Mac here. I’ve recently declared myself TV Verdict’s unofficial “cartoon guy” by taking a look at the enormous landscape of animation currently on the air.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is currently the most-hyped show on Cartoon Network, so I figured I’d better give it some attention. Regular listeners of DVD Verdict’s Friday Filibuster podcast know that I was very critical of August’s animated Clone Wars movie. As a lifelong Star Wars fan, it was heartbreaking to see this great franchise kicked in the groin like this. I mean, a burping Hutt baby, a tranvestite Southern-accented Hutt, a whiny teenage girl Jedi, punk clonetroopers — are these the things they think Star Wars is all about?
Now, a couple of weeks into the new series, I feel that it’s better than the theatrical movie, but it’s still not quite the SW experience it could (and should) be.
The big stinker so far has been the character of Ahsoka, a spunky young girl Jedi apprentice assigned to Anakin. I don’t really see why this character was created or what she’s supposed to add to any given plot. Usually, she’s just there to give Anakin someone to talk to during various adventures, and of course to make sarcastic wisecracks. Maybe if her wisecracks were funny instead of just mean-spirited, or if she acted more like a genuine teenage girl instead of what some producer thinks a “grrl power” type is like, then I could buy the character. Instead, just she’s the show’s sore thumb.
(Some fans believe that Ahsoka is going to die while in Anakin’s care, and that’s why she doesn’t appear in Episode III, and also part of the reason why the Jedi Council refuses to make Anakin a master in that film. If this is true, it’s freakin’ brilliant, but I doubt it’s true.)
Shouldn’t the fun and excitement of seeing the legendary Clone Wars come to life be seeing Anakin and Obi-Wan during their glory days, fighting side by side? I think so, but, sadly, we get almost none of that. Anakin is usually off having adventures with Ahsoka, while poor Obi-Wan is usually stuck hanging out with a bunch of clone troopers. The final part of the recent three-part “Malevolence” story was easily the best episode yet, because Ahsoka and the characters took a back street, and the episode focused on Anakin, Obi-Wan, Padme, Artoo and Threepio on an adventure together. For a moment there, it almost felt like I watching a real Star Wars story.
There are plenty of other elements that still don’t work, though. The main villains are Dooku, Grievous, and Ventress (from the previous, and much better, Clone Wars shorts). Now, we already know the fates of two these three enemies, so when Obi-Wan duels Grievous in the heart of the Malevolence, it’s not all that exciting because we know it’ll end in a stalemate so they can really duke it out in Episode III.
I know the creators are probably doing their best, but most of the characters still have that stiff, plasticy, dead-eyes look that a lot of CGI characters have. The show’s humor doesn’t quite work for me either, being too broad and slapsticky, and not character-based. Turning the battle droids into Three Stooges-level klutzes just makes them annoying, and it makes the show’s bad guys look like fools instead of threatening.
Still, the lightsaber fights are fairly well-choreographed, if predictable. The best scenes so far have been the space battle scenes, which have felt appropriately huge and rollercoaster-like. Perhaps the creators would have been better off developing a Rouge Squadron-style series, offering thrilling spaceship dogfights every week, and not bothered with whiny girl padawans and Hutt babies and all the rest.
So that’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars for you. There are a few moments of pure fun hidden among many long stretches of blandness. I can’t wait to see the upcoming Jar Jar Binks episode.
25. October 2008 at 10:45 am
“Shouldn’t the fun and excitement of seeing the legendary Clone Wars come to life be seeing Anakin and Obi-Wan during their glory days, fighting side by side? ”
You want a very dull, narrow view of a massive war. As a weekly series, your concept would last about, oh, three weeks before it all started feeling the same.
The beauty of TV is it allows for a much larger set of stories to be told, for the story to take us pretty much anywhere, as we’ve already started to see.
Ahsoka is, in my view, a great new addition because she opens up the story to new possibility, as we saw with her and Plo-Koon.
As for already knowing the fates of characters — perhaps no one should ever, ever make a movie about WWII or the Vietnam War or the Civil War, then? Because we already know which side wins.
The fun is in the telling.
I think you’ve got to let go of what you THINK a “Star Wars” TV show should be and just enjoy what it IS!
25. October 2008 at 11:19 pm
I couldn’t agree more with the above comment, the show is great. I am a huge Star Wars fan, have been for the past 20 years and I love the show.
27. October 2008 at 6:38 pm
I agree as well with both of the two other posts. I loved the film and the TV series.Ahsoka is funny and I love the way she calls Anakin, “Skyguy.” Believe or not, this series feels more like the old Star Wars films, than the prequels. It’s not perfect, but load of fun, and that is what make Star Wars films and TV material so rich. Yes, I think there could be more drama, and there is, but Star Wars as always been something for kids and the young at heart. Remember, that Star Wars is a giant stepping stone, where you go off to other films and books that taking you to greater heights.
28. October 2008 at 5:18 am
I also agree with the above. I was thoroughly unimpressed with the movie but I’ve really enjoyed the series. I thought this week’s episode also took it to a darker place which I liked. I doubt they’ll do it every week but it’s nice to know that they’ll do it occasionally. I completely agree with Sam that this show invokes the original trilogy in my mind more so than Ep. I-III. I’m a big fan of getting a dose of new Star Wars every week and I look forward to the remaining 92 episodes.
28. October 2008 at 7:12 pm
I’m having problems with things like why in the world a vital outpost is being manned (poorly) by inexperienced, undertrained clones. And merely explaining that many clones are undertrained and rushed into duty does not excuse the military decision to station them in that outpost. Too important not to man with experienced vigilant staff. Bad writing.
And there is a scene in another episode where Anakin and Dooku and that teenage whateversheis are running silent but are detected by Grievous because the medibot’s power signature is detected. In coming about (turning around), the “Malevolence” describes a huge arc, which is sheer hogwash. “Malevolence” would spin on a pivot, like a blimp. Simply come to a halt and spin around. Not this huge, time-consuming, blunder of an arc we see in that episode.
Butbutbut it is vital, above all things, that the creators of this new series keep us entertained:
And I must say I am having lots of fun with this story and its wonderful visual appeal.
Rick
29. October 2008 at 9:01 pm
While the Clone Wars series has been better then the movie ( especially the space battles), it still has a lot of flaws that keep it from being a great show, just only an OK show.
The battle droids and their “witty” banter are far more annoying then Ahsoka, they drain any sense of danger from any scenes they’re in with their silly dialog, add that to their incompetence and that makes them the least threatening and interesting army around. And Dooku, Grievous, and Ventress don’t fare much better, their constant failure just makes them look worse every episode, sure they may eventually score a victory here and there but we all know they are destined to fail.
And since we do know the ultimate outcome, no scene threatening the lives of Anakin, Padme, Artoo, C3PO, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Dooku, Grievous, or anyone else who shows up in episode 3 can be taken seriously (not the fault of the people making the show, just a flaw of setting the show in between episodes 2 and 3).
5. October 2009 at 11:34 am
Although I have to agree with almost all of the above critical remarks, I still love the series. I’m also a big fan of all CGI animated movies and collector of everything related to Star Wars, which probably prevents me from being completely objective in this matter…