(Reviewed on Aug. 16, 2008)
And here I thought I would never get to review another Star Wars movie again; just goes to show you how much I underestimated Lucas’ marketing savvy, to charge me $7 to see something I’ll be able to see in a month or two on TV (granted, my TV screen isn’t fifty feet wide, but still). This film has been hyped (it even had its own merchandising release date in July), but the questions remain, is it any good, and is it Star Wars?
We could debate (okay, I could debate) the second question all day, but I’m sure what all of you are far more interested in is the first. In brief, yes. Clone Wars is a mile-a-minute, action packed story that races you all over the galaxy at a breathtaking pace (apparently adopting Lucas’ own favorite advice as a director to be ‘faster and more intense’); but it also remembers to bring humor to the table as well. Not that we’re talking a Star Wars comedy here, but it’s obvious the creators wanted to have fun, and wanted the audience to have fun as well. We haven’t really seen that as a significant part of the equation since the first film all the way back in 1977.
The story mostly follows Anakin (sorry, I’m too lazy to look up voice actor names, and no one really cares much anyway, except that Samuel L. Jackson reprised his role as Mace Windu) and his new apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, as they must rescue the kidnapped child of Jabba the Hutt in order to curry favor with the gangster so he will allow the good guys the use of his space lanes in the war. Obi-Wan Kenobi is present as well, as well as appearances from most of the more popular prequel characters – Padme, Yoda, Count Dooku, etc. The emphasis is on action action action, opening up with a frenzied battle against the evil droid armies and never really letting up. Most of the action set pieces are clever and exciting, and one in particular involving an almost vertical assault on a clifftop stronghold is spectacularly conceived, probably the best action set piece of the summer.
The animation suits the setting surprisingly well and is very well achieved; it manages to mesh the Clone Wars 2D cartoons from a few years ago with a live action feel. Everyone is skinny (the girls come off as positively anorexic) and has biggish anime eyes, but it all works. Interestingly, up close, the digital features appear either to be hand-painted or (especially with Dooku) carved from wood – an unusual textured touch to the normally super-smooth CGI design we are accustomed to.
And, again, it is fun. Every time a ship lands anywhere on Tatooine, Jawas appear to attempt to steal it immediately. The battle droids have been retooled for comic relief and are hilarious. The baby Hutt is an exercise in exaggerated cuteness but even he works, and with new character Ahsoka they achieved just the right balance of snippy and earnest (I remarked to my friend Eric that Anakin had taken in Juno as his new learner). The movie (and I’m guessing the ensuing series) explores the Clones in depth (well, as in depth as you get with Star Wars), which should delight fans as these characters are already very popular. Even returning characters we know reasonably well are handled smartly; Kenobi has become a sort of Odysseus, the cleverest of his ilk, and a great effort is expended to make Anakin likeable, which honestly has been a problem with the character up until now (strapping a smart ass girl to him as a sidekick should help with that a lot).
Clone Wars is an engaging addition to the Star Wars saga, and the visuals are impressive enough so that anyone who cares should shell out the money to see it on the big screen. It’s kid friendly – there’s abundant violence but absolutely no gore – and adult-accessible as well. If the series comes anywhere near the mark of this film, Clone Wars could be the best thing that came out of Star Wars since 1977.
And here I thought I would never get to review another Star Wars movie again; just goes to show you how much I underestimated Lucas’ marketing savvy, to charge me $7 to see something I’ll be able to see in a month or two on TV (granted, my TV screen isn’t fifty feet wide, but still). This film has been hyped (it even had its own merchandising release date in July), but the questions remain, is it any good, and is it Star Wars?
We could debate (okay, I could debate) the second question all day, but I’m sure what all of you are far more interested in is the first. In brief, yes. Clone Wars is a mile-a-minute, action packed story that races you all over the galaxy at a breathtaking pace (apparently adopting Lucas’ own favorite advice as a director to be ‘faster and more intense’); but it also remembers to bring humor to the table as well. Not that we’re talking a Star Wars comedy here, but it’s obvious the creators wanted to have fun, and wanted the audience to have fun as well. We haven’t really seen that as a significant part of the equation since the first film all the way back in 1977.
The story mostly follows Anakin (sorry, I’m too lazy to look up voice actor names, and no one really cares much anyway, except that Samuel L. Jackson reprised his role as Mace Windu) and his new apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, as they must rescue the kidnapped child of Jabba the Hutt in order to curry favor with the gangster so he will allow the good guys the use of his space lanes in the war. Obi-Wan Kenobi is present as well, as well as appearances from most of the more popular prequel characters – Padme, Yoda, Count Dooku, etc. The emphasis is on action action action, opening up with a frenzied battle against the evil droid armies and never really letting up. Most of the action set pieces are clever and exciting, and one in particular involving an almost vertical assault on a clifftop stronghold is spectacularly conceived, probably the best action set piece of the summer.
The animation suits the setting surprisingly well and is very well achieved; it manages to mesh the Clone Wars 2D cartoons from a few years ago with a live action feel. Everyone is skinny (the girls come off as positively anorexic) and has biggish anime eyes, but it all works. Interestingly, up close, the digital features appear either to be hand-painted or (especially with Dooku) carved from wood – an unusual textured touch to the normally super-smooth CGI design we are accustomed to.
And, again, it is fun. Every time a ship lands anywhere on Tatooine, Jawas appear to attempt to steal it immediately. The battle droids have been retooled for comic relief and are hilarious. The baby Hutt is an exercise in exaggerated cuteness but even he works, and with new character Ahsoka they achieved just the right balance of snippy and earnest (I remarked to my friend Eric that Anakin had taken in Juno as his new learner). The movie (and I’m guessing the ensuing series) explores the Clones in depth (well, as in depth as you get with Star Wars), which should delight fans as these characters are already very popular. Even returning characters we know reasonably well are handled smartly; Kenobi has become a sort of Odysseus, the cleverest of his ilk, and a great effort is expended to make Anakin likeable, which honestly has been a problem with the character up until now (strapping a smart ass girl to him as a sidekick should help with that a lot).
Clone Wars is an engaging addition to the Star Wars saga, and the visuals are impressive enough so that anyone who cares should shell out the money to see it on the big screen. It’s kid friendly – there’s abundant violence but absolutely no gore – and adult-accessible as well. If the series comes anywhere near the mark of this film, Clone Wars could be the best thing that came out of Star Wars since 1977.
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