horrible fate) but this is a stroke of brilliance to rein in an age demographic that hasn’t been specifically served by a theatrical Star Wars movie since Phantom Menace. Ahsoka is what every young Star Wars fan wants to be, a padawan learner, and she’s every bit the reckless padawan Anakin deserves. And it’s insinuated in the film that Obi-Wan and Yoda planned this padawan purposely in order to temper Anakin into the Jedi he should have been. I can’t imagine him losing her before the end of the Clone Wars will help his descent to the Dark Side…
But this film is a really, really accessible kids movie for all ages. It’s not as good as a Brad Bird kids movie, but it’s certainly ahead of the curve on childrens entertainment and made me thirsty for more. I’m quite pleased with the idea that I’ll be able to tune in to new installments on Friday’s.
This set the tone for how I imagine the series will run and the Clone Wars is an almost endless well of short stories to cover in a 20+ minute format.
Also, Jabba the Hutt’s son didn’t bother me. There’s not much to argue with there. I heard a lot of people were pissed off about it, but seriously, people who’d be pissed off about something that trivial is obviously a douche-bag.
The animation took a little getting used to, but by the time a third of the film had gone by, the animation seemed great. The stylizations of the characters were really cool, the action sequences well coreographed and the Clones were absolute bad-asses. I can already hear a lot of people groaning about how they turned the Battle Droids into clowns, but the audience I saw it with (admittedly, the median age was 11) ate it up. The movie as a whole really entertained the kids and Star Wars fans like me and even drew applause from the harder-core Star Wars fans dressed as Boba Fett, Plo Koon and others.
It was pretty good. Will I see it again? Definitely. Will I see it again this weekend? Most Definitely.
Should you see it? If you’re the type of nerd who can appreciate kids entertainment, yes. Bring a kid, yours, a niece or a nephew or something if you want to see it but you’re the jaded prick sort of nerd. I guarantee you’ll like it a lot better and enjoy it a lot more watching it with and through them.
But don’t expect the animated version of Empire Strikes Back. It doesn’t even try to move in that direction, though I would bet there will be episodes of the show that might be able to pull of that sort of mood and timbre.
Responses to “REVIEW: Clone Wars”
on August 15th, 2008 at 9:14 am said:
I haven’t actually seen this yet, but this is kind of what I figured. All the reviews have been saying how childish this movie is, but I kept thinking “Isn’t this supposed to BE a kids movie?” That being said however, I wonder how long Lucas will continue to beat this prequel horse. I love Star Wars, I really honestly do, I grew up watching the original trilogy at LEAST once a month with my friends while constructing our own LEGO X-Wings long before they had the actual sets, but at some point enough is enough and it might be time to move on. Why not explore some SEQUELS. I’m not an angry fan boy, I don’t lose sleep over this, I would just like to see something new…
on August 15th, 2008 at 9:42 am said:
Whoa. This is actually a movie? I thought the trailer was an advert for a suspenseless video game.
I hear Anakin fights Dooku in this: who will win I wonder?
I read AICN and JOBLO’s reviews of CLONE WARS and they basically sum up my general feeling about the whole thing. (I haven’t seen the film and probably won’t ever thus causing a falling out with Swank).
From AICN: “Do the fanboys REALLY want a bunch of scenes of characters whose destinies we already know fly through a series of dogfights so their pretty ships can go PEWPEWPEW against lifeless moronic droids so incompetent you question the tenacity of anyone that would put them into service let alone fight a war with an army of them? Do the fanboys REALLY want to spend the next 20 years of their lives arguing that the movies they love don’t, in fact, suck the hair off of a nutless monkey? Do the fanboys REALLY want an animated television series not written for 30-year-old men, but easily amused 8 year olds on Saturday morning between bites of soggy Corn Puffs? Because that’s what they’re fucking getting with The Clone Wars.”
on August 15th, 2008 at 11:59 am said:
I like riding the prequel horse.
And to be honest, the live action series (planned to be set between the dark times of Episode III and IV) is going to rock all of our worlds.
But this is a product for kids and Star Wars fans. And yes, I want it. I don’t mind soggy bites of corn-puffs with Saturday morning cartoons. I don’t know about you, but those were always the best days when I was a kid.
on August 15th, 2008 at 12:23 pm said:
Yeah, when I was a kid too.
on August 15th, 2008 at 6:04 pm said:
It was a fun time. Not mind-blowing, but fun. The clone battles in animation are always rad. They remain the highlight of all prequel canon for me. The introduction of new characters went over well, too. I only a couple of real complaints, and they’re minor.
Firstly, when characters are standing around talking to each other and laughing, they seem pretty stiff and lifeless. I’d like to see the facial expressions and body motion loosen up a bit.
Do all saber duels between jedi and sith have to end the same way? It sucks a little when nothing’s at stake. Can’t Obiwan carve off even just a little piece of that Ventress hag?
Also, the music. I miss the real score. Star Wars is an opera. I’m fine with the TV series doing its own thing, but on the big screen I wanted more. Not a fan of the wussy tweaked theme.
Of course my real wish is that they would totally ditch continuity and create all new characters and stories. Ahsoka breathes tones of life into this movie and proves they can do a good job. Why not a series about the Mandalorians? Or when the Jedi all came together? Hell, stick young Yoda in it. Get back to the roots. The prequels to date are too polished and filled with boring ass politics.
All in all it’s totally worth seeing. Just don’t forget to put on your kid goggles.
on August 20th, 2008 at 12:08 pm said:
I’m glad I read this review. I hadn’t heard great things about the movie, but I didn’t really care. I’m much more likely to see it now then I was before.
I’ll just have to go kidnap a small meat-bag to see it with.
on August 24th, 2008 at 11:46 am said:
I probably won’t have a chance to see this before it comes out on video, but when it does I will gladly rent it.
I find it amusing that SO MANY force heads out there bemoan this film, and call Lucas a sell out like it is news or something.
Flash Back time guys
1) Star wars Christmas special
2) the original Marvel Comics run of Star Wars Comics
3) Ewoks; The Fight for Endor
4) The Ewoks animated saturday morning Cartoon.
WHY DOES THIS FILM SURPRISE YOU!!!
The main audience for the property has ALWAYS been Children – or were you all born fully grown nerds?!??
I also recognize that for as much as episodes 1 -3 drove me insane with how much I did not like them – there are small children and tweens out there that fell in love with movies from those films – just like the original trilogy did for me.
Personally I look forward to little girls dressed as red skinned Twi’lek’s this Halloween.
If I had a daughter – that would SO be her costume.
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