Star Wars: Clone Wars

"Like fire across the galaxy, The Clone Wars spread." - Yoda

Based on what I saw in the first installment, this series has promise after all.

Ever since I heard earlier this year that this series was in production, I was worried. When I heard that this series would be broken up and released in 3-minute installments, I was even more worried. As a Star Wars fan, and slightly disappointed by Episode II, I did not have the faith that this series would deliver. Fallen to the dark side did I. Wrong was I proven.

This series looks beautiful to watch. Tartakovsky and Co. did an excellent job of portraying the rich tapestry of the Star Wars universe in animated form. Of all aspects of this production, I was most impressed by both the voice talent and character design.

I look forward to seeing the rest of this "micro-series" unfold. Perhaps, in the future, Lucasfilm should consider making this into a full-length animated series. I know I want to see it.

**** out of ****

Long live Star Wars!

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 show goes by like a gust of cool wind. It feels good, but before you know it, it's gone! I wonder what G. T. was thinking when he made this series so short? Each episode only 5 minutes long! You want more, a lot more. Besides the length, the style of the series is very lush, artistic animation. It has the epic feel of the movies, along with the humor that G. T. used in Samurai Jack. He uses almost cinematic shots with epic scores. The characters are interpreted nicely, with the essence of them intact.

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.

This has got to be Genndy Tartakovsky's crowing achievement. Taking place between Star Wars II & III, and using state-of-the-art animation, Clone Wars is truly a masterpiece from the creator of `Samurai Jack' and `Dexter's Laboratory'.

The story picks up right where `Attack of the Clones' left off; the clone wars have begun, with Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi leading the clones into war. The show introduces many new characters including an amphibian-warrior named Kit Fisto, and Asajj Ventress, the first female Dark Jedi to date, and also brings back many familiar faces from the previous movies, such as Skywalker's secret wife Padmé Amidala and of course, everyone's favorite droids, C-3PO and R2-D2.

The battle scenes are really great for animation, living up to the famed animator who brought us `Samurai Jack'. It basically seems to be George Lucas's version of `The Animatrix', answering almost any question we could have about the series until the final chapter comes out. I also had to laugh when I first saw Skywalker on the show: just as whiny as Hayden Christensen, and just as flat-acted as in Episode II!

This is definitely a series worth checking out, though I have a sneaking suspicion that the whole series will be released on DVD before Episode III hits theaters. Enjoy, and may the Force be with you.