Review: Stars Wars The Clone Wars (2008)

[Homer Yen]

Star Wars - Light Sabers in a Light Story
by Homer Yen
(c) 2008

I was an avid fan of the original space opera trilogy that came out in
the late 70s.  Those films transformed the moviegoing experience.
And, to a certain degree, watching the animation that is "The Clone
Wars" is equally impressive.  The technology has come a long, long
way.  Light Saber duals between the good and the evil look fluid.
Some of the battles are thrilling.  And the renderings approach the
realism that you might see in a live-action film.

You can't deny the fact that tremendous attention to artistic detail
has been put into the this project.  From every richly colored corner
of the screen, everything has been visualized beautifully and there
doesn't seem to be any waste of screen space.  This is a fine-looking
project that is worthy of attention on the Cartoon Network.  In fact,
many people know that this was designed to be the pilot episode for
the "Clone Wars" premiere on the small screen.  However, as a
big-screen offering, it fails to drum up the pageantry and the pulse
of the other six "Star Wars" films that have been released.

There are two major reasons.  One, the casual moviegoer will become
immediately pressed to keep up as we immediately join Obi-Wan Kenobi
and Anakin Skywalker fending off an army of Separatist droids.  Ok,
let's first set the table.  Are you familiar with Separatist droids;
the Hutt clan; the Trade Federation; the Galactic Republic?  This film
requires that you come with Star Wars knowledge in hand because the
Clone Wars is that pivotal point in history that catapulted the Sith
Lord to power as the good Jedi were eventually eradicated.

Even if you did understand that last sentence, nothing that epic
happens here.  In fact, "The Clone Wars" isn't even about a war.  It's
more like a brief chapter within that legendary war as the good Jedi
try to thwart an evil plan that would shift the balance of power in
favor of the villainous Separatists.

And that brings me to my second point, which is that action supplants
the human element.  Granted, there are some inventive battle scenes
and the most innovative and thrilling one involves an assault on a
mountaintop monastery. However, in the end, it really just seems too
easy for the good guys.  No one breaks a sweat.  No one breathes
heavily.  No one even seems worried.  Whether in the heat of battle or
not, they all speak with a tonality as if they are discussing stuff on
sale at the local mall.

What is also frustrating is the multitude of identical-looking clones
that fight for the good side and the droids that fight for the bad
side.  It doesn't really matter who is hurt/blasted.  They all look
the same, and there are no deaths/injuries of any consequence.  The
only new element is the introduction of Ahsoka Tano, a dangerously
young padawan that will be trained by Anakin.  Doesn't she seem a bit
young?  Well, she's obviously a character that attempts to attract
young girls to the generally male demographic of the Star Wars
universe.  Anyway, if those Chinese gymnasts are old enough to compete
in the Olympics, then Ahsoka can certainly hold her own.

What I can't figure out is how the Jedi actually wind up losing the
Clone Wars.  The Separatist Droids seem to have been programmed by
pretty untalented people.  They say dumb things (for comic relief).
They lose their balance when peering over an edge.  Even I think that
I could take down 10 of them myself.  "The Clone Wars" won't satisfy
fans.  Meanwhile, for the new kids that it wants to reach, it
diminishes the franchise's worth.

Grade:	C

S:	0 out of 3
L:	0 out of 3
V:	1 out of 3