Coming Soon: Star Wars - The Clone Wars
By Dennis West
The latest installment in the Star Wars franchise, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, is scheduled to hit theaters August 15th. While there have been other animated adventures in the Star Wars universe n dating back to the Boba Fett debuting short that was part of the much maligned Star Wars Holiday Special in the late 70s, and even though some people could argue that all of the Star Wars prequels were mostly animated with the likes of Jar Jar, Watto and a bazillion clones, this is the first feature length film billed as a completely animated feature.It's hard to tell exactly where this movie is supposed to fit in to the overall timeline of everything that's been produced—possibly somewhere between the first Cartoon Network animated Clone Wars series and the second one that lead up to the events directly before Episode III: Revenge of the Sith—but this storyline shows Anakin as a Jedi Master with a Padawan learner, Ahsoka Tano (the red-faced Jedi in the next two pictures shown below), as they depart on a mission involving crime boss, Jabba the Hutt.
Anyone who has read my reviews in the past would know that I've been a long time fan of the Star Wars universe, but like many people I have hang-ups about what has been done with the prequels. In large measure it seems to me that George Lucas is using the Star Wars galaxy as a portfolio piece for what his company, Lucasfilm, is capable of producing. In so doing, the story lines have tended to be a little shallow.
While the voice impersonations are impressive as can be heard in the trailer, Star Wars: The Clone Wars contains none of the actors who appeared in any of the Star Wars Prequels except for Anthony Daniels as C-3PO; Christopher Lee (impressive that he's in it) as Count Dooku; and Samuel L. Jackson (more impressive...) as Mace Windu.
From Warner Bros press materials, here is a synopsis of the story:
As the Clone Wars sweep through the galaxy, the heroic Jedi Knights struggle to maintain order and restore peace. More and more systems are falling prey to the forces of the dark side as the Galactic Republic slips further and further under the sway of the Separatists and their never-ending droid army.
Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan learner Ahsoka Tano find themselves on a mission with far-reaching consequences, one that brings them face-to-face with crime lord Jabba the Hutt. But Count Dooku and his sinister agents, including the nefarious Asajj Ventress, will stop at nothing to ensure that Anakin and Ahsoka fail at their quest.
Meanwhile, on the front lines of the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda lead the massive clone army in a valiant effort to resist the forces of the dark side...
Though it may not sound this way, I am optimistic that this will be an enjoyable movie. I'm excited to see what fresh writers and directors have done in this upcoming movie and I'll definitely check it out when it hits the theaters and will probably have my kids right there with me. I just wish it would have been set in an era with a bit more of a blank canvas, like after the fall of the Empire, post Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. If that were the case, we would be watching something where there would be real danger for the main characters, because we know that Anakin, Obi-Wan, and all of the others will make it through whatever dangers they find themselves in because we see them in the later episodes of Star Wars. I think it would be nice if Anakin's padawan, Ahsoka Tano becomes the central character in this movie so when the TV series begins, it's with a fresh group dealing with fresh issues other than Anakin's inevitable dark deeds.
I guess I just have to hope that if this movie and subsequent series are successful, then maybe someday in the future we'll get to see a Television series or movie about the rise of the New Jedi Order featuring an older Luke Skywalker—it's HIS story I'm most interested in hearing told.
Stay tuned to this site for a review once the movie hits the theaters.
Labels: animation, George Lucas, Lucasfilm, movie, Star Wars
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posted by Dennis West at 7/29/2008 01:05:00 PM
2 Comments:
I saw the movie the other day at an exhibitor's screening and was REALLY surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I mean, on the same level that I enjoyed the first three movies.
I also had the pleasure of hearing Dave Filoni talk at an event, and he reminded the audience of something we may have forgotten, that back in 1997, George Lucas talked quite a bit about how the prequels were going to take place in a different time and be on a different scale and "personality" than the first three. We have all been caught up so long in comparing them that it's easy to miss what is actually IN them, which is a very good, compelling story filled with wonderful mythological aspects (virgin births, a boy and a mentor, a child queen, a villain who wants to defeat the "kingdom" from within, an impetuous hero who makes a fatal mistake in judgment that spells his doom).
But back to this movie, I truly enjoyed ALMOST every minute of it. Sometimes it's just too loud and busy, and the battle droids can be overwhelmingly idiotic (but are also strangely fun, something they weren't in the prequels). Ahsoka is a GREAT new character. It's colorful, it's exciting, it's genuinely funny at times, and it's got a lot of charm. It's not QUITE as good as the "Star Wars" and "Empire," but I actually thought it was better than "Jedi" and place it between "Sith" and "Jedi" as my fourth favorite. It's NOT a "continuation" of the live-action movies, but something different, like it stands apart but is very much of a piece.
The animation is as good as anything else I've ever seen, but very, very, very different than Pixar. Don't go in expecting Pixar!
Just go in hoping for a good, old-fashioned adventure that entertains you and I really think you'll like it quite a lot!
so Lucas finally got to make (or a least approve of) a whole Star Wars movie after his love for CGI... looks fun though
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