Star Wars: Clone Wars

A lot of people are turned off by the art style and/or lack of in-depth storytelling in the Star Wars: Clone Wars micro-series. There's also the odd fact that each episode is merely 3 minutes in length. Before cursing this cartoon, however, there are a few things to take into consideration...

Most fans complained that Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones did not feature enough of the "Clone Wars" mentioned back in Episode IV of the original trilogy. The fans wanted more grand battle scenes. They wanted more lightsaber duels. They wanted to see more of the obscure Jedi. Star Wars: Clone Wars delivers all of these things in abundance.

The art style is well-known to fans of any of the Cartoon Network series, including Samurai Jack, etc. The image of extremely stylized characters may be jarring at first to Star Wars fans who are used to only seeing their favorite characters portrayed in live-action film. This style, however, allows for very fluid animation and beautifully rendered battle scenes (on a relatively small budget!).

Yes, this series is all about the action. It's not meant to be "Episode 2.5," but instead a small treat for the fans to enjoy while waiting until Star Wars Episode III is released in 2005. What's more, Star Wars: Clone Wars lets fans see some brand new characters that didn't make the cut into the feature films, as well as the first-ever appearance of the main villain for Episode III: General Grievous.

Anyone who complains about this cartoon is simply ungrateful and impossible to please. Myself not being a hardcore Star Wars fan, I found that Star Wars: Clone Wars actually got me more excited about the Star Wars series in general. I would recommend the micro-series to any fan of action and science fiction.

Star Wars: Clone Wars is the only micro-series to come from the Star Wars name, and it's a very entertaining series that condenses all we've loved from The Original Trilogy: all packed into 20 two-to-three minute episodes in Volume 1, and 5 twelve-minute ones in Volume 2.

Cartoon Network proved its worth just from obtaining the Star Wars name alone, and this payed off significantly for them as they got the 'sequel' series to this: Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which would be computer animated and air from 2008-2014. Both Clone Wars shows give the fans what they want: lightsaber action, dogfights in space, and smooth, smooth editing.

Short and sweet as can be, this show is.

With strong animation by Tartakovsky, the Star Wars world has been able to open up even further while also implanting more doors that we (the lowly nerd) could easily escape to and spend hours upon hours exploring. I am talking about the sheer brilliance of Star Wars: Clone Wars released by the Cartoon Network. I walked away from the first two prequels wondering if we were ever going to see any decent action or adventure. While there was some in the films, it was nothing like what I experienced here in the animated versions. Finally, we have gripping Jedi battles, lightsaber moments that will have you grimacing from your couch, and our first glimpse into the dark cloud that will surely begin to cover the third and final episode of this gripping mythology. This was exactly what I needed to bring a stronger feeling as to what these Clone Wars were going to be like. Now, I know that I haven't seen Episode III yet, and I know that more of my questions will be answered, but this was the PERFECT segway. These animated cartoons are for the most avid fans, as well as those just looking to catch up before entering into the doorway of nerdom that opening weekend. It is powerful and visually beautiful, just how Mr. Lucas would have wanted it.

I will be honest, I am one of those poor saps that had never seen a full episode of Dexter's Laboratory or Samurai Jack due to having no cable at the house, but after a viewing of what Tartakovsky has done with this simple task, I cannot wait to get my hands on more of his work. To say that his work was visually beautiful would be a dark understatement. His work on this project fully embodied the feel and emotion of the Jedi's during these battles. A "war" does take place between more than one person, and I gobbled up the idea of watching the smaller battles being won by the smaller heroes (if there is such a thing). The Windu battle is one of my favorite, as the battle between the female Sith and Anakin will flashback you to early Star Wars moments. Lucas did right by placing his stamp of approval on this project, which shows that this war is more than just his imagination, but that of thousands.

While I will agree with most critics that there was very little character development, I do not see this as a negative towards the film. In the first two episodes, we have enough to familiarize ourselves with the characters as well as understand their purpose in life. We do not need that here, this animated film is designed to give us a great range of the war, the impact that it has on more than just our "popular Jedi". This opened up that proverbial "door" that I mentioned before that literally opens several hundred different stories and adventures. It pulled this war from the mere shadows of the bigger films and gave us these haunting images that may seem rather poignant in today's culture. It is sad, exciting, and intense all at the same time.

Finally, I would like to say that I cannot wait to see where these artists take this series. I know that there is already a "Volume II" preparing to be released, and I will be very excited to get my hands on that to see where our next battle will take place, or whose lives in the Star Wars universe it will effect. It is like a Pandora's box that is going to release some darkness on the world, and it is up to us to open it. I cannot wait, and again, suggest it to anyone that has kept this galactic story close to his or her heart.

Overall, if you couldn't tell already, I loved this "short" film. While I remember watching them on my computer when they were first released, I felt that the three minutes they were handed were not enough, I wanted more and I didn't want to wait. Thankfully, this is released in a full 65 minute run which will give you the full effect of the power behind this universe. I am a Star Wars fan, and I am not afraid to admit it. I thought that this disc did a great job of blending the episodes together and giving this ultimate war, the Clone Wars, some depth and humanity (if you can call it that). I suggest it to anyone looking to get a leg up on the recently released episode, while constantly impressing your friends and loved ones at a party. Don't worry, I do it all the time!

Hurrah!

Grade: ***** out of *****

It may not be saying much to proclaim Clone Wars as the best thing from the prequel-era of Star Wars storytelling--1999 to 2014--but this show is worth recommending as a superior alternative to the live-action films, albeit a very fleeting one. This is much closer to what classic Star Wars was in the beginning, i.e. serialized action-adventure with a snappy pace and a bit of dry wit.

Clone Wars, with its very stylized 2D animation and wall-to-wall action, is a good compliment to the later and longer-running The Clone Wars. The latter employed a more high-tech 3D/CGI animation style and focused more on character-based, long-form storytelling. And it really grew into a fine show. But the simple-yet-sharp visuals of the 2D animation on this one are my personal preference between the two. Sure, this style isn't everyone's cup of tea, but anyone who calls it "old-fashioned" is missing the point. This show is just the good stuff, without getting over-complicated and unwieldy. Long on charm, short on pretense.

And the characters, especially, fare far better here than in the live-action prequel films. As someone else mentioned, this show proves that the Star Wars prequels could have been a lot better than they were. The basic ingredients were there, but the recipes was wrong. This is a good recipe.

This is a short and quick review, and my personal opinion. This show to me is without a doubt, the best thing ever, that has the Star Wars name on it. Period.

After watching this, I was all excited to see the final movie, Episode 3. And... Obiwan kills Grevious in like 5 seconds in a lame ass fight. I was traumatically disappointed. Whats the point of the cartoon series, where they hype up the villain to be a major threat, only to just kill him off like a total wuss?

Im not a big Star Wars fan, or even a fan at all. But this series was great. If you haven't seen it, then you owe it to yourself to check it out. Its very worth it, much more than any of the movies.