Review: Star Wars The Clone Wars (Theatrical Pilot)
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Episode: Pilot/Feature
Airdate: August 15, 2008
While my reaction to this film is positive-- as it generally is with any new form of Star Wars fiction, as my expectations are pretty low-- other people I know and read are all over the place. If the reports are true, this film is a $10 million afterthought built on the inertia provided by the as-of-yet unaired television show. As such, the movie isn't so much a movie but the pilot for the 2008-2010 Star Wars marketing engine, a way to put out a reminder that Star Wars is indeed very much alive and available at a toy store and on a TV screen near you.
It's a little unfair to compare this to the 2003-2005 Clone Wars series because the creative limitations imposed on the show turned out to be a creative boon like no other. Reduced to 3 minutes, Star Wars is always good. Don't believe me? Think back to 1998, when you first saw the Episode I teaser. Pretty awesome, wasn't it? Cartoon Network's series was jam-packed full of goodness simply because there was no other option. In three minutes, you don't have time for a lot of dialogue and you certainly aren't going to squander it on words like "trade route negotiations" or a character introduction that lasts longer than 14 seconds. Oh, and in 2003? A lot of people hated the show. It's amazing what time can do.
As far as the new film is concerned, the format really does dictate the plot, and word has it that the movie was 3 or 4 episodes of the show rejiggered to make a 95-minute movie. That can screw things up when the directors intended for the story to be told in 22-minute chunks with commercial breaks, and the resulting picture does very much feel like a series which has been edited for the big screen. Asking someone to sit between Ahsoka and Anakin bickering this frequently for the full length of the movie may be a bit much, but on a half-hour series it's something you have to bring back to remind people of their relationship from week to week. So, like so many things, a little more editing would have changed the feel of the film quite a bit. For example, Padme wasn't introduced until about the final 30 minutes. On television, this would make sense-- having her appear to say "hi!" for a scene early on wouldn't make a whole lot of sense when her action would appear two episodes later. The directors would have been well-served to edit her in earlier on, bringing her into the story so her abrupt appearance at the end would have at least been a little less jarring. Even in Attack of the Clones, George Lucas was smart enough to at least refer to Count Dooku a few times prior to his introduction at the end of the film.
While the plot has seen much abuse, I have a hard time bagging on it. Not because I'm simple, but because I've digested a lot of the Star Wars stories beyond the movies. I've read the entire Marvel and Dark Horse Comics run. I've seen every episode of Droids and Ewoks and even the holiday special. I've even read a few novels and played a few games. I'm not saying this to brag, but to bring home the point: most of this stuff is OK at best. On top of that, this new movie takes place between two movies, more specifically, between the first and second halves of Episode 21 of the orignial Clone Wars series, which means the entire CG opus has to take place in a 9-month time frame in which most major characters cannot be killed or altered in any significant way. It's not like Obi-Wan is going to fall to the dark side, or Anakin is going to hook up with some other girl.
Much like the prequels, The Clone Wars is for a more limited audience. The movie's story brings little new to the table, but it's fun to watch and there's a few neat things to see if you're a Star Wars fan. The movie isn't going to advance animation as an art form and is unlikely to be anyone's favorite Star Wars film, but I certainly enjoyed it more than Episode I and its brisk pacing made for a fun night at the movies. I'm sure I'll be watching the weekly series alone when it airs, but I also watched all of Transformers Animated and can appreciate a decent, if silly at times, cartoon like The Clone Wars.
INTRODUCTIONS
New characters include Ahsoka Tano, Ziro the Hutt, Rotta the Hutt, a bunch of unnamed dead bounty hunters, Clones Rex and Fox, General Loathsom (no really), a few new droids, and surprisingly little else. Most new Star Wars movies have many more new characters, in part (I assume) to sell a few more toys.
HIGH POINTS
- The star cruiser Twighlight that Anakin, Ahsoka, and Rotta used to go back to Tatooine was a great little boxy design, the likes of which I would prefer to see more of.
- The voice acting was largely great, especially Matt Manter's Anakin Skywalker.
- R2-KT, a pink redecorated R2-D2, had her first appearance. The character has some significance to fans, but I'll let you research that on your own.
QUESTIONABLE POINTS
- Ziro the Hutt seems to simultaneously be the camp/cult hit from the film and the next Jar Jar Binks. I have just as many people asking when they can buy a talking one as I do people demanding his head on a platter.
- Obi-Wan and General Loathsom's negotiations of surrender could have come out of an argument between Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, and Buggs Bunny. Granted, with the Warner characters, it may have been funnier.
LOW POINTS
- C-3PO's line of something to the effect of "This is not my kind of neighborhood!", meant as a gay joke or not, was surprising.
- R2-D2's beeps and whistles seem to be entirely taken from the existing films. Since that's his speech, making a few new sound effects (or perhaps going into the archives for unused stuff) would have made sense.
- The Battle Droid army's wacky one-liners grew tiring as they were a little close together. Much of Star Wars' humor pre-1999 is subtle, this is not.
MERCHANDISING POINTS
- The Clone Troopers having increasingly specialized hair, scars, armor, and other features must be a dream come true for Hasbro, the action figure manufacturer. It's going to be incredibly cheap to make dozens if not hundreds of "new" figures from the movie and subsequent series.
- Surprisingly few new vehicles were introduced, and the toy line focuses largely on existing items trotted back out for this new movie.
- Despite being a Wave 1 action figure, General Grievous does not appear in this movie.
- Like a TV show, few new characters seem to be introduced here compared to any given prequel or sequel.
Posted byAdam16bit at 10:16 AM
Labels: The Clone Wars (TV), TV Reviews
